Gday ANZLF

seeaxe · Post by **seeaxe** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:50 am

I just found this forum and was so impressed I have joined. A host of very useful topics and threads for someone very new to the art of building guitars! I have just finished two and a have a couple more under way, and I am sure I will be sorting a few problems by searchnig this site, Thanks to who ever started it all off! It seems to be growing very quickly.

I'lll post some pics of the guitars when I find out how to do it

It would also be good to hear if there is any contact/meetings/whatever between the builders in NZ?

Dave Olds · Post by **Dave Olds** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:36 am

Hi there - and welcome to the forum.

I am also new to guitar making - having completed only one guitar - and that was on a guitar making course with Sergei De Jonge in Canada. I am now working on my first "solo" effort.

I am on the North Shore ( Auckland ) and would be keen to make contact with other guitar makers in this part of the country. If you want to get in touch send me a PM on this forum and I will call you.

Dave.

Bob Connor · Post by **Bob Connor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:06 am

G'day Seeaxe

And welcome to the forum.

You should be able to upload pics now. I have to enable that function on an individual basis every time a new member joins.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:38 am

Welcome to the forum.

If you are still having trouble uploading pictures to the forum, I put together a short "how to" in the Tutorial section. If it continues to give trouble, just sing out and well help you along.

Cheers

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:02 am

Hey Seeaxe,

Welcome to the ANZLF, looking forward to seeing your work.

Cheers

KIm

Ethereal Guitars · Post by **Ethereal Guitars** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:00 am

Welcome to the forum Seeaxe!

I recently joined also and this is one of the best forums by far!

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:07 am

Welcome to both of you. Its always good to meet new people.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:24 am

G'day Seeaxe and G'day Dave.

I have noticed while searching for bits of wood to build instruments that there seems to be a lack of woods from N.Z. Maybe you guys could have a forage around the forest floor and a bit of a experiment to see what you could come up with over there "World Woods in Color" lists a few potentials, who knows what you might find in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Jim

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:01 pm

Welcome Seeaxe, welcome Dave,

This is the best forum in Aus/NZ. no doubt.

Hey Kim, nice avatar!

seeaxe · Post by **seeaxe** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:21 pm

Pretty impressive response, thanks guys.

I am (hopefullly!!) posting a couple of pics, these were built from kits, both from ALS, one is a Stewmac dreadnought, the other is a german spanish acoustic. They have taken 9 months start to finish, cost a fortune in tools (that I always wanted an excuse to buy - like a thicknesser) and have been great fun to do.

I've also started a tele style electric and have an OM kit from LMI ready to start after I have repaired my marriage!!

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:57 pm

Welcome to the forum, seeaxe.
What's the first name? We kinda like throwing those around as well.

Nice collection you've got and also have planned there, just make sure you show us the tele as well !!

Always good to have more of our New Zealand Brethren onboard.

cheers, Stu

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:15 pm

OOOOH, I love blondes. That's a beauty.

I was warned that building a guitar was no way to get a good guitar inexpensively. Truth be told, the first one probable cost $3,000 in tools, and sundries etc.

Now there is the insatiable desire to accumulate beautiful wood. But at least the wife knows that I'm not in the pub.

seeaxe · Post by **seeaxe** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:28 pm

Stu, you asked about the Tele? Being a leftie, I struggle to find nice guitars to drool over in shops, and I especially wanted a Tele so I thought I would have a go at building one. The theme with this is its supposed to be all recycled timber so the heart rimu body is part of a bed I liberated from the house, and the neck is matai found in a recycled timber place. Unfotunately on machining the headstock I found it has lots of borer - I'm torn between starting again and keeping it - how many teles have you seen with borer?? That'd be fairly unique.

BTW the name is Richard, seeaxe is the name of the guitars - a seeaxe is one of the swords you see on the Essex county shield, see pics!. No prizes for guessing where I started from.

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:49 pm

Hey welcome to the ANZLF Seeaxe and Dave!!!

Seeaxe your guitars look great!!!

seeaxe · Post by **seeaxe** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:42 am

Thanks for the welcome messages again, having now spent quite a lot of time footling through the various topic threads, I realise that there are some very tlanted people out there, its really inspiring to see what can be done.

Dave, I have not managed to get the PM working, so the number is 473 5171 if you want to get in touch.

Cheers all, will post on a new topic shortly.

PHANTOM · Post by **PHANTOM** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:20 pm

Welcome. I know what you all mean about the tools I told my wife that i could build a great guitar for a lot less then i could by one for. The trouble was not the timber but the thousands of dollars worth of tools i needed. Oh well means i have to cut back on the fishing lures have way to many of them as well. If there still in the packet three years after you bought it i probobly didnt need them in the first place. Hell now im starting to sound like her. By the way i still need more tools and more timber so i will have to keep going to work. Wouldnt it be good to retire and build guitars for a living.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:48 pm

Hi Richard

It would seem a bit of a waste to have to scrap that Tele neck. I would suggest (just incase you are not familiar with the beast) that if the borer is still active then to wrap the neck in plastic and get it into a freezer, industrial is best but domestic will do, then if you can live with a few holes leave them or fill them.

Jim

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:05 pm

I used some New Guinea Rosewood for a neck that when I carved it had borer holes in it. I was going to scrap it too, but then saw someone talking about antiquing an instrument, and I thought that the holes were well on the path of the antique look. I'm glad that I decided to use it, because it turned out a treat.

Hippety Hop · Post by **Hippety Hop** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 8:15 pm

Pleased to meet you both. Nice guitars there Richard.

Cheers Hip.

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 8:27 pm

Glad to see another lefty here, too !!!!

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 8:28 pm

Glad to see another lefty here, two !!!! (Double post

)

Antipode · Post by **Antipode** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:16 am

Hi Folks-from a Kiwi still here

Like the avatar - pleasing critters tuataras.
For Jim:- Kahikatea will give a good soundboard but the Chinese have already sussed this and ....... violins by the millions and hard to get at home. Same old story. Guess we knicked their gooseberry and this is payback.
Beech is an option for necks, backs and sides - that said, almost anything is an option for necks and sides with lamination in the frame.
I prefer archtops and and laminate. I use the 'where the sun goes down system' and brute clamping force is not required.
Kahikatea with graphite or glass-fibre for tops (a bit of radiata pine, if some nice clean grain turns up, as a middle laminate is good too) and beech with graphite for sides and backs. Once again pine between the beech on the sides doesn't seem to harm things. For looks a bit of almost anything as the outside laminate won't hurt too much.
Glass-fibre versus graphite in the top is a bit like spruce versus mahogony.
I admit to being less than pedantic on necks where my main aim is stability without putting too much call on the truss rod. One thing I was dimly enlightened with was that in tapered stuff the laminates should be tapered rather than uniform with the sides shaved off. Pain to do but....
A bit of number-8 wisdom here. Before every bed base was innersprung there were wirewove bed bases. Side rails from these are great - sort of run-in if you get the drift. Those from old folk's homes are best for basses and for uke's the local knockshop throw-outs won't have too much adjustment to make.
For bracing I have found no reason to go past balsa and graphite - fit the braces and then entomb them - great light beams but keep the graphite light too. There is a New Zealand native that's about the same weight as balsa but it's name eludes me and it is certainly not grown commercially.
Puriri and Totara make excellent fingerboards but sources are demolition based.
I guess the bottom line here is that there are local woods but you pay international prices unless you are prepared to scavenge and mill or resaw.

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:18 pm

Welcome to the forum Antipode,

Im a bit of a scavenger myself, Ive just rescued the timber from our old lounge, NG Walnut! Now all I need to do is talk the boss into a bandsaw. It also had about 6 metres of threaded rod.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:48 pm

Welcome and thanks for the info Antipode. Many of the woods I use here are not commercially grow either. The reason I mentioned it is because I have never seen a piece of N.Z. wood sold by a Guitar wood supplier, this doesn't mean it is not sold just that I've never seen it. I did assume there would be some stuff there that would be very useful and maybe even the odd pretty piece.

Jim

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:12 pm

Bob C sent me some ancient karri from NZ in a pack of orphan sides I bought from him a few years back. As I recall it was all the rage about a year before then. LMI was selling it along with a few others and the pitch ran along the lines of the 'oldest tonewood on earth'.

Anyone got a comment on the pros and cons of that particular Kiwi tonewood?

Oh, and welcome to the ANZLF Antipode.

Cheers

Kim

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