Archtop Guitar: Something From Nothing

It was my admiration for the guitars of Jimmy D'Aquisto featured in Guitar Player magazine almost 50 years ago that sparked my initial interest in guitar building. Despite that interest, this project will be my first foray into creating an archtop guitar of my own, now motivated as much by the music they are known for as their existence as objects of beauty. Bob Benedetto's seminal book, Making an Archtop Guitar, has waited patiently in the bookshelf, and its day has finally come!

Guitar by Fremiditi Guitars

Some contemporary jazz guitarists I've recently become aware of - notably Szymon Mika and Lage Lund - have provided the impetus to finally contemplate planing, chiselling and gouging a top and back out of some horrendously expensive wood, guided by the Benedetto book and the late, great Ken Parker's YouTube videos. Lately, I've also explored some analyses of John McLaughlin's chord voicings that have me hankering for a guitar with a shorter scale length more forgiving of someone like me with Dupuytrens Contracture, and the restricted dexterity and finger span it's forced me to contend with.

I've gazed longingly at desirable tonewoods available online, but with aspirations tempered by reality, I've scrounged through the wood I have at hand and committed to doing the best I can with the assortment of materials I already have. lf, at the very least, I can transform them into a functional instrument, I'll be more than happy.

More to come.

Cheers, Pete

 

A Higuerilla Practice Run

I have two back and side sets of higuerilla, one of which I'd classify as remarkable, with the other set attractive enough, but much plainer in appearance.

As this is a wood species I've not previously worked with, I figured I'd put together a 00 model using the plainer of the two sets in an effort to identify potential side-bending problems before I begin an instrument with what I'd consider a once-in-a-lifetime set.

Preparing to attach the top

Despite some springback necessitating a little refinement on the bending iron, bending went well, and there was no sign of cross-grain rippling. The higuerilla sides are laminated with inner veneers, and I was pleased to see that the final shape conforms exactly with the required body outline, with the side assembly sitting comfortably in the outside mold with next to no clamping force necessary.

So far, so good!

Cheers, Pete

  

For Sale: Claro Walnut/Port Orford Cedar OM

The lighting in my workshop is a stand-out feature I notice and appreciate every day. Banks of LED strip lights supplement the natural light illuminating the workshop through several large windows, making woodworking a much more pleasant pursuit and reducing my propensity to screw things up from time to time.

One downside is that photographing my work is frustrating to say the least, with reflections on glossy finished instruments very hard to eliminate entirely. A pair of LED movie lights is on my wish list therefore, and I'm confident that with the flexibility they'll provide in terms of placement and the ability to dial in colour temperature, I'll be able to avoid these lighting issues to a large extent.

In the meantime, here are some shots of a recently completed guitar, complete with unwanted reflections and questionable colours. Even with my high quality Canon camera, whose colour rendition reviewers often applaud, I struggle to accurately capture the colour of the various woods I use; the redwood-topped guitar I featured in a recent post is a case in point. Aside from acquiring the movie lights I mentioned above, more practice is obviously required!

The individual growth rings on this Port Orford cedar top are so closely spaced that they're almost impossible to distinguish; several centuries of growth must surely have contributed to its creation and, as its construction proceeded, I've frequently reminded myself that I have an obligation to put precious material such as this to good use. Having successfully completed this guitar, I have no doubt that it will outlive me, and my hope is that it will provide decades of pleasure for its eventual owner/s.

Contact me for pricing and details.

Cheers, Pete

For Sale: Claro Walnut/Redwood OM

It's taken such a long time to complete this guitar that it features a body shape I've long since modified. The shape of the heel is very traditional, and the fretboard end is also from a bygone era where my guitar building exploits are concerned. After some initial indecision, I've decided to reduce the price a little.

I'm loving the oil finished neck, which feels super smooth and will be very easy to maintain as the years inevitably take their toll.

Contact me for pricing and details.

Cheers, Pete.

For Sale: Manchinga/Engelmann Spruce OM

With this - the first of a batch of five guitars - now strung up, I can begin to relax a little and allow myself a moment to enjoy the sense of achievement at having completed an instrument; for various reasons, it's been a while!

There's always a sense of nervous anticipation when I first install strings on a new guitar, but even after hearing the first notes ring out I know better than to pass judgement immediately; it would seem too much like anticipating a toddler's potential as an Olympic sprinter after witnessing their first steps! Instead, I let it sit undisturbed for a week tuned to concert pitch, knowing even then that only the passage of time will reveal its true character. After this initial settling in period, I fine-tune the action, saddle height and intonation - it's only then that I can derive some sense of its sonic potential. I certainly have expectations where tone is concerned, but they're somewhat nebulous and hard to describe. In terms of aesthetics, I'm very pleased with this instrument, but I'm anything but an accomplished player, so I look forward to receiving feedback from someone more proficient than I am where ergonomics and tone are concerned.

While the woodworking and finishing aspects of my guitars seem to improve incrementally with each instrument, and are relatively easy to assess, the complex and all-important tonal characteristics are more difficult to evaluate. Describing what I'm  hearing is difficult enough, and formulating an approach that will render sonic improvements from one guitar to the next is very challenging. I've generated Chladni patterns on my unattached soundboards in the past, hoping for some "light bulb" moments to reveal themselves, but as interesting as they are, manipulating those patterns or translating my findings into tangible gains is a puzzle I'm solving all too slowly. For the time being, the best I can hope for is that I'll come to judge in some subjective sense that I've made improvements over earlier instruments and have been able to establish a new benchmark from which I can implement refinements on future instruments.

Contact me for pricing and details.

Cheers, Pete

Rosewood/Engelmann Spruce 00 - More Photos

Here are some more photos of this 00 model guitar in East Indian rosewood and Engelmann spruce. 

I expect to be in a position to pore-fill and apply lacquer top coats within the next couple of weeks. I'm very happy with the guitar up to this point, and I'm confident that finishing will present few challenges other than it being the usual long, drawn-out process!

Cheers, Pete

A New Model

With a lower bout width of 14.5", a 12th fret body join, and a 24.9" scale length, what else could I call this new model but a "00"?

It's a relief to see the body emerging from its unavoidable ugly phase. The bindings have been levelled and the Engelmann spruce soundboard and East Indian rosewood back and sides have been cleaned up a little for this initial photo shoot.

With plans for an oil-finished neck, I've been able to install frets much sooner than would otherwise be the case; the headstock face and heel cap will be lacquered as usual.

Cheers

Pete