Archtop Guitar: Back and Sides

The wood I've chosen to fabricate the back and sides of this instrument from is something of a mystery. I bought it perhaps 25 years ago, accepting without question at the time that the vendor's labelling of the wood as "Tasmanian Oak" was accurate. I don't recall whether I had immediate plans for it, but if I did, it seems I was distracted before I could convert intentions into action. It features subtle flame, which more than likely explains my purchase; there's a good chance I bought it on impulse and set it aside for a rainy day.

Wet with alcohol to reveal its colour.

I'm tempted to think that many of our endemic Australian tree species were christened in the early days of colonisation by unimaginative British folk longing for the familiarity of home; there are many native species designated as ash, maple and oak, for example, although they're unrelated to their European namesakes. I'm sure our indigenous inhabitants had much more melodious names for them prior to the invasion. 

In the case of the wood sold as Tasmanian Oak, it's commonly known that it could be sourced from any one of three Eucalyptus species, but this wood is distinctly different in appearance. To use a commercial fishing analogy, it could perhaps be described as "bycatch". It has the familar Tasmanian Oak aroma when worked, but overall it's much darker in colour and its tan shades vary across the quarter-sawn face; the texture is much finer than the ubiquitous hardware store variety too.

In any case, I managed to bend the ambitiously tight Venetian cutaway without mishap, using a technique demonstrated by the late Ken Parker on his YouTube channel. Briefly, it involves gluing bias-cut linen patches to what will become the outer surfaces of the tightest bends in order to support the wood fibres subject to tension as the wood is bent.  To further assist in bending these tight curves, I also followed his example and thinned the sides a little more than I usually would. To make up for the thinner sides, I added a 1mm inner laminate of cherry veneer which will contribute to crack protection and add stiffness to the rims.

Carving the back plate went well enough after I'd brushed up on my gouge sharpening technique and adopted the grimly determined mindset required. As I discovered, reducing a hardwood back plate to something approaching its final dimensions using only hand tools is a test of patience and resolve. I know that the contours of top and back plates can be roughed out using routers and other power tools, but apart from establishing the outermost plate thickness, I chose to restrict myself to planes, gouges and scrapers. There's further refinement required where final thicknessing of the perimeter is concerned, but for the time being I can move on to other tasks.

More to come.

Cheers, Pete.

Archtop Guitar: Bridge

In keeping with the theme of this project, which is to make use of nondescript pieces of wood cluttering up the workshop, the bridge I'll fit to this instrument will be fabricated from a highly figured and seriously dense chunk of red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) that I wrenched out of our firewood delivery man's hands a few years ago. "I'm not burning that", I told him!

The wood's dramatic figure is very appealing, but although it's well seasoned, it might contribute to some instability over time. The guitar is for my own use, however, and the worst case scenario is that I'll have to replace the bridge at some point - no big deal, and it's much cheaper than ebony!

More to come.

Cheers, Pete.

Archtop Guitar: A Dilemma

As I prepared to begin carving the top of this guitar I found myself facing a dilemma, mainly because I don't know whether I'll repeat the exercise. Ideally, for a project such as this one, I'd own a range of gouges and a convex-bottomed plane or two, but I questioned whether their purchase could be justified given that I can't be sure that the cost would be spread across more than one archtop instrument. Nevertheless, in a moment of weakness, and with the prospect of carving a back from a dense hardwood, I gave in to temptation and purchased a small convex-soled plane while resisting the urge to buy other desirable tools. Fortunately, I also own a couple of small gouges, so I'm not entirely floundering.

With the success of this guitar far from guaranteed at this stage, I guess I'll eventually deem it a worthwhile effort and be encouraged to expand my arsenal of carving tools in order to build more of them, or I'll think of it as an interesting diversion but stick with the flat top guitars I'm much more comfortable with.

As it turned out, carving the outer surface of the top plate was relatively straightforward once I'd become familiar with the areas of the top that were happy to cooperate, and those that were a little more recalcitrant. Using flat bottomed planes on the convex surfaces, I was able to quickly remove a lot of material, while my puny gouges and a variety of scrapers dealt with the concave shapes close the perimeter. My recently acquired convex-bottomed plane is certain to prove its worth as I proceed to shape the inner surface of the top.

Among the many relevant tips I picked up from Ken Parker's YouTube videos, his example of first establishing the top's longitudinal arch was an especially useful strategy. Also following his lead, I'm using a low, raking light source that's proving invaluable as I identify lumps and bumps and work towards achieving something approaching symmetry and a smoothly graduated surface.

More to come.

Cheers, Pete.

Archtop Guitar: Soundboard

Given the significant investment of time and effort involved in crafting an archtop guitar, there's an argument for using the very best materials I can find. An equally valid point of view is that, for my first attempt at an archtop, there are likely to be mistakes along the way and that it's good policy to choose raw materials of a lesser quality to match my modest expectations.

For this guitar, I've taken the latter approach to the extreme. A Douglas fir coffee table has languished, unused and propped up in a corner of the workshop, for years. In fact, I've had visions of adding it to the pile of tree branches accumulating in a corner of our little property as they await dry weather and a match. However, after stewing over the reality that a decent spruce top could set me back hundreds of dollars and be destined for mediocrity, I contemplated how best to repurpose the old coffee table.

As the table top was comprised of several adjacent lengths of fir, with grain oriented randomly, I separated the sections with a circular saw and selected the pieces whose grain was closest to quarter-sawn. As you can see, the composite soundboard in its raw state would be a firm favourite in an ugly contest, but I'm reasonably confident that I can transform it into something resembling a guitar. Despite their humble origins, there's a sense of excitement and anticipation when I contemplate making use of sub-optimal materials that may ultimately make beautiful noises.

More to come.

Cheers, Pete.

Archtop Guitar: Something From Nothing

It was my admiration for the archtop 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 live 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

 

SOLD! An Enjoyable Distraction

I had some spare time recently as I waiting for the lacquer I'd sprayed on my current batch of acoustic guitars to cure in readiness for polishing, and as I'm becoming a big fan of headless guitars, I put the guitar pictured together while I had the opportunity to do so.

I've had the maple neck blank and the Queensland maple drop-top cap in my tonewood stash for what must be a decade, so it seemed like a convenient time to put them to good use at last. The mahogany body is comprised of three pieces sourced from the stock of material I'd normally reserve for head blocks on my acoustic guitars.

• Body: chambered mahogany
• Cap: Queensland maple (Flindersia brayleyana)
• Neck: bigleaf maple, with double-action truss rod and carbon fibre reinforcement
• Fingerboard: ebony
• Bridge: Nova Guitar Parts
• Pickups: Kiesel Beryllium humbuckers
• Finish: Osmo Polyx oil

The guitar came together relatively quickly compared to my usual acoustic guitars. I learned a lot through this process, so I'm looking forward to put the lessons learned to good use on similar electric projects in the near future.

Cheers

Pete

Dry Sanding With Super Assilex and Super Buflex Abrasive Sheets

I put this East Indian rosewood/European spruce guitar to one side as I proceeded with my usual process of wet sanding and buffing four other guitar bodies, the motivation being that I wanted to compare wet sanding with the dry sanding alternative.

There was an unavoidable delay as I waited for delivery of the Eagle Abrasives' Super Assilex and Super Buflex papers from Stewart MacDonald in the U.S., but as this particular guitar has been in the works for a number of years I figured that in the overall scheme of things another few weeks' wait was immaterial. This product is usually sold in packs of 25 sheets and is costly in such quantities, so the fact that StewMac sells individual sheets was very appealing given that I'd need a range of grits. Note that the grading system used by the manufacturer identifies the papers' grit with an K prefix, which apparently corresponds to the more familiar P designation.

As the last sprayed coats of lacquer had laid down fairly smoothly, I chose to begin sanding with 800-grit abrasive sheet. Apart from the lack of the usual wet mess, and the ability to dispense with the assortment of towels and rags I usually employ to clear the sanding sludge, I was immediately impressed by the fact that this product quickly levelled the lacquer and clogged to a much lesser extent than the cheaper sandpapers I'd used in the past. When it eventually did show signs of loading with finish, it was easy to prolong its life by quickly wiping it across a scrap of towelling. In so doing, it struck me that the cheaper papers offer a false economy: they tend to clog quickly even when used wet, and I'd bin a significant quantity of it in the course of sanding a single guitar. In contrast, the Super Assilex and Super Buflex sheets were very resilient and relatively long-lived.

I proceeded through 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 grits, alternating the sanding direction between grits as I have in the past in order to more readily identify scratches remaining from the previous grit. With no need to constantly squeegee or wipe away wet slurry, it was pleasing to be able to monitor sanding progress with such ease. With a dry work environment an additional bonus, as I sanded the headstock later I appreciated the absence of water that can seep into tuner holes and potentially cause finish problems.

Having finalised sanding with the finest grit, Menzerna fine compound on my buffing wheels brought the lacquer to a mirror-like shine with much less effort than is usually the case. I buffed the headstock by hand to minimise the likelihood that I'd burn through the edges. Using Meguiars' Ultimate Compound I was able to bring the finish on the headstock to an impressive gloss with very little effort.

Other than the initial expense, I can't see any downside to this paper, and I'm unlikely to ever take the messy wet sanding route again.

Check it out on the StewMac web site: Super Assilex and Super Buflex 

Cheers, Pete 

Some Silent Sanding

 Cheers, Pete

Sanding and Buffing Tips

I'm definitely not the most experienced finisher around, and thought it wise recently to undertake something of a personal refresher course by sifting through some relevant forums and Facebook groups with a view to improving the quality of my finishes. Here's a collection of thoughts on wet sanding and buffing that I've compiled:

• Invest in some good quality sandpaper, not cheap hardware store varieties. There are many good choices; 3M's Trizact is a trusted product, as are many of Mirka's papers.
• Depending on the quality of the final finish coat, begin sanding with the finest grade of sandpaper that will accomplish levelling of the surface. Most recently, I've started with P600, but will begin with P800 in future. Grits coarser than P600 are probably best avoided. 
• Keep your work area spotlessly clean to minimise opportunities for dust and other particulate matter to scratch the guitar as sanding and buffing progresses.
• Wrap sandpaper around a foam or cork block.
• Sand in straight lines rather than in a circular motion.
• Having completed sanding with each grit, put rags or paper towels that have been used to wipe away sanding slurry to one side for disposal or cleaning, then grab fresh ones.
• To more easily identify scratches remaining from the previous grit, sand in an opposing direction when progressing to the next grit.
• Before use, soak sandpaper in a container of water to which a few drops of dishwashing liquid have been added.
• Change the water used to wet the sandpaper when progressing to the next grit. Soak the paper before use, as before.
• As you wet sand, check the sandpaper frequently for any build-up of finish that could cause scratches.
• To guard against sanding through the finish, delay sanding of edges until the finer grades of sandpaper are in use.
• Assuming you have access to a buffing arbor, sand through the grades of paper up to at least P1500, although P2000 would perhaps be a better target. Some builders advocate even finer grades of paper, but the Law of Diminishing Returns perhaps applies in this context.
• When buffing, remove polish residue from the guitar surface frequently to allow the buffing wheel to contact the guitar surface rather than the polish residue, which can impede progress. Removal of the greasier buffing compounds can be difficult; a drop or two of swirl remover rubbed over the affected area, then removed with a clean, soft cloth seems to work well.
• Complete the polishing process with a liquid swirl remover, either by hand, or with a drill-mounted foam pad.
• Be patient!   

As I remarked in the first paragraph, I'm no expert, so if you disagree at all, or care to expand the list, please feel free to comment below.

I aim to experiment with dry sanding as an alternative approach shortly. Stay tuned for a blog post on that topic.

Cheers, Pete 

On the Home Stretch

It's a fact of life that events and circumstances can conspire to delay and reshape our plans, and this has certainly been the case where the instrument pictured is concerned.

Given that building guitars is such as passion for me, it's amazing - and even a little embarrassing! - to reflect on the fact that I began this guitar around twelve years ago. With a busy life that revolved around a nine to five job, time to pursue hobbies was in short supply all those years ago, and progress was understandably slow.

In part because of that situation, recalibrating the balance between work and play became a priority for my partner and for me, and we finally made the momentous decision to relocate, with a view to escaping the pace and pressures of city life, reducing our working hours and living expenses in the process.

After the stress and upheaval of an interstate move, we found ourselves renting a tiny cottage in a small village three hours' drive from Melbourne. While we were happy with our decision, and overjoyed to have made the move, other than for a brief period when I had access to a vacant shop a few hundred metres from home I was without a space in which to work, and guitar building was unavoidably put on hold.

We eventually persuaded our landlord to sell us the house, at which point reality set in: after seeking several quotes from local builders, I had to acknowledge that the cost of having a suitable workshop built to my specifications was prohibitive given our severely reduced income. Building with straw bales had captured my imagination several years earlier, however, and, even for someone like me with no prior building experience, building a straw bale workshop seemed achievable and much more affordable given that I'd complete the bulk of the work myself. Fast forward nearly four years, and my workshop was finally completed - previous blog posts show progress.

With that mammoth building project behind me, pent-up enthusiasm and my typical lack of discipline resulted in me commencing a number of new instruments, and it's only now that I begin the homeward run towards stringing this particular guitar up, hopefully within the next few weeks. Assuming, of course, that life events and circumstances allow it!

Cheers, Pete

Level Sanding and Buffing

I'm still chasing rogue sanding scratches and polish residue on this Claro Walnut/Port Orford OM body, but I'm calling it "done" for the time being. I'll return to it shortly with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm.

It's been some time since I last level sanded and buffed a guitar, and I've been reminded once again that a thorough approach to sanding through a sequence of ever-finer sandpaper grits is crucial to attaining the scratch-free finish that I'm looking for. I began levelling the finish with P600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper, proceeding through P800, P1000, P1500 and P2000 papers, using soapy water as a lubricant, before buffing with Menzerna polishing compound on a buffing wheel. Having done so, I'm close to achieving the desired outcome, but there's considerable work remaining before sanding scratches are reduced to what I consider an acceptable level.

This guitar body is the first of five that I'll be sanding and buffing, and I'm aware that if I'm disciplined enough and pay sufficient attention to detail, I can minimise the level of frustration that I always deal with throughout this time-consuming process.

Cheers, Pete

The Long Wait

As keen as I am to string these guitars up and wave them goodbye, I have no choice but to wait several weeks for the lacquer top-coats to cure before I sand and polish them. I know from experience that to give in to my typical impatience is an exercise in futility, so the long wait begins.

Cheers, Pete

The Finish Line

After what feels an eternity, I managed to begin the arduous process of applying finish to this crop of guitars this morning, with a seal coat of shellac applied ahead of the first coats of lacquer tomorrow.

I have three other guitars under construction, but with the inevitability of cold wet weather ahead I vowed to put them to one side and take advantage of our unseasonably dry autumn with a view to finally completing these instruments, some of which I began years ago.

With fresh ideas in mind, I'm well and truly ready to move on from this collection of instruments, and I've come to the realisation that working on a big batch of guitars like this can detract from my enjoyment of the process. A completed instrument would be nice!

Cheers, Pete

Bridge Day

With a template describing the bridge outline, and an appropriate jig to facilitate routing of the saddle slot, it's a fairly quick and easy job to fabricate these guitar bridges. A rasp, some cabinet scrapers and sandpaper complete the job after the blank has been cut to shape. The underside of the bridge will be shaped to match the dome of the soundboard at a later stage.

The bridges pictured are of Macassar ebony and padauk. Despite its somewhat extravagant colour, I look forward to using the padauk bridges; it's a much low density than the ebony. Unfortunately, padauk is yet another wood species that has recently been added to the CITES list, so these are the last bridges I'll have the opportunity to make from it.

Cheers, Pete