With the top now attached, I now have four guitar bodies ready for binding. Something to look forward to (said nobody, ever!)
Cheers, Pete
With the top now attached, I now have four guitar bodies ready for binding. Something to look forward to (said nobody, ever!)
Cheers, Pete
I've made some progress with this guitar over the past few weeks; however, I was hampered by the manchinga sides that rippled badly across the grain in the process of bending them. This has been my first experience working with manchinga, and I suspect that a little less water applied to the sides prior to bending them may have contributed to a better result. I had partial success in flattening them by soaking them in Supersoft veneer softener and clamping them for a couple of days in the mold I use to laminate sides. The remaining inconsistencies were masked once the veneers were added to the interior of the sides, and sanding will flatten their outer surface without removing too much material.
Check out the grain in that amazing Engelmann top!
Cheers, Pete
This set of manchinga has been gathering dust in my modest tonewood stash for several years. From the time that I acquired it I resolved that wood this remarkable should be set aside for as long as possible in the hope that my skills would eventually grow to a point at which I'd consider myself able to do it justice.
Whether I'm at that point or not, the reality is that I'm not getting any younger, so while my eyesight is still in good shape I'm preparing to take the plunge and begin construction of a guitar using this beautiful wood, coupled with a drop-dead gorgeous Engelmann spruce soundboard I've also been saving for something special.
I'll post a progress report on the other three guitars I'm working on very soon.
Cheers, Pete
Here a progress shot of two of the three guitars I'm currently working on: an Australian blackwood/Engelmann spruce OM, and a Bubinga/Sitka spruce OM.
A Narra/Engelmann OM has been a late addition to the production line, the motivation being that I'd like to try a bevelled armrest for the first time.
More updates soon.
Cheers
Pete
As many of my blog posts hereabouts will attest, construction of my workshop occupied me for the best part of four years; even now there are "finishing off" tasks that divert me from guitar building. More significantly, the list of jobs around the house expanded impressively while I was focused on the workshop, so I've made a point of addressing enough items on the list over the past few weeks that I've been able to increase my guilt-free time attending to a couple of new guitars, both of which are at a similar state of completion.
I added some inner laminations of cherry veneer to the sides on these guitars, the advantages being that:
There are many ways to laminate the sides, but I settled on using a jig modelled after the one pictured below, the idea for which I borrowed from guitar builder Ryan Gerber.
Side laminating jig |
Australian blackwood/Engelmann spruce OM |
Bubinga/Sitka spruce OM |
The task of bending the sides gave some cause for concern when I decided to use my one and only set of Bubinga recently. I was already aware that bending this wood can pose challenges, and on researching the topic it became apparent that unhappy accidents are commonplace. To mitigate the potential for disaster, I took the cautious approach and doused the sides in Supersoft veneer softener and shrouded them in plastic for a couple of days before unwrapping them and allowing them to dry completely prior to bending them.
What I've learned about this wood is that there are several Guibourtia species marketed as Bubinga, which perhaps explains the variety in appearance encountered between individual examples. With the sides successfully bent to shape, I've concluded that either the precautions I took contributed to my success or that the particular variety I'm working with tends to be less troublesome than other species. With Bubinga now listed on CITES and therefore no longer available in this country, I guess I should count my blessings as I forge ahead with this guitar, safe in the knowledge that I'll never have to deal with it again.
Cheers
Pete
In terms of figure, this Australian Blackwood might rate as a "AA" back-and-sides set; however, there's enough contrast and colour present that it's perhaps deserving of a more generous assessment.
After a years-long break from building, this guitar is proving to be an exercise in rust removal; I'm feeling the need to think carefully before proceeding from one step to the next, re-assessing processes that were once second nature.
The degree of difficulty has been increased due to my decision to laminate the sides (using inner layers of cherry veneer), and redesign the head block to provide better support for the fretboard extension.
Because the sides are laminated, the individual layers from which the sides are composed will be exposed when a soundport is cut out which, to my way of thinking, will look unsightly. With that in mind, I plan on binding the soundport, which necessitates that I build a jig as a next step that will allow me to use a laminate trimmer to route out the soundport, guaranteeing a flat gluing surface around the port's edges for the veneers and binding. Bending, gluing and clamping those veneers and binding will pose yet another challenge.
So far, so good!
Cheers
Pete
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 cu...