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I'll get the bad out of the way on my first post as the good is still drying in the go-bar deck. After installing 2 new braces on the back I removed earlier this week, I made a pile of shavings from scalloping those and the rest of my tops braces. Time to clean up. Got out the shop-vac and proceeded to do a thorough cleaning of my work areas. While cleaning out behind my rolling workbench the hose snagged on a corner of the bench and flipped my sides off the bench. Result:





aarrggghhh!

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Bobby Masten

I tried a sunburst for the first time this week. Looks pretty good to my eye (for a first attempt)
This is a 1967 Hagstromm 12 string I re-topped after the original (badly designed) top collapsed. The owner really wanted to reproduce the sunburst, so (with no guarantee about the outcome) told him I'd give it a try.
When practising, I had a hard time getting an even spray pattern, so I built a lazy susan, using an old radius dish I don't use any more. I found by spraying inwards from the edge & varying the angle of the gun as I turned the guitar on the lazy susan, I could control it quite easily.
With the lacquer thinned about 30%, it flashed off so fast, I was able to keep going round & round, concentrating closer to the edge with each rotation.
Here is the result...
I started by spraying an amber tinted base coat over the entire top.
The colour was aniline dye (color FX) I borrowed from Danny V. (Thanks Danny!) It took three colours to approximate the original mahogany sunburst colour... Amber, burnt sienna & black. I just kept adding colour 'till it looked right on the stir stick.
Surprisingly, it looks like I sprayed at least two different colours. Weird, but I like the effect.

Sorry to see that but it's not as bad as it looks. Work in some hide or fish glue, add in a couple side braces and forget about it. After finishing you won't even know where it was.

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Build log

Wow Daniel - that is an amazing sunburst!
I tried a similar burst with aliline dye and em6000, didn't go so well....your work is inspiration!

I just installed the side markers on my current build. This is my first attempt at a bound fretboard and backstrap....so far so good!

Yeah, split sides are a bummer but the usually mend ok.
Daniel: Great looking burst!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I put three coats of zpoxy and two coats of shellac on my #2 build. I was going for an older amber type look and am happy with the results. Many coats of EM6000 are going on next.



This has a spruce top, mahogany back, sides, and neck.

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Keith Lally
http://krl-guitar-building.blogspot.com/

Bobby – that’s a bummer about the split side! Hopefully some CA and some side struts will make it good as new.

Daniel – that burst is gorgeous!!! I hope my first turns out half as nice.

I'm leaning towards using CA instead of hide glue. My thought is it will weather the warmer SC heat better and not soften up. Now for the good. Replaced the top two braces on my back and finished bracing the top. Time for football, beers and some steak.

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Bobby Masten

Nothing........deer hunting with my muzzleloader.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Working up and installing a rosette.................

Closed up the box on one earlier this week and started bracing another this weekend. Should get this one closed tomorrow. I'm trying to build my chops by doing two at a time. Seems to be helping, but only time will tell. Either way, I'm having a lot of fun.

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George :-)

I joined tops for my 2 current projects, photos of these can be seen on my Facebook "FE Tellier guitars" page. I also cut and glued the woods for a laminated neck for a future project, Mahogany with EIR and curly maple EIR in the center. The curly maple was also my 1st attempt to resaw and it came out quite good.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Been in the shop building 5 laminated necks for the 5 boxes i batch built and resawing some new sets for near future builds.

I leveled and crowned the frets on an "A" style Gibson mandolin including a set up and installed a Barcus Berry pick up.
Installed an EMG on a solid body Epiphone mandolin that looks like a Gibson Firebird and a set up. (Half size)
Installed new plastic buttons on a Vintage Gibson lap steel and cleaned the potentiometers.
Reglued the back binding on a D-28 Martin from the waist to the neck both sides. Also fixed the tail-pin input jack. Also replaced the nine volt battery. While replacing the battery a plastic tab broke on the battery holder. Called EMG and they are shooting out a new one free. Since I broke it I was expecting to pay. EMG is a good company to do business with.

Off topic: I made a 12 volt to 7 volt regulator for my '75 Honda Goldwing temperature and fuel gauge. With less than $10.00 worth of parts from Radio Shack vrs $40.00 for a new one aftermarket. Lord only knows how much that puppy is from Honda.

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"Try to be the person your dog thinks you are."

http://sites.google.com/site/bertsguitarshop/

Leveling and fretting a replacement neck on a 12-string electric. Not getting much time in the shop due to lot's of construction/maintenance projects around the place.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Reclaimed some shop real estate by amalgamating a workbench, worktable, tablesaw, router table, room air filter, humidifer, and storage shelves. This is better than running all three separately and frees up precious work space.

Made some progress on my DIY thickness sander. Awhile back I acquired an old RAS, well beyond its best before date as I got it from the local dump. I had already reconditioned an old RAS so I didn't need another, but I thought that it could be pressed into other service. I have the motor set up and a table now. I thought about a feed system but felt that it was going to me more complicated than I have time for now, so I will use a sled. I still have to level the drum, make dust collection, and fit the abrasives on the drum.

I built a new solara for a new classical guitar build. This one has a 5mm dome, my other one is only 2.5mm and has a different neck angle.

I am making progress on the Viola da Gamba. I bought some Spruce staves from Shane and am getting them laid out for bending and joining into the arch shape.

Spent a good many hours researching and preparing quotes and talking to a client about a big project. It appears fruitful, so it was worth the investment.

Finally, I am resurrecting this big old freighter canoe that was REALLY beat up! This one is used for racing and has already earned its restoration fees in prize money.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

5mm? Wow. Would not that result in a too low bridge even with a perfectly flat neck?

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Build log

Myself I am still at binding my 9th, now the back using a little divide et impera - I glue the top purfling before the rest just to reduce the mental stress

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Build log

Lovely Alex....looks very Granada school.

Thanks! Your meander is lovely too. Is it for your 100th? I need to find the courage and try it too for a head+back+end strip.

Speaking of Granada and the end strip, John Ray said they inlay it after doing the binding. That might very well be easier but I preferred to stick to what worked before (this is my 3rd with miters everywhere).

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Build log

Shouldn't.

I drew it all out when I did my FE17 exploration and it worked out just right with a flat neck angle. This time I'll be working on a FE19 plantilla. I have it on good authority, from Jason Wolverton who had opportunity to measure FE17 in person, that its dome is 5mm. That, and evidence from photos which support my thoughts, I am working with 5mm for the dome.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

No, it's a special request for my #96 guitar which was concepted some time back and lay unfinished till a client recently commisioned me to complete it albeit with Birds eye Bosnian maple rather than the cypress I planned on initially.
Meanwhile, others came along and got a place in the sequnce before it.
I just need a client for my 100th to get going on it though!

Cleaned the shop for the next go-round and mowed the leaves...

Worked some on the peghead of the "rockabilly archtop"...








...and started messing with colors.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

This week I finished these truss rod covers and started on this bridge.

Those truss rod covers have a .006" maple keyline around a toasted maple core fit into a bloodwood base.

I also got the first few coats of Tru-Oil on all the peripheral pieces.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic