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I have been busting my butt wedge to get the current guitar that I am building done and I am almost there.

This one was started in my old shop and picked back up recently to complete in my new shop. I can't understand it but it seems to me like everything is taking way longer than I remember it to take....... But I also think that this is some the best work that I have ever done.

Last night I glued on the fret board with West Systems and that went off without a hitch. Now starts the final sanding and shaping so I will be making lots of dust for a day or two.....

Anyway I took some pics and wanted to share with my OLF friends.

I weighed it this morning now that the fret board is on and the bridge was stuck in place temporally.



It came out in the neighborhood of 3 pounds 6 ounces. I'll loose some weight further shaping the neck and final sanding and gain about 8 ounces with the fret work, nut, saddle, and finish so I am estimating this one to come in at around 3 pounds 14 ounces all up which makes me happy....



The neck joint came out very well as did the neck angle but it sure took me longer to do than it used to and I still don't understand why this is......





Anyway this is an exciting time for me because I can finally visualize what the completed guitar will look like and some other possible characteristics.

I had a couple of neighbors over last night who have me giving them guitar lessons........ (poor guys.... )(Yes Smoke On The Water is being taught to them... ). Anyway one of them was holding the body and noticed that every time someone spoke in the room he could feel the body vibrating on his finger tips..... Good sign!

Thanks for looking!!!

Lookin good buddy!

Light as a feather as expected!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Nice to see you back in the game, Heshie! It looks flawless, as usual.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Hesh, That neck joint looks nice and tight.Hope she sounds good for ya.It should be a good one if it's vibrating like you said.Great Job my friend.

Nice joint!
No butt wedge pic?

Looks good Hesh......must feel nice to be back at it. Your post raises a question ... when people discuss the weight of their finished guitars, is there an accepted "convention"?? (eg finished, tuners & strings OFF, bridge/tailpiece ON etc)
It'd be nice to know if I'm comparing apples to apples or bananas. Thanks

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Dave
Milton, ON

Looks great Hesh
As usual, very clean and understated beauty

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Thanks guys!

Yeah it feels great to be productive again...... 8 months or so of no guitar building was difficult for me personally so it feels great to be back at it.

Dave my friend there is no convention for guitar weights that I am aware of. For me it's purely a subjective personal preference to build light but strong enough to hold up. This is that illusive fine line that some seek. I make no claim that a light weight guitar will sound better than a heavy one.

But.... in my way of thinking some things that I am aware of tend to be best in breed when they are very light and very stiff. I am speaking of high-end tone arms, bicycle frames, etc.

Mario is a big influence in my building and his guitars are very light and super stiff making this a goal for me since I am not one to argue with success. And as we know some of the iconic pre-war guitars are pretty light weight too.

This is my 5th OM and one of the reasons why I have only built a few shapes (L-OO, OM, dreadnought, SJ) is that I want to learn from each one and take what works to the next and leave what does not work hopefully behind. So yeah I admit to being a one-trick-pony.... and building the same things over and over again but that is one way that helps me get better - hopefully .

My estimated final weight is factoring in the actual weight of the remaining parts and what I have experienced from weighing guitars before and after finishing. So we shall see but I am happy to be under 4 pounds with this one.

Nice looking guitar and neck/body joint; I have always considered the weight of a guitar to include tuners and strings; guess there is more than one way to weigh..

Lookin Good, Hesh! No stopping you now!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Great job, Hesh. Don't worry about some things slowing down because memory will take over after a few reps. Do you have plans for the next guitar?

Thanks Jack, Waddy, and James.

James - yes the next guitar(s) will be built two at a time and will be an OM and a L-OO. Both of these may have black tops too. The OM is not totally speced out yet but the L-OO will be Aussie blackwood with Aussie Blackwood bindings on the back (matching) and ebony bindings on the top and again the top will be black. The Rosette will be Aussie Blackwood too. This will be very much like the "Black Tiger" in my avatar and the gorgeous Aussie Blackwood was a very appreciated gift from my good friend Bob Connor.

Hesh,
while you're shootin for a lightweight guitar, you probaby should build it with tuners. it'll be a much better playing guitar

Looks really nice Hesh! I too, am in the same camp...build as light as possible without giving up any strength, longevity, or tone. I have yet to break below 4 lbs. on a totally finished OM...not that I have a goal to do so...but I think it's a good idea to keep track of weights during the building process.

Chuck

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8 months is a long time Hesh.

I've just spent a whole day working in the shop after about 3 weeks trying to sort out my humidity problems and it feels fantastic.

Glad you're back building - I can only dream about getting my neck to body joins that tight!!

Mat

Looks good Hesh. I dont know what my first one is going to weigh, but it seems pretty light to me. Just judging it against my other guitar by feel alone. I'm getting to where I can see the finish line.

It's interesting how when you truly love doing something, be it building guitars or playing them, or golf or whatever, time away from doing that can really put you in a funk.

I'd imagine that learning your way around your new shop space is adding some time. Especially when one is as OCD...errr I mean as organized as you are, you get used to just reaching for something and having it be there. It may be that you are just not used to where things are and that adds up, timewise. I'd venture that you'll either get used to it or you'll reorganize to better suit your preferred order of building. If you worked like me where you had to unearth each tool as you went, you'd be right on schedule...it's always slow goin'. Plus taking time off, you're probably making an effort to make sure every process is done correctly. Whereas eight months ago, you had the process ingrained, now you may be second guessing.

Darrin

Hesh....you could shave some weight if you fill the body cavity with Helium. Hydrogen is lighter but you risk explosion.

Anyhow...Nice work…the neck body joint looks perfect.

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

Thanks guys!

I had a productive day in the shop and now have this guitar final sanded except that I want to look at it in daylight tomorrow to see what I missed.

Here are some more pics I just took.





Here is my butt wedge - nothing special.





This is my favorite shot showing the Cuban Mahogany back and Mahogany neck.



Tomorrow I will locate and pin the bridge in place, mask with Fiskar's Film compliments of my friend Joe White and then it's off to Joe's place.

Oh yeah, it lost nearly 2 ounces to sanding and I think that I gained the two ounces......

Thanks for looking!

Hesh, that's such a smart and disciplined approach and I think every new builder could learn from it.

Cheers
Pete

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Cheers
Pete

That's a sharp guitar, great work!

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Looking good, Hesh. You are fortunate to have a place to spray in the winter. My southeast asian OM is just just sitting in the basement waiting for warmer weather. I have a buddy that may lend me his heated garage. If I can get that worked out, I might actually get it sprayed before June!!

BTW, was in your neck of the woods Friday night for the AA Folk Festival. Great evening.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Good to see you back in the saddle.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

That's looking mighty fine Hesh and I'm sure it will be appreciated by it's new owner.

How about a pink top on the L-00. It'll match the Dyson.

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Bob! It's RED not pink!!!!

Anyway - thank you gentlemen and Bob.....

Whoo boy, good lookin' stuff there, Hesh.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com