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Ok, after nearly a year of the familiar story of building jigs etc, I am pretty much done with it. Still a little bit of set up but it's mostly playable as is.

When I first started with the idea of building a guitar, I didn't want to waste a lot of money if my guitar morphed into an accordion. So I went with the idea of using materials that I currently had. The back and sides are cherry. I know it's flatsawn and it's not the prettiest, or the best decision stability-wise, but this first build was more about learning techniques for me. The top is a five piece of redwood from well quartered post left over from a deck project. The binding is purpleheart and the purfling is solid white from allied. The neck is also laminated from cherry I had on hand. The headstock overlay is purpleheart and bookmatched cherry. Tuners are Gotoh's 503's The finish is Tru-Oil.

The sound port in the upper bout is the result of rigorous trial and error. I tried to bend the side, made an error and it cracked right there. The sound port seemed like a good fix.

I'm sure she is a bit overbraced, but in the end, fear and inexperience won out. Still, I like the way it sounds though I'm probably kind of biased.

I did have my share of mishaps, but showed uncharacteristic patience and avoided any intentional maiming of the guitar.

I didn't have any plans when I started, or a guitar to copy the shape of, so I drew my own. I don't know that I'm particulary fond of my shape. I did have C&N so I copied the page with the bracing on it and measured the angles and distances, then scaled it up. I just figured, in the end, if I make it as close to other bracing as I can, it'll still sound like a guitar.

Overall, between the OLF, Kathy's page, and C&N, I think it came out ok. I boogered it up along the way, as far as dinging it while getting some of the last steps done, so it's already broke in. Thank you all for your help and helping others. I tend to read and try to find the answers if I can before asking myself, so having the OLF is the coolest, as are the guys and gals here.

Darrin Oilar

Darrin, that is one adventurous first effort!! I have never played a redwood soundboard. How does the sound compare to Spruce or Cedar?

So having finished number one, what are your plans for number two?

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

That looks really fine to me. Nice job.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Thank you Ken and Waddy.

Ken, it has a nice oakiness with a fruity finish.

I'm not really great at qualifying the sound. I haven't owned a lot of guitars. My other guitar is a spruce topped, plywood sided Fender. I would say that this one seems to have a lot more "things" going on with the sound. I would say that if bright means more "plink" sound, I would agree spruce is brighter.

It is as I had read, VERY soft. If you drop something on it, it dings. If you don't completely clean your work surface, it'll ding. If you lose an eyelash on it, it may ding.

The next one I think is going to be sapele with spruce top from the Zootman. One of his 2fer deals. Either that or walnut/spruce/bloodwood.

Darrin

Congratulations Darrin on the completion of No 1

I admire the way you have approached building this instrument from bits and pieces you had at your disposal. Your shop and jigs look first class and I suspect many fine instruments will be created in the years to come.

By the way is it your design ? It looks like a fairly large lower bout .

Regards

Craig.

A wonderful first effort (or second, or third...), Darrin!

Have a blast playing her! She'll get better and better as you keep playing.

(After a few weeks of settling in), if you haven't already done it, this is a good opportunity to get fiddly with the nut and saddle to get your setup just the way you want it.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Great job Darrin!! I love that purpleheart binding!!

I agree with the other comments about your work and jigs/tools - you have a very nice setup there and I'm sure we'll see a bunch of great guitars from you in the years to come!

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

An outstanding effort and fantastic results Darrin my friend! Your guitar looks great and you should be very, very proud!

Looks real good, congratulations! Seeing other #1's getting done really encourages me to finish my first.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

It's such a great feeling when you finish and play your first
hand made guitar, isn't it Darrin? Congratulations!!
She looks real nice.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Excellent job!! I admire you for not letting the best woods get in your way and going forward with a four piece redwood top (which looks great, by the way). Spurs me on to finish my first

Thank you guys.

Craig, she is a bit voluptuous eh? Yes it is my own design, I must have spent too much time at Wal-Mart while coming up with the design. It's just a hair over 16 inches, and the disproportionately large bottom is one of the reasons I say I'm not entirely fond my design. Oh well live and learn. I'm gonna have to make a new mold and bending form for the next ones. I'd like to stick with a style for a while, so I'd like to build one that I know I like the looks of. I'm pretty sure I'll end up ordering the OLF plans, probably the MJ or SJ.

I'd like to build a bunch of the same style with different materials, or all the same but playing the the bracing, but trying as Hesh and I'm sure others have suggested to eliminate some of the variables, while getting a better understanding of what the changes contribute to (or detract from) the sound.

Thank you again.

Darrin

Congrats Darrin !!!! looking real cool !! . how she sound ??

Lars.

Darrin you will have to come up with a name for your design. I have built 2 instruments from Jim Williams dreadnaught plan and neither one is even close to being symetrical bodywise. Maybe No 3
The bottom line is, how does she sound? I like your plan of sticking with one design and working from there. All the best with No 2.

Regards

Craig

Darrin, that sounds very similar to my first guitar story which I cobbled together with what ever was available. Today after about 50 guitars I still build them that way and it's my favourite way of doing it. Got an old decaying barn in your back yard? Make a guitar. Friend found and old piece of cherry in his attic? Make a guitar. The local hardwood floor board company has a pile of scraps? Make a guitar...