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I am building the harp peghead. While waiting for some glue to dry, I did a dry fit with a spare (broken) fret board. As you can see, the 20th fret is at the edge of the soundhole and the rest of the FB hangs over the hole. The 14th fret is right where it should be. I chose to use a slightly longer neck than called for in the plans, still using 25.4 scale. What would some of you do about this? I really do not want a lot of overhang... (that should not bias your answer).

Thanks,

Mike

Anybody? Please?

Mike

I'd cut a fancy curve at the end and go with it. I'd try to come up with something that followed the overall lines of the instrument.

Seconded on the fancy curve. You will make it look great!

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Mike, I'd just leave out the 20th fret (are you really going to use it?) and sand a taper down at the end of the fretboard.

I run the ends of my fretboards in my thickness sander to create this effect. Very dirty looking at such a close up



So what you could do it fill the slot with ebony dust (it's an ebony board your using yes?) then do something like I've done.

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Thanks guys... and yes, I have 6" fingers an can make 18, 19, and 20 scream!

I like the idea of curving the FB. I will think about that.

Mike

Great Job Mike!

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So it looks like you got the top to sit down properly !!! good job .. how did you bowl something that big - or did you just try to do the regular part of the body ???

As for your FB issue .. either round end, or simply cut is shorter .. thats one thing I always check when cutting the end of the FB prior to binding - where is the rosette joint and how long does the FB have to be to jsut cover it.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Two options I'd consider, and generally the styles I use anyway.

First overhang the soundhole and curve like this.



Or use the classical guitar style of shaping to the soundhole and using a split fret, this would be my favoured option on your guitar.



Colin

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Rod, Collin, I like that rounded approach. May just do that! If I remember correctly, the fret itself does not go over the hole. I may have to chuck the 20th fret as it may not look right.

We wil see.

Tony, yes, thanks! I did not bowl the arm. after I bowled the body, I used a hand sander to get the rest to sit down. And that was primarily where the problem was. I used the bowl to check my progress as well as plain old top fit. In fact, I am pretty sure one does not want to bowl the arm as that would create undesirable curvatures along the arm. I did induce some curvature across the arm.

Mike

I checked out Stephen Bennetts 100 year old Dyer last night. It is in remarkable shape for its age, although I am not sure if it ever has had a neck reset. the opt was two piece bookmatch, and the outer grain on the harp arm was about 3/8 wide !!!! I imagine the quarter was well off by then too.

The top is not very rippled at all (unlike his Merrill copy, which has signifigant bellying going on behind the bridge), and the top has only sunk a small amount at the FB ext and the X joint. The top may have been flat when built, its obviously hard to tell. The harp arm is also a touch sunken, but at 100 years old very stable.

So, here is what Stephen uses for the sub bass strings on the harp:

gauges are low to high, 76, 66, 62, 59,53,42, and the tuning he was using was low F or G, then D,C,B,A,G as the highest pitch. If you get any of Stephens recordings, especially the double CD harp compliation, he gives the tunings for all strings on every track.

I had four students join me last night, 3 of whom had never seen (or ever heard) or him before. we all left in awe .. the man is simply a joy to watch and listen too. If he is playing anywhere near your town, make the effort .. you wont be disappointed. Best joke of the night - Ask Tommy Emmanual next time you see him when he is moving up to a full size guitar (looking at the harp) .. he is still playing that starter model right ????

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Hey Tony, how is it you are so fortunate to know Stephen? How lucky can one get? I wish he would play near here. I have not checked his schedule... prolly the closest he gets is Nashville. I keep waiting for someone to transcribe some of his Harp music. I think one of these years I will go to the Harp Guitar Gathering just to get a chance to meet him.

Thanks for the updates. Its not surprising to me that the newer models are buckling here and there. The number one criticism of the old harps is "excessive" bracing. Hey, these guys made hundreds of them... more than Merril, Sedwick, Hoffman, et al. I am sure they found many of the problems.

Mike

I met Stephen four years ago when the Toronto Fingerstyle Assoc brought him up to play. Randy Finney who runs the org is a huge Chet fan, and goes the to the convention every year - so thats where he has met a lot of players, and he always gets them to come up here .. because no one else ever does. So over the past years we have had Stephen (4 times), Steve Howe (3), Tony McManus (2), Tommy Emmanuel (lots - 4 shows last year alone!!), Muriel Anderson (3), John Standefer, Bruce Matiske, John Knowles (many times), Pino Forestiere, Lawrence Juber, John Doan, Mason Williams, Doyle Dykes, and others I cant remember ..... upcoming we have Larry Carleton and John Williams (the classical one !!), Bob Evans ...

Its a shame there arent more orgs like this to promote fingerstyle guitarists ...its not that they wont come out and play, somebody needs to set it up. I am very fortunate to be so close to Toronto.

As for harp music in tab, there is only one SB tune I know of .. Perestrioka. Not sure if its on his site, but its certainly available because he sent it to me !!! There is also transcriptions of other stuff too ... check the main harp site, I think its harpguitar.org

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Got the peghead on and the new fret board (from BluesCreek) arrived.

Neck is just dry fit. What do you think?

Mike

Mike, really looing nice. The harp headstock is so nicely curved too.
This is way out there on the luthier scale. I'm sure it gets close to feeling like giving birth! Looks great to me!

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Hey Bruce, I thought you might appreciate the Bubinga face plate (from your stock.) I bet I spent 2 hours orienting and reorienting the stock till the final orientation hit me.

There is still a lot of sanding to do on the neck block.

Mike

Here are some pix of Stephen Bennetts Merrill copy of his Dyer i took a couple years back ..

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Tony,

I changed so much on this version. I used a different neck. And I had a heck of time figuring out the harp peghead. I finally understand that peghead and its relationship to the harp neck. Its only been in the last two weeks I have gotten any good pics of the peghead block.

I am now geting ready to do a "by the books" prototype.

Mike

Well, I am not going to use that neck. Ordering another based on GAL plan. Its shorter. The plan says 25" scale.

QUESTION: How do I order a fretboard for this neck?

I have also decided to sand the block back about 1" on the bottom to better replicate Tony's picture. Not an issue really, I just did not understand the geometry till I saw that picture.

Thanks,

Mike

Mike, I see the nice overlay to the harp headstock now.
You've done a really nice job on a very ambitious project.
Are there finish pics in another thread? Or, are you working on that?
Great work, looks like you'll be using some geared straight tuners on the harp.

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No new pics... been putting the binding on. I'll post some after that.

Mike

First 4 coats of emtech 6000...

Mike that is starting to look really good!

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Mike,

It really is fantastic! I can't wait to hear a sound clip.

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Thanks guys, My new neck arrived. Its a 12 fret, 25.5 scale as the plan calls for. You ought to see what I am working up for the next build... totally faithful copy or the original. Chris at Hanali-Moon has done a very impressive job of figuring out the tilted neck block. I shied away from that on this build.

Mike