Please do me the honour of checking out my latest work. This guitar is based loosely on Michael Payne's wonderful
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OLF-MJ design.Materials
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soundboard = bearclaw lutz spruce (love that stuff!)
back/sides = EIRW
bracing = lutz spruce
kerfed linings = basswood
neck block = 0.5" finish birch ply
tail block = 0.25" finish birch ply
fb, bridge, headplate = ebony
binding = ebony/b/w/b
purfling = herringbone
neck = 9-piece figured honduras mahogany with walnut and birch stripes, dyed amber/brown
tuners = Gotoh 510's
strings = D'Addario light (from the OLF group buy)
finish = Enduro pre-catalized eurathane, HVLP sprayed
Features
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My own design bolt-in neck - no external heel - neck angle/height easily adjustable using a simple hardwood shim (about 15 minutes to do a neck reset if needed).
Fingerboard/neck doesn't touch the soundboard at all, leaving the soundboard free to vibrate more.
Four carbon fiber rods (a la Rick Turner - thanks for your permission to copy your ideas Rick!) transfer all the string tension from the neck block into the sides of the guitar.
Parabolic (in two planes) shaped bracing thoughout. Soundboard upper bout bracing is modified from standard.
Dual-action truss rod and pair of carbon fiber neck stiffening rods (courtesy of Stewmac).
Bolt-on bridge.
Laser-cut circular "dovetail" rosette design with all-side-grain center ring
Comments
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I rushed the finishing on this one so I could see how it would turn out and hear it sooner. I will have to strip it right back to the wood and start over (this time actually filling the pores properly and giving it enough coats of finish so the sanding doesn't blow right through it!). Also, I learned a lesson about leaving superglue under the finish on this one! Check out the yellow tinge all the way around the rosette
. I sorted out the action and strung her up earlier today ready for a show/tell session at one of my local woodworking club meetings in the evening. I didn't get time to finish up filing the saddle to shape, but even with no intonation compensation and a totally flat saddle, it sounds great. It's so loud and has full-bodied sparkly tone! I'll finish off the saddle and then try to get someone to play it properly in the next few days and record a sound bite. I'll have some photos showing the consturction of the bolt-in neck joint later also.Click on the photos to see/download the high res verions.
Cheers,
Dave F.
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