Official Luthiers Forum!

Here is a new model the "Midnight Special"

Based on a Stella Ladder braced 12 string.

Tuned down 4 half steps

Specs: Honduran Monogamy back, sides and neck.
Adi top
ebony board and bridge
tortoise (celluloid nitrate) bindings,head veneer and heel cap
Stew Mac repro tuners

I really like the Stew mac tuners.

This guitar sounds like Thunder!!

Nice looking guitar, Brad. Seeing that you've tuned it down so low, did you use a longer than 25.4" scale? Also, where did you get the tailpiece?

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michael propsom
www.propsomguitars.com

Yes, the scale length is 26-1/2"

The tailpiece is made by National-I bought it from Elderly instruments.

I forgot to mention that the finish is Nitro-done by me.

Beautiful Brad!
These guitars are great aren't they, I've built one and am close to closing the box on another.
Where did you get your tortoise for the head plate? Pickguard material?
Thunder is a good sound description.

Joe

Nice! Any pictures of the inside?

Thx!

Glenn

That is a great looking guitar Brad!
I really like the peghead shot, and I like the StewMac tuners too
Best regards,
jack

Nice Brad!!!

Are you spraying inside or out? It’s been too cold lately so assume inside.

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Rich S

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

Outstanding, Brad. Those tuners look great on it. Fine looking instrument!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I love it! Want one!
Any pics of inside, please,

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Nice guitar Brad ... where did you get the Honduran "monogamy".

Bill S.

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Dream to be a luthier

That is nice

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks for the nice comments.

Joe, I bought all the tortoise from Axiom-Great source.

Glenn and Colin, Unfortunately I did not take any pictures during the construction.
It is typical laddder bracing-one above the soundhole, one below the soundhole a bridge patch-an inch wide by about an eighth thick then another brace about an inch past the plate.The braces are 5/16" x 3/4" tall.

Rick, I sprayed this one inside a while back when it was warm.

Bill,
I resawed a big board of "monogamy" I got at M.L. Condon lumber

Way to go Brad! Love those old 12's and am buffing my latest today. Glad to see you did yer own finishing. Got some real "cables" on it?
Bill at Axiom is great. Use his bindings and tortoise all the time. His mandolin tailpieces are simply the finest.

Haans,
Yes, I have a custom. 070-.013 set on it.

Bill is a great guy-a pleasure to do business with.

Good show! I'm using .070-.015" on a 26.3" scale tuned to C. Fat sound on yours I'll bet...
Good name too. I call mine Silver City in honor of Huddie and Dave Ray.

Yea Haans I had .015's on it when I originally strung it up,but now that my callouses are back I am going to switch back.

By the way, I never heard of Dave Ray so I found a clip on youtube-he is pretty cool-Thanks

Very cool Brad, don't you love those "Golden Age" tuners?

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

John,

I do really love the Golden age tuners. I know some people weren't crazy about them, comparing them to the Waverlys.

Anyone got a link to the "Axiom" source for the tortoise?
TIA

Well, that comparison surely doesn't work but that is not the point. They look and act like vintage tuners if that is what is needed and they work very good too. They tune and stay in tune very well. They are also probably the least expensive good tuner around.

Anyway, great guitar ya got there!!!

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Great looking guitar Brad with some interesting vintage ideas such as the wood choices and hardware. The tailpiece is a cool touch too.

Great job!

Brad, Dave Ray was the best of his time. Too bad he died before things like Utube, but I doubt he would have contributed to something as commercial as that. If you like 12 string he's worth checking out along with the rest of the Koerner, Ray & Glover albums.
If you don't mind me asking, did you use a spruce bridge plate?

That's a 12 that I could get into playing!

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