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Building a small baroque guitar.
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=27783		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Javaca [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Building a small baroque guitar.
Hello Everyone,
I'm new to the forum, so here is a little introduction:
My name is Jan, I'm 23 years old and live in the Netherlands. English is not my native language, so I apologise for the quality of my writing.
I don't know if anyone here is interested in building historical instruments, but I am.


Last year I started building a little baroque guitar after Voboam. It will have a vaulted back, paper rose, 5 courses and a mensur of 445 mm.

First I started with drawing the guitar.

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And designing the paper (historically it was parchment) rose.
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Making the rose
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The tools used:
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A real Dutch luthiers' cup of coffee...
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Making the molds:
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A lot to file
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Starting the neck:
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A nice quarter-sawn piece of Bosnian maple.
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Making the head
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There must be a tight fit without glue:
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Making the head overlay, a center of walnut lined with violin binding.
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Cutting a piece of bone for the nameplate.
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And edged with ebony.
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Sawing out the head:
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Shaping the neck:
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The soundboard:
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the soundholerose:
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Bending the sides:
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For now I'm off to a little holiday in Luxembourg. I hope to give an update next weekend.
Author:  Dave Rickard [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Very cool Jan, Looks like your working with hand tools only, is that correct?
Would you tell me a little more about drawing the guitar?
I see 2 circles and several linesit looks like 2 of the lines locate the bottom of the sound hole and 2 locate the bridge.
Author:  letseatpaste [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Really beautiful work, thank you for posting all those pictures! Your English is great, I would not have known it wasn't your native language.
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Bravo!! Jan, never apologize for learning a second (or third....) language.

I admire your hand tool skills, also. It looks like you are making a very fine instrument. Thank you for sharing with us!
Author:  douglas ingram [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
This looks like a great project. I'll certainly be following it! When you're back from holidays I will have some questions for you, in particular about the type of paper used for the rose.

And you say that you are only 23?! How many 23 year old people have such an interest in historical guitars and can actually do something about it! Congratulations.
Author:  Robert Renick [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
I will be looking forward to the updates, can't wait to see the back come together. Amazing work for any one, but at 23? Where are you learning this from? Keep up the great work, thanks for the pictures.
Rob
Author:  Foster [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Great craftsmanship. Thanks for the peek into your world.

Did you apprentice under someone to learn the skills you possess?
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
I'm seeing some profoundly professional looking work. Looking forward to seeing this one through.
Author:  David Newton [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to share this with us. Your work will inspire many minds.
Author:  Laurent Brondel [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
This is great Jan. Like others I am sure, I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up.
Being so young, where did you learn building?
Author:  Joe Sustaire [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this Jan, beautiful work, great photos!
I love getting a peek into your shop, show us more when it's time.

Thanks,
Joe
Author:  Daniel Minard [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Jan; I know it's been said by others but, WOW!!! I am totally impressed.
Eagerly looking forward to further instalments.
Author:  Elman Concepcion [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Hi Jan.
Phenomenal lovely work.
Only 23.
I get the feeling that some of us in this forum wish we were 23 again and had your talent.
At least I do :-)
Please continue to post your progress.
I am very interested in historic instruments as I played in early music ensembles all through out my undergraduate and graduate years.

Elman
Author:  Matthew Jenkins [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Absolutely beautiful!

(and very inspirational)

Mat
Author:  MaxBishop [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 12:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Great work, Jan! I am also interested in historical instruments. I'll be looking forward to your future posts. Thanks for sharing.

Max
Author:  Quine [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Looks great so far Jan. That rose is amazing!!
Author:  MaxBishop [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Hi Jan,

Where did you find info' on making the rose? Or did you just make it up as you went along :shock:

Keep up the good work,
Max
Author:  Mike Lindstrom [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 11:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
That is so cool! I'm looking forward to seeing more from you.

Mike
Author:  Harald Lane [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 1:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Hallo Jan! Awesome work on this project. Thanks for sharing this here and please keep posting Fotos. I like your approch on only using handtools, I try that also on my Acoustics.

Greetings from Vienna, Austria
Author:  P@uL [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 2:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
This looks like it's going to be a cool little instrument. Also Great to see more people my age hanging around the forums. Especially putting out nice clean work like that. I am also interested on how you learned that complex looking Rose. Looking forward to seeing the finished instrument.
Author:  WudWerkr [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Absolutely Beautifull Work [:Y:] [:Y:] I love the detail. I dont have the patience that you do obviously . Ohh And BTW, IMHO if you ever stop building , you could be a photographer !
Author:  Javaca [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Thanks for all the reactions. :)
I can't answer them all in five minutes, so it will be in multiple phases.

The trip to Luxembourg was fine, walking and rock-climbing, making a swing in an abandoned traintunnel and drinking with a couple of good friends. Nice time :mrgreen:

Dave Rickard wrote:
Very cool Jan, Looks like your working with hand tools only, is that correct?
Would you tell me a little more about drawing the guitar?
I see 2 circles and several linesit looks like 2 of the lines locate the bottom of the sound hole and 2 locate the bridge.


I try to use as less powertools as possible. Although it's also a matter of space, the shop you see in the pictures is all I have. In the future I hope to have a couple of them: Bandsaw, thickness-sander, drillpress, tormek and amarylstone.
They make the life of a luthier a lot easier. I try to think and work like the old builders did, but I'm not against technology. A lot of tools I use are made myself, like knives, planes and gauges.
I'm working on a couple of molds (lute, baroqueguitar) that will be cnc'd it will save a lot of precious building time. Also for drawing I mostly use CAD, it's so helpfull. (Like for the rose, it's almost impossible for me without CAD, it really makes me respect the old builders even more.)

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The lines are giving the arches of witch the guitar is constructed. The circles give the necklength and place of the soundboard-fretboardjoint.

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This is a little drawing gag of the Belchior Dias guitar (the eldest guitar we know). "The final prove that Leonardo da Vinci designed the 1581 Belchior Dias guitar; Drawn on the backside of the Vitruvian Man..."
It's a construction of the outline, made by two rasters with 19*19mm squares. You can draw the whole guitar beginning with a star of david. It all just blends in.
Author:  Javaca [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
douglas ingram wrote:
This looks like a great project. I'll certainly be following it! When you're back from holidays I will have some questions for you, in particular about the type of paper used for the rose.

And you say that you are only 23?! How many 23 year old people have such an interest in historical guitars and can actually do something about it! Congratulations.

The paper is just simple 220 g/M2 textured cardboard I found at a local papershop. Historically they used parchment, but it´s very expensive and hard to work.

Yes I am 23 (turning 24 next month). I know a couple of those guys :D
It´s like a disease... :lol:
Author:  Javaca [ Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
comfyfoot wrote:
Where are you learning this from?

Foster wrote:
Did you apprentice under someone to learn the skills you possess?

Laurent Brondel wrote:
Being so young, where did you learn building?


I went to the ILSA (International Lutherie School Antwerp) and studied guitarbuildig there by Els Jageneau and Geert Vermeiren. Normally you build three instruments in three years (first an octaveguitar, 2nd a classical guitar and in the last year you've got the choice between multiple guitars, lute or a gothic harp), but I worked a little faster so completed six instruments and half a baroque guitar.

After school I got married (2 years ago) and worked nine months in a home-depot-shop, witch was very depressing. Now I am working at a guitarfactory and building historical instruments in my weekends. Funny thing is that I now built everything from the medieval lute (around 1440) and earliest existing guitar (1582) to the most modern guitar and all in between.

verhoevenc wrote:
I doubt he just worked it out as he went along... he went to CMB Puurs school of instrument building if I remember correctly.
Chris


Almost (...) but no sigar Chris... ;)


verhoevenc wrote:
Pfff... his English is perfect, don't let this guy fool ya. Nice work man! Was that the rose that you had at the show the other day? It looks awfully familiar... but that could just be a case of me not knowing the intricacies of baroque guitar roses?
Chris

It is. In fact it's the only one I've made so far. :oops:
Author:  Antonio [ Wed Jun 16, 2010 3:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Building a small baroque guitar.
Prachtige gitaar!
Glad that you have chosen a Portuguese guitar. ;)
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