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#1 Alive! http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=28188	Page 1 of 1

Author:	Matt Shumway [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:00 am ]
Post subject:	#1 Alive!
Ok I know its supposed to be #5 Alive (80's movie reference alert!), but I couldn't think of anything snappy with #1..... Anyway, 10 months ago I owned a pipe wrench, a screwdriver, and some sockets, as far as tools go.... I had only done a few rather basic things with wood, like sawing some 2x4s heh.. so to call me a newbie would have been an insult to newbies everywhere. Further, I live in a smallish apartment without access to things like band saws, table saws, and drill presses, so everything had to be done with hand tools. I made tons of mistakes along the way, the end result has many cosmetic errors, the rosette is kinda fugly, and in fact it doesn't even sound very good... but its done. Its a classical patterned after the 1961 Bouchet. Thanks to everyone here for the occasional advice you gave. It was very helpful. My main build thread is over the luthiercom.org here if anyone feels like looking through it. I probably posted over 50 images of the process.

Author:	Lillian F-W [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 6:33 am ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Congratulations Matt. You've come a very long way in a short time. You should be proud of all you have accomplished. Just finishing it is a huge accomplishment. So, what do you have planned for #2?

Author:	Chris aka Sniggly [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 6:52 am ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Congrats Matt - Lends a decent amount of perspective for me. I had a large shop and every power tool when I built my first. You did it in a 'Burger King Bath Room'..... Amazing stuff to me. Really amazing. Chris

Author:	WaddyThomson [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:04 am ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
You did good, Matt. Nice job, all round. You overcame some major obstacles along the way. You should be proud of your accomplishment.

Author:	senunkan [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:04 am ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Congratz Matt. Looking good. Be sure to post some sound sample. Could you show more picture at the neck area where you did the insert? Thanks!

Author:	Matt Shumway [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:36 am ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
senunkan wrote: Congratz Matt. Looking good. Be sure to post some sound sample. Could you show more picture at the neck area where you did the insert? Thanks! Here are some pictures of the insert. The mahogany I used seemed to have larger pores, and some dust from the fingerboard got into them making little black specks. Couldn't figure out how to get em out heh. Not too terrible looking though I guess. Ill try to post a sound clip later. When I play it side by side with my 'good' guitar, the good guitar is like listening to a nice two speaker stereo output, while mine sounds more like a mono output on a little radio. The effect isn't that pronounced, but that's the best analogy I can think of. It almost sounds like it's making very nice sound, but that its trapped in the box and can't get out. The insert at the 19th fret is 3.5mm, and my saddle is 3.5mm above the slot, so it was maybe a tad higher than I needed, but a pretty good estimation overall.

Author:	Corky Long [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:11 am ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Great job, Matt! Just finishing #1 is huge. And depending on how many hours it's been strung up and played, you might be very pleasantly surprised at how the sound evolves over time. I don't know anything about classicals, but my steel strings take a month before they sound like anything. What's the plan for #2??

Author:	Matt Shumway [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Corky Long wrote: Great job, Matt! What's the plan for #2?? That has yet to be determined. Ill be sticking with classical for the time being though. I noticed another issue today as I was playing. On the bass strings, if I fret in between frets, rather that getting right up on them, I get a buzz. I wonder if my frets aren't high enough so that the string doesn't come down tightly on them when I am sort of in between frets.... I really should not have filed them down at all I think. I did it because both my books said to do it, but im thinking now it was unnecessary.

Author:	James Orr [ Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:36 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Congratulations, Matt!

Author:	Matt Shumway [ Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
I don't know how to attach mp3s in a way to allow you to play them right from this post, so here are two links. The first is to me playing a song on my newly built guitar, the second is me playing the same song on my 'good' guitar, a Hiroshi Tamura P50 1972. I am not a great player, so forgive the mistakes. http://sutros.com/songs/6760 http://sutros.com/songs/6761 The good guitar has quite a bit more volume and projection. Mine sounds a bit, well, wooden.

Author:	senunkan [ Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
Nice work at the neck. An elevtated neck at your #1 that's really some achievement there. I think the sound is quite typical of a Bouchet bracing due the cross Bouchet bar. Try a few months of playing in, the bass will get better. If not can consider reaching in and shave off some height of at the bass side of the Bouchet bar.

Author:	Matt Shumway [ Wed Jul 14, 2010 11:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: #1 Alive!
senunkan wrote: Nice work at the neck. An elevtated neck at your #1 that's really some achievement there. I think the sound is quite typical of a Bouchet bracing due the cross Bouchet bar. Try a few months of playing in, the bass will get better. If not can consider reaching in and shave off some height of at the bass side of the Bouchet bar. Ahh thats good to know. You are referring to the bar across the lower bout rather than a bridge patch???

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