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#1 complete at last!
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Author:  DennisK [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 10:58 am ]
Post subject:  #1 complete at last!
bliss bliss bliss
Top: Sitka spruce from LMI
Back/sides: Honduran mahogany from LMI
Neck: Honduran mahogany from Hibdon Hardwood ($2! From the special back in March or so)
Binding: Curly maple with rosewood strip from LMI
Fingerboard/bridge: Pau ferro from Steve Kinnaird last swap meet :)
FB inlays: Maple, American sycamore stick slices, white MOP, black MOP marker dots
Bridge inlays: Maple, turquoise
Rosette: Walnut burl veneer, curly maple veneer, Australian blackwood, koa, white MOP
Headstock: Claro walnut, maple veneer, paua laminate
End wedge/backstrip/heel cap: Madagascar rosewood, maple
Neck joint: Mortice/tenon bolt-on
Finish: French polish, with slight amber shellac burst on top/back

This one is called "The Fairy". Loosely based on Gibson Hummindbird, but with a fantasy style so it needed a small fluttering fantasy critter to match :) It's been a long road, about 10 months of research and making wood chips. Only hours old, but sounds very much like a guitar, and appears to be quite comfortable under the pull of the strings. Nut is still way too high so I've just been playing capo'd so far. Also need to shave the saddle for intonation. And find a screw to attach the truss rod cover. I'd also planned on doing a big Hummingbird style engraved pickguard, but now I'm unsure. Maybe I'll make it and then decide if I should stick it on.

Lots of little mistakes in this one, but no big ones thankfully. Not bad for a newbie woodworker like myself :) If you sit and think for long enough before each task and figure out exactly how you're most comfortable doing it, you can really avoid a lot of problems. 'course, there was a fair amount of dumb luck and determination involved as well.

Probably the biggest mistake was during gluing the bridge. Slop on the hide glue, rub it into place guided by a few pieces of tape, go to insert the registration pins before clamping it down, but I couldn't find the holes. I ended up spending so long nudging it and searching for the holes that the glue was cooled and ready to clean squeeze-out, so clamping wouldn't have done much good by then anyway. It's a good rub joint though, so all's well there. But after it dried, I though to check with a flashlight inside to see how far off the pins were, and it looks like it's between 1/64" and 1/32" north of the target position, and sounds like it too. Low E needs to be a tad longer than is possible to get it [headinwall] Hopefully I can shave the saddle some whichaway or deepen the string notch in the bridge or something to drop the pitch a little. It's not really noticeable unless doing the harmonic vs 12th fret check though, so not the end of the world if I'm stuck with it.

Quite a fulfilling feeling to complete my first instrument. Can't wait to hear how the tone develops over the next days :)
And to start on the next one :mrgreen:
Author:  Bobby M [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Wow! You put a lot of "fancies" on this one for your first! I especially love the rosette. Good looking guitar Dennis.
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Wow! I'd have to say that that is a pretty aggressive first! Congratulations!
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Agree with Waddy, very nice execution!
Author:  sksmith66 [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
really nice inlay work.
Author:  Pat Hawley [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Wow, such a fancy guitar for first time around. Very nice. I like the shape of the head.

Pat
Author:  Mike Collins [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Nice geetar Dennis;
The bridge has allot of room for you to move the saddle back for into. problems.
Fill the exsisting slot with matching wood and then set up a jig or if your good with hand tools make another slot in correct place.

Then make the second one ! ;)
mike
Author:  Darryl Young [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
A first class, first pass! Great job. [clap] [clap] [clap]
Author:  James Orr [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Congratulations, Dennis! It's a great feeling, isn't it!
Author:  Mike Lindstrom [ Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Wow! That's incredible! You certainly aim high.
Author:  DennisK [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 5:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Thanks for the comments everyone!

Mike, good idea with the modification of the saddle slot. Actually I'd probably just shave it a little wider and use a larger saddle. But it's so close to perfect now after shaping the saddle some more, I think I'll just leave it.

And indeed it is quite decorated for a first, but it would have been torture trying to resist. Probably would have done just as many inlays on scrap for practice and fun anyway, and I figured I'd never throw my first guitar out even if it didn't play very well, so I may as well inlay on it and if nothing else it becomes wall art :P Fortunately not the case at all :)

So status update... got the nut shaved down to playable height. May go a hair lower, but not entirely necessary. Saddle is mostly shaped. I think I'll drop the height on B and high E a tad more and shift B back a bit farther for intonation, but it's pretty close. Playability is pretty darn good, actually better than I was expecting to get. Now hopefully the neck won't bow up too much in the coming days, as I already have the truss rod pretty tight and action is on the high side. Haven't glued the fingerboard extension down yet though, so fairly easy to adjust the neck angle if needed.

Got it up to full pitch now, and it sounds great bliss
Sort of throaty, punchy tone. Not far from what I was shooting for. Low notes are awesome, high notes are a little excessive on the throaty/midrangey tone, but certainly not bad. Nice long sustain and can get quite loud when strumming.

I recorded a few songs. First is an original, which is pretty badly played, but I only did one take and this is what came out. Second is the guitar part from "The Land of Ice and Snow" by Stratovarius. Third is just some random swinging my arm at the strings.

tornado_2010oct22.mp3
ice_and_snow_2010oct22.mp3
em_improv_2010oct22.mp3
Author:  coach [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Fantastic looking and sounding guitar. I hope my first gets even close to that, allthough it won't be that fancy. I really like the second song you played. Do you have the tab? Congrats on such an awesome guitar!

Sean
Author:  alan stassforth [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 8:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Hey Dennis, great job!
Love the marquetry, is that the right word?
Ros and peg go nice together.
Sounds very "balanced" to me.
From your playing style, it sounds to me like your next one should be a classical.
[clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]
Hey, might I ask how you got those soundclips up?
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Hey Dennis, way to go bro!
Especially like your wood choices for bridge and fretboard. :)
My only critique is there's not enough whimsy in your building style.
You need to be more creative...more adventuresome. Quit holding yourself back.

laughing6-hehe

On a more serious note, sounded like the low F on that second tune was most convincing.
I always listen for that as an indicator of strength...you've already got it.
Well done you!

Steve
Author:  Ken C [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Dennis, that is a pretty serious first effort! And a pretty fine one at that!

Congrats!

Ken
Author:  Mark Groza [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 4:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
Very nice for a first! [:Y:] I like that rosette and the overall theme of the guitar.
Author:  DennisK [ Fri Oct 22, 2010 6:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: #1 complete at last!
coach wrote:
Fantastic looking and sounding guitar. I hope my first gets even close to that, allthough it won't be that fancy. I really like the second song you played. Do you have the tab? Congrats on such an awesome guitar!

Sean

Here you go. It's super simple, just repeat that little pattern every verse except for the power chord section. Awesome song. Here's my favorite performance of it, although the power chord part is way too loud so keep your hand on the volume knob :lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNN16aePEAE Good luck on your first! It's a wonderful thing.

And Alan, the clips were recorded with a Rode NT1A placed maybe 20" from the guitar, run through Presonus Firebox interface to Audacity. No modification aside from normalizing. Or if you mean how to upload them, I have a web site at rydia.net (hosting run by some long time 'net friends) so I just uploaded there. $5 a month though, so no freebies if that's what you're after :)

And Steve, thanks for the comments, means a lot coming from you :) Yeah, the low F sounds great. Air volume resonance is right about F#, where it should be. Interestingly, I got F for the resonance before I strung it up. Maybe the slight squeezing in of the box reduced the volume enough to raise it? Or just interaction of the air and top plate, with the plate being tighter with strings on. Also interesting that it would end up just right because I got the box about 1/8" deeper than a real Hummingbird, due to under-compensating for the thickness of the plates themselves. The F made more sense, with the increased air volume :P Maybe 1/8" just isn't that much to affect it significantly.

Anyway, no wolf notes that I've encountered so far. High frets on the low E string are pretty puny, but that's probably more to do with the short scale and fat string than the box. Tone is still improving across the board, trebles are sounding nicer now. Action still good. About 3/32" at the 12th fret, bit lower on the high strings. Seems to be pretty well settled into shape now, only had to tweak tuning on the high E after sitting all day.

One question though- where do you all find those tiny screws for truss rod covers? I wish tuners came with a spare. It would be so handy and just the right size. I guess black would be better though, since the cover is ebony.
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