Official Luthiers Forum!

Well I still have some set up work to do. But I like to wait a couple of days to dial it in. I will get a video upbut wow it is loud, wonderful sounding treble strings right to the highest note, deep base. Pretty even tone across the strings. This is the first time stringing the guitar. The saddle and nut are close enough that the guitar is playable. I will do a real setup later in the week.

Designed using Medium Size SS Guitar plans and instructions from Gore\Gilet Contemporary Acoustic Guitar Design and Build books.

Lutz Spruce top
Australian Blackwood Back
Hawaiian Koa Sides
Cocobolo bindings and headstock veneer
Claro Walnut rossette
Walnut bridge ebonized with vinegar\Steel wool solution
Ebony Fretboard
Carbon Fiber falcate bracing
Built to have a live back.
Body Finished with Zpoxy pore fill, shellac wash coat, and EM6000.
Neck was French Polished

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

John, that looks great. Did you laminate the bridge with CF? I did on mine and then, without thinking, I tossed it in the microwave for a few seconds to heat it up before gluing it down - not a good idea

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

It's only dumb when you do it a second time!

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

I've really enjoyed following this build, John. Beautiful workmanship! Can't wait to hear it!
Congratulations!

I really want to play a falcate braced guitar. The pattern is just so appealing to me.

Very nice John, really turned out well,
Mike

Very Nice -- the design has got some mojo!!! My only suggestion would be to opt for a more delicate contour in the neck/heel transition.

Thanks all for the kind comments!



Thank you Toonces, I have thought the same thing and not sure how to go about fixing it as it looks blocky to me. I usually use a classical heel but I wanted the straight transition into the cut-away. I considered lowering the profile or rounding the heel more. I would take any advice and my even take it as the neck is only FP, I could change it and be on my way in no time.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

congrats john on a job well done, looking forward to your sound clip soon! if you can.

Hi John,
I've sent you an email that may give you some pointers if you are wanting a more delicate transition at the heel.

Great job john, looking forward to hearing a sound clip. My comments are align with Toonces, you can safely remove a lot of material from the heel. You might search on some archtop images as they typically have heels that transition into the cutaway section. It's also possible to make the heel too thin and also doesn't look so good IMO.
Once again, nice job !

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Very cool! I can't wait to hear the video. I'm sure many of us are very interested in the type of tone falcate bracing tends to have. Did you also build using the top and back thickness equations from the book?

Nice work John, I also would love to hear a clip of it. I don't know much about falcate bracing and what it actually does to the tone so it would be interesting to hear.

I personally don't have a problem with the neck/heel transition. I like cutaways but have always thought that the cutaway/heel section looked a bit clunky but that is just how they are. The one thing that I find a bit distracting though is the offset tuning pegs but that is just me. I have never been crazy about non-symmetrical headstocks unless they are 6 on a side.

But overall the guitar is a beauty, very clean and simplistic design. I like it a lot.

Cheers,
Bob

Well done John! It would appear that Aussie Blackwood and Koa are cousins. From the photos it looks like it came from the same tree. I'm just curious. Will you ever use an x brace again? I guess what I'm wondering is is there a place for both methods?

My daughter is going to Aus this winter. Maybe I'll get her to bring me back some light reading.

I too look forward to hearing her.

Cheers,
Danny

Thanks to all who have taken the time to comment. I will get a video up.

Thanks Simon your suggestions are very much appreciated.



Thank you Jim, I really like the cutaway pictures on your site. A fear of going to far is one of my main issues I have as an inexperienced amateur. Encouragement to take things farther is much appreciated. I am embarrassed to say how long it has taken me to properly set up a nut. Same issue.



Thank you James, The guitar is sounding great, very well balanced, clean separation of notes, a strum or a pick of a note sustains for a long time. The video is coming, believe it or not I have been looking for my camera that does good videos all day. All of the pictures I have posted so far are from my phone.

I followed all of the equations for both the top and the back. I very closely followed the plan for the top and the back as well. My final tap spectrum all strung up was helmholtz 92 Hz, Top 172 Hz and back 214 Hz.


Thanks Bob your comments are much appreciated. The design for the head stock falls out of trying to keep the string straight to the pegs. I found the design grew on me, but I certainly understand your comment about lack of symmetry. I did give a thought to a 6 on a side but never warmed to it.

Thanks you Danny, I am starting a 14-fret Martin style 00, that will be an x-brace. I am not sure I can charge enough yet to give the guy a falcate braced guitar. I do have to say the sound from this one is putting my own 12 fret -00 finger style guitar to shame. If someone wants a Dred to flat pick bluegrass I will certainly give them an x-braced guitar. Otherwise the mid tones will not be muddy enough compared to the bass and treble notes.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I am working on my 4th and 5th falcate braced guitars, a 12 string and a 14 fret OM style, the 1st three were 12 fret cutaways simular to Trevor's. They definitely are louder than the x braced counterparts. I never took to the headstock that Trevor uses but using cad and offsetting the middle four strings one degree plus moving the tuners up on one side it was possible to get a symetrical headstock outline, I attached a pdf if it posts of what I am describing. Looks like your frequencies came out spot on,the next fun step is intonation of the nut and saddle, using his numbers in the book you will find that the error on the fretted notes will be within a few cents all the way up and down the fretboard

_________________
MK5acoustics.com

Nice design shape wes .I too am following this thread I/ve built 2 tenor falcate ukes 1 is great the other so so. Currently building 4 string tenor falcate guitar.I think the difference between falcate and X braced gtrs is a matter of taste

Wes, I really like the head stock design I have the pdf and may use it if you do not mind.

I am still working on getting a clip that does the guitar and the design justice.

I took the guitar to my classical guitar lesson, turned out to be a total waste as a guitar lesson because the instructor played the guitar the whole lesson and actually took it back as I was putting in its case after the lesson. He seemed somewhat shocked with the clarity of the notes on each of the strings, with the very long sustain and the balance across the strings maintained through the broad dynamic range the guitar has. As he was playing some passages he said it is like a choir; the voices just keep singing. It was really fun listening as he worked through a classical repertoire on this steel string. He was surprised how responsive the guitar was to vibrato even at the first fret.
Listening was an experience as well, the gorgeous sounding accompaniment notes of a piece seem to be outside of the guitar in 3D with a clear melody singing through. The guitar had a good voice at its quietest and maintained that voice through long continuous crescendos. If I had my eyes closed except for the occasional times where I heard the steel string against the frets I might of thought it was a classical guitar.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I don't mind at all, I assume the pdf printed to a 1 to 1 scale , its drawn on Rhino, if it looks off I can add some dimensions to it

_________________
MK5acoustics.com

Well I tried to get a good recording, I was hampered by the fact that I can not play very well. As bad as my recording was Youtube or my publishing software still compresses it. At some point I will get a real player and post a less compressed version on sound cloud or have a download from my web site. I will have the guitar at the GAL.

But for what it is worth here is my playing with some up front commentary.




You can also hear my classical instructor, but it was recorded on my phone ... He really like the guitar and played it my entire lesson. It was fun to hear what it could really sound like.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Sounds as good as it looks - great stuff John.
Your classical instructor looks a bit stunned!
Good to hear that piece too, I used to play it but had forgotten.
Will have to pick it up again (if I can find the music for it)

_________________
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.

sounds great john !, BTW on my 4 string tenor falcate gtr