Official Luthiers Forum!

The reason I posted it is not because I'm proud of it, I is because in threads like the bar is too high people said they were too shy/embarrassed to show their work, and I wanted people especially newbies here not to be discouraged I'm thinking of buying a transfer rosette to try and hide the original one, so all you worrying newbies you can see what a friendly kind bunch we have here, and don't be afraid.

If I do buy a transfer, how should I apply it, and it's a french polished finish do I just keep polishing over it?

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

John, If I were you I would be proud of your achievement, you took chunks of inert dead tree and turned them into a musical instrument, one that plays and sounds good. In the process you have learned a lot that can be applied to your next guitar and you'll see each one improve in fit and finish as you become more experienced. Building a guitar is no easy thing, many have given up when they have realised that some of the steps are too daunting, you didn't, you kept on asking the questions and seeking advice.

So, be proud, you're a guitar builder.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thanks Colin and others too for they're advice now colin if I do buy a transfer how should I cover it with a FP top?

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

John, John, John....

There's something to be said for marrying the hometown girl instead of the flashy fashion model. You've got a girl with great personality who's gonna stay by your side til you're old and grey... she's going to love you tickling her strings and won't be afraid you're going to mess up her looks. i think you've done well.

The thing that i am most impressed with is that i can't see a single nail head popping out...

Most of the fundementals are there. Maybe the fret at the nut is a little different, but it looks solid for a 1st build. "A tree does'nt grow, unless you plant a seed. A seed does'nt sprout, unless you give it a place to live."

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Looks really good to me. The zero fret and arched pin holes are cool. Keep learning. I'm only on my third.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Hey John,

Bravo on your first attempt. The fact that you finished it and it sounds good is a miracle. I am currently in the middle of my first attempt. Although I have some woodworking experience I can relate to anyone attempting to build a guitar for the first time. There are a thousand ways to get tripped up and I'll bet most people never finish the project. I tend to obsess and if something doesn't come out right, I'll do it over. This guitar is taking a fair bit of time. Your gift to me is to move it on to the end, relax the perfectionism and enjoy. It takes a lot of guts to post pictures of one's work. Thanks for having the guts. Thanks for the gift.

John, that's a great guitar.

I'm about to do final scraping and sanding on mine, and then finish. I can only hope that mine looks half as good as yours.

I've got plane marks, gaps, nicks, cuts, and some spots of blood, and don't even get me started on what my guitar looks like!

I'm thrilled for you!

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brendan 3.0 new and improved, with better interpersonal subroutines

Um John, friend ,buddy pal

regarding installing that sticky transfer rosette,

Peel off the back, stick it where the sun don't shine.

In other words, other than, caressing her, leave that ax alone.

That instrument is a symbolic reflection, a magic mirror of where you been at since you started building it. And you the only one who knows how to read them symbols.

Don't be messin with a good thing.

You be hearin these words me layin down on you John.

Sticky transfer rosette ya right!


Padma
has
spoken

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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John, I understand you're not fishing for compliments or sympathy, and while I think you're being hard on yourself I appreciate your humility and spirit in posting pics of work with which you might not be completely happy.

You can certainly be proud of your sticktuitiveness (That's a word, it was on the Simpsons) in seeing it through to completion. I'm embarassed to say I've been building since 2004 with nothing completed to show for it, I keep starting a new one when I make enough mistakes on the one I'm working on. I think I've started a total of six, completely ridiculous. I've recently gone back and decided to finish the ones I've started, warts and all, thanks to some thoughtful posts on this forum on another thread. And I'll post pictures of them, too.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

If you're ashamed of that, then I hate to think of what I will feel about my first guitar. It's not perfect (is any guitar?) but it looks like a guitar, I bet it sounds like one and how many people can say; "I made my own guitar." You should be proud of what you have done.

Ok John

Why don't you take you, your self and that guitar into the woods for a month.

Then come back and lay down a thread about your first build.

Hmmmm

end of sequel

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Good looking first build. Hope it sounds good. At least you don't have to hang it on the wall as decoration. I was afraid my fist one was going to be decoration or firewood.

I just finished no 2 and 3. First one took 14 months. Next two 10 months. Rebuilt most of my jigs. Still don't like some of them. Built a side bending machine for the next three. I have three people still on the gift list. Told my daughter that I gave it to that it was "special" because it is my first one but it is also special "because" it was my first.

The first one was a crazy learning process. The next one, and I assume you are bit by the luth-beetle, you will be able to focus more on building/improvement and not so much on learning the process/techniques on how to build. We are our own worst critiques.

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Mark Ewing
Columbus Ohio
"Trees are an important and precious thing. We should build good things with them. Building good guitars with heart are the best use for them." K. Yairi.

I only posted this because of a thread at the time saying that the bar was too high so I decided to lower it. One year on I've had to fit a bridge doctor and really could do with a slight neck reset. I was actually quite pleased with instrument 2 a uke now 3 and 4 are started hopefully I'll keep improving! I'm finding though the further I get into this the more jigs I need to build and my trouble is I use what I have and don't like building jigs they all look rushed and crude, but get the job done, I hope that methodology doesn't cross over to my actual builds.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I believe there is only one appropriate response here,

Congratulations!

I'm with the Padma and others here, it looks fine, leave it alone, love it, play the strings off of it, and learn from it. Live with it for a while and THEN decide what you'll change or improve on the next one.

Building a guitar that plays well and sounds great is quite an accomplishment, you're off to a fine start!

Peace,
Gordo

P.S. Bugger the "bar"!

The test for a good guitar?

--- "What would Doc Watson say?"

Hi John,

Someone told me this once and it has stuck with me ever since. "Don't be afraid to make mistakes, because no one ever learned anything from being right all the time." The other way of looking at it is if we were perfect out of the gate improvements would never materialize. What I think is great about your guitar is the fact that you did it. You started the journey and saw it through. This puts you in a very elite group. Most would have bailed before finishing. The OLF is peppered with many fine craftsmen and what I have gleaned during my brief time on the forum reading and learning from them is that each one of them would tell you they got to where they are today by building, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes and building again, and again and again. You have done something significant, now get on the saddle and get going on #2.

Great job!
Rick

All good replies. John, dont be discouraged. It took Thomas Edison 12 years to perfect the electric light bulb and the idea was already 50 years old. Upon his 1000th failure he told his collegue "Now I know 1,000 things that dont work".

Well I know my first didn't work - I sawed it in half and threw it out but I held on to it until I was on number five or six before I decided it was taking up valuable room. I didnt have the OLF guys and gals to provide inspiration, reason and tips which they all share so unselfishly. I am on #28 right now and while they dont stand up to the many I see on OLF I havent sawed any in half since the ten years ago when I started. I will also tell you I make imporvements every day as a result of monitoring this forum. I mostly lurk but this where the knowledge and inspiration is.

John,

I agree with you, the bar is very high and I'm happy to have lowered it recently as well

It's pretty incredible just how nice some #1s have been on this forum but any hand-built guitar is a great accomplishment.

My true #1 is still sitting in pieces: Sides bent & in a mold, rosette installed (poorly) & soundhole cut out, back joined. Haven't touched it since 2003...

So the actual completion of an instrument is what really matters as far as I am concerned.

Kudos for posting.

John-
Let me just 'chime in' to reinforce the comments above!
NO need to be embarrassed at all -it's finished, it's playable, and it hasn't exploded! In a world where 90% of the people in Europe/N.America can hardly drive a nail to hang a picture, you are in the 99.999 percentile for woodworking skills!
One of the most difficult things in any project is deciding when a certain part/stage is 'good enough for this one' and pushing on. You made the correct choices for your first project. Some folks would still be 'going around in circles' and never finish.
For a first guitar, without a teacher at your elbow, you did fine.
I've built a dozen ++ and I'm still mighty intimidated by some of the 'first guitars' I see here. The next one, the next one....

Cheers
John
PS- I also agree with the comments about better photography 'being your friend'. A tripod and shutting off the camera flash can do a lot to show what you want - and hide what you want to hide as well!

You stuck it out and built something that can make music by your own hand... is that not a great thought, that you can be proud of?

The woodworking skills improve over time and with each build, so thats kind of a seperate issue, but everytime you build its a musical instrument that is created, and that is something you should never lose sight of... it is afterall the aim of building...so if it plays, its a success!

John,

Why do I have this feeling of deja vu ? I'm sending this message back in the Tardis - "Go Johnny Go"!!

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Getting the same feeling Dave dunno why this thread was resurrected really hope it gives other first timers the confidence to post their own imperfect results

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I don't pay much attention to the original posting date (obviously!) - I just scan the 'new posts' list and see what looks interesting. I see I've got lots of company!
Anyway, the replies are still all supportive, so that is a good thing.
Cheers
John

Ha, I didn't notice that either, just saw the Feb and ignored the 2009.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR