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My latest steel string guitar is finished, this one is a small bodied (14" LB) guitar, I like to start with a blank sheet of paper with my steel strings but the plantilla, is actually the one I use for my classicals, Torres FE19, thus GC19. Using a 645mm scale and, to make this fit better on the plantilla, a 13 fret to the body.

So, first job is out with the big sheet of paper, draw the outline and the soundhole, mark the scale length on the plan, draw on the bridge outline and then set out the braces. On my steel strings I like the bridge to sit nicely on the X with the rear finger brace, or in this case the only finger brace also to sit under the bridge. I'm also only using one tone bar on this size guitar, and have stolen part of Dave White's idea and added one half of the arm of an X joining the tone bar. I used my usual 'A' braces that pass through openings in the UTB and are inlet into the headblock. As usual in my guitars all braces that meet the X are inletted into it and the rear brace is also inlet into the tone bar. UTB and upper arms of the X are inletted into the linings.

So, here's the plan.



Materials list is:

Back and side: London Plane ( Platanus X hispanica)
Soundboard: WRC
Neck: Curly sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) with ebony/pear/ebony laminates
FB, Bridge, binding: Madagascan rosewood
Purfling: London plane, ebony/pear/ebony
Rosette, headplates: London plane
Bracing: European spruce
Finish: Oil varnish, rubbed out with rottenstone.

I had wondered how the 14" LB size would produce its voice, but on stringing it up I was amazed at the quality and balance of the voice. The overall tone is very rich with very good balance across the board. I had thought that it would bias towards mids and trebles, but as soon as I put the bass E string on I knew that the bass would be full and rich. I'd put it in the top 2 or 3 steel strings I've made, now I'm really pissed off that I can't play it!

So, a few (for that read lots) of pictures.



























Colin

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

Wow!
I like the matching purfling and rosette and the heel block.
Really nice Colin!
Congratz!

Sen

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Sen CL Goh
http://senguitar.blogspot.com

Wonderful craftsmanship, Colin. Lots of superbe details and somehow the bracing scheme makes perfect sense to me - it divides up the soundboard into fairly equal parts.

I understand your frustration - despite the fact that I have played for over 40 years, I prefer to listen to other folks play one of my guitars. It somehow completes the whole process for me.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Colin,

I also like the way the top purfling and rosette offset that nice chocolate top.
I always find it interesting that the Euro pseudoplantanus is what I would call Euro Maple, while the Euros call it Sycamore. The London Plane looks very similar to the Sycamore found here in California.
So why can't you play it?

Tim

Colin

Very nice, I bet that guitar weighs next to nothing.
As a UK guy I like it when people use our 'native' woods, i'm in the middle of an 'brown' Ash / Cedar OO, will post it.

Peter

Tim, Colin was involved in a freak accident with a vehicle a couple of years ago that caused damage to a hand.

BTW, I should have said in my earlier post that I get as much enjoyment out of hearing someone else play my guitars as I do. I don't want to give the impression that I minimize Colin's frustration. I still feel terrible about the accident.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Sure is a beauty! The London Plane is gourgeous! Well done!

I also like the top bracing,,,I may try that on my next 0 or 00.

Chuck

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I watched this one coming together, and it is really a stunner, for a guitar made from Plane wood!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Nice work Colin;
great design !
Is this a keeper?
Even though you can't play it!


Mike

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Mike Collins

Yes Tim, our London plane is a close relative of your sycamore, and our sycamore you would call a maple (another European name for it is Great Maple). The problem comes from the fact that the early settler/woodsmen in the US got the names of your ones wrong, and you've been doing it ever since!

As Steve said nearly a couple of years ago I lost the top joint on three fingers of my left hand when I got hit by a motorbike, before that I had played for more than 40 years, steel string, classical and lute, the latter two to recital standard, now I'm afraid I can't play at all, though I'm learning to play a Weiss that Dave White here kindly made for me.

Colin

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

Really nice choice of woods.How do you think the Sycamore will hold up for a neck? It`s really pretty.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

After the Weissenborn, maybe pedal steel!

(sorry, I saw a very good pedal steel player playing locally the other night and am still thinking about it.)

That's a very pretty guitar! I thought "Sycamore" when I saw the wood too. But the WRC top is also very nice!

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Colin,

Sorry to hear about your accident, I had no idea. Still, a beautiful instrument you just finished and good to see that you enjoy building.



Not the only thing we've gotten wrong in a couple hundred years.

Tim

Looks great Colin!

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Had to wait to get home from work to see the images. Looks Great - I love it.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

First rate! Nice miters.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Great design and wonderful craftsmanship as always, Colin. Congrats on another beautiful instrument.

Best regards,
Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

That is just beautiful! I especially like the binding around the top.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Like Waddy, I got to see this one come together.
Singularly edifying experience.
Colin, you know I love your work, and it just keeps getting better, mate.
I'm particularly drawn to that neck and think it's a superb combination of timbers.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Excellent, as usual, Colin!

The first thing that caught my attention is that it is based upon FE19 as I am making some bending forms for that plantilla.

The second thing that I noticed was your name as the OP, so I knew that it would be stunning. I was right.

The Plane is wonderful. I'm not really a fan of wood ring rosettes, but yours came out very nice indeed. The slope for the string slots works very well too, kind of sucks you in!

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Beautiful guitar. I always wanted a classical-shaped steel string! Well done. Beth

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Steve, I value your opinion as you know well, so your appreciation is greatly valued. I nearly went hyper bling on this one, no seriously I did think about putting a bone dot at the 12th fret, as this is a 13 fret model, but decided that if the eventual player didn't know which fret was which, well he/she better learn, I wasn't going to get sucked down that slippery slope!

Doug, I love the FE19 plantilla, I've made a lot of FE19 classicals, you won't be disappointed. Torres was and still is the greatest guitar builder, and he really understood what made a guitar work.

Colin

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

Really nice Colin!
I like your bracing too.
beautiful!

Reaaally nice work. I kove the aesthetics. Great job.

Masterful craftsmanship!

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.