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 Post subject: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 9:32 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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:D Just kidding of course.

We had a Hauser come in for a spell. Very interesting instrument. Superb craftsmanship, killer tone, lots of innovation, and..... this thing is a cannon too. It also is very light weight but I forgot to weigh it.

Here are some pics for you viewing pleasure:


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 10:23 am 
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I thought that would have got the Red Carpet treatment, not just any old offcut....

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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.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 10:32 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Colin North wrote:
I thought that would have got the Red Carpet treatment, not just any old offcut....


We save the red carpet for the really valuable instruments.... ;)


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 11:17 am 
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Koa
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Totally cool.

I love a good ice cream cone.

Almost looks like Sycamore. Maple?

Zero fret? :shock: idunno



Thanks for sharing it.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 11:30 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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I think it's broken though, I keep twisting that big key and it won't play itself.....;)


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 11:42 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Any chance we can get a shot/sketch of the bracing.

Looks like from the 20's - it would be before Segovia... Probably ladder braced.

Thanks.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 12:25 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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For a minute I thought you guys converted it to a bolt-on. Cool guitar. Thanks!

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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 12:35 pm 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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truckjohn wrote:
Any chance we can get a shot/sketch of the bracing.

Looks like from the 20's - it would be before Segovia... Probably ladder braced.

Thanks.


Hi ya John! I'd be happy to make that happen except the guitar went back to it's current steward. Sorry.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 12:37 pm 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Terence Kennedy wrote:
For a minute I thought you guys converted it to a bolt-on. Cool guitar. Thanks!


Hey Terry! This guitar is a good reminder at least to me that much of it's been done before by the folks who came before us. Hausers are great examples of this idea with all the innovation especially the adjustable neck angle/joint.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 1:31 pm 
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Wow, I had no idea they ever used neck joints like that! thanks, Mike


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 1:43 pm 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Imbler wrote:
Wow, I had no idea they ever used neck joints like that! thanks, Mike


Yep and there's more too such as the cantilevered fret board extension, something we see these days on high-end arch tops.

The guitar sounds like a million bucks too. I was real big on very light weight guitars when I was building believing as I do and did that you ought to be able to make them pretty loud since there is less mass to overcome and get vibrating. Hausers are great example of this notion, this one is a canon and the body depth is not much more than an electric.....

Pretty cool!


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 1:49 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Zero fret, obvious sign of a cheap import ;)


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 2:33 pm 
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Hesh,
So to set the neck angle they just shimmed it some?

And I thought that was a Taylor innovation.

And how about fret markers on a classical? Or maybe it was a gut string model.

Like you said, most of what we think is cutting edge has already been done.

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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 3:44 pm 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Hey Joe! I'm not sure but I suspect that they shimmed it and that the bolt and turn key were used to remove the neck. But again I'm not sure. idunno


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 4:31 pm 
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Koa
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Location: Caves Beach, Australia
No shims, the neck should pivot at the top of the pocket and be free floating at the back
It's the Stauffer system
I do a similar system on mine but use a strap button/bolt instead of the clock key bolt



These users thanked the author Jeff Highland for the post (total 2): jack (Thu May 19, 2016 8:09 pm) • Hesh (Thu May 19, 2016 4:36 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 4:37 pm 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Jeff Highland wrote:
No shims, the neck should pivot at the top of the pocket and be free floating at the back
It's the Stauffer system
I do a similar system on mine but use a strap button/bolt instead of the clock key bolt


Very cool, thanks Jeff!


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 5:06 pm 
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Koa
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Jeff Highland wrote:
No shims, the neck should pivot at the top of the pocket and be free floating at the back
It's the Stauffer system
I do a similar system on mine but use a strap button/bolt instead of the clock key bolt


I was considering doing the same, but I wasn't sure what hardware to use. Are you turning custom buttons on a lathe or are you using store bought ones? What size bolt do you use? Do you have a source for gold/black bolts, or do you use stainless from a hardware store?

Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 7:25 pm 
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Koa
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Jeff Highland wrote:
No shims, the neck should pivot at the top of the pocket and be free floating at the back
It's the Stauffer system...

Yes, it looks very much like the Stauffer system, but it also looks like the pivot parts have been removed, making it just a bolt-on. Or did Hauser intend it like that with the clock key to make the neck easily removable...the original travel guitar??? beehive ;).

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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 8:56 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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"It's the Stauffer system"

And quite a bit earlier than Hauser

"make the neck easily removable...the original travel guitar??"

That is how I build my travel guitars, but with a port in the tail block that allows the neck to store inside the body. An added benefit is the action can be adjusted using washers or shims between the heel and body.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2016 11:55 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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It did indeed intrigue me, the lack of any more formal fulcrum system or evidence of one removed, beyond the geometry of the block. Whether intentions may have been for versatile user adjustment or not, if I were to adjust the neck angle with the design on this particular case I would prefer to use shims to ensure solid contact and firm positioning rather than rely on string tension alone to keep the joint taut.

In this case however the angle happened to be fair with the joint fully tight, and we only had the neck removed for convenience of other work, so the joint itself didn't get much focus.

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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Fri May 20, 2016 5:06 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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"That is how I build my travel guitars, but with a port in the tail block that allows the neck to store inside the body. An added benefit is the action can be adjusted using washers or shims between the heel and body."

Cool, how about some pics please?


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Fri May 20, 2016 9:01 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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The adjustable neck joint is traditional on Eastern Europen guitars... Many factory built Russian and Ukranian guitars are still made this way

The main issue is the stability and flexibility of the adjustable neck joint. There were several prominent Russian guitarists who stuffed thick Bakelite combs under the fretboard extensions in an effort to keep the necks from shifting around during play.

That's probably why Hauser made the joint bolt on but non-adjustable without further intervention. The clock key is then simply a tool to dismount or reinstall the neck.

It seems like a fairly good compromise.

Thanks


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Fri May 20, 2016 9:52 am 
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Cocobolo
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Egmonds (a real cheap import from the Netherlands) had the same adjustable neck in the 1960's.


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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Fri May 20, 2016 10:15 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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I had a cheap guitar made in South Africa from the 70's with a similar type of neck adjustment. I think that one went in to the bonfire.

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 Post subject: Re: Cheap Import
PostPosted: Fri May 20, 2016 4:18 pm 
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Koa
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It may have had a pivot strip at the top originally but many did not (I use one)
If it need to be locked solid for a decent action, I suspect this is the result of either having a pivot strip removed or the effects of body distortion over the years. Depending on how the intonation is a pivot strip could be added or the heel cut away at the back to restore tilting ability.

rlrhett, I use a 6mm thread button head head stainless screw with allen socket
I grind the head down to 9.5mm diameter and set the screw into a small block of wood with CA then turn it down to a strap button shape. It is adjustable without tools by pulling the neck back to take off string tension.


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