Official Luthiers Forum!

This one is going be heading off to Colorado after it has had a chance to settle in for final tweaks. In terms of the woods used, it's a twin of the prototype I built last spring. Sitka spruce top; claro walnut back, sides, headplate, and rosette ring; khaya neck; Indian rosewood fingerboard, bridge, and binding. The scale length is 20". The body is similar in size that of a baritone ukulele. The lower bout is 10 1/2" across.

I lightened up the bracing a bit on this one compared to the prototype. I tapered the lower x-brace arms more and scalloped their ends further back from the rims. Also reduced the height of the tonebar a bit. It sounds a bit louder. I like how it sounds. At least as good as the first one. I'll see how much it changes over the next few days.

The most significant change I made was to use standard guitar fretwire (LMI FW74) instead of smaller mandolin fretwire. The taller height of the wire improved the playability enough that I plan to refret the prototype.

_________________
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Two more:

_________________
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Yeah, man.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Seriously a beauty! Do you have a sound clip of either one? This is the instrument Sarah Jarosz plays?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

_________________
"Is this the one where I trot downfield and act like I'm lost ?" - Billy Bob

Superb workmanship and design. I too would like to hear a sound clip.

_________________
Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

Sarah is quite the multi-instrumentalist.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Sarah Jarosz does play an octave mandolin (among other instruments), but hers has an archtop guitar type body.

_________________
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Here are a couple short videos of how the prototype sounds. I recorded them using my iphone so take that into account. In the second video playing single note stuff, you can hear bit of string buzz that was caused by using the short mandolin fretwire I used on that one. The short height of that fretwire means that if you place your finger any distance away from the back of the fret, the string bottoms out on the fretboard right away and you don't get enough downward string pressure on the fret to prevent some buzz when picking with a thick pick. The higher fretwire I used on the new octave mando solved that problem.

https://youtu.be/8XDbUfs_JC8
https://youtu.be/K6fdX6FO4Eg

_________________
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Very nice.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Nicely done

Ed M