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Chris Ensor
 Post subject: New HRW/Englemann Spruce
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 9:21 am 
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I participated in the Memphis show this past June. It was an enlightening experience seeing so many other luthiers' work. I was very pleased with how mine compared, but still found some things that I wanted to work on after playing all the other amazing guitars. So when I came home, I made up my list of what I wanted to try and have been slowly chugging away on this guitar. It is a HRW and Englemann Spruce parlor. Some of the things I wanted to try were for aesthetics and other were for tone and function. So here is the list of new things I did on this one:
I reduced weight anywhere I could, used solid linings, played around with using different line weights in my purfling, carved the neck thinner and with a quicker heel transition, made my own wooden tuner buttons, used a different oil finish for the bridge and fingerboard, carved the bridge to reduce weight, tuned the top using chladni patterns, and used a hardener in my lacquer to increase durability.

Overall, I am very happy with it.

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Jaybird840
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 10:50 am 
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Nicely done! I'm waiting for my nitro to cure on a very similar build... Can't wait!
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sdsollod
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:12 am 
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Very Nice! Pleasing aesthetics and excellent craftsmanship. It looks bigger than a parlor... Still need to put the label in?

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George L
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:53 am 
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Well done, Chris! That's a great looking guitar. I've long admired your elegant design sensibilities and they just keep getting more and more refined. Your work is inspiring. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your continuing ascent.

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Bryan Bear
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 12:30 pm 
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Beautiful as always! What are the dimensions for your parlor? I'd love to be able to make my own tuner buttons. Maybe I'll pick your brain next time I see you.

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These users thanked the author Bryan Bear for the post: Chris Ensor (Mon Dec 07, 2015 9:49 pm)
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Rod True
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 1:16 pm 
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Smashing!

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Hesh
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 2:39 pm 
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A beauty and I love the body shape too!
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Mike Collins
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 3:07 pm 
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Very nice!
I like it.
How's it sound?
Mike

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DennisK
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 4:05 pm 
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Very nice! What did the final weight end up at? If you missed Stuart's thread recently, he's developing some 27 gram truss rods that will be great for us weight minimalists http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=46678

According to my calculations and experience, Honduran rosewood actually comes out to be only 5% heavier than Brazilian if you thin it to the same stiffness, about 15% thinner.

I almost hope it doesn't sell too fast so you can bring it to St. Louis next year :lol: But if it sounds like I expect it does, it will probably be long gone by then :)

What kind of oil did you use on the fingerboard? I've been leaving mine bare, but they usually end up ugly after a while as the finger oil accumulates unevenly... I've tried walnut oil before, but I don't like the satin texture it produces.
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Colin North
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 5:38 pm 
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Sweet! Love the shape and aesthetic.

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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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dzsmith
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 7:21 pm 
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Man! That instrument is super-clean.
I especially like the head and tuner buttons!

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Chris Ensor
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 9:48 pm 
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sdsollod wrote:
Very Nice! Pleasing aesthetics and excellent craftsmanship. It looks bigger than a parlor... Still need to put the label in?


Well, I said I was cutting out weight any way I could.... laughing6-hehe

Yes, label to come.

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Chris Ensor
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 9:51 pm 
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George L wrote:
Well done, Chris! That's a great looking guitar. I've long admired your elegant design sensibilities and they just keep getting more and more refined. Your work is inspiring. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your continuing ascent.


Wow George! Thank. That means a lot.

Bryan Bear wrote:
Beautiful as always! What are the dimensions for your parlor? I'd love to be able to make my own tuner buttons. Maybe I'll pick your brain next time I see you.


My parlor has a 14" LB, 8" waist, and a 10" UB

I have been wanting to make my own tuner buttons for years. I finally forced myself to make enough duds to figure out the process.

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These users thanked the author Chris Ensor for the post: Bryan Bear (Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:05 pm)
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Chris Ensor
PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 9:55 pm 
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DennisK wrote:
Very nice! What did the final weight end up at?

I almost hope it doesn't sell too fast so you can bring it to St. Louis next year :lol: But if it sounds like I expect it does, it will probably be long gone by then :)

What kind of oil did you use on the fingerboard?


Dennis,
I haven't done a final weight on it. But I know that going from metal to wood tuner buttons saved me around 30-50g (I can't remember exactly).

I hope this one sells too, but if it doesn't it will probably be coming to STL.

I used to use boiled linseed oil and tried walnut oil on this one. I really like how smooth it left the surface and it didn't darken the wood as much from my experiments.

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DannyV
PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 12:52 am 
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Understated beauty as usual Chris. Wenge FB and buttons? Did you lay up your own purfling? Very sweet!

Cheers,
Danny
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SteveSmith
PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 9:56 am 
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Lovely guitar Chris. I have two sets of HRW and after seeing your results I am really looking forward to building with it.

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Chris Ensor
PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 11:28 am 
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DannyV wrote:
Understated beauty as usual Chris. Wenge FB and buttons? Did you lay up your own purfling? Very sweet!

Cheers,
Danny


Danny,
The buttons, fingerboard and bridge are all wenge.

I always make my own purfling. It opens up a lot of possibilities for unique combinations and matching colors.

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Chris Ensor
PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:14 am 
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Mike Collins wrote:
Very nice!
I like it.
How's it sound?
Mike



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cablepuller1
PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:44 pm 
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Great guitar Chris
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