Official Luthiers Forum!

I really enjoy these threads, and as no-one else had started one yet this week, I thought I might, with thanks to Burton LeGeyt for his documented build recently, giving me inspiration and guidance to make my first rosette.

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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.

Just drilled my first 18 hole bridge. Now to fit it to the top, and get on with fretting and final detail sanding.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I'm assembling my first classical on the solera. Glued the sides, the tailblock and the kerfings. I'm now radiusing the sides and preparing the back braces.

Have a good week everyone!

Francis

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Re-arranging the entire machine area for more efficient work flow, and re-piping my entire dust evac system for the new machine locations.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Strung up #10 a few days ago and I'm wasting lots of time playing it. Did some good progress for 11 and 12 too which I am building in parallel. You can see one of the thinned madrose sides for 11 next to the guitar, and the rosette and bracing for 12 - which is flamed maple.

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Build log

Well, I've been using a Wells circle cutter I made of oak, which has been falling apart,
and getting glued back together.
So, I made this.
It sure works nice!
Also working on a lap-steel (on another post).

I fixed up an old 60's melody maker that was dilapidated and missing its original parts, this winter. I did it for a good old friend's 15 yr old son, pro bono. i refretted it, painted the headstock, refinished the guitar, made a pickguard for it, and a bone nut, and wired it with all new pots and pickups. the neck pickup is a lawrence keystone (my choice) and the bridge pickup is a duncan JB (his choice). the kid is in love with it. he got it in the mail on friday. with new frets on it and everything, it really plays nice. the neck was just as straight as could be on this one.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 2088_n.jpg

i put a 'gibsun' decal on it.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_6994.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_0153.JPG

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"...you have to get over your strict adherence to your largely imagined notion of absolute perfection..."

Been sick for 2 weeks...

Finally got to try out my new binding jig on an instrument.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Finishing #3 I think this is going to be my best yet. I'm 14 now, so by the time I'm 20 I want to compare my latest guitar to this one to see how much my building will improve.

Hey Martin, good on ya - that is very cool!
This is on my bench this weekend - the Bubinga build got its final shots of finish last week and is curing.
Finished the body on the LP build yesterday, started on the neck today.

Nothing doing in the shop. Unless you count going to my father's and picking up the tablesaw and a bunch of other tools. I'll pick the jointer up next week. Finally got the OK from the wife to move the shop from the small part of the basement to the big part of the basement. Next week I'll be making some cabinets to turn an old L shaped computer desk into a workbench. After that, I've got to get cracking on a short scale SJ with a strat neck profile. A friend loves her strat and wants her acoustic to have the same neck profile.

Oh, and I finished my Explorere that I've been working on forever. Need to shoot some pics to share. Plays great, but it's a little neck heavy...

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Rob

I'm in the midst of a couple of projects. One is a bit behind the other in terms of progress, so I won't post that one quite yet. I've completed the body on one here. Top is bearclaw sitka, 3 piece back of Brazilian cherry and Honduras mahogany, Brazilian cherry sides. The guitar will have an autumn theme, including a set of inlays on the back, and a leaf side soundport. Rosette and tail wedge are claro walnut, bindings are indian rosewood, purlings are maple/rosewood. This is actually my first cutaway guitar! It presented a few new challenges, but it came out very nice!

Hopefully going to finish this guitar and mandolin.
viewtopic.php?f=10130&t=31378

bend this


and bind this

I started my 1st electric archtop hollowbody. Based on a 50's Gibson Byrdland. Curly maple center with curly aspen outers. 50's wound soapbar P-90 pickups. I'm going to do a 24.625 scale instead of the byrdland 23.5 . My first florentine cutaway. I'm still waiting for the finish to dry on guitar number 5. Guitar building is so much fun, you can make whatever you can dream up. Thanks everyone for all the help over the years. Jason

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

This is absolutely gorgeous... I wish I had thought of that before...

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Still trying to bend ebony binding without breaking it. Thinning it just a bit with a block plane.

Thanks! kiddo is a great young player. he didn't have a good instrument to play and I hate to see that.

re: stuff happening this week. I went in my local woodcraft yesterday and in the bargain box, they had a straight piece of flame maple, dimensions 36" x 6" x 1", with even and pronounced flame throughout, for $5.50. I asked if it was for real, dude said yes, I didn't question any further! grabbed it, paid, and got out. am planning to get 2 telecasterish necks out of it.

I'm also working on a brw/adi spruce which is my #4. I'd like to get the box closed up this month.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_7133.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_7140.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_7252.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_0195.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_0191.JPG

I also made this go bar deck, so I that can have two places to clamp.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_En-9 ... G_0202.JPG

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"...you have to get over your strict adherence to your largely imagined notion of absolute perfection..."

Alexandru, that's a beautiful rosette. Love the colors, and elegant pattern. Very nice.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Putting the finishing touches, pickguard, setup, etc. on this little one. Koa 12-fret in 0-28 style, Lutz top, french polish over epoxy.









My daughter and I started this two years ago. Just strung it up last week, waiting for things to settle. Tone from these small bodies is always a surprise for me.

Dang, Arnt! I based my jig on your old one! Guess it's time for me to upgrade!

Also, been working on some shop-built soft-boxes for a home photo studio, and drawing up plans for an Ashbory bass my son and I will build.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Currently on the bench is a catalpa and maple Tele-style. A catalpa and wenge original. An all koa 'WoodPan' lap steel and the neck for the Tele.

This weekend I inaugurated a back holder (with a 15' dish) ...

... and finished the bracing on this L-00 Cocobolo back.

This is not a bit overkill bracing for a small-body coco back?

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Hey, you are probably right.
The guitar will frequently be transported by plane, so I wanted to go a bit overboard and not take a chance...