Official Luthiers Forum!

Herry, I like the electric guitar very much. Nice job!

Cool, EUB Herry! What kind of strings are on that thing? How would you describe it's sound? Like an electric? An upright?

Nice electrics! Also that rambutan looked awesome! Never heard of it before. Is it commonly used in guitars in your area? Best of luck with your build.

Indeed, love the rambutan! If you have plenty, add me to the list Maybe we could have you mail several sets to one of us to save on international shipping, and then they split it up and mail out locally?

Side bending is hard, but fun. My bender is a hunk of 3" diameter exhaust pipe from a local muffler shop, and an electric charcoal starter, run through a dimmer switch. Or you could go old fashioned and use actual charcoal as the heat source Or a propane torch.

Looking forward to watching the build. I've gotta make one of those size 5 guitars myself someday.

thank's DennisK, my new bender is 3" dia stainless steel pipe and I'm planning for buy an electric charcoal starter, it's cheap here,...
for the rambutan I have some and that's I cut 2 year's ago for quartersawn but unfortunatedly it's for small guitar and much for uke size I think for back and side ... and the weight is heavy (higher cost for shipment)

Wow, who knew rambutan trees made such pretty wood! I used to love the fruit as a kid, although of course I only ever had the canned version. Can't wait to see the guitar. I guess it will be like a Martin size #5?

I like that electric. Reminds me a bit of the original Bigsby.

Indeed, love the rambutan! If you have plenty, add me to the list Maybe we could have you mail several sets to one of us to save on international shipping, and then they split it up and mail out locally?

Side bending is hard, but fun. My bender is a hunk of 3" diameter exhaust pipe from a local muffler shop, and an electric charcoal starter, run through a dimmer switch. Or you could go old fashioned and use actual charcoal as the heat source Or a propane torch.

Looking forward to watching the build. I've gotta make one of those size 5 guitars myself someday.

Hi,.. Dennisk for the very hard wood like rambutan How many thick you made for SIDE??? .07"?, .08"? need suggestion... thank's...

Hi Greg, come to Indonesia, you can eat many kinds of rambutan flavors

Thinner sides and a (slightly) thicker back is usually helpful for bass, an important consideration in a small guitar.

Not necessarily. Somogyi style guitars have laminated (very stiff) sides and very thin tops and backs and they have great bass.

RE: side bending.The danger is that if it's too wet
Greg, I've ever read old style guitar making, and it suggested to boil the side for about an hour before hot bending,.. what you think? ....

LOL. Yes, I'd love to. Indonesia has been near the top of my list of places I'd love to visit for some time. It might be a few years before I can afford the trip though. I just asked my employer to send me there on 'business', but they didn't seem to like that idea...

RE: side bending. Try it first on scrap. You will feel the wood give way when it wants to move. Don't force it. Some woods must be fairly wet to bend at all. Padauk is like this. The danger is that if it's too wet, you can get uneven bending and facets, which will need to be sanded out. In addition, they all have different temperature requirements.

I agree with Dennis about the side thickness recommendations. .085" is 'standard', but .07 to .08 is a good range for a small guitar, and you'll have a little room for sanding. Thinner sides and a (slightly) thicker back is usually helpful for bass, an important consideration in a small guitar.

How are you planning to bend the sides? Hot pipe? No need to boil. Do a few test bends on scrap to get the feel.