davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Feb 1, 2024 7:48:15 GMT
R.I.P - a lovely man.
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davewhite
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Luthier
Aemulor et ambitiosior
Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Dec 15, 2023 10:57:58 GMT
I've got a couple of Highlander pickups if you want one. Drop me a pm.
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davewhite
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Luthier
Aemulor et ambitiosior
Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Apr 6, 2023 15:16:08 GMT
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davewhite
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Luthier
Aemulor et ambitiosior
Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Jul 19, 2022 13:16:32 GMT
At 2pm today not only has the temperature “officially” topped 40 oC for the first time but the air is as near to bone dry as makes no difference . I’m off to find a cold towel to wrap around my head Attachments:
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Oct 6, 2021 10:31:23 GMT
Last year I made a parlour sized “crossover” nylon strung guitar for Steve Tilston using as far as possible woods used in Archery. The guitar “Bogha Fada” – Gaelic for “Long Bow” - was based on my parlour/Terz guitar body, “An Féa Caol”, modified to be slightly longer and have an asymmetric body shape with soft cutaway in the style of my “Buachaill Mór” model. It has an X braced soundboard, 640mm scale length, slotted headstock with 12 frets clear of the body, nut width is 48mm and 57mm string spacing at the saddle. It has one of my custom bound/rebated rosettes and a “porthole” soundport with “bung” so that it can be played with the port open or closed. You can read more about the project on this thread.I really liked “Bogha Fada” and decided to make one for myself and also a steel string version – “Bogha Fada Cruach” and started making them in the Spring of 2020. I’ve finally got round to finishing them - in between I made another “Bogha Fada” for Rob which you can read more about here. “Bogha Fada Cruach” is on the left and “Bogha Fada” on the right. The guitars have a “Nutty” theme. “Bogha Fada” has a four piece European Spruce top, Almond back and American Black Walnut sides. The neck is Cedrella; the bindings, headstock veneer and end-graft are Ovangkol; the fingerboard and bridge Claro Walnut; the heel-cap, rosette and soundport bung are American Black Walnut; Gold Evo frets; Ebony bridge pins and Gotoh classical tuners with black buttons “Bogha Fada Cruach” has a Caucasian Spruce top, figured English Walnut back and sides. The neck is African Walnut; the bindings, headstock veneer, heel cap, end-graft, fingerboard and bridge Brazilian Rosewood; the heel-cap, rosette and soundport bung are English Walnut; Gold Evo frets; Ebony bridge pins and Gotoh slothead tuners with black buttons. Nut width is 46mm. I’m really pleased with the results – lots of oomph from such small guitars and something for me to play if I develop issues with finger joints. Recordings to follow in due course.
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Aug 6, 2021 12:34:27 GMT
Then it's time to get the hot pipe out as the Coyote Wood binding with Maple purfling is bent and glued on using fish glue. I'm not sure that davewhite ever actually puts the hot pipe away so there may be no need to get it out. It, perhaps, lurks in some dark corner of the workshop waiting to be called upon. I've never seen the inside of Dave's workshop so I don't know. And he hasn't told me. I bet it cowers in the shadow of the Fox Bender feeling miserable and inadequate. Time to get your NHS specs back on - it's "lurking" in the left of the picture on the workshop floor
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Aug 5, 2021 7:01:30 GMT
Fred, Well it's certainly different but nothing wrong with that. The carbon fibre back and aluminium on the bridge gives it an "industrial" look - I mean that in a good way, a bit Bauhaus maybe? The 12/14 fret design is fine and is what martin Cole did in collaboration with Steve Tilston so a good pedigree there. Nice work I'm assuming there is still a lateral twisting force from the strings on the bridge but the bolted down aluminium string anchor deals with this - unless you've used Klingon technology that alters the laws of physics as we know it Jim
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Jul 22, 2021 19:02:34 GMT
The fretboard is going to be bound with Cocobolo with a Maple side purfling Ooops - that should have said bound with Kingwood with a Maple side purfling
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on May 30, 2021 7:35:53 GMT
Looks like a neck bolt - holding the neck on. Double action truss rods use the same adjusting bolt and have a "neutral" position where you feel no resistance. Turning clockwise from this straightens the neck and turning anti-clockwise allows you to put some relief (bow) into the neck if you have backbow.
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on May 26, 2021 7:09:51 GMT
You use fish glue on Fridays
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Apr 28, 2021 17:32:42 GMT
How deep are the cuts? If not too deep and as it looks as though you haven't put the binding on yet I would be tempted to carefully sand down the the top perimeter around the area from end of bass lower bout to end of treble lower bout to see if the mark comes out with enough top left there. Don't concentrate your sanding on the scratch area so you keep and even top shape rather than a dip where the cut is. It's a sort of feathering process of the top perimeter. Assuming you have learned the knack now of cutting the binding channels you can recut the channel where you have thinned the top to keep the binding channel a constant depth. Many makers thin the top around the lower bout perimeter as part of their normal process. Good luck with the rest of the build - there will be many more "fixes" ahead
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Apr 16, 2021 21:06:51 GMT
What shape is the neck - if it's in back bow that's the effect you'll get for the lower frets.
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Mar 31, 2021 16:54:33 GMT
Hopefully someone who actually knows what they're talking about might be along soon....! keith ocarolan were you thinking about leoroberts by any chance? He's down at B&Q getting some mastergrade scrapwood to make himself a Panduri
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Mar 25, 2021 13:20:41 GMT
The position for the bridge is scribed and the lacquer carefully removed. Then the bridge is glued on using hot hide glue: Setting up the instrument involves fitting the Gotoh tuners and nut to the neck, bolting on the neck, reaming and slotting the bridge pin holes, fitting the bone saddles, fitting the strings and dialling in the desired action and playability by cutting the nut slots and setting the saddle heights. Here’s the finished guitar: Recording to follow in due course.
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davewhite
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Posts: 3,544
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Post by davewhite on Mar 23, 2021 19:13:49 GMT
I presume that Dave ran out of hot hid glue because he's resorted to attaching the sides to the neck block using fish glue. Yes I hid the hide glue . . . or did I hide the hid glue . . . senior moments
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