R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 23, 2015 10:52:11 GMT
Mike up the road has had the guitar for a day or so and has recorded some examples of how the guitar sounds. He got quite academic about it so not many tunes, I'm afraid, but enough clear sounds to give you a good feel for it, I hope. His opinion is that it sounds a bit "milky", by which he means rather compressed and lacking in very high frequencies. I wonder if this could result from over-engineering: I am aware that it has a very rigid structure with all the main bracing being locked onto the bits that count together with fairly severe arching of the front and back plates. Anyway, if you're interested, forget everything Mike says and make up your own minds - and try to stay awake!
https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/open-strings-re https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/scale-re https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/chords-re https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/riffs-re https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/tunes-re
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 22, 2015 22:13:33 GMT
I’ve read just about every other lutherie blog available on line (including your own excellent offering, by the way) but this one had escaped me, as it happens. But, as he says, “I do not see any sense for myself to repeat and copy what thousands of other guitar makers and guitar factories are doing”; apparently, you don’t either. Perhaps, this is the origin of “thinking outside the box”! Anyway, your interest is much appreciated, Rob
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 21, 2015 18:44:19 GMT
That's probably the way to go, isn't it. Mine's french polished with a wax finish; I suppose it'll stick to that. Tempted to follow ColinS and do an oil finish next time, though. Wonder if he ever puts a guard on his.
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 21, 2015 7:37:04 GMT
Do you know I hadn't thought about a scratch-guard. I suppose it'll need something to save it from the angrier guitarist. Is it feasible to slot something over the bottom edge of the hole which doesn't touch the face of the soundboard but rests on the edge (at the waist)? Could even make it out of wood and match the soundboard. I imagine someone's already done it somewhere.
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 20, 2015 15:18:40 GMT
Found the audio fault but - would you credit it - all my possible pluckers are indisposed today so I've staggered through a couple of ditties myself. Not really sure this is the sort of music it was built for so I'll add something a little more soulful when a more soulful player becomes available.
https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/sdm-thtcbh
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 20, 2015 7:58:30 GMT
Kind offer, Keith, but I don't have as much confidence in it as I might seem to have and I don't want to embarrass people who have to pass judgement. Better I ask a few locals first. I'm very pleased with the way it's turned out - the fact that it's still not folded in half after 18 hours in tension is a good start. Next time I think I might change the back bracing since it has caused very slight undulations in the back if you look very carefully. I think I might try a wooden fretboard - laburnum - since I found the Rocklite marked rather easily when I was being careless with filing frets. A hundred and one processes I have learned how not to do or how to do more efficiently next time - but it might be boring to go into them here: e.g. drill the shallow ball-end-housings on the base of the bridge before drilling the access holes through from the top - see what I mean?! Thanks for the encouragements of all who like the look of it and have said so. I'll try to post some sounds soon but my tape recorder/microphone seem to have developed a nasty loose connection somewhere along the line...
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 19, 2015 18:01:07 GMT
All mdf and cascamite; no nails in that, either!
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 19, 2015 16:50:48 GMT
Soundboard is Douglas Fir from a 1930s door; back and sides are walnut (English I presume) though I'm prepared to be corrected; the neck is mahogany from a Victorian table top (about 1820 I think) as is the binding; the the purfling is made up from mahogany and maple veneers. Oh, yes... the fretboard is Rocklite, if anyone knows what that is, and the bridge laburnum.
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 19, 2015 7:00:45 GMT
I think you'll find it's the strummer rather than the recording equipment that's not operating efficiently.
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 18, 2015 20:26:08 GMT
I've put the strings on - well, most of them. I was just tuning them up (very tentatively) when the top E machine head started to swivel and I realised the tiny retaining screw on the back had broken off. This was annoying. I've had to drill it out and plug the hole and I'll re-fit the tuner in the morning. Meanwhile, however, I do have a 5-string guitar which didn't implode immediately and which sounds like a guitar - though I haven't done any intonation work on the saddle yet. Here are three 5-string chords to tantalise you! I'll get someone decent to play it for me so you can hear it properly.
https%3A//soundcloud.com/rthef/bryn-5-string-chords If this didn't work, someone will have to tell me how to insert SoundCloud tracks!
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 16, 2015 11:12:58 GMT
Make that three solutions - except that I don't have a webcam! Thanks anyway and congratulations on your 700th post, earwighoney. Rob
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 16, 2015 10:55:51 GMT
I've tried the MIC IN route before with Audacity without luck. However, your line out/line in solution has come up trumps and even works during recording so I don't have to play the cassette back. Well done and enormous thanks. The only problem is that I was quite looking forward to getting myself a nice little portable digital recorder as suggested by Keith! Thanks again to both. I've spent quite a long time googling and plugging in different leads etc.etc. over the months trying to solve this problem; 2 minutes on asbo gives me 2 solutions. Rob
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 16, 2015 9:58:02 GMT
Thanks, Keith. I didn't even know portable digital recorders existed at that sort of price so I'll look into it now and see what I can come up with. I should get a reasonable price for my Sony stuff - some people still hanker after good old cassettes. Rob
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on May 16, 2015 9:39:58 GMT
Now I'm aware this isn't strictly part of a "build" thread but I'm going to attempt to record this guitar when it's finished (if it plays at all!) and my recording equipment is a little out of date: Sony Walkman Professional WM-D6C cassette (yes, cassette) recorder with Sony ECM-909 microphone. Now this was and still is an excellent combination but I can't find the cassette slot on my computer. I've tried everything I can think of to get the microphone to record on to the computer but the computer's not clever enough to know a good mike when it sees one. I've therefore decided to get rid of them and buy a mike which works. Any suggestions? Or should this be a new thread in a different part of the forum? Thanks, Rob.
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