Building a T-G (Turnstone Guitar Co)

Hello again!

Apart from my quick replies to the recent very interesting points from other members in this thread, I haven't given an update on the build in a while. I was away last week and have been finishing off another guitar (it's very shiny...) and also had a very talented chap come and do some video and audio recordings on some of my models which will be on my website soon.

But back to it, and on the Ebony guitar I am pleased to say the large part of the soundboard bracing and shaping has been done. Here's a pic:




So...I know all this bracing will look pretty unusual to most, but in a nutshell my approach is to essentially divide my soundboard into a bass side and a treble side and dedicate each side to what I believe will best optimise treble frequencies on treble string side and bass frequencies on the bass string side. This is a slightly new design that I am trialling, with tweaks added based on knowledge gained from previous builds. So you will see the bracing is much lower, lighter and rounder on the bass side and much narrower, higher, sharper and more rigid on the treble side. The varying wood species used, as well as being considered for their densities (linked to the optimisation thing), introduce a more varied 'timbre' to the overall sound. There's quite a bit more to it all on top of this, but I can get carried away and usually see peoples eyes slowly glaze over... but let me know if you have any specific questions, I will be happy to try and answer them! The soundboard has been formed to a 25ft radius on the braces and all are stuck down with Titebond glue. The majority of the brace shaping was done with a chisel (I think I'm going to look into a little thumb plane too for future builds) and then all the braces are sanded through to 320grit.

The neck is also starting to come along and I'm moving into headstock time. I put veneers on both the front and the back and have a curved volute on the back. It doesn't really matter for me whether the front or back veneers go on first, but I decided to start with the back. This could be because for me the task of getting the back veneers on is one of the more nerve inducing tasks in the build - so better to get it out the way! The volute curve is carved out by hand and measured up against a specially cut out clamp caul which must exactly match the curve. Then the three veneers that I have chosen must be stuck down all in one go, with glue applied between the layers, then the clamp system must perfectly line up to ensure it clamps go down correctly and securely on the curve. Here's a picture. You'll see that the veneers have torn either side of the bend and that's because they are not supported by anything and the curve of the volute is very steep, but it will have stayed together in the clamped part. The outside veneer is striped Ebony to match the guitar back. I'll look forward to showing you in the next update.



And on a slightly separate note, I am really excited to share with you all as my first announcement that I have been invited to exhibit at this year's Holy Grail Guitar show in Berlin in October! I can't wait! 

Blimey! I hope you supply a mirror with your guitars so that they can see the effort you've put into it. I should leave one without a back for the Holy Grail show; should draw a crowd.

Thanks for the reply. I hope you won't mind answering another question. How will the bracing specific to this guitar shape the tone?
Dale

Individual strings will vibrate at a range of frequencies depending on where they are fretted. The guitar (as a system) will gather those vibrations but your bracing acts as a filter. Stiffer braces will carry the higher frequency oscillations across the soundboard whilst the more flexible braces will transfer the lower frequencies. Bracing is only one aspect - I've just recently used a 3 piece saddle and found that I get better bass/treble separation - perhaps a 6 piece saddle... I think the older Levin guitars had individual saddle pieces?

Superb workmanship by the way - great thread. Francis

Here’s the latest build update!


In my last build post you saw the veneers being stuck down to the back, I am pleased to say that they went down successfully. Here’s how it looks now with the volute roughly carved out into the neck. The veneer is striped Ebony which will hopefully compliment the Ebony back and sides nicely.





The veneers on the front have also now been stuck down. The headstock ‘motif’ on all of my guitars is the carved out bird (to replicate the Turnstone bird) and that’s now been carved out too. It still requires some final smoothing and sanding, but here it is so far.





Moving back to the body, the body blocks have now been prepared. Both are made of Mahogany and the dovetail in the top block has been cut out by hand with a saw and chisel. The curvature of the body where the sides meet the blocks has also been shaped in, as you can hopefully see in the picture.





I don’t use an external or internal mold to build my guitars (hence the very clear lines maintained on the braced side of my back) so the blocks are stuck down directly to the back. To ensure the blocks protrude up exactly 90 degrees from the back, the angle of the blocks most correctly correlate to the back radius. This is done using a square held on the flat surface to the blocks whilst they are in the radius dish and the correct angle is carved in. Then they are stuck down to the back.





Then comes the creation of what I use the attach the top and back to the sides – the tantilons. Once again I have stuck with Padauk timber to match the back bracing and approximately 40 are required for each side, top and bottom – so that’s 160 in total. They are all cut to the exact same dimensions and are square and true. Each one is sanded on each side to make the end grain nice and clean. Let it be known that I ensure I have a good podcast to listen to during this activity….but I think the results are worth it – I look forward to showing you when they’re down.







This guitar is slightly different, as you will see I have about 20 bigger ones there too. That’s because this guitar will have a ‘Wingert’ roundover arm bevel – designed by North American Luthier Kathy Wingert. She has kindly allowed me to attempt her roundover so I hope to do it justice! The roundover will mean that the binding will protrude further into the soundboard so the bigger tantilons are required.
That's all for now! Back soon.

Lovely, distinctive looking guitar Rosie - There is a chance I may see your guitars at Haydock Park in May.

Phil

Hi Phil Taylor, yes you certainly can! Please stop by to say hi and try out some of the guitars! I look forward to hopefully seeing you there.