dcal
Sore Fingers
Posts: 7 
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Post by dcal on Oct 20, 2018 23:29:17 GMT
Hi all, first post and first guitar build.
I've been lurking on here for almost a year but have been avoiding the forum of late as I was trying to resist the temptation to start making another guitar.
I think that battle has been lost, so I thought it was time I did a bit of a write up on my first guitar build.
It all started when I started having problem with my first and only acoustic guitar.
I'm 58 and was given it on my 21st birthday by my brothers and sisters. I picked it myself and ended up with a Sigma D28 I have to say the guitar deserved a better player than me but we got along fine for many years. A couple of years ago I started to notice it was harder to play and the intonation was going off. I just put it down to strings or me but finally it got so bad and I found that the neck block has let go at the back of the guitar and the guitar was folding in two under the tension of the strings.
I could have bought another guitar, but I like the one I have and so I started thinking of ways to glue it back together and how I would make a jig to keep it right during the repair, then I thought I don't really want to practice or mess up my old friend and instead decided to look for professional help (a Luther not a Shrink)
I'm from Northern Ireland and didn't really know much about the fantastic guitar builders we have over here. I knew about Lowden but not Avalon, Mcllroy or the rest. I did a bit of a search for someone that could carry out the repair.
A search brought up Sam Irwin of the Lagan Luther School www.laganlutherieschool.org/ and as they did repairs as well as courses I thought I'd give him a call. He told me to bring the guitar over and he look at it
He fixed the guitar in a few mins by mixing some epoxy and feeding it into the crack between the back and the neck block with a feeler gauge then clamping it up (sorry no photos)
It has worked a treat and hasn't moved since.
While I was there I looked at the sort of work being done in the class and after a chat with Sam decided to have a go.
My Sigma is spruce top and rosewood back and sides so decided to go for something different. In the end chose a Gibson L00 body style with a cedar top and Claro Walnut back and sides.
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The process of planing and gluing the front and back and sticking on the braces went fine and must say having all the kit and tools available and with people about to give guidance and advice was a great help.
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Post by ghnarumen on Oct 20, 2018 23:56:35 GMT
You’ve got me hooked. Are you still in the middle of the build or is there more to show?
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Oct 21, 2018 8:14:56 GMT
Mornin' dcal - welcome to the forum - excellent first post - looking forward to hearing more! Keith |
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Post by robmc on Oct 21, 2018 8:47:08 GMT
Hi dcal, look forward to seeing how your build goes, sounds like a good partner for your Sigma  |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Oct 21, 2018 9:05:12 GMT
Careful it becomes addictive!
Colin
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francis
C.O.G. 
Posts: 2,486
My main instrument is: Whatever I'm building...
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Post by francis on Oct 21, 2018 9:14:31 GMT
Welcome - and yes it's certainly addictive
Francis (an addict)
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dcal
Sore Fingers
Posts: 7
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Post by dcal on Oct 21, 2018 9:58:26 GMT
Wow Guys,
Thanks for the replies and interest, this seems like a very friendly place. I'm used to posting on forums where I might get a single reply every 2 weeks.
Some of my other interests are restoring Italian cars and all things metalwork / welding, so not some sort of niche pursuits.
Guitar is finished (apart form some inlay on the head-stock if I can decide on something) so I will try and get the build on here in reasonable time.
Biggest problem is finding the photos. I didn't take many (any) photos from the start of the build and seem to have lost some along the way (photography and filing are not one of my strong points) but I'm sure you lot can fill in the blanks.
The poor Sigma is taking second place for now, it's a lovely guitar that suits me perfect (as it should considering how long we have been together) and I'll never get rid of it. It's still in great shape considering it's age and the abuse it's received.
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dcal
Sore Fingers
Posts: 7
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Post by dcal on Oct 21, 2018 23:16:10 GMT
I've been looking on the forum again and my build is small beer compared to most of the work I've seen on here. This thread might be of use to someone starting out and maybe shows what's possible for a complete novice if you have access to all the tools and kit and a lot of direction. I did try to do most of the work my self but got help when it got out of hand and needed help to bring it back on course. It must be brutal for proper craftsmen watching someone struggle when they could do it them selves in seconds, but if I gave in to that I might as well just go buy an Avalon.
There was a wide range of people on the course while I was there, from people making their third or fourth guitar to school kids (with little or no experience of hand tools) taking their first steps in cutting and joining bits of wood. I doubt a bad guitar ever came out of the school (but lots still in there, unfinished) as most mistakes are found and a work around sorted before they become fatal, but there were some interesting designs covering up some major faux pas. With my guitar I was looking for a nice simple clean design using just as many woods as necessary (in my opinion) I fancied a smallish body as I have a dreadnought and I thought smaller would mean quieter, which (considering my playing ability) has got to be good. The rosette was just a few thin strips of walnut and sycamore.
After making and rough shaping the heel and neck blocks out of off cuts, it was on to shaping and sanding the braces. I had the option for making my own bracing but just went for a bracing kit as used on some of the Avalon's. My thinking was if it's good enough for them it will do for my efforts.
Sam mostly uses Japanese chisels and keeps them razor sharp and it was a real pleasure shaping and sanding the braces. I then installed the bridge doubler and (what seems to be a Lowden feature) a little pentagon of sound board in the space formed by the braces at the sound hole. Dont know what this is supposed to do, but I'm sure George had a reason.
I was concentrating on getting a tight fit between these "doubler" pieces and didn't really pay much attention but after gluing them in I noticed the grain in the wood at the sound hole didn't line up with the top, which I didn't like.
I tried to convince myself that it was stronger that way (like ply) but in reality there is that much bracing in that area it shouldn't be required (See what I mean about design features!) The reinforcement strips where the braces cross were also a bit shoddy but I can't think of an excuse for that other than at that stage I didn't think they would be seen but I will always know they are there.
the back was pretty straight forward and was done pretty quickly
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Post by robmc on Oct 22, 2018 5:57:09 GMT
Sounds like a great experience dcal and you have a lovely guitar at the end, the walnut looks gorgeous. If the bug's bit look forward to seeing the next one. |
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Post by RodB on Oct 22, 2018 11:02:30 GMT
What a great 1st post! An interesting thread. I imagine it must give a real sense of achievement to build and then play your own guitar.
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Oct 22, 2018 11:43:19 GMT
Don't forget there are a number of very experienced builders on here with hundreds of guitars between us, so any advice or tips that you need just ask. When I started building back in the 90s it was because I needed a new guitar for myself that I could dedicate to DADGad. I called George Lowden and spoke to him about him buiding one for me, when we priced it up it was more than I could afford at the time so he invited me to visit him and he spent a week of his time teaching me to tune braces. You'll find like I did that guitar makers are always happy to hand on tips, no point you making the same errors we did! Check out mine and the other 'Meet the makers' threads here: acousticsoundboard.co.uk/board/40/luthier-interviews, Dave, Adrian, Francis and myself are usually on here to answer any questions. I started out just wanting to make one guitar for myself, more than a hundred later, well as I said it becomes addictive! Colin |
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dcal
Sore Fingers
Posts: 7
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Post by dcal on Oct 23, 2018 1:17:16 GMT
Hi Colin,
I'm well and truly hooked and was staying away from here to stop myself from starting another guitar build.
I have so many other projects and jobs to do (as well as making a living) I can't really justify the time plus I don't know what I want to make - yet.
It's odd coming from having just one guitar for nearly 40 years to two, three or who knows how many, but I will definitely be going again. Too late to ask for advice on this one but certainly will before I start the next.
Next job was the one that I found most difficult on the whole build, bending the sides! I was told that walnut was one of the better woods to bend, but I had also decided to make a body shape that the school didn't have a jig set up for bending the sides, so hand bending it was. Biggest problem was getting a smooth bend (they were coming out like an old threepenny bit) and also the wood was capping across the width of the sides, but eventually and with a lot of assistance I was able to get a passable result, though the first side I tried to do on my own was far from perfect (it turns out it's harder to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear if you over-bend the ear first)
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When I had worked the sides until they fitted the mold as well as I could make them, I cut them to length and clamped them into the mold then shaped the neck and heel blocks and glued them into place.
Next process was the worst job on the whole build, that is sanding the top and bottom of the sides to the correct radius on a dished former with sandpaper stuck to it or "driving the bus" as it's affectionately called in the class. I found it a pain of a job not helped by the fact I mixed up the sides (top and bottom) and had to do it all over again. I'd say the side of the guitar are 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thinner because of that wee mistake. Then it was on with the kerfing and back to driving the bus to sand the kerfing to the correct radius.
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francis
C.O.G.
Posts: 2,486
My main instrument is: Whatever I'm building...
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Post by francis on Oct 23, 2018 8:16:47 GMT
When hand bending sides I rock the side across the face of the iron slowly with light pressure trying to avoid holding the side still against the iron for any length of time. Even bending cutaways some movement is needed. A damp cloth between the iron and side keeps steam where you need it and reduces scorching.
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Oct 23, 2018 10:09:06 GMT
Next process was the worst job on the whole build, that is sanding the top and bottom of the sides to the correct radius on a dished former with sandpaper stuck to it or "driving the bus" as it's affectionately called in the class. I found it a pain of a job not helped by the fact I mixed up the sides (top and bottom) and had to do it all over again. I'd say the side of the guitar are 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thinner because of that wee mistake. Then it was on with the kerfing and back to driving the bus to sand the kerfing to the correct radius.
Make the end blocks the correct size and with the correct radius on the top and bottom then using the method I gave earlier you make a true side template and use this to mark the sides, you can then plane down to the line. Glue in the end blocks which should be already at the correct profile then quick sand with the radius dishes just to smooth the edges, this usually takes less than five minutes. Glue in the linings and plane to near profile, another five minutes maximum of dish sanding and jobs a goodun.
Colin
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francis
C.O.G.
Posts: 2,486
My main instrument is: Whatever I'm building...
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Post by francis on Oct 23, 2018 12:18:04 GMT
Posted this image on Colin's thread but applies here I think:  Mark out sides off the radius dishes and as Colin says plane down to the line or leave a smidge and sand the final bit |
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