Hello All,
This will be my first guitar POST-SOMOGYI training (I'm building 2 at a time) so I'm very excited and have high expectations for this instrument...this is going to be just plain fun for me!!! This guitar will be Honduran Rosewood / Lutz Spruce 000-13 fretter with a 25.4" scale length. By the way this rosewood has an amazing tap-tone, rings like brazilian without a doubt, certainly is providing an opportunity for a great sounding instrument. Honduran Rosewood is considered a great tonewood with little character aesthetically, but I think this wood is beautiful in it's own right, what do you guys think about it's looks? Anyway, here are a few shots to get the build started, one of the back and side wood and then the sides bent and glued to the neck and tail blocks.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6BSwoods.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/denis6Sides.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6Sudeglueup1.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6Sideglueup2.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6Sudeglueup3.jpg)
Cheers Everyone!
Greg
I'm looking forward to another interesting build. Thanks Greg
Hi Inspector13.....I'm excited about this one too, it's going to be great fun!
Cheers,
Greg
Nice project. I'm interested to see how the honduran/lutz turns out for you using the Somogi methods. his web site is very informative. I'm just about to start building my third, a shallow body dread with Sitka/Granadillo. A new drum sander in my shop adds a lot of freedom in wood selection. Can you tell me the specifics on baking your soundboards? I've read Brian Burns posts and read a bit about Collings and Taylors efforts there. I'm bakingl three sitka tops I've just acquired so any helpfull hints will be greatly appreciated. BTW, those look like some nice home made cam clamps you are using. Seems you can never have enough of those.
Hi JimmyD,
Well, I bake my tops at 180-200 degrees (I've done both), I think I prefer 200, just make sure you stay close to 200 as I've heard that too much over 200 can do funny things to the cellular structure(then again I've heard about benefits of cooking higher than 200 as well, so who knows). I usually cook them for 2 hours then turn the oven off and let them gradually cool for 3-4 jours in the closed/off oven...seems to work for me. I do this routine 3 times, waiting at least a day in between treatments for the wood to settle a bit, although I've never noticed much change in the behavior of the wood from the baking, although my ears pick up a better tap-tone after the process. You'll notice that I put the pieces in a holding form when baking, this is really just for ease of handling the wood.....if the wood is properly seasoned it really doesn't move much from the baking process. You may notice a bit of sap coming to the surface, don't fret, this will sand right off and is part of the pitch setting process. I hope this is helpful, good luck on your build!!
Yeah, I could use about another 20 of those cam clamps they are so useful.
Cheers,
Greg
This is going to be a really stupid question... Why are you baking the tops? Were they warped or something?
O.K., I'm going to do my best here, don't quote me ! The theory behind baking tops is that they curb, or reduce the tendency of a top to expand and contract under extreme humidity situations by setting the pitch or resins in the top, therefore helping prevent potential cracking or splitting of tops exposed to longterm changes in humidity...they don't move as much! Some also believe that there is a cellular/structural change which is similar to the natural aging process of drying and crystallizing resins within the top. That's my story and I'm sticking to it...Really though, I believe it is a valuable step in the build and I think I can hear a positive difference in the tone after the process. There are plenty of builders who believe it is not necessary, so take that into consideration as well.
Cheers,
Greg
Good answer Greg. I might add that collings and taylor won't make specific claims about improved tone but do make claims about stability. When you heat the wood to close to zero humidity it shrinks a lot. They don't expand back to their original size when exposed to ambient humidity. That makes them less likely to crack from temperature and humidity extremes.
JimmyD,
Yeah, I've read about what Collings and Taylor say about it as well...Somehow I don't think they have done this blindly! I've done some tests myself on the effects of the process, the tops do shrink and they do not come back to the original size, they also don't shrink evenly throughout the pieces, so a perfectly straight edge will no longer be a straight edge when removed from the oven.
Greg
Do you ever bake the back and sides?
Is there any reason why you would or would not?
Do the same theories apply to the back and sides - as far as stability, tone improvement??
Thanks,
Larry
The hardwoods behave differently than the softwoods(spruce) so baking them does not offer the same benefits. I do bake the spruce braces though, many seem to skip this step but it seems reasonable to me to cook them as well.
Cheers,
Greg
What are you guys trying to be, sous-chefs or luthiers? Ha ha!
Hi Saffron Boots...I'm glad it's not any more complicated than putting them in the oven, trust me, ask my kids about dinner when I cook it, I'm not the chef my wife is.
By the way I hear your guitars sound great!! :thumbsup
Greg
Yeah, they turned out pretty good. Denis still liked my Cedar/Walnut SSC the best. Probably because it was played in more. I still haven't done a final setup on the the 00 or the Classical because I was waiting for them to settle over their first winter. But, they were played a lot and have the battlescars to prove it.
I need to get something likes Denis' ZOOM H4 recorder and lay down some decent tracks, since the WebCam's mic doesn't quite catch the complexity of the guitars' tones.
I'd love to hear them some day, hopefully you will be able to record some pieces down the road a bit...I'll be looking for them.
Greg
Greg, if you click on the links in my signature, they'll take you to the current recordings. LiveVideo has better sound...
Warren....I'll check those out this weekend.
Greg
Warren's guitar are professional looking and sounding. Not to mention he used some beautiful woods. The Braz on the 00 and walnut on the 000 are both nice and rich. But the ziricote, wow, that is something to behold. Gorgeous wood. He's definitely on to something and is a very talented builder and player. The classical had that great tone on the treble strings and some decent bass and volume that will develop even more over the course of time. I liked his 00 very much as well. A lovely fingerstyle guitar with a bearclaw Englemann top...crazy man!!!
I do like that walnut/cedar though. Like he says, it's played in more but it's very clear but warm and for fingerstyle, it's really got a sweet sound.
Warren, maybe we could do some comparison recordings. I could bring my camera and the Zoom and record everything a couple of times?
Quote from: Denis on March 02, 2007, 02:12:32 PMWarren, maybe we could do some comparison recordings. I could bring my camera and the Zoom and record everything a couple of times?
That's certainly doable.
Sounds like fun guys, I want to join in, but Canada is a long way from Georgia, guess I'll have to be satisfied with video links.
I'm sure Warren's guitars are splendid with training from de Jonge, I look forward to hearing them, wish it was in person!
Greg
Hi Warren,
I really enjoyed your "livevideo" playing, all of the guitars sounded great!
Greg
Hello All,
Here are some shots of the guitar with the side rims just about complete, I made the side braces with my tail inlay jig. Even though Honduran Rosewood is know for it's great tone it can be also be considered boring aesthetically....Man, I really like the looks of this set, it seems to be very rich and elegant, what do you guys think?
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/SideandBackShellac9.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/SideandBackShellac4.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/SideandBackShellac5.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/SideandBackShellac7.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/SideandBackShellac8.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/SideandBackShellac6.jpg)
Cheers,
Greg
I'm finally back at the Honduran Rosewood guitar...here are some shots of the rosette which I inlayed this weekend, and I added a piece of rosewood which will be used as headplate covers front and rear. What do you think of this one?
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/G6DenisRosette3.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/G6DenisRosette5.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/G6DenisRosette6.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/G6DenisRosette7.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/G6DenisRosette4.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/G6DenisRosette8.jpg)
Cheers,
Greg
Another fine looking guitar Greg.
Keep up the good work,
Roger
QuoteAnother fine looking guitar Greg.
Keep up the good work,
Roger
Thanks Again Roger....I'm working hard at it!
Greg
Hello Everyone,
I took some pics of the body today, this is after the first coat of epoxy pore filler, please let me know what you think.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy16.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy15.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy1.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy4.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy5.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy8.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy10.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy2.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy7.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/DenisEpoxy10.jpg)
Cheers,
Greg
Very very nice. The attention to detail is evident even on the interior. I don't have a jig for a displace so my side braces are just boring rectangular strips. Might have to get into this router jig thing soon! I really like the looks of Honduran. The reds hues in it are especially pleasing to me. The sapwood line and tailpiece line make a nice aesthetic statement together. You using Zpoxy, System 3, or other filler? I see you also are porting your guitars. Another area that I'm lacking in knowledge about. Is it Tim McKnight who has a lot of info porting? Anyway, you are building some very nice instruments that inspire me to keep pushing to improve my own build quality.
Thanks Jimmyd,
I'm using system 3 epoxy, although I think Zpoxy is cheaper and will work fine. When I first started building guitars I hated jig building, I wanted to spend my time building guitars not jigs, but now I realize that jigs are a major part of luthiery, they are critical to precision and efficiency, I now love to build jigs, it is just another way to use your creative expression, not to mention the future time savings they provide. As an example, I have 3 different jigs I use for bridge building, my bridges are somewhat complex, it used to take MANY hours to complete a bridge, yesterday I built a bridge in about 1 hour by using the jigs.
By the way, I love the sound-ports, they really do work. And this Honduran is really a deep burgandy/red in person, just lovely, the pictures do it no justice.....both of my sons took a peek at this guitar yesterday and I have never seen them so jaw-dropping at one of my guitars, both of them said this is my all-time favorite dad, I was surprised considering all of the fancy wood I have used, but this one is very elegant and classy in person....matter of fact my older son(17) has been trying to figure out what woods to use on his upcoming guitar project....surprise, surprise, after seeing this one his mind has been made, a sister set to this one it is....
Cheers,
Greg
Yeah, this will be one sweet fingerstyle machine I'm sure.
I can't wait to get my hands on it. It's mine folks....all mine!!! I thought I'd let the cat outta the bag as we are getting near the end of this journey and are about to embark on another. Greg has been the best. A great guy to deal with and makes smart sensible suggestions when it comes to every aspect of the build. And while this part has been fun...I'm sure it will be even more fun once I get the guitar....ya think???
Yup, that Honduran RW/Lutz spruce 13 fret 000 will soon be coming over to play at my house!!! Woohoo!!!!
Make sure to ask for a discount on account a that hole poked in the side. :tongue:
Quote from: jimmyd on August 27, 2007, 01:07:32 PM
Make sure to ask for a discount on account a that hole poked in the side. :tongue:
dcarey told me the same thing..."Send it back, it's got a hole in the side!!!"
We'll see how bad it sounds with the hole!!!
Quote from: Denis on August 27, 2007, 01:09:46 PM
dcarey told me the same thing..."Send it back, it's got a hole in the side!!!"
We'll see how bad it sounds with the hole!!!
Well early congrats are in order. Bet you are going to love it.
Quote from: jimmyd on August 27, 2007, 09:27:20 PM
Well early congrats are in order. Bet you are going to love it.
I bet you're right!!!
Well now that the cat's out of the bag I would just like to say that Denis has been a blast to work with, his passion for guitars meets mine. We have had lots of wonderful discussions about guitars, and much more, I feel like I've known him for years, great fun this build has been! I will be working on the neck this weekend, hopefully some pics will follow shortly thereafter. Have a great day everyone!
Oh yeah, all bets are off, don't you know that stuff is illegal :humour:
Greg
Hello All,
It's been a while since posting on this guitar, I finally finished it and thought I'd share some pics, hope you enjoy the beautiful North Georgia woods as well.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final16.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final8.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final10.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final7.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final14.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final17.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final4.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Denis6final12.jpg)
Cheers,
Greg
Wow. Beautiful
Another fine specimen Gregg. That is really beautiful.
I bet Denis is chomping at the bit, I can't wait to hear him playing it. I'm sure he'll post something on youtube.
:cheers
Roger
Looks great! I wanna do that someday. Is it as fun as it looks? Also, how are you liking the tone of that HR? I agree with you, it is stunning looking wood, especially for something that is considered rather plain.
Thanks everyone....I think HR is a great tonewood, it is heavy though, so this guitar is not light even though it is built lightly. The tone of this guitar reminds me of a cocobolo guitar I built, very similar, though this one has a voice of it's own due to different build characteristics....different bracing design, top thickness, etc... Denis should get this guitar late next week, it will be fun for me to hear him play it.
Yes it is fun to build guitars, but it is a LOT of work, and a LOT more difficult than it might seem to get everything just right......But there is nothing like that first strum!
Greg