Fry 000 Custom Build

Started by ncognito, December 28, 2010, 08:07:46 PM

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I can still hardly believe this is happening, but I've seen the progress with my own eyes and documented it with my camera.

bluesman67 has offered to post the photo album on my behalf since I am technologically impaired.

Brian Fry is building for me a sinker redwood over black walnut, 000 size with cutaway and sound port.  The black walnut neck joins the body at the thirteenth fret, it will be standard scale length, 1 and 13/16" at the nut, the rosette is spalted maple, the fingerboard and bridge are desert ironwood.  The woods are not yet filled or sanded, but for the sake of a finished look naptha has been applied before each photo was snapped.  There is still much to be done, but here (hopefully) are some visuals for your viewing pleasure.

           DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Dave,

I look forward to following your special guitar-build.  Thanks for taking the time to share the experience.

While we're waiting paiently for the photos I'd like to provide some background information.  There is an underlying concept which dictates many of the design elements of this build.  As I've become more involved in this and other guitar forums I've learned that many of the woods we all drool over originate from ecosystems which have become ecologically impaired through man's greed and exploitation.  Also, we have all become conditioned to believe that only certain woods are acceptable choices for the best possible tone and visual aesthetics.  I have seen and heard otherwise.  I live in CT (New England, USA) and ideally would have liked to source all the woods from nearby, but it hasn't proven practical in some ways so Brian and I have made some minor concessions.  I can assure you that tone, artistry and playing comfort are not areas where compromises have been, or will be made.

Thanks everyone for your patience.  Please stay (pun intended) tuned.

        DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Hey, I'm really sorry about the photos, or rather lack thereof.  I have an album in a Snapfish account documenting the build.
Bluesman67 has tried to help link to the album, but apparently you have to sign up for Snapfish to see it which is ridiculous.  I will attempt to make it happen in Photobucket.  Thanks again for your patience.

         DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Hope this works.......
















-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

more photos...





















Thank you Joseph (bluesman67) and my computer consultant, Eileen.

       DAVE









-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Very nice Dave.  Glad you were able to get the pics loaded.

Quote from: Strings4Him on January 02, 2011, 03:25:04 PM
Very nice Dave.  Glad you were able to get the pics loaded.

:+1:  That is going to be a  :nice guitar:
Roger


"Live simply so that others may simply live"


Beautiful Dave!!

I love the neck in matching Walnut. The nut width is the same as that of my OM and I find it most comfy. What is the scale length?
The black machines will look great on the Walnut peg head too.
Oh - and the redwood top will provide for rapid response. - wow!

:nice guitar:
"To me...music exists to elevate us as far as possible above everyday life." ~ Gabriel Faure

Strings4Him, Roger, and Danny--

Thanks for the kind words.

         
DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Quote from: Zohn on January 03, 2011, 02:17:45 AM
Beautiful Dave!!

I love the neck in matching Walnut. The nut width is the same as that of my OM and I find it most comfy. What is the scale length?
The black machines will look great on the Walnut peg head too.
Oh - and the redwood top will provide for rapid response. - wow!

:nice guitar:


Hi, Zohn--

Yeah, the walnut neck with multi-piece center strips, and the back with the same strips, all in alignment, should make for a very unified appearence, almost as if it's all made out of one chunk of wood.

In terms of specs--I prefer the slightly wider spacing at the nut of 1 and 13/16" because it makes it easier for me to fingerpick only the strings that I intend to as this will primarily be a fingerstyle guitar, although I'm sure it will sound fine with a flat pick too.  I'm uncertain as to the exact dimensions for string spacing at the bridge, body depth at the neck block and end block, upper and lower bout widths, waist and body length.  The scale length is 25.4".  The details of center strip and binding materials and their widths, along with the other dimensions, I will provide as I get confirmation from Brian.  I love Brian's design sensibilities so I've given him quite a bit of autonomy with the aesthetics.

To attempt to determine and accurately convey to Brian my tonal preferences was very challanging.  First off,  I played some of Brian's already completed guitars, and tried my best to communicate what I liked best about each of them.  Brian also owns a Gerald Shepard guitar which is somewhere between a grand concert and grand auditorium which has the most ethereal tone, so we had some excellent reference points for tone.  I also linked in an email to Brian an audio clip from a Petros Tunnel 13 which came from the Dream Guitars archive files which to me best exemplifies the ideal tone I'm looking for.  I also did my best to pinpoint with words a description of the tonal qualities I really like.  Brian and I went back and forth on this to do our best to come to as clear as possible of mutual understanding.  So what we came up with is: quick response, blooming single notes with great definition but some overtones.  I'm not a fan of decay; I'd rather use technique to subdue overtones, volume, resonance.  I don't appreciate it when bass notes get all muddy with one another.  I like a strong midrange, and I love the trebles to bloom and linger for my ears to savor.  I expect that the overal character will be anything but brash.  It should sound sweet, mellow, and a bit dark, but not overwhelmingly so.  The combination of standard scale length and 13 frets to the body will hopefully contribute significantly to these aforementioned attributes.  I like the short scale on my S series Lowden which is comfortable for my short fingers, but with the longer scale the added tension on the Fry should lend itself better (down to B on the sixth) for lower alternate tunings.

I will get to play the guitar before it is fully completed "in the white" (at least the neck won't be finished) to narrow down a neck profile which for me will ideally be easy to play for extended periods of time, comfortable, easy to fret only those strings that I intend, and one thing that I've never really been able to do, which I think based on playing Brian's other builds should be do-able even with my stubby fingers, is to use my thumb on more than one fret on the sixth string.

For those interested in seeing more of the internal parts such as the bracing pattern, shape of the braces... I hopefully will be able to find that photo for you later.  All (except for one area) of the braces are adorondack spruce. 

Brian has been very patient with me to ensure that the end result is as close to fulfilling my fantasy as is humanly possible.  We've had numerous emails and phone converstions, a few visits, and more visits planned.  He is an excellent communicater, and all these talents combined really foster an attitude ,from me, of confidence and trust.  If anything I've mentioned thusfar isn't clear, please ask for clarification, and I'll try to accomodate.

       DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Wow, Dave; sinker redwood, beautiful walnut, sound port--before I just changed course (see recent post), that is so near to what I looked at through Lance Kragenbrink.  You have to be thrilled (and fortunate) to be looking forward to such a nice piece. 
And I now know the waiting that is such sweet torture  :wacko:

Quote from: ncognito on January 03, 2011, 06:59:05 PM
Yeah, the walnut neck with multi-piece center strips, and the back with the same strips, all in alignment, should make for a very unified appearence, almost as if it's all made out of one chunk of wood.

Man, when you first said you were doing a Walnut neck I must have missed the laminated part. I was going to say that while a straight Walnut neck could be done, it isn't the most dimensionally stable wood for a guitar neck.  But, I thought if that is what you were doing, I'd keep quiet. With the center strips, you will have a really beautiful and stable neck. I dropped off three boards of 50+ year old Eastern Black Walnut at my buddy John Hall's shop a month or so ago. He is resawing it into guitar sets and laminated necks.  Another friend of mine Dave, gave the wood to me. He has had the wood since 1980 and the cabinet guy he bought the wood off of milled it in 1960 or there abouts. He said he has about 50-60 boards that should yield quite a few guitar sets and that I am welcome to all I'd like!  Dave used to build guitars himself and went to Charles Fox for something like a 2 month course in the 70's, I believe he told me. I'm building 2 Martin 00 cutaway sized guitars out of the wood I already have with 1 13/16 nut and 2 5/16 string spacing and 24.9" scale with a 12 fret neck join. I think one will have Cedar top and the other Adi. The necks will be Maple/Walnut/thin strip Maple/Walnut/Maple. I can't wait to see the finished product on your guitar dude!! Black Walnut is the lovelist of the tone woods to me on just an aesthetic level.

Quote from: naboz on January 05, 2011, 12:06:50 PM
Wow, Dave; sinker redwood, beautiful walnut, sound port--before I just changed course (see recent post), that is so near to what I looked at through Lance Kragenbrink.  You have to be thrilled (and fortunate) to be looking forward to such a nice piece.  
And I now know the waiting that is such sweet torture  :wacko:

naboz--

I'm trying not to torture myself by being impatient.  If all goes well it'll be finished sometime in February.  That is fantastic news for you-- a Holloway harp guitar.  I caught Stephen Bennett's show recently, and he played his harp quite a bit.  I love the sympathetic ringing of the sub bass strings which happens even when he did not touch them.  It's such a unique overtone effect.

       DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Quote from: GA-ME on January 05, 2011, 01:21:59 PM
Man, when you first said you were doing a Walnut neck I must have missed the laminated part. I was going to say that while a straight Walnut neck could be done, it isn't the most dimensionally stable wood for a guitar neck.  But, I thought if that is what you were doing, I'd keep quiet. With the center strips, you will have a really beautiful and stable neck. I dropped off three boards of 50+ year old Eastern Black Walnut at my buddy John Hall's shop a month or so ago. He is resawing it into guitar sets and laminated necks.  Another friend of mine Dave, gave the wood to me. He has had the wood since 1980 and the cabinet guy he bought the wood off of milled it in 1960 or there abouts. He said he has about 50-60 boards that should yield quite a few guitar sets and that I am welcome to all I'd like!  Dave used to build guitars himself and went to Charles Fox for something like a 2 month course in the 70's, I believe he told me. I'm building 2 Martin 00 cutaway sized guitars out of the wood I already have with 1 13/16 nut and 2 5/16 string spacing and 24.9" scale with a 12 fret neck join. I think one will have Cedar top and the other Adi. The necks will be Maple/Walnut/thin strip Maple/Walnut/Maple. I can't wait to see the finished product on your guitar dude!! Black Walnut is the lovelist of the tone woods to me on just an aesthetic level. (Quote)


Yeah, the multi-piece neck will be very stable.  Brian gave me several set choices for the top and the back/sides.  I do love the look of this black walnut set. 

It's great that you have the two builds going on that you are doing.  00s which are 12 fret and short scale sound wonderful.  It must be so rewarding to play an instrument that you built with your own two hands.  I really liked the first one you did and shared with us. 

I also have a friend who gave me some wood which I passed along to Brian.  There was some beautiful mahogany possibly enough for four necks, and some nice slabs of black walnut all of which still needs milling.


     DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Here are the specs:

000 with soft cutaway
Top of sinker redwood
Back and sides of black walnut
Scale length of 25.4"
13 frets to the body
Fretboard Radius of 16"
Nut width is 1 and 13/16"
String spacing at saddle is 2 and 5/16"
Width at lower bout is 15 and 1/4"
Width at upper bout is 11 and 1/2"
Body Length of 19 and 7/16"
Body depth at tailblock is 4 and 1/2"
Body depth at headblock is 3 and 7/16"
Body center strips of 1/8" each of maple, black walnut, maple
Binding: maple
Sides purfling: cherry and maple, each strip is 0.020" (against bottom of maple binding)
Rosette is spalted maple with inner and outer purfling of black walnut and cherry 0.020"
Bone nut and saddle
Fretboard and bridge of desert ironwood
Tuners are Schertler matte black at 18: 1 ratio
Headstock overlay is bookmatched black walnut
End graft is flamed maple
oval soundport in upper bout
Neck is 5 piece laminated of black walnut, then 1/8" maple, 1/8" black walnut, 1/8" maple, black walnut
Purfling of top and back from outside to inside (cherry against maple binding) cherry, maple, cherry, maple at 0.020" each

       DAVE
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

Sorry if this offends but.......           





                                                            F*****G AMAZING'S :drool:
A REPAIRPERSON,Barefoot Rob gone to a better place
OM03PA.98 L10 Koa
Favorite saying
 OB LA DE OB LA DA,LIFE GOES ON---BRA,It is what it is,You just gotta deal it,
One By One The Penguins Steal My Sanity, Keith and Barefoot Rob on youtube
Still unclrob
#19
12 people ignoring me,so cool
rpjguitarworks
Call PM me I may be able to help

Quote from: unclrob on January 06, 2011, 10:16:02 PM
Sorry if this offends but.......           





                                                            F*****G AMAZING'S :drool:

What he said^^


Quote from: GA-ME on January 05, 2011, 01:21:59 PM
I'm building 2 Martin 00 cutaway sized guitars out of the wood I already have with 1 13/16 nut and 2 5/16 string spacing and 24.9" scale with a 12 fret neck join. I think one will have Cedar top and the other Adi.

I'll take the Cedar-top....  :whistling:
Those specs are what I have in mind for a blues/ragtime guitar GA-ME!!

Quote from: naboz on January 05, 2011, 12:06:50 PM
You have to be thrilled (and fortunate) to be looking forward to such a nice piece. 
And I now know the waiting that is such sweet torture  :wacko:

I know all about that - enjoy Dave!!!
"To me...music exists to elevate us as far as possible above everyday life." ~ Gabriel Faure

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