Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, this week is spring break from school, so my kids are off and my wife had a one week break from work (school counselor-tough gig!) So I took Monday off to go to the Royal Winter Fair and watch some show jumping, my youngest is a rider so we got some excellent rider commentary.

As it is spring break, I had to crammed a week of work into three days and got the beat up canoe that I showed in my last weeks shop report varnished 2 coats on the interior, making me wish that I was only varnishing a guitar! I also got the canvas, filler, and new gunnels on and sanded. The owner will be completing the finish, so this one is done for me. (Luthier content: you can see the viola da gamba that I am making in the background)

Due to a lot of sow over the winter and warmer temps coming a little late, the spring melt is slow. All of the snow is usually gone, or almost gone by now, but until we get some bare spots most of the suns heat is just bouncing back into space! However, my south facing roof is getting some really cool icicles!

I keep an aquarium in my shop to liven up the place, and the sagittaria subulata is in bloom! Makes me think of warmer times and warmer places during the cold winter.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Very nice rosette design! And an interesting soundboard as well... is that redwood?

I'm still working on my harp guitar. Currently on soundboard bracing. Got all the braces except for the X glued yesterday, and initial carving done today, but it's warm out now and therefore humidity in here is high, so I have to wait a few days to continue I've said it before and I'll say it again... the trouble with harp guitars is that they don't fit in the oven.

No, its a cedar top. its freaking sweet! great tap tone and very stiff. I have two more matching sets.

Still working on #14. Got it fretted and strung up, still French polishing, but wanted to see what I have. BRW/Redwood - Snakewood wide purfling and knobs on the tuning machines.


Trying to figure out how to upload pictures with the correct rotation. My software now shows pictures already rotated, but when you upload them, they are in their original position, which is on the side. Go figure!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Working on a headstock inlay.

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Chris

Thanks Zeke. It was tempting to think so, but with the first coat of epoxy pore fill applied today, a different picture is emerging.

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Cheers
Pete

Got the strings on a Lutz/Royal Macassar guitar ... really happy with it.

I recorded a couple of quick and nasty sound samples with my old Edirol R-09 just for fun.


fingerstyle http://wrenguitarworks.com/WhatsNew/AudioFiles/Wren216Fingerstyle3a.mp3

with a pick http://wrenguitarworks.com/WhatsNew/AudioFiles/Wren216WithPick3.mp3

David, superb:

guitar
playing
photography

Did I leave anything out?

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Cheers
Pete

Knock-out stuff guys, you're setting the bar very high!

Love the finger-style David, fantastic sound.

After such great building and photography, sorry to lower the standard......

I've been buffing for the first time (thanks to all for the many posts about shop-built buffers) and attempted some photos on a very dull day.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

made another rosette yesterday.

End grafts...





...and necks

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Great work, guys. I love these threads. I sprayed the sunburst on #3, now waiting for the big brown truck to bring more lacquer for the topcoats.

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Very nice article on you in AL 113

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

worked on my bent bed raising screw on the delta x5 drum sander that fell down. Think I averted waiting to find an obsolete part by straightening it out. Now to somehow get that belt back on. DOAH. New shop is quite big. I like it. I am ready to build again. If only I could find some decent affordable tops, and a reliable re-sawer for my Koa.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

All I got done was make two tenor uke molds and join two Taz Blackwood uke backs and a Taz Blackwood top/back set.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Delivered a guitar to its new owner. Wedding anniversary present.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Agreed, very well done. Is that your first sunburst? I'd say you're a natural!

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

Thanks, guys. No, Ken, this was sunburst #4. All three guitars so far have been slope Ds. It was burst #4 because I had a lamp too close to the top while I was scraping the purflings and the fresh lacquer bubbled . Guitar #4 is yet another slope D for a friend and I'm getting ready to make an L-00 mold for numbers 5 and 6, so I see a bunch more sunbursts in the near future.


Oh, and Douglas I REALLY want one of those boats. Trade you a guitar for one!

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Thanks for the heads-up Steve ... didn't know that issue of American Lutherie was out yet!

Some inspiring work being shown on this thread!

Ken, that looks cool! is the backstrap and volute all one piece? I'd like to hear about the U500 when your'e done. Why tung oil on the top?

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Pat

I'm more of a weekday guy myself. Just came in from doing shell purfling using ZipFlex.


It's also amazing how well the Williams binding jig works when the carriage is squared!

Thanks, Pat. Yes this is the first iteration of an idea I've been wanting to explore -- for structural reasons I've been wanting to start using a backstrap, but didn't really want to give up carving the volute. I did feel like it was time for my dart to evolve into something sleeker and more modern. I'm still working out the math in order to get the exact shape of the termination of the backstrap that I have in my head, but I think I'm close. Always something, you know?

I'm using tung oil on the top because I like the idea of a hand-rubbed finish that doesn't contribute to top damping due to film thickness. In the spirit of french polish with a bit more scratch and ding resistance. Two coats down! It's maddening only getting to do one coat a day, but it's already looking great, so I'll persevere...

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

That is fantastic! What's the headplate wood?

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

I love them. I have black/blue, black/green, and black/red from Gurian. I like getting some color in there.

Thanks Ken. Its going to wind up on a piece of limba.
Wouldn't be my first choice but, it is a commission. At least the top isn't going to be red, green and yellow anymore.

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Chris