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Haven't posted a for quite a while as my daily job of home design took off and has left with little guitar building time but I did manage to finish the 4 guitar sizes I set out to design and build. Not entirely happy with the design results but extremely happy to have completed the quartet and very happy with the sound.

Mostly a design prototype exercise with some glaring errors. Some worse that others. Heck even smashed a whole in one but got to learn a repair technique.

The sizes I call A, B, C and D, from smallest to largest, run pretty close to Martin sizes 0 00 OM and 0000 jumbo with obvious variations as the pictures show. I think the first thing I'd change is the design of the 2 middle guitars. Proportions wrong to my eye etc. Model 'C' which started as an OM has a very relaxed waist which looks kinda goofy to me but it sounds really sweet so not sure where I'll go with that one.

Model 'B' has pronounced shoulders and a pinched waist and not sure about that one either.

Thrilled with model 'A' and 'D' as far as proportion etc. and the smallest guitar sounds really big and strangely the largest guitar could be the quietest. May shave the bracing a bit and see if it can be improved.

The materials are basically the same for each guitar. Lutz tops and Hog B&S. Hog bindings, simple BWB purfling.

The bracing is also similar as you can see below. It's a modified fan brace with a curved magic Mario tone thingy. Guitars A and B have a domed top and C and D have a flat top with radiused UTB. Really like the the flat top idea.

The back braces are raduised around the center strip which might be a little different but I like it.

And Yin Yang sound ports all around.

Necks are all butt joints.

Finish is a combination of Sutherland Wells both wiped and brushed and Epifanes using the 1:1:1 formula. The Sutherland Wells is great. The Epifanes never really gets hard enough for me. Easily dented with a finger nail after 3 to 4 weeks. The finish is amatuerish at best but I didn't build them as show pieces and I intentionally left off all the bling to focus more on technique and design.

There's a combination of short and long scale 12, 13 and 14 fret neck placement. Tried it all basically and have yet to analyze and tested for definitive opinions. I'm leaning toward the short scale and 12 or 13 fretters.

Didn't take near enough pictures over the long build process for each design which I sorely regret. Or I took them and can't locate them which could be worse lol.

Anyway I always feel a debt of gratitude to the members of this board and as I so appreciate the posts of finished guitars here's a couple to ponder. Please don't ask for any close ups as it gets ugly pretty fast.






MODEL 'A'




MODEL 'B'




MODEL 'C'




MODEL 'D'

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More pics

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Lovely workmanship, Larry, and the bracing pattern really appeals to me! I'd agree that the outer two have the most pleasing shapes but second from right evokes 19th century instruments I love. Far right (no politics, argh! ) is a gorgeous shape!

Yeah welllll They look horrible ! All the pretty wood and good craftsman ship and the nice finish ! Horrible I tell ya , Makes me sick just looking at the fine joints and beautiful work and nice bracing pattern ,Sweet rossette . and the sound is probably good to isnt it ! Horribly(beautiful work) I tell ya Horribly(beautiful work) !


Just looking at them makes me Green (with envy)

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The one on the right is the model 'A' and it's the first design and probably the one that I worked on the most and felt the best about from the get go. I've built 2 from that design, the one you see and a Port Orford Cedar Walnut 12 fretter that also came out really nice.

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Thanks Filippo, even though it did take about 9 mos.

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A very ambitious and cool project. I think they turned out great.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Just noticed I got your name wrong, sorry Larry!
Would love to see the Cedar Walnut A model, one of my fave combinations... Golden!

Lovely. All of it. I especially like this little bit.



Nice alternative to paring away the wood of the backstrap with a chisel. Really cool, IMO.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Here's a link to the Port Orford/Walnut 'A' model. Very sweet guitar.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=40092&hilit=port+orford#p526403

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Mike,

I'm kinda glad you noticed that.

I remember gluing in the back strip/strap in the radius dish and it was bit thicker than normal so when I took it off the go-bar the back held the radius shape pretty well...until...I cut them for the back braces. It of course flattened out and when I glued the back braces that longitudinal curve never really came back. This way you can get an initial curve to stick with the back strip and enhance it with the back braces.

And of course it's a 1 minute job on the belt sander.

Did the same thing on all the guitars and I think it loosens the back up a little. Tends to vibrate the whole box. Of course I'm not sure what causes that but this technique might contribute.

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Larry, I think that's a really elegant bit of design. And kind of subtle as well, which goes along with my preferences personally as a player. I like a really clean look with a little touch of class here and there. Little subtle things you have to really look for to see, but when you do they are classy. That fits the bill excellently. I hope when I start building acoustics that I can employ that same kind of subtlety to what I do.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

That's a nice project. I really like the smaller one, A? A lot. The next one has sort of an old style vibe too but I was never terribly fond of the designs with upper bouts almost as wide as lower bouts. The other two I think tend too much towards what I don't usually like about the Martin design, the squarishness of the upper bout, and C spreads the waist to almost dred proportions. To me, the best OM sized designs are the ones that are much rounder everywhere.

But A is the cat's meow!

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

My thoughts almost to a T on the designs Jim. Thanks for the feedback. I have the designs on my computer and they should be pretty easy to change. Of course the molds will need changing too but that shouldn't be too hard.

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i light your headstock. reminds me of a selmer.

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Not sure of the collective term for 4, some? a lot? , but a pretty neat set and well done.

Steve