Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello,

I have been reading your posts weeks ago. I really like it, but becouse of my english level, I was not decided to write any post before now.

I hope you can understand me and please forgive me for my english.

First I want you to know me a little bit so let me introduce myself with a few words. I studied luthierie (classical and flamenco) for two years with a Luthier that has been working with Ramirez(here in Madrid). Then i started (on my own) making steel string, one electric and one acoustic bass. I am 43 years old and I have two little daugthers (6 and 2 years old) .

So , this is my first post and my first question
A customer wants me to repair the nut of his old Guild D50. (dated on 1973). He wants the original string spacing at nut, but I am not able to know how it was. (the original one is lost)

Does anyone know this string spacing?

Thanks in advance and best regards. I am very proud to be at this great forum with this great luthiers writting on it .

Thanks again

Jorge

Jorge,

Welcome to the OLF.

I can't help you with the Guild string spacing,

I was on sabbatical in Granada last year. Flamenco largely converted me from steel to nylon strings, but I do have a fascination with your own family of steel string instruments, the bandurrias. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of construction information available on these.

I'm supposed to be back in Granada for two or three weeks at the end of each spring, but not this year - medical problems got in the way.

Jim

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Welcome, Jorge. Sorry I can't help with the Guild string spacing, but I am sure someone will weigh in soon with that info'. I make guitarras flamencas and love Spain and flamenco.

Buena suerte,
Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

Hi Jorge! I can not help you either (it´s getting a bit monotonous, eh?), just wanted to welcome you to the forum as well.

I´ve been to Madrid recently on a guitarrero tour and met some very nice and decent guys there, maybe you know some of them: Felix Manzanero, Angel Benito Aguado, the successor to Manuel Contreras (i don´t remember his name) and José Romero. I do envy you a little, for working on such a nice city as Madrid, with a wonderful guitar-making history.

If, by any chance, you´ll need a hand with translating something to english, just PM me (although i think your english is just fine and mine isn´t any better, but still...)


venga tio, bienvenido!

Miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Jorge ,

Buenos dias Senior , Como estas . me estudiar espanole dos anos .

soooooooooooooooo if you will forgive my terrible spanish , you english is better than my spanish

Welcome to OLF Glad to have you

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Guild necks can be narrow, from 1 5/8" to 1 11/16". Original spacing is probably with the outside strings set .125" from the edge of the neck. After filling the nut slots for the two E strings and installing them, you just need to measure the space between them, subtract the diameter of the 4 other strings and divide the result by 5. That will give you the spacing between each string.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

I'll translate that Laurent.

Guld neck is from 41.25 mm's to 42.9 mm's.
Strings set 3.25 mm's from the edge of the neck.

That's a rough translation but should be near enough.

Hello Jorge,
Welcome!
I spent 3 weeks at the Romanillos course in Siguenza in 2007.
If you get a chance you should visit the new Romanillos Center for the Vihuela de Mano and Spanish guitar in Siguenza (a short rail trip from Charmartin on the Soria line).

Hope to see you here often!

Best

Thanks a lot all of you for your welcome, your words and your information and knowledge. This is great!!

Those who are interested in spanish guitar (instruments) construction maybe can find the information right here. If you need any translation please let me know and I will try to do it.
http://www.guitarra.artepulsado.com/

I have never been at Siguenza but listening to you I really need to go as soon as posible (Thanks David)

Thanks for the translation in mm

I have the string spacing rule from Stewmac. It Is possible to measure the distance between strings with this rule once I have measured and installed both E strings? better than divide the space by 5?

Thanks again!!!

Jorge

I have nothing to add, except a big welcome to OLF, Jorge. I'm another classical builder.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

on topic : romanillos, just a heads-up: josé romanillos, unfortunately, does not give guitar making courses any more. His approaching his 80th birthday and his son Liam has carried on his heritage, but works in the UK.

Mr. Romanillos does still live (near) Siguenza and still receives visitors, and last time i´ve been there we had a wonderful time just chit-chatting about guitars, life, sons, religion, etc. a wonderful and inspirational man, more philosophical and profound than i would have thought at first. if you go to siguenza, you should arrange to meat with him (i can provide you with details if needed). Siguenza is also a very beautiful small town that you should visit even if you didn´t care about guitars.

just an information, sorry about the off-topic.

salud,
Miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Miguel, I wasn't so much suggesting that Jorge meet with Jose Romanillos personally, though he certainly is everything you have described and more, but to visit the new Museum named after him in the Castillo de Siguenza.

http://www.delcamp.us/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=45656

Sorry if it came across as correcting you, i just got the impression that Jorge was talking about going to the summer courses (on 2nd reading he wasn´t, of course - i should learn to re-read everything before i post) and thought a heads-up was appropriate.

of course meeting the man isn´t mandatory (and he is just recovering from a gallbladder intervention, so he must appreciate some calm), but for me it was such a nice experience that i believe everyone would benefit from it, even if just a bit.

the museum is wonderful and merits a visit on its own.

cheers,
Miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

No .. I will try to go there, just to see the museum with my family .. maybe now on springtime it would be nice!! Thanks for the information

Of course that to meet a person like Jose Romanillos (maestro Romanillos) should be great, but sound me like something unreachable for me at this moment (because of my amateur status).

Thanks again all of you

regards,

Jorge

Hello again ,

Yesterday i finally finish the new nut and the customer is really satisfied and happy with the results. Thanks to you ..

Final dimensions are 41.25 mm (sorry not in inches) .. neck with and 3.25 from the edge of the neck as Laurent told me ..

Thanks again all of us and best regards

Jorge

Welcome Jorge to the OLF. Never, never apologize for a second language.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Oops, never mind.

Chris.