Official Luthiers Forum!

Edited to keep my job.

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PMoMC

Tony....GREAT build. I agree that Snigg's good stuff is all taken, and no one else should bother looking on the classifieds for it

It was great to see that camphor burl in situ because the build I'm starting is going to have that feature. I am also using Sniggly's (Mac Ebony) head plate and bridge.

I always enjoy your posts Tony....and Idon't think your head is freakishly large (those ears though.......)

Post more pics when you get 'er done.

I have a fully detached house with a yard and a detached two car garage in a good neighborhood in Brooklyn. It cost a fortune but I have a shop.
Thanks Beth! Glad you enjoy my posts!

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PMoMC

[/quote]

Hey Tony, didn't I see you in a trailer for the Hobbit? I don't know anyone who has been in a movie. My cousin's husband was in a Folger's coffee commercial, but thats not the same. Anyway, the guitar is looking great and I look forward to seeing more!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I didn't get much done for the last couple of nights mainly because I was upgrading my gravity control device to prevent the gravitational pull of my head and ears from destroying the planet. I started another bridge. This one is pinless because of my previous mess up with the incorrectly spaced bridge. I don't generally draw up plans on paper. I come up with an idea in my head, large as it is there is plenty of room, and work on it there for a bit. Then I figure out how to execute it in real life. I want this bridge to be very close in shape and footprint to a Martin belly bridge so that viewed from a distance, it will be mistaken for one. Then when people get close, they see that it is not a traditional bridge.
In the pic, you can see the saddle slot has been cut as well as the string holes and another slot so I can access the pin holes. I will ramp the space between the two slots so the strings wont hit the bridge between where they exit the little holes and go over the saddle. Hope that is clear. I drilled the holes in the edge of the blank with my drill press and a 3/32" bit. I used another bit, forget what size, but I compared it to a ball end on a string to make sure it would be a bit bigger. I drilled the countersink hole by hand with a cordless drill and while holding the blank in my other hand. Worked well.


That is all.

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PMoMC

Tony all I can say is WOW!…That is one ridiculously, off the chart, great looking guitar. I can’t wait to see it with a finish. Will it be French polish?

Joe H.

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Joe

My wife asks me "How many Guitars do you need?"
I reply "When I die count them; thats how many I needed".

Thanks Joe! I lacquer all my guitars with environmentally unfriendly nitro lacquer.

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PMoMC

Tony,
Cool fret markers! Any more pics or closeups?
Rick

Looking great my friend! And for those of you who don't, that is one of the most expensive tops in the world. I'm pretty sure Tony has the inside track though. Gets some sort of wholesale pricing no doubt. It really is a very cool colour. Looks great with the rosette. Keep it coming. As usual, a most entertaining TINYC thread.

Cheers,
Danny

Thanks again for all of the positive comments everyone.
Rick,
Here are two I snapped with my cell. Not great, but they are closer and show how the markers wrap around from th side to the top of the binding. FYI: The glue line and joint where the fretboard meets the neck is perfect. What looks like a bad glue joint in this pic is a dark grain line on the binding. I had to look with a magnifying glass to verify that, but the joint is tight.

Another one from a different angle:


Again, bad cell phone pics, but when I look at them on the cell phone screen, they look just fine. It is not until I see them on the computer that I see they are blurry. The black border on the abalone is just black purfling lines.

Filippo,
The worst part about my use of nitro is my propensity to honor the luthiers of the past by "pouring one out for my homies" each time I begin a coat. I have a spot in my yard that looks like the ground is covered in plastic but it is really just the nitro I poured out for my fallen luthier brothers.

Thanks DannyV!
This particular soundboard was not terribly expensive but I do have some really expensive ones. Too many actually. I am a big fan of non-traditional looking soundboards so a top like this one really appeals to me. It has tons of tiny claw marks along with bigger claw marks and then there is the coloring..... Most every factory guitar has a nearly flawless, uniformly colored top. I like the natural variations in wood and perfectly uniform coloring in wood is not how most trees grow. HAving said that, I have lots of perfectly uniform, creamy white soundboards if that is what the customer wants. Since I was allowed to do what I wanted with this guitar, I chose this top because it was extremely stiff and very interesting to look at. I think it is beautiful.

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PMoMC

LMAO!

I keep it real when I need to. Otherwise I keep it jocular. Hardcore jocular! BOOM!

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PMoMC

You? Jocular? I would never have guessed......

I keep it real up in the field, alright?

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PMoMC

Tony,

A bit of advice about the bridge! Take it to work, and put it in the vault, at least 'til you plan on using it.

Ha! Good advice!

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PMoMC

What the heck Tony from NY, build some more!!! I want to see More!!!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I've been wet sanding the box and working on another guitar. Don't rush me Joe!!

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PMoMC

I hear ya Tony........

Looks like I'll just have to wait......

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I will get back to it soon. I still need to finish up the bridge and I only work on the wet sanding for a short time each night because...well...because it is wet sanding and I am doing it by hand and it is not fun. This guitar needs to be done for the first week of June. That means I should get it done by mid-Mad the latest so I can have it strung up for a couple of weeks before the new owner gets it. That means I better get my butt in gear and finish it!

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PMoMC

So......... out to shop for a little "wet" sanding? 600 grit and a 12 pack, Tony?

Looking good.

Not a bad idea clinch!
An update/ teaser pic of the progress:


Not too shabby if you ask me. Now on to finishing the bridge and neck......

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PMoMC

Not too shabby indeed!

OMG, that is beautiful Tony!!!! Can't wait for the reveal

Thanks Beth. I get very impatient at this stage.

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