Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyone know where I can get a copy of a small parlor plan(12" lower bout max)
? Prefer free if possible, but any you can point me to would be more than I have now.
Thanks.

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Mike

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

Thanks, Todd. Searched for them on LMII's site and couldn't find them. Went back and searched under Scott Antes. Came up immediately. Think I'm gonna go for PL29, Parlor/Small Concert, but without the slot head.
appreciated.

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Mike

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

I'm building two from that plan now. It has a 12-1/4" lower bought. I went with the slot heads because I wanted to, but you could easily substitute a flat head. Also, this plan calls for a wide fingerboard, with a note on dimensions for a more standard width. I'm making mine a custom width.

I'm very satisfied with the plan, I got mine from LMI and thought the cost very reasonable. Also, I called LMI and they have a double acting truss rod the right length for this short neck. I believe it is part number TRSDS, butworth confirming.

I say go for it, and good luck!

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Phil

http://www.oleninstruments.com

"Those who tilt at windmills are only considered insane by those who can't see the dragon."

My thanks to both of you for the help.
Spyder, yeah I realize that plan is 1/4" over the 12" lower bout I specified, but it's so close that I'm not too worried about it. I'm gonna reduce the depth slightly anyway when I get around to building.Plus, the other plan they had that fit the size reqiurement had a 21.(something. lol) scale length. I'd prefer to keep to a more standard scale. I think this will do quite nicely.
And yeah, anyone who complains about the price of that plan is just being cheap. That's a great price.

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Mike

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

GAL has plans for a Size 1.

I built a parlor from the Antes plans and am very happy with it. Two cautions - the plans are drawn as tho you were looking through the top (rather than from the inside) - it is very easy to brace it backwards (ie, lefty). Secondly, the general feeling on this and other forums was that it is over braced - I thinned and scalloped quite a bit (would have to go back to my notes to know how much). Mine came out kind of boxy/bluesy sounding, remarkably loud for such a small box and is now four years old ange getting better.

The picture shows it relative to an OM and a 000



fwiw - it fits a TKL size 0 case perfectly

Thanks to both of you.
Freeman, that's info I can use. Not sure what size the braces are, but I am planning to use 1/4" braces anyway, so probably lighter than normal. But I'll definitely keep that in mind when I start to build.
I will really only use the plans to help locate the bridgeplate/braces, and to use to make the body form and as a guide when bending. Everything else is subject to "interpretation".

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Mike

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

Couple of more minor points. I did use the shorter scale lenght - 24.5 I think - which does put the bridge more or less in the center of the bout. Wide flat fretboard (1-3/4), slot head of course. I debated using a pyramid bridge which would have been more period correct, but ended up with a slightly cut down belly bridge - I liked the way it fit the shape of the lower bout. Used style 41 abalone and the headstock inlay is my daughter's tatoo (the guitar was for her). I was more or less patterning it on Joan Baez's 0-42. I was visiting her last week and played it - got to thinking that I really should build one for myself....

Mike,

Just curious, why do you want a lower bout of exactly 12 inches?

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Phil

http://www.oleninstruments.com

"Those who tilt at windmills are only considered insane by those who can't see the dragon."

I don't need it exactly 12" . But all the small body plans I found were over 13" and usually 15". I'm looking to build a very small parlor because I have some physical issues that can't deal with that big, deep lower bout. I basically had to stop playing acoustic several years ago because even " small" guitars(OOO,L-OO) were just to danged large and caused me too much trouble. I'll be building the guitar thinner than usual as well, to accomodate this. The 12" Lower bout spec was just to narrow down the responses more toward the guitars in the range I'm looking for. The LMII plan is only 1/4" out. I can live with that. And I know it'll be good quality.

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Mike

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

I've built 7 from the Antes plans. 1/4" braces, 24.9 scale, and I splayed the X a little more and lengthened the bridge to 6.75" to get the corners over the X. They have been a big hit.

As mentioned, the plans are confusing. My first was an unintentional lefty!
Here are the last three. Two were Lutz/IRW with a BZ bridge and had an amazing sound.

The TKL O case I had was a little loose and Cedar Creek made a custom pattern for me and it squeaks in just right. That's an option if you can't find a standard case you like.



One other thing, the 12 fret short scale neck does not bow as much under tension so if you use a reinforced neck be sure to level under some truss rod tension so you'll get some relief when you string up. Also don't run your carbon bars past the nut slot or you'll hit them when you ramp the string slots.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Those are beautiful, Terence!
A question. I know that a classical size top will work, but will the sides for a classical work, or will I need steel string sides?

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Mike

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

My parlors have the same depth as my OM's, around 4" and 3 1/4". As I recall the side length is at least a couple of inches shorter but you can get that from the plans. If classical sides fall within those measurements they should be fine.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.