Beautiful job! Great looking guitar!
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| Finished my classical guitar (now with sound clip). http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=40539 |
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| Author: | Steven Odut [ Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Finished my classical guitar (now with sound clip). |
I finished my first guitar - a classical guitar based on the John Bogdanovich plans & DVD, modified to include a cutaway. I started construction in about March 2012 and finished June 01, 2013. I have no idea how many hours I spent - probably around 200 hours plus another 200 hours looking up stuff on the Internet. The guitar is loud with very clear trebles and nice deep bass. Lots of sustain and sympathetic vibrations between the strings. My guitar instructor tried it out and made a recording of one of his compositions using the guitar last week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uf_t4uk1vs&feature=player_embedded Italian red spruce top (sourced on a business trip to Hearne Hardwood in Pennsylvania). East Indian rosewood & yellow cedar sides. EIR back and bridge. Curly mahogany binding. Spanish cedar neck. Ebony fingerboard. Maple burl in rosette. Gotoh premium tuners. Shellac and Mohawk nitrocellulose lacquer finish. I posted numerous construction photos here if you care to look: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150707942520772.422729.569885771&type=1&l=63e80d3519 The hardest part of the construction was bending the binding strips (with side purfling) for the cutaway. I broke or had kinks in about 8 binding strips before I got it right. I wouldn't recommend a cutaway on a builder's first guitar unless they only plan to build one guitar in their life. I will also avoid using curly mahogany for binding a cutaway - too fragile at the thickness you need to achieve the bend. The most stressful part of the construction was routing the binding channels. I still have the shakes from that. The rosette looks great. I thought that would be difficult, but it turned out to be relatively easy except it consumed about a million dollars worth of veneer. Using the Bogdanovich method you make enough herringbone to complete numerous guitars. I have a pretty well set-up shop, but I still spent a small fortune on wood and specialty items. The biggest unplanned cost was when I bought a heating blanket and controller after I had so much trouble bending the binding on a hot iron. For the most part I avoided buying unnecessary specialty tools, but did get sucked into a few that, in hindsight, were not necessary. I ran out of veneer a couple of times and could not find a local source, so that got expensive. I thought the Bogdanovich book and DVD were very good. There were a few mistakes and inconsistencies, but overall the instructions were top notch. I had a few questions and John was kind enough to answer them for me. Now my poor old Taylor DN4 steel string, which I used to love, sits unused and lonely in the corner... |
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| Author: | Beth Mayer [ Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Wow, Steven....anyone could be proud of that guitar, even if they had built many! You and many other newbies on this site are definitely setting an amazing standard. Congratulations!!!! |
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| Author: | wtholmwood [ Sat Jun 01, 2013 11:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Wow. Incredible work. I take it you have a background in woodworking. Beautiful guitar. |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:00 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Hubba, hubba! |
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| Author: | Steven Odut [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
I'd say I'm a pretty good amateur woodworker so long as I can work slowly and methodically. I'd starve to death if I was a professional woodworker. I came into this guitar project with advanced hand tool skills. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:19 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Outstanding |
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| Author: | jfmckenna [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:39 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Sell the Taylor and buy more wood you have an obvious talent for this kind of work. |
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| Author: | Robbie_McD [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Spectacular! |
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| Author: | WaddyThomson [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Beautiful job! Great looking guitar!
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| Author: | LarryH [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:12 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Wow. Very impressive and beautiful choice of woods, trim and finish. |
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| Author: | John Lewis [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
jfmckenna wrote: Sell the Taylor and buy more wood you have an obvious talent for this kind of work. +1. Get rid of the Taylor and build more. That really is a beautiful guitar. |
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| Author: | mkellyvrod [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:34 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Steven, A beautiful guitar. The finish looks flawless, and despite the trials you mentioned, that binding job is great! |
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| Author: | Gary L [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Awesome! I'm inspired. |
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| Author: | Peter J [ Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:44 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Very nice job! What a beautiful instrument; one to be proud of. Great choice of woods and the binding contrasts perfectly with the IRW. If that is your first rosette.. my hat is off to you; beautiful work! |
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| Author: | Steven Odut [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 12:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Thanks everyone, building a guitar has been the most satisfying project that I've done to date. I'm sure there will be another in the pipeline after I finish a set of Windor chairs. Steven |
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| Author: | Darryl Young [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Very nice and good wood choices. |
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| Author: | JRessler [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:14 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Beautiful work! Very nice. At first I thought you did a bolt on neck until I looked at your facebook photos. Does the book show to run the back over the neck heel or did you just decide to drop the heel a bit? Thanks for sharing |
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| Author: | Steven Odut [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:56 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
I think Bogdanovich leaves a small reveal on his guitars. I decided to drop the heel cap a bit more that he does so that I could put coloured veneer under the heel cap aligned with the side purfling. I prefer the appearance of a heel cap with a reveal rather than a heel cap flush with the back. |
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| Author: | Wayne Brown [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
First guitar? Very nice! |
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| Author: | GRD [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 5:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Wow that's AWESOME! |
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| Author: | AnthonyE [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Holy $#*!. That is some impressive stuff Steven. I am a perfectionist in my woodworking but you are probably topping out in that category. I'm working on my first with a background in WW as a hobby with an emphasis on hand tools, but I may just hang it all up after seeing your build. But seriously, that is one of the nicest I've seen and def the nicest first guitar. |
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| Author: | Quine [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
Gorgeous!! What style bridge is that? I haven't seen one like that before |
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| Author: | Steven Odut [ Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
It's a "12 hole bridge." I like it a lot. If you want you can tie the strings just like a standard 6 hole bridge, with the loops, or you can use the extra 6 holes to give the strings a wrap around the bridge. Very easy to tie off. Since I don't have a good photo of mine, here's some examples on google: http://www.google.ca/search?aq=&hl=en&rlz=1T4SNNT_en___CA353&q=12+hole+bridge&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=IlStUf-1DIqFiAKGs4GwDw&biw=1600&bih=714&sei=J1StUf28N6GEiAKJgYGYCg |
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| Author: | cphanna [ Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
All the superlatives have already been written, so I'll just say "what they said". Makes me want to pick it up and just hold it. |
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| Author: | Stephen Boone [ Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:45 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Finished my classical guitar |
What an outstanding instrument! Congratulations! |
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