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The original





The top of the replica



Bracing on the top. The bracing is very light, the x-braces on the original are only 1/4" thick by 1/2" tall in the center. The koa is quite a bit stiffer than spruce, even at .010 thickness. All the bracing is torriefied spruce except the large popsicle stick at the top, and the maple bridge plate, hence the color difference.



The back. I really loved this piece and was originally planning on using it for a resonator, but it was not thick enough after I thickness sanded it, there were too many imperfections in the wood. So I stuck it on a shelf until this project came along.



The bracing on the back. I use cf now as part of the back bracing on all my guitars, except the resonators.



End graft. I am using the bloodwood with the rope binding underneath on the top and bottom of the sides and will 45 both into the end graft.

The higher end Weissenborns and other Hawaiians use rope binding all around. I don't care for it as much on the top for some reason, so I am only putting it on the sides and possibly the fretboard. I'm also going to use a Weissie bridge design. I also use cf on all my guitar sides now for maximum stiffness.

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars

Stunning, thank you for posting those. I'm a bit surprised to see two tone bars on a single ought sized guitar but you have the original so I'll trust you. I also know that a lot of the original "Hawaiian" style guitars were converted to Spanish - its nice to see you making it for lap style.

(we could talk a lot about Weissenborns and resonators and all of that but I won't hijack your great thread)

I'm drooling! Koa is such a beautiful wood. I love how you did the bloodwood and rope. Just gorgeous!

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Julie Moriarty
http://JulimorCreations.com

I was surprised by the two tone bars as well. The braces were located by using the small super magnets Stewmac sells. I put one on the end, or as close as I could get, of each brace, and one on the top to locate it. It’s quite possible mine are not exactly where they should be, but I did the best I could, I believe they are pretty close.

I have also been told a lot of these models were converted to Spanish style, I purchased this one from a friend in the reso community who told me that. I wonder how easily that is done, the nut width is 1 & 7/8” like a reso, and you would have to put a compensated bridge and refret it.

The vintage sounds nice, it has better bass than most Weissies I’ve played, and perhaps more overall volume. I use the thicker reso set strings, J42’s, tuned down to D.

Planning on finishing this with oil, I don’t want lacquer building up on it.

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars

Like your burn in Logo!
Is that the finished dimension on the back braces or are they carved after? Do you find much of a sonic difference from non CF-laminated bracing?
Reason I ask is that you seem to be the only other builder that messed with laminated bracing on the back. Mine were BRW and situated vertically, but were narrow as yours are...

What the...
Musta stuttered.

Very nice! Yes, the braces on mine are finished. I sand the radius on the bottom, then cut them down and sand the tops flat to sizethen epoxy them onto a 2” tape of cf. After the epoxy cures I cut them apart and sand down the edges.

I imagine your bracing is stiffer than mine laminated in vertically like that. I should try that myself. I did a non-scientific comparison by bending the spruce before and after the cf was applied, and the braces are stiffer after, but not rigid. I can’t honestly say if the sonic properties are affected in any way, there are so many variables, but I use less materials than before, and my instruments feel lighter.

Thanks for sharing!

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars

The tone bars are positioned for a lefty (heading in opposite direction of what is normally built as a righty). Is that correct?

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"I've been had again"
Tim Benware
Creedmoor, NC

Haha, oh man, you are right, I screwed that up! Well, they are glued on with HHG, so a little careful work should have that right!

Thank you very much for pointing that out!

Just out of curiosity, what effect do you think it would have to leave them and play it right handed?

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars

That is one of the things about the Antes parlor plans that you have to be aware of - they were drawn as tho you were looking thru the top. There are a lot of people who end up building a leftie (ask me how I know)





Frankly I can't hear any difference

Yep I forgot to write “This Side Up” on my lexan planform I made and did it backwards without noticing!

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars

In my mind I think one would have to have a very discerning ear to notice any difference. Playing around with positioning of the tone bars can have the result of slightly changing the tightness of the top in certain areas. I suppose if one wanted to tighten the top in a certain way it could actually be a design element to help achieve such an effect. It would be a good topic for discussion on its own I believe,

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"I've been had again"
Tim Benware
Creedmoor, NC

I tried to research it some, and from what I could find I doubt it would have made much difference. I ended up removing both, and since I have changed other things, I decided to go with only one tone bar, oriented in the proper direction. As the koa is much stiffer than spruce, and as Freeman pointed out guitars of this size often only have one, that gave me the idea to lighten the bracing some. I forgot to take a picture before I closed up the box though. Hoping for a responsive top!

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars