Official Luthiers Forum!

It snowed here today which made is a great afternoon to spend in the shop finishing the SJ top for #15.

This is a very nice piece of Lutz that had some bear claw before I final thicknessed it and now it has some squirrel claw

Take a look!  By the way the written message on the inside of the top has been cloned out to be politically correct so you will see a blotchy look there.......





Thanks for looking!

I forgot to add for those of you that weigh your tops this SJ top weighs in at 109.2 grams.

Thanks!

What, no scallops?   

Is this a Post Somogyi top? (duck and run)

Hey Hesh, you missed the glue all over the side of the first Tone Bar!

Just kidding... Nice work, why not date it? And sign it?

Never weighed a top.

Hey, what's in the rosette?

And... what's the bridge plate material? Details, we want details....

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Looks great hesh.I really like the SJ shape.I`d like to make one on my next build.Is this the same as Michael`s
plan that`s available from the forum?
                       James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Looks nice as usual. I have been in the shop all day a well!!!!
Sorry but perfect conditions today.
70 degrees and 45% outside. (Typically around 65%)

What is snow????

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Nice looking top Hesh!  I like the wood rosette too.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Looks great, Hesh. I will have something to post of my own shortly.   BTW, you mentioned a fretting class coming up. Anything new on that?

Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

Super Clean and sharp top Hesh!
I rewlly enjoy the pic's.
What is the back and sides going to be used??

walter

Hesh, weigh it again and tell me the results again, would you?

I like that Sitka "Squirrel Claw"
I think I have some of that in my wood stash and used to think of it as "weak" Bearclaw. I like it better already.


Looks great Hesh,

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Hesh, it seems like the top may be closer to 209 grams...Maybe?

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Oh yeah, forgot to add that it is a beautiful top Hesh, I really like your work!

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

I just measured mine at 208. That's why I asked...

Thanks folks!

Bruce buddy who is S***g**?  Never mind

Scallops - yum I love sea food!

The bridge plate is BRW (rift sawn) and the bracing is Adi.  The Rosette is BRW as well and the sides and back on this one will be Honduran mahogany (waiting for praise from Colin).

It is signed and dated but the message that I wrote was rather personal so I cloned it out for OLF consumption.

The last 3 guitars had the same message added........

James buddy it is indeed Michael Payne's excellent OLF SJ plans available here from Lance and Brock.  This will be my third SJ and since I had not built one in a couple of years JJ suggested that this be an SJ.  Thanks JJ!!!

Andy snow sucks.......  Wow 70 degrees and 45 RH - perfect!!!!!!

Max my friend looking forward to seeing your latest.  No word from David and last time I asked him about it he was going to check with the boss and get back to me.  No word yet and since we are getting close to the holidays I doubt that this will happen this year.

Terry and Greg it is indeed 109 grams which is light for me but my last top was 124 grams and others have been similar.  I just build tops very light and remove any thing that I can cut off that is outside of a triangular profile.  My bridge plate is smallish and .088 thick and the top is around .105 for now.  the X intersection is slightly under 1/2".

Mike buddy maybe mouse claw?

Well I was on a run so at 5:00 I kept going and routed out the inlets in the "kerfed linings" for the upper transverse brace and the upper X legs, leveled my upper bout, and glued the top on.  So this puppy will be out of the mold tomorrow.  Take a look.

Looks good Hesh ! Geeesh ,You will be done with this in another day or two.   You amaze me with your speed and skill ! Keep up the great work!

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Hesh - very pretty top. This is definitely my favorite point in the build process - although mine these days have a very different, fan brace arrangement, and your top is very heavy!!

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Hesh - Lookin' good!!!!!!!

# 15?  You are smokin!  I look forward to the completed guitar and pics along the way.

Your friend,

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

Looking good Hesh! super clean as always.

What width bracing stock do you use? And do you think you'd use anything different if you scalloped rather than parabolic'd

Thanks guys!

Andrew I use 1/4" wide braces.  It's been so long since I scalloped a guitar now that I don't know what I would use anymore

This one is now officially on hold as I am picking up the BRW/Adi guitar from Tony tomorrow and need to finish that one first.

Very tidy work Hesh. I do like your bracing profiles. What is the width of the X braces where they meet the top?

John

Thanks John - I think you are asking the width of the X-brace stock?  If so it's 1/4" and at the intersection they are just under 1/2" high.

Well I had another great shop day and cut the binding and purfing channels and hit the top with a prophylactic coat of shellac to avoid tear-out when removing the tape.  The purfings (Mahog-O-Lam from Uncle Bob) are bent and the bindings are thicknessed to .090 and ready to go in the bender wrapped in craft paper and lightly misted.

Take a look.

Hesh, that is looking absolutely fine! Save travels on Thursday to Tony's.

Wonderful top, looks like this one is going to be a beaut.

Can't wait to see it done.

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-Rob Eckert
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Hesh...if you don't mind, what kind of shellac do you use for your prophy coat? Is it an off the shelf product? Thanks.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Thanks guys!

Bill it is Zinnser Seal-Coat wax free.  I am not sure about this but I think that it comes wax free and with wax so be sure to get the wax free stuff if you go this route.

BTW I keep two cans here with the first for utility things where I am not concerned about contaminating the contents with dust.  The other can I have used and will use again for french polishing.  This stuff worked as well for me as a French polish as the flakes that I bought and dissolved in Everclear.

It's great stuff - highly recommended.