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I cleaned up the shop.....made some improvements to my rosette jig and cradle....not much to do. Waiting on an abalone shipment.


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Gluing bridge, , and much detailing of finish.

Been pretty checked out of the building and repairing for the past couple of months as we move across town. Pretty extensive remodel going on in the new place that is consuming my time and energy. All my lutherie stuff is boxed up and waiting for the winter.

Here's the kitchen/dining/living room. Two walls came down. Four layers of flooring in the kitchen torn up. Floors being leveled and new underlayment. New windows arrive on Friday. Electrical work should start in a couple of weeks, including wiring the downstairs shop for lighting and separate tool circuits. I'm totally beat up from swinging sledges, hammers, flat bars, reciprocating saws, and nail guns! Can't wait to get back to working in tolerances of thousandths of an inch instead of eighths! And weights in ounces instead of 50 lb sheets of drywall and ply!

Every flavor of wallpaper known to man is in this place! What a royal pain!

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

Tony, looks like you've been having yourself a heck of a time there.
At least you're getting a new shop out of it!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

A Trevor Gore style steel string is coming along nicely. Got the back glued on today.

Neat bracing pattern! I am not familiar with Trevor Gore's guitars but that looks cool. Why are the back braces so much stouter than the top braces? Is that carbon or kevlar or something stiffening inside the braces?
Thanks for sharing!

Blake yes it certainly looks a bit different from the usual X bracing.

Carbon fibre above and below the curved bracing, set in epoxy. There is also CF fabric under the bridge plate which is only 1.5 mm thick.

I am not experienced enough as a builder to really explain why this design works, but I know that it does. I have built a number of guitars using this design and each has worked really well. Plenty of volume, good tone etc. As my skills have improved they have been getting better.

The curved top braces are 7 mm max and the back ones around 20 m high, scalloped at the ends.

I have high hopes of this one as the Sitka spruce top is very nicely quartered and had a great tap tone.

Dave M

In case you are not aware Trevor along with Gerard Gilet has published a two volume book taking a very science/engineering based approach to guitar building. Worth it's weight in gold.

Double side Mahogany OM and a new design, a 15” archtop in progress. Also an archtop in finish. This will keep me occupied for a while.

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

Lots of great looking shops have changed over the years

Well I don't have a shop any more as I moved into a small apartment
and after a few years have managed to get a couple on the go.

Two carved 18" archtops on the go-this is my clamping set up done on the kitchen table
- sold off my bar clamps before we moved in
in the Guerilla Luthier fashion - getting the job done- one way or another.

These are shaped after the '48 D' Angelico GAL plan

Seeing others great looking and well equipped shops strengthens my resolve.

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You just pick up a chord, go twang, and you're got music. -Sid Vicious

Trying to finish my Larson Brothers Inspired Prairie State Jumbo (moving delays, shop setup, etc). Cocobolo B&S, Red Spruce Top, Holly bindings, and all the Larson inspired trimmings...
Glenn

Wow! Beautiful Glenn.

I just finished sliding frets out of 70s Strat. After the first 5, I had it perfected. I had to use sanding dust and CA in a few spots but that should be Okay as I'm refinishing it anyway.

The next one will be much better. I ground a notch in the fret with my Dremel and shaped a screw driver to tap them out .

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Glenn, what a magnificent beast - you'll have to post finished pics!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Love that headstock inlay, Glenn!

I made another “small little change” to my body design, which meant a new bending form and mold.




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Moving along on my J-200....




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James, are you taking orders?


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Pleased to say, not a dang thing...




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A bit of “Dead can dance” in the ears, a good strong cuppa coffee, and a sharp tool in hand. Brace carving on a Multi-scale top on a rainy PNW Monday morning.

Now I have another band I have to look into more. I use my iPod a lot. The guitar is perplexing.

Does it have a flat top? I've never seen that before.

Is that a plate tuning fixture that it is attached to? Maybe not, with the headphones.

The Japanese gouge is interesting. What is it? I have a much smaller one like that.

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Why be normal?

Ken,

The top is a pretty standard 30’ radius.

The plate tuning fixture is just a way to hold the part while carving and tapping.

The carving tools come from these guys.

http://www.hidatool.com/woodworking/car ... ow-u-gouge

Best, M

Tried a new sound hole binding approach that I first read about here on the OLF. Inlay a ring and then cut the hole out. I didn’t quite do the math correctly and there is still a little spruce peeking out of the bottom. I kind of like it actually though. Cookies and cream.




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Michael,

What is the purpose of the extra depth of your voicing mould?

It’s what we were taught to do in Somogyi’s guitar top class back in 2012. When I put my ear up to the rosette/deep side I can hear pitch differences very clearly so I know where to remove material. I’m getting consistent result and am lazy enough not to look for another approach right now. I’m pretty sure Ervin didn’t come up with this.

M

I was wondering if the part above the sound hole was considered null and void. Doesn't it move too? I seem to have a lot of highs on the top part, especially in the cutaway. With the arch top it was easy; just carve the outside thinner.

Ken

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Why be normal?

I'm pretty much of the school that very little happens north of the sound hole and there's nothing up there that I can carve on, at least on my guitars anyway.

Best, M