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Beautiful work!

The engraving of those inlays is amazing. I’ll have to give it a try someday. Thanks.

Thanks for sharing, glad to hear you are better!

Pat

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Pat

I just noticed that your avatar is an engraving. Nice. It's good that you can add things that you enjoy making, and have skills at, to your instruments.

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Why be normal?

Old mountain man here too, about 4 mountains to your north on the south fork of the Holston River. I'm currently building a 00-28 herringbone guitar. I didn't realize that I was so close to so many fellow luthiers. Your inlay work is absolutely top notch.

Thanks everybody for the nice words. The guitar is sitting for another few weeks letting finish cure before I do a final buff out/gluing up neck and bridge. Came out looking OK for the first one out of the shop in years. Hope it sounds and plays well too.

I started a new project a few days ago--this one is based on an L-00 with a mahogany top, a cantilevered neck and a Van Eps style flush fret/scalloped fretboard. I had an L-00 years ago that Fred Van Eps had modified for it's owner with one of his flush fret scalloped boards, and it's the best playing guitar I ever had. I've built several banjos with this style board and they all play great. I had bought this mahogany from Walter Lipton back in the 80's with the intention of building what I'm finally building now.

I'm building this one the way that I originally learned back in the 70's--built on a Solera with no mold and Tentellones joining the top and back. Seems like for archtops, I like using molds, but for flat tops I'm more comfortable building Spanish style.

Dave

Well, working on another new guitar I've had to accept that age and neurologic problems are probably going to keep me from being able to do the engraving I used to do. I have hand tremors and eye problems that make it really difficult if not impossible to draw accurate lines to follow in engraving, not to mention the engraving itself. I've (unsuccessfully) tried twice to make a headstock plate with nice engraved pearl that are just not nice enough to include on my current build. Going to have to scale it back, and that's OK. I'll keep trying on practice plates to get my engraving skills back up to snuff, but not on instruments. At least the building part is OK, since it doesn't rely on the really fine motor skills, which while gone right now, at least aren't keeping me from doing the rest of the job.

I think that it's a good thing to recognize and accept where my limitations are and where it is that I can still succeed. To be building at all again is still a really uplifting feeling for me, Just learning the new rules of the road and adjusting.

Maybe the fine motor skills will come back and maybe they won't, but it really doesn't matter that much as long as I recognize and accept where the problems/strengths are and deal with them accordingly. I'm not willing to put out an instrument that I'm not proud of. Sure glad to be building again in whatever state!

Dave

Have you ever considered using a reducing pantograph engraver? You could still produce original art work and use the machine to engrave it at a smaller scale. That might allow you to use the motor skills you have to make the fine engravings you want to make. CNC has displaced them in commercial situations and you can find used machines on eBay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4E8j0uyK5M

Finally got it strung up today. Certainly had its share of starting over boo-boos, but it's all coming back now. I'm happy with it for a "first effort." The Royal Lac came out nice--think I'll continue to use it.

Sounds good for having just been strung up. A couple of days under tension and we'll see what I think. Action needs adjustment--I'll work on that later today.

And so you should be. Looks like a good one.

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Hutch

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

That's a Beauty!
I like the proportions of the 12 fret neck guitars and that one is really nicely done.

Just coming back to this thread I missed all the inlay and graving stuff, that's a fantastic skill you have there.

Great looking guitar too. It's amazing how fast they mature once you put the very first set of strings on. I pretty much string them up, play a few chords, then hang it on the wall with a ToneRite till the next day making no judgement at all. Within 3 days the true tones start to come out, the tones that should be with the guitar for life, it's character.

I like the 12-fret slot head, just looks good! I don't have one because I play a fair amount over the 10th fret but maybe I'll make one cause they look so good.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'm afraid most of my guitar playing stops at the 5th fret, and I've always liked 12 fret slot heads too...

Dave

Ain't no law against slot head 14 fretters!
Even with a cutaway....

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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.

That's true.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I prefer them the you made this one, Dave: no cutaway, 12 (or 13, my fav right now) frets clear of the body, slotted headstock, pyramid bridge. Lots of guitar styles can be beautiful, but this style is what I personally prefer. Really nice looking! I hope the sound and playability come out the way you want.

And I have a 13-fret 000 on the bench and haven't made the neck yet. Hmmmm

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

bb

I'm a fan of the simplicity of this instrument - just a fantastic head inlay to spice it up. 12 fret mahogany OOO is hard to beat. Great job.

Ed

Hey, God's Speed on your recovery, wishing you a fantastic and continued "Starting Over" and thanks for the instructional post.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum