Official Luthiers Forum!

In a different thread I joked that COVID has finished more projects than Norm Abrams. Now we’re curious to see everyone’s projects that the quarantine provided time to complete.

Mine is below, a cocobolo tenor uke...









Brad


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Really nice uke. I'm hoping to get some more ukes going before too long.

I've been doing a sort of "pipeline" of projects (along with getting my new shop set up, fixing stuff up at the house, etc. Staying busy anyway).

I finished a 000-21 type guitar recently--as the finish was waiting to cure on it, I started an L-00/Van Eps scalloped flush fret fingerboard guitar. Should be able to buff it and finish it up next week. While it's been waiting to cure, I started a deep bodied 000 Hawaiian guitar in curly Shedua with the great Sol Hoopii's portrait in the peghead.

Staying busy...

Dave

I have friends who have caught Covid and were quite sick from it (some of them very young and healthy), and some acquaintances who died from it. But in my case anyway, it's been a catalyst to sort of re-examine my priorities and try to put the best foot forward. I've been lucky in that some long term health issues that have kept me from being able to function very well have improved. I'm also very lucky to live in a rural area in the mountains of North Carolina where social distancing is sort of built into our way of life anyway and less traumatic than it might be. It's the most productive I've been in the shop in years, and I feel somewhat guilty for feeling like the pandemic has in many ways improved my way of thinking and my work.

But mainly, I think that putting my focus back on the basics of life have really helped me. Hope the pandemic subsides soon, but I also hope that when it does, I don't forget what I have learned during this time.

Dave

I did two bathroom remodels and although I've taken care of my guitar repair/setup clients, my guitar builds have been gathering dust. Hopefully I can start making progress again on those soon.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

All those projects look terrific.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Started on my 12-string project. Soon's the replacement fretwire appears from the vendor, that's next to do. After that, make the nut, attach the bridge, string it up, set it up. Time wasn't completely wasted. That, and read a pile of books. Zero TV time.

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Peter Havriluk

Two words: Spray booth.

But it's not done yet. I might have photos by the end of this weekend.

I just retired June of 2019, and we planned on doing a big vacation this summer. Instead it was just like last year, doing some things in the afternoon, and not doing much. It's surprising how fast the days go like that!

I did do the baroque guitar in G. It sounds great, but I have to get the fret guts sorted out. There was a little bump under the top two string by the neck join that I had to file down. The block was probably not quite square there. I'm planning a go-bar deck to attach to the basement rafter above my adjustable bench to build on the belly. That should take care of that problem.

I do like new projects better than anything. Who doesn't? So the other day I went through my wood, cutting it into pieces for instruments, and found that I have enough to build 6 guitars, and 8 violins and violas. Most still need fittings at least, and neck stock and bellies for most of the guitars.

I found a piece of quartered Padauk 1X6X 6 foot for $36 several years ago, and found that it can make a viola, and 2 small guitars based on an 1828 Staufer. So yesterday I started sawing it up into 4 slices. It isn't really heavy. .65 sg. I have no idea what that is in pounds/foot. Violin people all use specific gravity. I don't know about Grey Poupon. I got one cut done. Plane them flat, and saw them again!

It took 45 minutes. Should be fun.

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Why be normal?

Great-looking work, fellas!

Here are a couple of my completed COVID projects.

Cheers, M

WOW!

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The first project I finished under quarantine was a prototype octave mandolin/guitar hybrid:






The next project completed under quarantine was learning to play a medley of three Irish tunes on it:

Road to Lisdoonvarna > Swallowtail Jig > Lannigan's Ball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6fdX6FO4Eg&feature=youtu.be


Right now I'm making the neck for the second one these which is going to a relative.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Mine was the Douglas fir classical built with materials on hand, the least power tools possible, hide glue and shellac.



However I'm bored again and looking for something else

I built 3 and half classicals. One is for sale at Siccas in Germany, one I'm applying French polish, another is being French polished by my buddy Alessandro Perciaccante in Granada and the other I bought back to the states half finished in my suitcase and will be in the solera soon.

The one at Siccas:


The one I'm polishing here in New York:





And the one still in Spain:

My Covid project was trying to keep my better half sane...

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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.

Been working every day, and took on a part time job teaching at the community college.

I've made exactly zero progress on new projects but I did complete a 000-18 style for a friend and deliver it this past weekend.
Only took 2 1/2 years start to finish, lol.

Lovely stuff all - really like the Weisenborn (sp?)

Hey Oval, how did you keep the wood so white under finish on that white one?

Ed M

It’s spelled Weissenborn

Living on the farm we always had a huge garden but since moving into town 5 years ago this is the first year. Decided to make some raised beds. And there was also a huge squash and pumpkin patch on the other side of the work shop.

Oh, and I’ve lost the COVID 19#!

Stopped eating sugar, bread, and beer which is just bread with extra water and alcohol anyway...

Feels good!

Some very cool projects!
Here is my recently finished tenor guitar.
Lutz spruce top, Peruvian Walnut B&S.

This is my second run at building a harp guitar. We'll call the first a "learning experience;" I salvaged the neck for a future project. The carbon fiber tube holding the headstock for the "sympathetic" strings is epoxied to the headblock and to the tailblock, providing structure for the entire instrument. This, along with the elevated fretboard, allows very light bracing on the soundboard, even though it supports 12 steel strings. I'm pleased with the sound.

I am impressed with the Harp Guitar, very different, "modern?" look and construction.
The strings look similar gauges and fanned scale lengths.
Nice one.
Curious about the finish, must have been fun on the sharp point headstocks.

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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.

Yeah that is super cool Hans I love it.

Hans that harp guitar is way cool. Reminds me of Matsuda's work (and I mean that as a high compliment)

My only quarantine project was to start building guitars. Started the third one a few days ago. So I guess that's better than nothing? haha

Several projects but this was my fave. 15" It's in the capable hands of an excellent jazz guitarist in the Twin Cities.

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