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Posts: 440
Joined: Feb. 23 2005
From: La Jolla, Ca
Building a flamenco - 6
Bridge. Another rather time consuming little piece, but what I learned would definitely make it go faster next time. Took nearly the whole day to make it, then, a few more hours for little finish and cleanup details. A few minor errors, but all in all, I'm quite happy with the finished piece. For my first ever...
However, I'm not quite sure about the little inlay fillet I used... Too different from the rosette? Feedback?
Also, next time, I think I'll just do the 2 small strips of bone on the front and back. Easier, cleaner, and more wood shows through.
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Had to wait a week for the humidity to fall, so I hustled and finished the top. Here it is. Master Euro' spruce top, Euro spruce braces and fans (the ends are not yet scalloped).
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Bob has a little trick he learned from a German luthier at Romanillos. Use a straw, pinched at the end, and run it along each glue edge. It scoops the glue right up, leaving almost nothing...
Sides are shaped...Off to go put them on. Cut all my individual tentallones. 50% I cut the wrong grain direction......again...ARGHHHHHH!
Ramon, that's awesome you're building you're own guitar. I've been wanting to build one for a long time, and I will when I get a chance.. Did you get one of those "kits" from LMI to get your feet wet?
Do you have any luthier guidance or just working strickly from the plans?
Lookin' pretty good so far. That bracing looks similar to Manuel Reyes, but a little more beefy.
I'm very interested in the progress, please keep us updated !
This is my first-ever guitar. I was asked to keep somewhat of a 'journal' on FF to show my progress, thoughts, problems, etc., so 'Building a Flamenco' 1-6 is on the Luthier's Section here. I am about to post more gains, tomorrow, as the inside is now finished, and preparing for the back to close it up, and I will then have a complete 'box' - but a guitar that I can hold, nonetheless!
No, not a kit. From scratch, entirely. EXACT (as I can come) to the Manuel Reyes plans by Tom Blackshear. My measurements, so far - have been within hundreds-of-an-inch; i.e.; side thickness calls for +-2.0mm. I'm at 1.98mm, etc...I had to do the fan braces 3 times to get it right, cross braces twice, tentallones twice.....Thankfully, all small items, but just time consuming to do over and over.
So I'm going VERY slow, trying to look ahead, and understand! what I'm doing and how it applies to the next step.
without who's help none of this could be achieved - at least not to the level I'm a working at; tools, guidance, understanding. Bob's 'saved' me a couple of times already, so kudos to him and his patience. And to Tom at La Falseta, who passed along some much needed info on the neck!
So I will post a shot of the insides, braces, and sides, tomorrow, and then I will probably close her up this weekend.
In the end, no matter how beautiful she turns out, it's ALL about sound and playability. Thanks again for the feedback...
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Ramon, I went back and looked at you other posts on this build. Small world, I too have a Jose Rodriguez! I had him build me a 1a Especial late last year. I took this pic of the top bracing , have a look, is yours braced the same way. I wondered wether his especiales differed in bracing besides choice of materials. I've only had it a few months, but it's becoming my favorite blanca and has many similarities with a Reyes, but it's no Reyes.
Question- Did you use spruce with diagonal grain(~45 degree) for the back strip reinforcement? I noticed that Blackshear neglected to do this in his guitar. I've only played a Reyes once and it had this, and all pics I've seen share this type of back strip reinforcement. Just wondering, because I think it's an important component to the "response" of the back.
My Rodriguez has this type of strip as well, another hint of Reyes' influence. Please tell me you're using ebony pegs for tuners.
I looked inside again to remind myself what my Rodriguez looks like, but I know I was quite surprised that it was somewhat similar to Reyes when I first looked - and Jose was a student of Miguel Rodriguez, and Miguel and Manuel are/were from the same town, so it' figures they would probably have studied each other's work and and talked. My 1A is the same as your's. 2 guys here both played my guitar and immediately ordered. Hard to beat for the money, that's for sure. My instructor just got in from Spain and played it - as he said; "looking for holes" but couldn't find a one. Said it's a pretty damn nice guitar... So that was nice!
Anyway, I went with cross-grained cypress on the backjoint reinforcement, as the plan called for. I've seen 2 Reyes insides and neither had a 45° backbrace (but my Rodriguez does??). I cannot imagine it would have been done for anything but strength, as boxes have been built from cardboard to prove the point of the soundboard.
And I don't have enough (as in zero) experience to deviate. I spoke with Tom, and he said; "Build a Reyes, or build a bit of this and that, if that's what you want", so I stuck to the plan.
I will tell you this; I would like to give my notes to the Luthier's Guild so this would be a much more complete set of plans for others. These are pretty weak on details...
Pegs???? Is there some other kind of way to tune a flamenco???? I have zero-interest in machines.
So today I bent the macassar ebony bindings and the cypress back linings. Tried cedar...ugh...Don't bother. Cedar is SOOOOO hard to bend. Cut the sides to the plan shape, glued the linings in....More pics and details tomorrow under #7, and tomorrow I will box it up, and Monday, I have a guitar to hold! A long way to go, but I can feel it, which will be kool
The pic is the individual spruce tentallones glued in. The sides and heel weren't cut down yet and sanded. Shot this pic on Friday. Forgot my camera today....
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Looking really nice man! Those little door-stop side reinforcements look like the ones on my Huipe. The back linings are cypress?...very interesting. Don't toss those details upon completion, I may need those .
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I have zero-interest in machines. 
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