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Just curious. Show me how you like to do your purfling on your guitars.
Here you have mine: My standard purfling system for 1A guitars has the last 3 - 4 years been what I call the window. It frames each of the 2 parts of the back and the sides with purling on the inside, everything neat and with 45 degrees mitering. Its a very difficult way to do the purfling, but its also very elegant and prestigeous. The most problematic part is the burfling on the back because it has to be cut very precisely in both ends.
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
On the other hand, when I build a 2A guitar, I dont use purfling on the back and sides, and there´s something about that, that I really like. Simplicity and contrast.
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
I like this classic system very much (the 1a) and was planning on doing this myself for the my first build that I am working on. When I join the back, do i just leave the purflings overhanging and trim them all down and miter when I am binding the outside of the back etc?
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Favorite way on a blanca is to lead the binding into miters at the heel cap and leave the purfling off of the back plate. Then use a purfling around the top plate.
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
I love Stephen's... I have to try bringing the points all the way to the center strip some time. On blancas I always notch those points in at the heel cap with or without purflings. On negras I use a separate rosewood heel cap and miter the purflings with the back strip like Anders blanca. I love the challenge of mitering all the purflings at the tail...
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Of all the treatments of the back, I think yours Tom is the most difficult to pull off. Not just technically, but making it look right is difficult. I did one like that, but I can't remember who has it. Nice job, very clean.
I like Anders and Andy's lines too, they have a life to them. A lot of contemporary makers sap the life out of the lines by a gratuitous use of the router. They try to add a bunch of technically tricky wood working details over a shape they don't really understand. I think people are getting hip to this because they are developing more of an eye and begin to see too much decoration on a complex shape like guitar as a kind of visual noise.
One of the other things I like is the backstrip that tapers from being wide at the tail of the back to extending through the heel cap. I think the Bellido family uses idea a lot. even though it does not have to do as much with line work , it does have do with how the binding terminates at the heel. I'm really interested in that particular junction of body and lines because it tells a lot about the makers style
Now I just got an idea!
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
I like it simple on a Blanca, a Negra will vary, I let the wood tell me what it wants. This one wasn't polished yet but it shows my preferred Blanca scheme well.
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
One of the other things I like is the backstrip that tapers from being wide at the tail of the back to extending through the heel cap. I think the Bellido family uses idea a lot. even though it does not have to do as much with line work , it does have do with how the binding terminates at the heel. I'm really interested in that particular junction of body and lines because it tells a lot about the makers style
I like that a lot too, but then you have to do 2 reinforcement strips on the inside... oh well, I guess it's worth it I would like to be gutsy enough to do rosewood bindings on a rosewood guitar like you did on that 7 string. I really like that idea. Some day I might do it.
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
I tend to stick with no purflings on the back of my blancas, just beestings. However on this guitar I used my flame maple braid rosette and decided to carry over the flame maple motif into the purflings.
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RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
On blancas witout a dark heel cap, I like when you put at dark contrast veneer between the back and the heel. Just like Sean has done.
To El Polaco: On a first guitar, my advice will be to do it simple. Better a well done simple purfling (on a blanca, no purfling) than a not so well made complicated purfling scheme. I make what I call windowed purling on both blancas and negras. You have photos of both things. My blancas and Deteresas negra. Its a lot more complicated to do it well on a blanca than on a negra. Mostly because the purfling is one layer thinner. Even though the difference is only 0,6mm, the negra purfling is a lot stiffer and easyer to handle and cut in 45 degrees. Besides, on a negra, you can glue it on seperately using superglue. Thats not a good idea on pale wood like cypress, because it may discolor the guitar
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
I would like to say that I think you are all a bunch of talented luthiers. This section is great compared to some other luthier forums because there are no egos here and everyone is always willing to help someone out and not afraid to share their own ideas. There are forums out there where some guys won't tell you anything for fear that their "secrets" will be stolen. Are there really any "secrets" in this line of work that haven't already been discovered? Some big name guys poo poo on the little unknown guys in other forums and actually try to discourage them. Not here. This section is great.
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
I have to admit I like this kind of thing too (more for a classical)... Teodoro Perez guitar
He-he. I cant stand when there´s IMHO to much flashy bashy on an instrument. I´m a violin man and beauty on violins is totally woodworking and not flashy purfling etc.
On the other hand, a hidden part of me wants a negra with abelone inlay all over the body of the guitar, fake mother of pearl tapplates and an abalone inlay on the fingerboard saying "SEXY".
(I just turned 50, so from now on I´m going to live out my inner secrets ) )
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
On the other hand, a hidden part of me wants a negra with abelone inlay all over the body of the guitar, fake mother of pearl tapplates and an abalone inlay on the fingerboard saying "SEXY".
(I just turned 50, so from now on I´m going to live out my inner secrets )
We are all allowed to do a couple of those just to get it out of our systems.
But I'm with you on the violin/cello way of seeing. Those instruments are a lot more complex than they appear and they draw you in with the basic elements of the design not the decoration.
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
HA HA , Hardanger fiddles are perfect as they are. Hardanger fiddles have a long history of being decorated. It's different with them, it is part of the culture of that branch of the violin family.
The Italian violins went through a time in their development where they Cremonese model of the golden age became the standard model of beauty. However before and after that time many different kids of viols and violins existed and there is rich history of decorated and wonderful instruments.
So I agree I think the Cremonese ideal is wonderful to behold when it is done well, but there are lots of other kids of beauty. Even so of the Cremonese, Milanese Venetian etc. instruments have terrific ornamentation. It is thought by many today that Stradivari himself was first apprenticed to a wood worker who specialized in decorative designs and that he gained his sublime skill for the great decorative work on a few of his violins. But underlying all that is the foundation of the great design of the arching, f holes, outline and scrolls.
RE: What is your favorite purfling s... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
We are all allowed to do a couple of those just to get it out of our systems.
Yup, and why not........I'm not up to where a lot of people are here but I have made a few instruments and I always feel I want to make them count to start with. Simplicity and boldness come with experience and confidence. The trick - I think - comes with trying to balance some flash with elegance and not making something looking like a "tarts handbag" - sorry but I just could not thing of a better way to put that. At the moment I'm trying to balance my ideals on making a "special" with those of a good "down to earth" instrument. Style takes time and something that all of us here are continually evaluating - I hope? BTW - loved all this post as I admire and appreciate the effort - and it is effort- to make a real one off.
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