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RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Its a difficult question to answer. But on a classical guitar you look for more tension on the top. That the top is more controlled. When you use a system where the central braces have more angle, you get more cross grain stiffness and more tension on the top. It gets less floppy so to say. A thing that I forgot to write is that the braces going along the grain, the center braces, being 5, 6 or 7, more or less angle, more or less flamenco or classical are there first of all to avoid that the tension of the string will make the soundboard warp. This you can see very clearly on a guitar with to light a bracing or/and to thin a top. Then the soundboard starts dishing in front of the bridge and lift behind the bridge. So, a very important thing is to get the soundboard and the braces stiff enough, but not more than enough. To much stifness results in poor dynamics and an uncomfortable guitar to play
Posts: 6441
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
Next is to start the assembly in the solera.
Looking good, Anders. How do you find the 'moulded' jig versus the individual clamps you used before? I imagine that it can give you more uniformity and is perhaps a quicker set-up.
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
There are no pictures of the building of the rosette itself. Thats my little secret
I've been trying to figure that out for years..haha (not that I'm going to copy) It's just awesome how it's all broken but most of the pieces are continuous with each other. I always think of "un terremoto" when I see it.
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Hah, I like that bending machine. The clamp for the middle bout is a great idea, gonna have to copy it. Do you have to touch up the sides on a bending iron afterwards, or does the machine do the whole process?
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Ahhh, replys..
The sides of cypress sometimes needs to be touched up on a hot iron. That has nothing to do with my side bender, but cypress has a LOT of springback. Rosewoods dont need to be touched up.
The heater is from a toaster that my dad didnt use. It was 500w, which was to much, so I shortened it some 1/5 or so.
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
gluing the back to the sides.
Here its important not to put to much pressure. Those rubber bands can do harm to a 2mm thick side. Besides. There´s no need for a lot of pressure if you´ve done the preparation well.
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RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
How come that the linings are so flexible? ( I would had not expected solid strips to be that smooth without damping / expect them to break at such steep bending.)
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
So after that, we get the first real idea of how the guitar will look. Here it is with the edges cleaned and ready for binding and purfling. oh dear, no picture. Here it should be: (I dont get angry if someone writes that the picture is missing)
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RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Preparing for bindings and purflings.
The bindings, I make in my drum sander and the purflings are normally just layers of wood veneer glued together and cut out on the bandsaw. I say normally, because the soundboard of this guitar will have a 1mm thick veneer of bloodwod, that I cut on the bandsaw and finished in the drum sander.
The bindings and the soundboard purflings are bend in my bending machine and the purfling for the back, which is thinner is bent on a hot iron.
The guitar is the having the chanels routed. I make what is callet a staircase, with different heights for the binding and purfling. Here you see the routing for the soundboard:
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RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Now, with the beautiful accuracy of the routing the pics start watering my mouth. And once the necks shaping started, attraction will only increase. The optics of raw guitars appear so tasty to me; if the finish wasn´t part of the resonating / sonic characteristics, I would had loved to have one just oiled or waxed. ( Eventhough it would be leaving it so susceptible for dings and dangs.)
It´s an irony of my life that I ever since loved working with wood and liked guitars from early on ... and went for a number of professions ( one of which I never even liked, actually hate), but not luthiery.
Guess I need to have my casket built in extra large, so that there be enough room for kicking oneself in the butt.
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Gimar)
quote:
what type of glue do you use to glue the veneer to the binding??
The veneer that is glued to the bottom of the bindings before bending is Titebond. I also use Titebond when I glue the bindings and the purflings to the body. I have used hot hide glue (hhg), but it was to stressy and messy. hhg is fantastic and I use it a lot, but on bigger or in this case longer surfaces, I hate its short working time.
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Hey, that was my own spontaneous creation! German mentality isn´t as humorless as the world used to think. These days there are even German comedians touring Canada and the USA, and perceived rather well. ( My personal experience was that my humor was understood in NY, and not so much in California.)
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Preparing the fingerboards:
My finger boards are normally around 5,5mm thick. I make tthe sides parallel with the plane and I cut the slots in my homemade gig. It works a thrill and again, mostly made with what I had lying around and what I´ve found. Its a good idea to put a bit of grease on the sides, where the runners are. Just a wee bit.
Next the fingerboard is individually fitted to the guitar. There´s alway a bit to be planed away on the bottom, between the 12th and the 19th fret.
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RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Anders Eliasson
There´s alway a bit to be planed away on the bottom, between the 12th and the 19th fret.
From the outer surface, to prevent buzzing of notes up the neck, I suppose? ( I havn´t noticed a slope on guitars fretboards, yet. ... Wait, actually I have! Always used to think that was to be a slight dip of the soundboard.)
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Nope, You have to plane on the underside of the fretboard. The neck sits in a slight angle and the soundboard might dome a bit. You have to adjust for that.
Posts: 149
Joined: Jul. 14 2011
From: Newark, DE, USA
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Anders,
This is a premier building log. I'm learning so much, unfortunately only catching up every few days or so. Thanks for the thoroughness and the generosity with your experience. My best to you.
RE: Building Guitar Number 100. (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Anders Eliasson
Nope, You have to plane on the underside of the fretboard. The neck sits in a slight angle and the soundboard might dome a bit. You have to adjust for that.
Got it, gracias!
- So, guess the dip I see every other time to actually be one.