The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 01-16-2017, 11:56 AM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default Blackwood duet: finished! Vid added

I'm starting a new build to further explore the unique geometry I've developed. If anyone is interested they can look through my earlier thread to see how my first build using this geometry turned out.
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=423497
I start by carving a neck block that sets the stage for an incredibly rigid rim. You can see the start of the Blackwood duet in the African blackwood bevel on the the neck block. The sides and back are going to be an unusual set of Tasmanian blackwood, paired with the African blackwood bevel. One of the interesting aspects of my builds is the early appearance of the finished surface in what would be a bevel on most guitars, but for me, is a continuous, distinct structure.

My guitars utilize a continuous bevel that causes the sides to act like an arc, increasing the stiffness of the rim by several magnitudes, with very little increase in weight. My father was an architectural engineer and impressed on me at a young age the incredible strength that could be achieved with simple geometry. One can see the fitting of the neck block into the laminated sides and imagine how rigid the construction must be, with the curving topline not only being aesthetically pleasing, but also giving upper fret access, while being intrinsically strong.

Here's a picture of the Alaskan yellow cedar strips that form the base of my laminated bevels. I like Alaskan yellow cedar for its stability and its pleasant odor, in situ. (the smell of working it can get a bit astringent though!)

More to follow.

Last edited by Glenn23; 08-13-2017 at 05:14 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-16-2017, 01:31 PM
TomB'sox's Avatar
TomB'sox TomB'sox is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: The Lone Star State
Posts: 13,449
Default

This is very cool. I remember following your last build using this geometric shape and it was phenomenal. I will be watching this all along the way. Thanks.
__________________
PS. I love guitars!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-16-2017, 07:50 PM
rogthefrog's Avatar
rogthefrog rogthefrog is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,058
Default

Very cool. Looking forward to this.

Question about the African blackwood strips: Are those thin-ish strips (like wide binding strips) that you bend into the bevel, or do they start as thicker blocks that you then carve into the bevel shape?

The 2nd picture suggests the former, but I figured I'd ask.
__________________
Solo acoustic guitar videos:
This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin

Last edited by rogthefrog; 01-16-2017 at 11:43 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-16-2017, 09:43 PM
Guitars44me's Avatar
Guitars44me Guitars44me is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Mountains east of San Diego
Posts: 7,376
Smile Another fun thread!

My goodness, your last thread was VERY interesting indeed. This will be fun to watch...
Cheers

Paul
__________________
3 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS:
Big Maple/Cedar Dread
Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC
Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC

R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro
96 422ce bought new!
96 LKSM 12
552ce 12x12

J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut

More
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-17-2017, 09:44 AM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rogthefrog View Post
Very cool. Looking forward to this.

Question about the African blackwood strips: Are those thin-ish strips (like wide binding strips) that you bend into the bevel, or do they start as thicker blocks that you then carve into the bevel shape?

The 2nd picture suggests the former, but I figured I'd ask.
Here's a pic of the African blackwood getting glued to the Alaskan cedar lams. The pieces are about .06" thick to give me a little bit of room to carve them after they are in place. Slight adjustments in thickness gives me the ability to adjust the line formed by the junction of the sides and the bevels. I'm a bit like a boatwright when working the bevels because I'm always after a "Fair" line; a line that has no kinks or irregularities. I talked in one of my other threads about my fascination with Sumi-e and calligraphy. I want the continuous bevel to read like a hand painted line that varies in weight and thickness, starting with a brushlike entrance at the neck, going all around the body and ending with the stroke lifting from the body at the opposite end. This will become more obvious when the lams are mated to the sides.
Thanks for following!

Last edited by Glenn23; 07-10-2017 at 07:29 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-17-2017, 10:43 AM
rogthefrog's Avatar
rogthefrog rogthefrog is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,058
Default

Thanks so much for the detail!
__________________
Solo acoustic guitar videos:
This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-17-2017, 12:56 PM
cigarfan's Avatar
cigarfan cigarfan is offline
Music soothes the soul!
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Within the blast radius of Washington D.C.
Posts: 5,177
Default

Fascinating! I be following along.
__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates ....
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-18-2017, 11:44 AM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default

Here's some pics of how I handled the Tasmanian blackwood back plate. The blackwood has some spalt and a sweep that I wanted to incorporate at the waist. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the cut didn't allow me to position the wood like I wanted to, so I made a couple of African blackwood wedges to extend the wood when angled. (the curve of the African blackwood more or less follows the original lumber edge)

It's a bit hard to see but the Taz is completely covered in that shimmery acacia curl.

I'm mating the Taz with an interesting piece of bearclaw. The sitka is particularly lightweight and is interesting in that it's noticably stiffer through the bearclaw and more pliant at the edges. I'm thinking it will move easier in monopole mode with its stiff center and more relaxed edge. The Taz is from Hearne Hardwood and the sitka from Alaska Specialty Woods.

Last edited by Glenn23; 07-10-2017 at 07:27 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-18-2017, 12:59 PM
cigarfan's Avatar
cigarfan cigarfan is offline
Music soothes the soul!
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Within the blast radius of Washington D.C.
Posts: 5,177
Default

Two very nice pieces of wood. Love what you did with the ABW wedges.
__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates ....
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-21-2017, 03:06 PM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default

Here's some more construction details.
The bevel laminations are built on forms that have the back's neck to heel angle, and the doming of the front and back plates, built in, so theoretically when I take the bevels off the forms they will fit in place perfectly. Of course they're never perfect and need a bit of sanding and adjusting. Then they're clamped and glued.

You can see the neck to heel taper in this shot. It effects ever so slightly the plumb line on the bevels, and this slightly varying angle has to be maintained. There is not much flexibility so you can't fudge the fit like you can with kerfed linings. The fit has to be perfect, especially since it is going to be exposed.

Here's how I handle the intersection of the neck block and the linings. The 2 pieces are lapped together and a gap is left in the African blackwood veneer. Later a patch is put ion and the sides are beveled down to match the angle of perimeter.


Last edited by Glenn23; 07-10-2017 at 07:20 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-23-2017, 07:48 AM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default

Here are some pictures of the rim. I have to say that the lightness and rigidity of this construction is astounding. Someday I'll have to stop construction at this point so I can have something to hand to people and say "Try to flex this!" It's basically a monocoque shell that distributes forces and vibrations so efficiently that the top plate and sympathetic back plate are allowed to vibrate much more freely than in standard construction. That translates into more volume, depth and sustain. All the good stuff. I'm still in the process of trying to figure out how to best realize all that potential when bracing and tuning of the plates, but I have some ideas that I think are really going to open up the possibilities.



Last edited by Glenn23; 07-10-2017 at 07:17 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-23-2017, 07:07 PM
TomB'sox's Avatar
TomB'sox TomB'sox is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: The Lone Star State
Posts: 13,449
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn23 View Post
Here are some pictures of the rim. I have to say that the lightness and rigidity of this construction is astounding. Someday I'll have to stop construction at this point so I can have something to hand to people and say "Try to flex this!" It's basically a monocoque shell that distributes forces and vibrations so efficiently that the top plate and sympathetic back plate are allowed to vibrate much more freely than in standard construction. That translates into more volume, depth and sustain. All the good stuff. I'm still in the process of trying to figure out how to best realize all that potential when bracing and tuning of the plates, but I have some ideas that I think are really going to open up the possibilities.


Not only stop at this point to flex it, stop at this point because it looks so darned COOL...so impressed.
__________________
PS. I love guitars!
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-23-2017, 07:57 PM
LSemmens LSemmens is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Riverton South Australia
Posts: 1,667
Default

GAS! It's looking brilliant.

Note to self: Must make way to get back into my carpentry hobbies.....

not for a long time, though, methinks.
__________________
Maton CE60D
Ibanez Blazer
Washburn Taurus T25NMK
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01-24-2017, 10:34 AM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TomB'sox View Post
Not only stop at this point to flex it, stop at this point because it looks so darned COOL...so impressed.
Thanks! I'm really liking these wood combinations. 1st time I've used Tasmanian blackwood and Alaskan yellow cedar and they both have a lot going for them.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01-24-2017, 10:37 AM
Glenn23 Glenn23 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 260
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by LSemmens View Post
GAS! It's looking brilliant.

Note to self: Must make way to get back into my carpentry hobbies.....

not for a long time, though, methinks.
Thanks! Nothing like folding wood until it looks like a guitar!
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=