amateur build start! 90% hand built!!

[Howard Klepper]

Jeff, I hate to say this, but I hate even more to see you go wrong after all your good work, so here it is: the best thing you could do right now is plane off those braces and bridge plate and start over on bracing the top. Take a good look at what a traditional X bracing system looks like, and learn how to make it. Reinvent the guitar later.

[JoeCharter]

This thread is great.

I love Jeff's incredibly bold and creative decision. It's the kind of crazy thing I would do.

And I love Howard's post, too.

Can't wait to see the outcome on this.

[Ffejguitars]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Jeff, I hate to say this, but I hate even more to see you go wrong after all your good work, so here it is: the best thing you could do right now is plane off those braces and bridge plate and start over on bracing the top. Take a good look at what a traditional X bracing system looks like, and learn how to make it. Reinvent the guitar later.

I don't know the top sounds really good after voicing i think i may go the traditional route for the next two but i plan on keeping my first one and i kind of want to see how it turns out. Thanks for the advice though, i was wondering about those braces myself. i recently purchased Guitar Making by natelson and i think i will follow that almost entirely for my next two guitars.

By the way the next one will be a parlor sized guitar with sapele back and sides with either sinker redwood (i love the look and sound) or the traditional spruce route (probably carpathian) what do you guys think?

[ZekeM]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

This thread is great.

I love Jeff's incredibly bold and creative decision. It's the kind of crazy thing I would do.

And I love Howard's post, too.

Can't wait to see the outcome on this.

+1 to that haha i sure hope it holds up once you string it up! I personally think you should make a video of that process so we can all go through the process with you because it will be a nerve racking one! I really cant wait to see what happens. It will be very interesting to say the least.

[Leftyprs]

Originally Posted by ZekeM

+1 to that haha i sure hope it holds up once you string it up! I personally think you should make a video of that process so we can all go through the process with you because it will be a nerve racking one! I really cant wait to see what happens. It will be very interesting to say the least.

I don't think it's as much of a structural concern as it is a tonal one. There's a reason why 99%+ of today's builders continue to use the traditional X bracing system, and it isn't because of a lack in creativity!

[Ffejguitars]

Originally Posted by ZekeM

+1 to that haha i sure hope it holds up once you string it up! I personally think you should make a video of that process so we can all go through the process with you because it will be a nerve racking one! I really cant wait to see what happens. It will be very interesting to say the least.

i don't think it will have any problem of holding up to the strings, it is very stiff but the thing rings very clearly and has at least three seconds of sustain with a nice crisp tone. plus if you remember from the beginning of the thread i am doing a batson inspired tailpiece so the tension on the top will be cut in half

[ZekeM]

Yes yes I remember now! Well hopefully it will sound good then!!!

[Ffejguitars]

got the box all closed up. before i sealed it up i got a spray can of shellac and gave the inside 1 coat of shellac to help retard humidity change. I also started and have almost finished my binding jig, i copied the model that chris paulick has on youtube. well on to the good stuff, enjoy

top being glued on in my go bar deck

heres a couple of the top with the single shellac coat and the notches for the back braces already done (by hand )


heres the back getting the same treatment!

[Ffejguitars]

heres the back, you can't see it now but when i cut the back out before the braces went on i didn't do a very good job of tracing it out so i had to put the back bookmatch seam in slightly crooked so it would fit properly when i dry fitted the neck it was very noticable oh well it will serve as a reminder for all of my future guitars




i thought i would like the soundhole being open right to the sides but i don't like it as much as i thought. for the future i will leave a strip of soundboard to cover the kerfing. also the soundhole is a little small i will be making it slight bigger but i like the shape, i think i will keep the shape for my future models

[Richie H]

Beautiful woodchoice and nice progress! I'm very much a fan of redwood, in all it's variations..

one thing that puzzles me about the soundhole is the fact you cut all the way to the kerfing.. Am I the only one who thinks this? How are you going to solve this? Your binding/purfling won't be this wide, is it?

Cheers, Richie

[Ffejguitars]

Originally Posted by Richie H

Beautiful woodchoice and nice progress! I'm very much a fan of redwood, in all it's variations..

one thing that puzzles me about the soundhole is the fact you cut all the way to the kerfing.. Am I the only one who thinks this? How are you going to solve this? Your binding/purfling won't be this wide, is it?

Cheers, Richie

yeah i thought it would be cool having it all the way up to the sides and i figured i could take the kerfing off if i didn't like it there. i'm not a huge fan though, i think for future builds i will be leaving a part of the soundboard to cover the kerfing. but for this one i think i am going to cut the kerfing off and round that section of the side down to make the whole a little bigger and then bind that whole section with cocobolo

[Ffejguitars]

here's some more pics!


home made binding jig







next couple of days the binding will go on!! i can't wait. the binding jig worked great! i have decided to add a cocobolo purfling strip on all sides of the guitar with a green maple strip lining both sides of it and also lining the bottom edge of the claro walnut binding.

[Mike81]

sweet headstock! nice build overall, im anxious to see how you clean up the soundhole.

[Ffejguitars]

yeah me too, lol. I know what i want to do but i am still trying to figure out the best way to go about it.

[Ffejguitars]

Originally Posted by Mike81

sweet headstock! nice build overall, im anxious to see how you clean up the soundhole.

yeah me too, lol. I know what i want to do but i am still trying to figure out the best way to go about it.