Cutty Sark, SS Pegu (1917) and a guitar

[Ozzy the dog]

As well as the acoustic guitar, boats have always been an interest to me and I have spent many happy hours sailing, windsurfing or canoeing on Coniston Water and the rivers and canals of the North West of England.

In December 2016, whilst I was mulling over an alternative method of construction for the sides of an acoustic guitar I imagined the straight lined decking of a large yacht. I thought how it might look if the sides of the guitar were made up from many small ‘planks’ of wood cut to follow the curved shape of the guitar and put together like a jigsaw. I imagined the side of the guitar reflecting the planked decking of the yacht and tried to imagine just how it might look… there’s only one way to find out.

Whilst searching for a suitable wood to best suit the effect I came across some Burmese Teak off cuts for sale. This was perfect as Teak is the preferred choice for boat decking due to its’ oily nature that makes it so weather proof. When it comes to Teak, Burmese Teak is considered amongst the best but is not the easiest timber to get hold of. Timber harvest in Burma, or Myanmar as it is now called, is very strictly controlled and only trees over 100 years old are allowed to be felled.


SS Pegu

The Burmese Teak I discovered on offer was part of the remnants salvaged in 2011 from a WW1 wreck, the SS Pegu. The Pegu was a steam cargo ship of the Henderson Shipping Company that was torpedoed by a German U-boat (U57) under the command of Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg on 8th July 1917. Unfortunately, the sinking suffered the loss of one life – that being the 22 year old 4th engineer, Robert Maxwell. The Pegu had been carrying a huge supply of Burmese Teak from Rangoon to Liverpool to be used in the fortification of heavy gun emplacements in France and Belgium.

This was perfect for my project, not only was this a supply of the finest Teak, but it also meant I could have the perfect timber for the effect from a source that doesn’t necessitate the felling of healthy trees. The bonus was the history behind the timber that would inevitably provide a talking point whenever discussing the finished article.

I started to research the SS Pegu and came across 2011 article in the Shetland times describing the refurbishment of the Cutty Sark in November 2006. Unfortunately, in May 2007, just six months into the extensive £25m refurbishment, the ship suffered a terrible fire. The fire destroyed about 30 tonnes of timber including the main deck and added a further £10m to the restoration bill.


The Cutty Sark, Greenwich, London. Well worth a visit.

The article in the Shetland Times centred on the efforts of a Shetland man, Magnie Mann, who was involved in sourcing replacement timbers for the Cutty Sark’s decking. The teak destroyed on the Cutty Sark was actually Burmese Teak and the restoration project had specified the wood could not be modern timber but had to be as close to the original Cutty Sark construction era as possible.

The company in charge of the restoration had identified the wreck of the SS Pegu lying 7 miles off the South Coast of Ireland with a cargo of Burmese Teak on board.

Magnie Mann was a salvage operator who had been working with a Norwegian company and was approached to look into the possibility of raising the Burmese Teak from the wreck to be used for the restoration of the Cutty Sark. In 2011, around 80 tonnes of teak was lifted from the Pegu – much of it reported to be in perfect condition due to it being submerged in the silt, 80 metres below the surface.

Now, is it a remarkable coincidence that brings the above story to my attention just as I was musing over a ship’s decking effect on a guitar. Is it a coincidence that this all happens in the year that marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Pegu. Is it coincidence that the reason for lifting the Teak from the Pegu was actually to restore the decking of a ship – and not just any ship.

Obviously the temptation was too great to pass so I have managed to obtain a few short lengths of this timber that has such a rich history to it. Although Teak is not considered a traditional guitar making wood, I could not resist the attraction and plan to build an acoustic guitar with the decking effect sides constructed from the recovered Teak.


A selection of the Teak ready to go.

Teak itself does present construction problems that probably contribute to it being considered unsuitable for guitars. Ironically, the high oil content of the wood that has helped preserve its’ 94 year sleep on the sea bed makes it notoriously difficult to glue. Traditional wood glue tends to be water based and relies on penetrating the wood to bond the sections together but the oil in the Teak prevents it from doing this. Fortunately, glue has come a long way in recent years and there will be something out there that will do the job – all I have to do now is find it. Probably go for Gorilla glue.

As the 8th July 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Pegu, I will set that as my goal to finish the product and hopefully time it so the last piece of the guitar will be set on that date.

Sources of information include: -

• http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/...for-cutty-sark
• http://www.deepsea.ie/gallery/v/Ships_and_Boats/Pegu/
• The Cross of Sacrifice maritime records

[runamuck]

I've used a lot of teak and have found that epoxy is the best adhesive. I'd recommend West System.

Adhesive concerns aside, you'll find that people shy away from teak not necessarily because of adhesion problems but because it's sonically dead. Tap it and compare it to rosewood or mahogany, even.

[tadol]

Second that - fascinating story, and very cool to get some of that material, but I'd very quickly drop the idea of building an acoustic instrument with it. Maybe a nice electric, where you could simulate the deck of a ship, or something other than an instrument?

[Joel Teel]

Hey Oz...
I'm a carpenter by trade, and I've had the opportunity to work in many different environments, and on many different types of projects. I've done extensive repair and remodel work on numerous boats (both sailboats and motor yachts), requiring Ash, Mahogany and Teak applications. Working with Teak, I've found that, even though it is relatively soft, it has silica-like content that can quickly dull your tools (especially planer knives when I'm dimensioning my rough lumber). It sands easily, producing coagulated sawdust due to the oil content, and can irritate the skin if it sticks to your perspiration. I've also found the West System epoxy to be the best choice when I'm glueing Teak.

Hope this helps,
Joel Teel

[Ozzy the dog]

Thanks to all for the feedback and advice– it’s all very much appreciated. Although Teak is not the best for an acoustic instrument I’ll persevere just because I like to see an idea through. The decision to build a new guitar started when I dug out the two rough halves of a Cedar soundboard that I have been moving from one dark corner to another for the past 25 years. The reason I never used it was that it had a thin spot which made it less than ideal.

Anyway, I dug it out and decided to use it and that’s when I started to think of an alternative way to build the sides. I have evened the thickness of the Cedar which has made it a meagre 2 mm thick so I’m not sure tone was ever going to be the best thing about the finished article.

I’ll treat this more as an art project than a tonal exercise. When it comes to playing something with the perfect tone I have a Lowden acoustic my wife surprised me with 20 years ago and if by some strange alignment of the stars, I ever managed to create a guitar with a tone to better that it would feel like killing an old friend.

Most of the materials for my projects are sourced from off cuts, scrap, or ‘intended for other purposes’ so it all seems to fit nicely so far.

[Joel Teel]

I give you two thumbs up!!! It's merely an investment of your time...and quite frankly, it could end up sounding like a dream...but you won't know unless you try. It will be a unique and beautiful project, and I can't wait to see your progress, if for no other reason than the fact that I use it regularly. Good luck, Oz...I'll be watching and rooting for you!!!

Originally Posted by Ozzy the dog

Thanks to all for the feedback and advice– it’s all very much appreciated. Although Teak is not the best for an acoustic instrument I’ll persevere just because I like to see an idea through. The decision to build a new guitar started when I dug out the two rough halves of a Cedar soundboard that I have been moving from one dark corner to another for the past 25 years. The reason I never used it was that it had a thin spot which made it less than ideal.

Anyway, I dug it out and decided to use it and that’s when I started to think of an alternative way to build the sides. I have evened the thickness of the Cedar which has made it a meagre 2 mm thick so I’m not sure tone was ever going to be the best thing about the finished article.

I’ll treat this more as an art project than a tonal exercise. When it comes to playing something with the perfect tone I have a Lowden acoustic my wife surprised me with 20 years ago and if by some strange alignment of the stars, I ever managed to create a guitar with a tone to better that it would feel like killing an old friend.

Most of the materials for my projects are sourced from off cuts, scrap, or ‘intended for other purposes’ so it all seems to fit nicely so far.

[Ozzy the dog]

Start of build update here.
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=464331

[CoolerKing]

Very cool story. 80 meters is very deep--I'll have to read the article you linked.

[Pitar]

Well, great story but too bad about the tonality of the species.

I'm an ex-sailor of catamarans of the personal size such as the Hobie 18-foot symmetrical hulls. Mostly day racing, in 1981 I embarked with a crewman on one ambitious race known as the Worrell 1000 ("Iron men, plastic boats") from Vero Beach, FL, to Virginia Beach, VA. I wasn't sailing a qualifying boat because it was a race only for 16 foot cats made by Hobie. Mine was an 18 foot and a much faster boat. We got about 10 miles up shore when we decided to sail the waters of the Gulf Stream where the swells got up to about 10 feet but never crested. In the summer they were shorter but by October, when the race was scheduled, the noreasters begin driving the waters of the northbound current into surface swells that often topped out at 12 feet if the wind intensity and direction was just right. The race itself was one long boring northern tack so we tacked east-northeast. About 7 miles later (right when we lost sight of shore) we entered the current. Halfway through the current in a fanatical single tack of flying off the tops of countless swells and crashing down onto on the back sides of them, we cracked a pontoon at the forward stanchion. With some rope we secured the pontoon and managed to fight back through the current before being dragged out to sea. So, we sailed the Worrell 10 instead. I was 26. Definitely takes a strong back and weak mind to sail a cat in the winter Gulf Stream.

I also built museum quality scale wood replicas of tall ships and other wooden boats of the late era, the Cutty Sark down to the Chris-Craft mahogany runabouts, many years ago. It was a woodworking craft of exclusivity that had no equal and one where the ROI was purely artistic accomplishment despite the respectable commission fees. I no longer have the patience nor mindset to further the craft.

Perhaps you might consider a similar method of guitar construction using contrasting species better suited to a musical instrument's purpose. The lutes of antiquity were fashioned in that manner. Your Teak would find itself to be a nice contrasting color for binding. I had one guitar (Goodall RCJC) that used Koa as binding, which has a similar hue as your Teak, and I thought it to be a beautiful wood for that purpose. Otherwise, I've never been sold on its tonality.

[Bill Kraus]

I am interested as to the effect of being submerged in salt water on the oil content of the wood. Is the oil content unchanged after 100 years?.

[Ozzy the dog]

Thanks for the interesting feedback everyone.

Originally Posted by Pitar

......I also built museum quality scale wood replicas of tall ships and other wooden boats of the late era, the Cutty Sark down to the Chris-Craft mahogany runabouts, many years ago.....

Those replicas sound interesting, would be nice to see some pictures if you have any to post here.

The race sounds like a proper grafter by the way - not sure if I would see that as a good day's sailing or a bad day's punishment.

Originally Posted by Pitar

......Perhaps you might consider a similar method of guitar construction using contrasting species better suited to a musical instrument's purpose.......

That was my original line of thought when imagining the effect but the story and romance behind the Teak was too much of a draw. As I wasn't completely convinced of the quality of the Cedar I had for the front I wasn't too concerned about the tone. This is more of an experiment with the construction and with an alternative bracing method (see update thread) so perhaps the next one will concentrate more on the real art of tone.

However, as with your suggestion of contrasting tone woods I wonder if someone more qualified than me could determine which species would best suit different areas of the carcass to control the tone produced by each part. This could keep me going for years.

Originally Posted by Bill Kraus

I am interested as to the effect of being submerged in salt water on the oil content of the wood. Is the oil content unchanged after 100 years?.

I think the oil has protected the wood more than the sea affected the oil. The sawdust still feels quite thick and clumpy (if that's the technical term for it).