Build Thread: Buendia OM Cutaway Multiscale Adi/Hog

[justonwo]

And the top bracing.

[mhw48]

Very interesting bracing pattern. Interesting, as well, that the braces are not scalloped. I am assuming that is how they will stay, or is there another step?

[Carpinteria]

Is that a “double” bridge plate? It looks like maybe ebony on top of rosewood.

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by mhw48

Very interesting bracing pattern. Interesting, as well, that the braces are not scalloped. I am assuming that is how they will stay, or is there another step?

Pretty sure they are done. Or close. In my recollections of seeing Somogyi-style tops I don’t recall seeing any scalloping. But I could be wrong.

Originally Posted by Carpinteria

Is that a “double” bridge plate? It looks like maybe ebony on top of rosewood.

Honestly, I didn’t even notice! It does look like double stacking.

[mhw48]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Pretty sure they are done. Or close. In my recollections of seeing Somogyi-style tops I don’t recall seeing any scalloping. But I could be wrong.

I don't think I've ever seen the bracing on a Somogyi-style top, so just my ignorance then in assuming there would be scalloping.

[dcn]

Such beautiful and clean work, Juston. I've not had the pleasure of playing a Buendia yet, hopefully soon!

[SColumbusSt]

Originally Posted by justonwo

And the top bracing.

Is that strategically placed bottle of Titebond a silent dig at us guitar weenies?

It's like Leo is saying, "I build some of the most coveted guitars on the planet and I use (gasp!) Titebond to glue on my braces. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by SColumbusSt

Is that strategically placed bottle of Titebond a silent dig at us guitar weenies?

It's like Leo is saying, "I build some of the most coveted guitars on the planet and I use (gasp!) Titebond to glue on my braces. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

Doesn’t really bother me. Some builders use a combination of glues, depending on where and what. Hide glue is great because it makes repair easy.

[jmagill]

Originally Posted by SColumbusSt

Is that strategically placed bottle of Titebond a silent dig at us guitar weenies?

It's like Leo is saying, "I build some of the most coveted guitars on the planet and I use (gasp!) Titebond to glue on my braces. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

Hardly.

Leo is one of the nicest and most agenda-free people I know. "Strategically placed"? Yet another conspiracy theory.

It's just a candid shot, and as Justonwo says, different glues for different purposes.
.

[theEdwinson]

Titebond Original is an excellent glue for woodworking in general, especially with woods that are not resinous or oily. For those woods, you need to leach the gluing surfaces with acetone, and for load-bearing joints, use an epoxy that is formulated for resinous woods. Or, good old hide glue, 320-gram strength.
I've had some bad experiences with the erstwhile Luthier's Mercantile FGX yellow glue, where perfect joints came apart, and bridges pulled up; but I've never had that happen with Titebond.

Jus' say'n.

[justonwo]

I think we can be reasonably certain that Leo will choose an appropriate glue for the job. He may even use some glues that are not AGF Approved®. I will let him know he's working out side acceptable AGF thread parameters.

[mhw48]

Originally Posted by justonwo

I think we can be reasonably certain that Leo will choose an appropriate glue for the job. He may even use some glues that are not AGF Approved®. I will let him know he's working out side acceptable AGF thread parameters.

Perhaps he’ll include one of those FDA “black box” warnings on his label.

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by mhw48

Perhaps he’ll include one of those FDA “black box” warnings on his label.

That's actually a good idea. I'll let him know. Sample working:

"The construction of this guitar may not adhere to the strict guidelines set out by the members of the AGF Custom Shop. Glue type, wood selection, bracing patterns, and construction techniques may deviate from the accepted best practices of forum members. The guitar may, therefore, sound and play in a manner that vastly exceeds expectations."

[SColumbusSt]

I hope I did not offend anyone. My comment was meant strictly as a joke. I'm mainly a UMGF Vintage Corner denizen where anything other than hide glue is verboten. I'll save my glue jokes for that forum. Leo builds awesome guitars and the type of glue he uses is immaterial.

Keith

[agustinb]

I'd love to see a photoshopped version of the glue photo above with a bottle of Elmer School Glue if someone out there is up for the challenge. I think that would spark some great conversations about pedestrian glues and their unexpected applications for the boldest of luthiers. Sure, the AGF might explode...but we'd have fun as the servers melted.

...but back to the subject of Buendia –

I lucked into one of his OMs last summer. There was one available 15 minutes away from me, so I went to the seller's house to try it out. Within moments of picking it up, I was smitten. Of course, I had to have it. And I'm glad I leapt at the chance.

I've since played a couple more of Leo's guitars in addition to mine, and to me they feel like classical guitars that just happen to have steel strings. The feel of Leo's necks, the way his guitars respond to soft and heavy touches, the balance of the strings when I arpeggiate a moody chord...

As primarily a classical guitarist, I felt *right* at home with his neck, his setup, his voicing, the responsiveness, all of it.

I'd go as far as to say that this Buendia OM I have has made me a much better player. It's given me access to dynamics I wouldn't have known were possible on a steel string, and it's led to a burst of new musical creativity inspired by the sound and feel of this guitar. I particularly love it in Drop D or DADGAD – it feels most "at home" with a little more depth in the bass.

Justonwo, I know you've been around the block a number of times when it comes to luthier-built guitars. I'm very curious to see how this build unfolds and how Leo brings your OM in for a landing.

¡Viva Leo!