Italian over D. tucurensis, in a serious way
 

Every now and again I build a classical guitar. I also sometimes build a nylon strung non-classical, a "folk" instrument or more than once, a flamenco. But today's subject is to be a serious guitar. I hope that there are a few people in this sub-forum who will find this interesting, so I have started this thread.

The top is Italian Spruce I sourced from the Rivolta family in 2002. It is high altitude material from a small tree. The client spent some time in the shop with me, and would not have another once he saw this one. He certainly knows what he wants, and gave me a higher than average number of specific for the instrument.

Most interestingly, the customer created their own template which I am using as faithfully as possible. We worked through earlier drafts till it got to where I thought it would work, but it is certainly their design rather than my own. I wonder if it will sound other than my previous several?

I am delighted to believe I have placed the most surface aligned grain directly under the bridge, which is a target I don't always hit as accurately. When the finish goes on I may be a bit less pleased. We'll see.
http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/templatedtop.jpg

The back, which I call "tuc", and is sometimes called Guatemalan or Panamanian Rosewood, is of the highest quality, but had to be four pieces for this to be true.
http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/templatedback.jpg

Beautiful sets Bruce...:up:

This guitar will be trimmed in Snakewood, with maple purflings, not very unusual in my body of work. An untapered backstrip is unusual for me, however, but that's an aspect of the classic form.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/backstripin.jpg

Bruce, what's the bracing pattern to be?

Most likely a simple 7 fan. Many patterns work acceptably, and the magic is rather in proportion, IMO. Having developed a scalloping system that works very well for me on steel strings, I have brought some of that concept to the fan braces, and judging by my last few attempts I believe I am on to something. Stay tuned and you will see it happen.

Excited to see this one come together.

Humidity in my shop is usually a given here in wine country paradise and I have never felt the need to manipulate it like Luthier’s do in many places. But the last two weeks have had east winds (with catastrophic fire results, though not in my neighborhood) which lowered my shop humidity to 31% for the last 2 weeks. This means I have not been able to brace my plates on this classical guitar.

Today it is raining, and in another few days I should be able to continue with this thread.

I like the way the back strip turned out. Very handsome. Will be interesting in how it sounds once complete. Great thread and thank you for sharing.

We finally got some more typical weather here in Northern California, and the hygrometer has now shown adequate humidity for 5 days. I expect to get some braces on the guitar tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Thank you for posting this build over here in the classical section, very thoughtful of you. I will be watching how your build progresses with great interest. It is starting out with some beautiful woods from the get go.

You said the back was 4 pieces. I looked really hard and the only place I can see possible joins are the "wings" of the lower bouts. Is that correct?

There's a bit of wing showing in the upper bout as well. The timber as acquired was about 6 3/8" wide. It will be considerably less obvious in the end, if the others I've done can be counted on.

Yesterday I deemed my shop environment hydrated for long enough to get back to work on this guitar, so I made the braces and put some of them in. I am particularly pleased with my rosette back up plate as it is actually carved into a form to double as bracing to support the tendency guitars have to fold up across the soundhole. A close look will reveal that it is typically thin in the middle and 3x as thick toward the edges. My SteelString soundhole braces have shared this aspect for years.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/V7/clever1.jpg

The shape looks a lot like an old Manuel Contreras guitar I have.

As for 4 piece backs, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't like them, you can hardly even tell.

At the end of Wednesday. The neck is Cuban Cedar.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/braces1.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neck1.jpg

Spent a bit of time carving on the neck today. Going to have to go a bit further, dontcha know!

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neck4.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neck2.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neck3.jpg

Yesterday the head was around 40%, today perhaps 93%:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neck5.jpg

How lovely. Thank you for sharing the build photos.

I was trying to understand better the two thin strips (darker wood?) running longitudinally down the neck. At first, I simply thought that the neck was laminated from five pieces of wood, but now I am less sure of this. Did you rout out the cavities within a one-piece neck for hard-wood inserts to be added (under fret-board area)? Is this to add stability?

This neck is made from Cuban Cedar, and the black stripes are 1/8” x 3/8” carbon fiber strips inlaid on edge. While the neck will not be adjustable as far as relief is concerned, if I do my work correctly it won’t need to be as it will be very stable. Thanks for asking.

May get the sides bent today! Or maybe not, as I am going to a party in Berkeley this afternoon where I will once again see/hear Eric Skye play.
http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/plantilla1.jpg

Coming along:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/sides1.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/topsig.jpg

This back will go on in a few minutes:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/backbraces.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/ribbons.jpg

The back is on. It came out as centered as I could hope (always a question). I shaped the heel enough that I can proceed to binding.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/backson.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/heelishaped.jpg

Top binding is done, the back is still to come:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/boundtop2.jpg

I did not see any previous posts regarding that rosette. It is quite stunning. Is there a story behind that?

Not much of a story, Tom. The customer wanted a rosette similar to the one I used in my last classical guitar, and that’s what he got.

I like that rosette a lot too. Sexy side tapes!

Here's the 4th and final quarter of the binding going on:
This back will go on in a few minutes:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/4thquarter.jpg

Here's the back cleaned up after binding, and with the fingerboard on with clamps till the glue dries:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/FBglueup.jpg

I guess I meant it looks amazing and did you inlay all those diamonds etc. It looks like a bugger to do. Thought there may be more to the story of the work behind it.

Tom, You are exposing my corner-cutting in a public forum! Those are two commercial rosettes, one inlaid into the other. It does look good, which is why we did it, but aside from the tuners and the strings, it's the one thing I can't take full credit for. Well, there the actual wood, too.

I shaped the neck this afternoon. There's further to go, but I am off to an old tyme session.
http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neckshaped1.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neckshaped2.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP18/Greg/neckshaped3.jpg

ummm, no shame in that, it is stunning. You had the vision and the skill to do it. When something looks that good, why reproduce it. I congratulate you on it.