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Old 10-07-2019, 01:43 PM
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IndianHillMike IndianHillMike is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Montreal, QC
Posts: 546
Default Indian Hill Guitars -- 2019

Greetings everyone!

It's a been a little while since I've posted but not from lack of building! I thought over the next week or two I'd update you all on some of the builds I've been working on this past year. I'll start with a sweet little OO I built for the various shows I took part in this year (Vancouver, Sonore, and Quebec City in a few weeks). This one has a killer set of Malaysian Blackwood and an Adirondack top...




This is the first time I've built with Malaysian Blackwood and it definitely won't be the last. I find it to be such a pretty combo with the Adirondack...




For the past few years I've been building with "structured sides" and have loved the results. I this case the core of the lamination is western red cedar and the inner lamination is yellow cedar. With a dark back, I thought it would look best to ebonize the yellow cedar. For those of you that haven't seen this process, it's MAGIC -- basically you wipe on a coat of something with a high tannin content (I used a quebracho "tea") followed by an iron oxide solution (steel wool dissolved in vinegar). Here it is after one side has had it's first coat...




A radial-grain rosette with a bound soundhole using Malaysian Blackwood and Arariba (aka Canary Wood)...




Here you can get a view of the structured sides and one of the ways I like to brace my backs. In addition to the standard cross-grain braces, I laminate my center strip into a 15' arch to help maintain support along the length of the back. I also have two other laminated braces on either side for the same reason with the cross-grain braces notched and crossing over of all the long grain braces...




The binding and endgraft are Indian Rosewood with a simple little inlay of Arariba to tie in with the rosette and headstock...





The top braced, carved, tuned and ready to go on! Keen eyes might note a tornavoz around the soundhole. For those unfamiliar with a tornavoz, it is a thin and, in my case, shallow tube (~3/4") inset into the top. The concept has been around since the early 1800's and lowers the frequency at which the main air cavity vibrates. The structured sides and sound port both raise this frequency so adding a tornavoz to the mix allows me to create a more balanced system and stronger bottom end...




Thanks for looking and stay tuned for more soon!


Mike
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