Jack Spira bouzouki build

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by lizzard

Sorry if this has been asked. 3 or 4 pair? Modern tuning or old Greek?

Four pairs and I'll be tuning GDAD.

[Nemoman]

Looking schweeeeet!

That should really pop under finish too...

[lizzard]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Four pairs and I'll be tuning GDAD.

Cool. I hope you’ll post some sound clips, I’m sure I’m not alone.

[lizzard]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Four pairs and I'll be tuning GDAD.

In unison? Or intervals?

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by lizzard

In unison? Or intervals?

I'm going to have Jack cut me a nut both ways.

[jim1960]

The well-quartered Queensland Maple being used for the neck has a beautifully silky look to it.


The headstock will be have an Australian Blackwood overlay and will be bound in gidgee to match the binding on the rest of the zouk.

[colins]

Looking good!

[jim1960]

Things are moving along.

Here's Jack getting ready to do the gidgee binding on the headstock.


And here's the headstock bound and Jack's 'S' inlay in place.


The neck joint has been carved...


...and fitted.


Next up is the fretboard. I made a last minute change to my original choice. It's still a lovely piece of figured mulga, just a different lovely piece of figured mulga. The section on the right is the part that will become the fretboard.

[jim1960]

Jack has apparently moved onto the torturing phase of the build. My poor zouk is getting it's neck squeezed.


The bindings at the neck joint are put in place.


And next up is cutting fret slots into the figured mulga fretboard.



The black line that shows up on the edge in the middle of the board and runs to the middle on the higher frets end is just a pen line that won't be there in the end.

The fretboard being bound.


And finally glued to the neck.

[GeoffStGermaine]

Beautiful instrument! I'm surprised at how much the upturn in the headstock adds to the elegance of it.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by GeoffStGermaine

Beautiful instrument! I'm surprised at how much the upturn in the headstock adds to the elegance of it.

I'm not sure why, but that seems to be a fairly common feature on zouks. I've no idea why though.

[jim1960]

Fretboard is glued down and the frets have gone on. Here she assembled for the first time. The fretboard stands out now because it has some oil on it. Once the finish is applied, the bindings and the darker wood in the rosette will more closely match, tying it all together nicely.

[jim1960]

Jack said he put "some shellac on the top to seal it before smothering the whole thing in brown mud to fill the grain." But this hint at how the rosette will look with a finish on it has me drooling.

[colins]

That rosette is a winner!

[Halcyon/Tinker]

Sure looks nice!