First acoustic build

[RogerC]

I've been building electrics for about 5 years now, but what initially got me started building was the desire to build my own acoustic. I never made the jump, though, because of the specialized tooling, jigs, etc.

Well, over the past few years, I've acquired quite a few tools, and I've got some friends who've built acoustics, so I've really got everything I need at my disposal now. On the OLF, Joel Michaud was gracious enough to offer up a couple of build kits for anyone wanting to take the plunge into building acoustics. I was fortunate enough be the recipient of one of these kits, so now I'm apparently going to be building myself an acoustic .

As you can see, he didn't cheap out on the kit



I've got 3 tops (2 sitka, 1 redwood), 2 side sets, 2 completed bridges, bridge blanks, 2 slotted fretboards, fretboard blank, kerfed lining, B/W/B purfling, brace stock, 2 mahogany neck blanks, pao ferro binding, Grover tuners, and other bits and pieces I'm not quite sure what to do with yet. Oh, and he's also sending me a mold for an OM.

So here's the plan:

Slotted headstock OM
Black walnut b/s
Sitka top
Pao ferro binding
B/W/B purfling
Pao ferro fretboard
I'll probably order dyed bone bridge pins from Bob Colosi.

Oh, and Hesh from Ann Arbor Guitars is also sending me fret wire and a couple bone nut and saddle blanks.

This is going to be an awesome project, though I do have 6 electrics to get out this year while also building shutters and doing 2 bathroom remodels for the wife. That's alright. Sleep is overrated...

[BrunoBlack]

That's really exciting Roger. Can't wait to see this come together.

[Rodger Knox]

Careful with the Pao Ferro, (aka Morado or bolivian rosewood) many people are highly allergic to it, especially the dust. It's a sensitizer, so the reactions get worse with repeated exposure. It's one of my favorite woods, but I can't work with it any more.
You probably won't have any problem with binding or fretboard, but watch out for any skin irritation while you're working with it, especially sanding.
Acoustics are so much more satisfying to build, have fun with it!

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Rodger Knox

Careful with the Pao Ferro, (aka Morado or bolivian rosewood) many people are highly allergic to it, especially the dust. It's a sensitizer, so the reactions get worse with repeated exposure. It's one of my favorite woods, but I can't work with it any more.
You probably won't have any problem with binding or fretboard, but watch out for any skin irritation while you're working with it, especially sanding.
Acoustics are so much more satisfying to build, have fun with it!

I cringe when people call it Morado, Bolivian rosewood, Santos rosewood... I suppose as marketing efforts. It holds up well on its own without any marketing hype or falsely naming it a "rosewood" though it is related. It's actually a bit harder and denser than Brazilian rosewood. Being related, the allergen is actually similar to the one in rosewoods. So if you're not sensitive to rosewoods, you likely will not be sensitive to pau ferro.

I have a board here that's 14" wide, that I look to have resawn sometime soon, so I'm excited to see a build here! The stuff is getting ridiculously expensive; as of last check pricing out similarly to Cocobolo....

[difalkner]

Looking forward to this. I'm on my first build but have taken the chicken's way out - no photos until it is complete. That will hopefully be in the next two months. Good luck with your build!!

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

The stuff is getting ridiculously expensive; as of last check pricing out similarly to Cocobolo....

I use Pao Ferro for turnings. My cost from my local supplier is about half that of cocobolo. (I also use cocobolo for turnings.) I've had no issues with the dust from either of them, though I use appropriate dust collection and protection.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

I use Pao Ferro for turnings. My cost from my local supplier is about half that of cocobolo. (I also use cocobolo for turnings.) I've had no issues with the dust from either of them, though I use appropriate dust collection and protection.

Hmmm not sure why the spike here.... the narrow (8" and under) going for $22/bf and the wide (up to 16"!) going for $29/bf. Maybe you shouldn't tell your supplier about this!

[CaffeinatedOne]

Nice cache of timber!

[RogerC]

Originally Posted by Haasome

That's really exciting Roger. Can't wait to see this come together.

Thanks. I'm pretty excited myself.

Originally Posted by Rodger Knox

Careful with the Pao Ferro, (aka Morado or bolivian rosewood) many people are highly allergic to it, especially the dust. It's a sensitizer, so the reactions get worse with repeated exposure. It's one of my favorite woods, but I can't work with it any more.
You probably won't have any problem with binding or fretboard, but watch out for any skin irritation while you're working with it, especially sanding.
Acoustics are so much more satisfying to build, have fun with it!

I've used it for electric fretboards a few times and haven't had any issues yet.

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

I cringe when people call it Morado, Bolivian rosewood, Santos rosewood... I suppose as marketing efforts. It holds up well on its own without any marketing hype or falsely naming it a "rosewood" though it is related. It's actually a bit harder and denser than Brazilian rosewood. Being related, the allergen is actually similar to the one in rosewoods. So if you're not sensitive to rosewoods, you likely will not be sensitive to pau ferro.

I have a board here that's 14" wide, that I look to have resawn sometime soon, so I'm excited to see a build here! The stuff is getting ridiculously expensive; as of last check pricing out similarly to Cocobolo....

I got a nice board at Woodcraft last year that was about 5" x 1" x 36". I only paid about $12 because it was in their "shorts" bin. I couldn't grab it fast enough.

Originally Posted by difalkner

Looking forward to this. I'm on my first build but have taken the chicken's way out - no photos until it is complete. That will hopefully be in the next two months. Good luck with your build!!

Thanks. I'm pumped to get started. I've wanted to do this for about 10 years now.

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

I use Pao Ferro for turnings. My cost from my local supplier is about half that of cocobolo. (I also use cocobolo for turnings.) I've had no issues with the dust from either of them, though I use appropriate dust collection and protection.

That's something I'm sorely lacking in my shop is dust collection. I don't have room for a large unit, so I should look into putting together a cyclone collection apparatus.

[RogerC]

Originally Posted by CaffeinatedOne

Nice cache of timber!

Thanks. Yeah, Joel really set me up.

[difalkner]

Originally Posted by RogerC

Thanks. I'm pumped to get started. I've wanted to do this for about 10 years now.

I got the bug in '74 when I visited JW Gallagher and CF Martin (banner year for me for shop tours!). But it wasn't until last year that we decided to go ahead and pursue building as many as I can until I simply can't get out in the shop any longer (my wife supports this 100% so that's a great thing to have on my side!!).

So I have been building fixtures and templates and jigs galore so I will have some repeatability. It's been a blast and I know you'll get as much enjoyment out of it as I have. But I have made so many mistakes on Build #1 that I can't wait to get onto Build #2. Ah, soon...

[TEK]

I got the bug just a little over two years ago, I thought I would build a couple, I am now on number 20. It can become an addiction.
If I were to make one suggestion is to pick up some cheap wood for a trial run for anything you are unsure of. Nothing worse than ruining good wood.
Good luck, take your time and have fun.
Travis