Build Thread: Stahl Style #6 inspired.

[Steven Bollman]

This is my first acoustic guitar build. I must say, that my brother inspired me after seeing his masterful rendering of a Brothers Amati viola that he made. It's really magnificent. No, I'm not kidding. It's some really badass handwork.

I'm happy to have a lot of the tools I will need from my furniture building days. The top wood is quarter sawn Lutz Spruce from Canada. It was from a bridge stringer (support), so it is being repurposed. It's about 50 years old, so presumedly stable. The sides and back are going to be made from quarter sawn Brazilian Rosewood. The neck is Honduran Mahogany, with an Gabon Ebony fretboard and head plate. There will be some curly Koa binding and some other simple adornments still on the drawing board. Hopeful for a decent outcome. Much can go wrong. Still...there's hope.[IMG]

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[Jim.S]

Looks like you are getting it all sorted out Rex. What is that saw with the green handle, those teeth look bigger than the teeth on my big old Disston D8 rip saw with the thumb hole.

Jim

[Steven Bollman]

Originally Posted by Jim.S

Looks like you are getting it all sorted out Rex. What is that saw with the green handle, those teeth look bigger than the teeth on my big old Disston D8 rip saw with the thumb hole.

Jim

Thanks, Jim. That saw is a stage prop that an old girlfriend gave me years ago.

[Jim.S]

Ha! I thought it looked toy like by the cut of those teeth and the blade colour. I was looking at in the context of your workshop so it was messing with my head. Well if that was my laugh of the day I'm satisfied.

Jim

[Steven Bollman]

Originally Posted by Jim.S

Ha! I thought it looked toy like by the cut of those teeth and the blade colour. I was looking at in the context of your workshop so it was messing with my head. Well if that was my laugh of the day I'm satisfied.

Jim

That's about all it's good for, Jim. I'm glad it made you laugh!

[Steven Bollman]

Guitar vise mounted onto a thick old chunk of wood and an amazing height-adjustable 90 year old table base that I pluck off the street. It's kind of crazy, the things people toss out.

[arie]

nice so far. are you going to do the laminated bracing too?

[Steven Bollman]

Originally Posted by arie

nice so far. are you going to do the laminated bracing too?

Yes, I'm planning to follow most of the design. Although, there may be some modifications. I bought a chunk of mahogany from LMI that can make two necks. So, I will make a one piece neck according to the plan and I want to make a bird's beak neck/headstock joint on the other neck.

[ouimetnick]

Looking good.

[naccoachbob]

Good start going there. Welcome to the madness of guitar building. It's a great trip. Please keep the pics and narration coming.
Bob

[Steven Bollman]

A few more pix joining the back sides. Rosewood is so nice to work. scrapes and planes like a dream.

[Steven Bollman]

Testing my circle jig.



Inlaying the purfling made of very thin strips of maple and dyed maple. This part is stressful but exciting. I managed a very tight fit. The odd black strips sitting in the circle are purfling strips that I'm using to build up part of the channel because the router height adjustment slipped a bit. Takes a rookie...



I'm using my polished jointer's hammer to tap in the purfling.



I'll admit it... I'm pleased. This could have turned out much worse. I still have to shave down the top of the purfling and make it flush with the rest of the top. I will do that in the morning after the glue has had a chance to dry and cure over night.



Close-up. The seam at the top of the rosette will be covered by the bottom of the fretboard. There was no chipout that I could detect. I'll have to wait until it is scraped/sanded down flush to be sure.

[Steven Bollman]

The rosette has been leveled. I'm very happy with clearing this hurdle.



Detail of leveled rosette.

[charles Tauber]

Minor aesthetic thought for next time:

The shape of the guitar narrows/converges from the lower to upper bouts. The grain of your top has been joined so that it diverges slightly towards the upper bout, the opposite to what the shape of the guitar does.

To my sense of aesthetics, the two contradict and fight each other. If you joined the top so that the grain is parallel to the centerline, or even converges slightly, you obtain a more harmonious result. This is easily done by following a single grain line and removing the "wedge" that results along the center seam, giving you grain that is parallel to the centerline. Of course, this is done with the two bookmatched pieces together. The same applied to backs.

[Dru Edwards]

Great pics Rex. Did the rosette take longer than you expected or did you realize how difficult it would be? Good luck with your first build!