Sexauer '21

[Richard Mott]

Bruce that new OM looks beautiful! What is the back wood? (Maybe you said but I could not find it in the thread.)

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by Richard Mott

Bruce that new OM looks beautiful! What is the back wood? (Maybe you said but I could not find it in the thread.)

I did not say, and I’m not going to. I would appreciate it if no one else said either, even though some will find it pretty obvious. Let’s just call it Rosewood, please. This is a commissioned piece, and will not be available.

[hayvis]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Chrome works just fine on your website pictures. The problem lies with your photos being http while the AGF is set for https which causes a security issue with chrome.

I use chrome and can view your website photos perfectly fine, but can not see them on the AGF.

The 'insecure content' setting was difficult for me to find (wasn't immediately obvious like most instructions on this suggest). Must be newer laptops etc..

The way I found it was to click Settings/Privacy and Security, and then in the search box at the top type 'insecure content'.

It then showed 2 results in 'Site Settings', and then I clicked and scrolled down and the insecure content settings appeared as if by magic.

Really hope this works for you.

Jim.

[Bruce Sexauer]

The previous guitar is halfway through finish, and I am onto a new one. This one is relatively conservative in having no MultiScale nor a SidePort. Also, while it is my own OM conceptually, it will sport a more Martin-Like headstock.

This FT-15-C has an "Old Standard" Adi top over a very nice set of Brazilian Rosewood. Here is the back with its (BRW) backstrip, and the top with the UTB and X installed and finnessed.

[awchiu]

That's a beautiful set of straight grain BRW!
Look forward to this build.

[iim7V7IM7]

That’s the stuff Bruce...

[Bruce Sexauer]

Here are some pictures of the previous guitar (still current, actually) with it's 4th coat of Varnish on it. I will apply the 5th coat later today.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Hey Bruce, that’s a very satisfying rosette. Nicely done.

Steve

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Hey Bruce, that’s a very satisfying rosette. Nicely done.

Steve

Thanks, Steve.

My rosettes have been Martin centric for many years, mostly. There was a brief foray into using burl insets, but I never loved them, and they are not as stiff as I think a rosette should be to control sound hole lip flutter. Then I started making L00 inspired guitars and riffing on Gibson’s single ring rosettes. I have a lot of different purfling strips that can be recombined in visually interesting ways. All this leads to my point: This is the first Martin-esque guitar I have made using a Gibson single ring inspired rosette. Because the surface area of the top is larger on their guitar than it would be an an L00, I hade the ring thicker than I would have on the smaller guitar.

[Rmouton]

Hey Bruce. If you don't mind me asking, what is sound hole lip flutter?

[Bruce Sexauer]

On guitars, as on speaker cabinets, the sound waves are affected by distortion due any lack of rigidity in porting apertures, which includes the sound hole. One of the traditional functions of the rosette is to stiffen the edges of the sound hole, functioning much as a cross grain brace. When segmented rosettes first appeared on high end guitars I began to realize how far lutherie has drifted from traditional understandings.

While this distortion can be measured, it is unlikely that most players can directly hear and identify it. It’s as subtle as HHG, or oil Varnish, or the Sexauer tone bar variation, or a dozen or more other things evolved luthiers may take seriously. When you add them together, however, they can make the difference between a good guitar and a truly great guitar.

[mhw48]

And here I was thinking that “sound hole lip flutter” is when your guitar gives you a rasberry! Thank you for that explanation, Bruce: so many small, subtle points that accumulate to make a great instrument.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I closed this month's guitar this afternoon. This is an FT-15-C, my variation on Martin's OM with a cutaway. The top is American Red from Old Standard (John Griffin, I believe) and the Brazilian is my 14th to last set. We should be able to see the completed box tomorrow.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I closed this month's guitar this afternoon. This is an FT-15-C, my variation on Martin's OM with a cutaway. The top is American Red from Old Standard (John Griffin, I believe) and the Brazilian is my 14th to last set. We should be able to see the completed box tomorrow.

14th to last Brazilian? Does that mean you are going to have to think about ordering some more?

[Bruce Sexauer]

I am willing to run out of Brazilian Rosewood. While I do believe that there is no directly equivalent alternative, I also believe that it is not required to make a world-class guitar. If there were no BRW, the world would not be a poorer place. I usually build 2 or 3 a year from BRW, and while I may indeed be productive for another 5 or 6 years, I am not counting on it.

I have pictures here of the latest OMish closed and ready to bind. I also include some bonus pictures illustrating one the hazards of using not quite straight grained wood of any species. Fortunately, I have a lot of stray pieces of BRW, and was able to replace the cutaway section of the sides with a piece similar enough to satisfy me.