Brentrup Guitars and Mandolins

[Haans]

Sanded and ready for back strip. Difficult to photograph, but herringbone is strong.





Strip cut off top of back dyed and a few coats of laquer.

[maurerfan]

That strip really shows well .. nice mix of hues and grain contrast. Will need to keep tuned in to see further developments on your GC .. and nascent oak build.

[Haans]

Maurer, I intend to pursue the GC-6 to it's fullest potential in different tonewood combinations with red spruce. Might even toss in a German spruce/Malaysian Blackwood? at some point.
All that said, I do plan to try to make white oak a little more popular. It's difficult, and I am hoping that these new "instrument grade" backs and sides will lend a little more credence to the viability of the tonewood, and help to dissipate the stigma that accompanies using the wood for backs and sides.
As with high figure maple, once it is dyed, the grain fades into the background and the figure pops like the test strip shows.
Someone with some knowledge of oak guitars described the tone as a dry mahogany type sound. I would tend to agree, with a fast attack and quick decay. It has a clarity with red spruce that would certainly mic well...

[maurerfan]

Haans .. haven't ever played an oak guitar and not able to find much in the way of sound clips or video. Did find this John Arnold video of a slope-Dred in oak and red spruce Does seem to have a quick response, but also decent sustain that suggests it might strum well (scroll to :50 mark).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDEBY7X46WM

I remain intrigued w/ the thought of a 14 to 15 inch guitar in oak and red spruce ....

Thanks for being so forthcoming with your builds and techniques.

[maurerfan]

In the spirit of sharing .. to further extoll the virtues of white oak (german), here's a guitar that Martin offered several years ago in their arts and crafts series ..currently discontinued. It's a 000 size ..



Doesn't have Braz's "ink lines" and "landscaping" ..but sure is pretty. Note the dovetail join at the seam ...

[kayakman]

Your guitar`s are works of are sir...

[Edbuff]

I have been playing Haans GC6 for over a year now and it has definitely come into its own. I would describe it as a dry woody sound that falls somewhere in between Mahogany and Rosewood. The reason I say this is because it does maintain a little more in the way of overtone than mahogany but not nearly as much as a rosewood. It also has good sustain and is well balanced with excellent bass response. The amount of bass is appropriate for the guitar size without being muddy, its very clear. Oak seems to be an excellent tone wood. Its not nearly as bright as maple without the excessive overtones of rosewood and a little wetter sounding that mahogany. I just bought one of those small recorders and as soon as I figure it out I will try to make some clips, however at the rate I am going it could be winter before that happens.
Ed

[kayakman]

Are they very expensive?

[Haans]

Well, thanks, kayakman! Very kind. The instruments start at a reasonable price for a handmade instrument and of course, the more details you add, the more expensive they get. Check the website for details...
Ed, thanks for the tonal input. Don't know on which side of mahogany I would put it, but would agree with you generally. Discussing tone is difficult. I look at tone as either fundamental or complex. A German spruce/BRW guitar will be very complex, while a red spruce/oak or maple rather more fundamental...
Maurer, here's the clip from Daddy Stovepipe that got me to make the oak parlor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQJni...eature=related

You can see the oak sides when he leans over to speak. Strings are dead, but I knew right away I wanted something like that! BTW, he's playing the tune wrong (Lightning played it in open tuning), but it works out nicely. I try to play it both ways.
I put up the white oak GC-6 clip of my friend Bob playing a little "Coffee Blues" on the website. Here is that clip...

http://s723.photobucket.com/user/ivo...tml?sort=3&o=5

Not the best recording, but if you turn up the volume, you get the idea. It was also recorded when the instrument was new. Red spruce takes at least a year to even begin to break in, but is worth the wait. I probably could speak a volume on that.

The Arnold recording sounds kinda hollow. I would guess it's the auditorium he's playing in. He sure can play blues.

The board I got was from the same supplier that Martin used for those guitars. It's really too bad that they had to go and try to "theme" the guitars instead of just making oak models of their established instruments. If you blow up the photo, you can clearly see that the "dovetail" is either inked or marketry. The glue joint is very evident and follows along the edge of the dovetail without the black line. They also put some silly looking squares of some other wood on the ribs next to the heel. Just don't make Stickley furniture out of a guitar...
As far as sustain, yes, there is plenty of sustain, and while I don't speculate much, I doubt the material used in the back has much to do with it. The type of wood used in the back just "colors" the tone produced from the top wood.

[Haans]

Been kinda laid up with strained ligaments from the ordeal of resawing the oak board, but finally did a little work yesterday.
Received a GAL plan of a Stahl 6 yesterday and compared it to my own design. Interesting that they called a 15" box a "parlor" guitar. Also, very interesting, comparing the original to my body, the length is shorter, putting the bridge further back on the top, the upper bout is a bit wider, and lower bout is not as wide as my body. All in all, I would guess from first look that the top area would be about the same or possibly mine a bit larger. My box shape was refined several times.
I'll have another look today and do some more comparing.

[Haans]

Finally getting around again and was able to pretty much get the BRW GC-6 ready for a few light thinned final coats.
Back sanded with 600 grit...



Top after drop filling the purfling...



I received the issue of American Lutherie with the accompanying article about the Stahl 6 today. Looks like my guess of 10' radius was correct on the back, and the author says the top is a 12' radius. I just use a 10' cylindrical...
Also looks like my GC is roughly 3/8" deeper too, so mine is definitely not the author's idea of a parlor. I'll stick to my own style of parlor...this is a grand concert.
Tomorrow I will sand the neck and start the final coats.

[Haans]

Back is finally better, so buffed the MJ-12 yesterday. Will let it sit for a few days, then assemble and set up.





Also started the setup of my new white oak parlor.



Did manage to get it strung, but have to fine tune the action and dress the frets, etc...
The BRW GC is another story. Having problems with the finish, so sanded it off and has to be redone.

[maurerfan]

Haans ... been checking in daily .. glad to see you back at it again. I just love your purfling work. Regarding the Braz. GC, I believe you said earlier that you don't like to color the wood with filler, preferring to apply and sand thin multiple coats of lacquer. Can you share what the finishing problem was?

[Haans]

Maurer, I just forgot about some of the deep grain in BRW. Don't use the stuff much, but figured I had better use some of it as I have more than I can use in my lifetime.
Got the parlor finished and will take a few photos in the next couple of days.
Getting ready to gear up for the Hormigo GC and finish up the IRW GC. Cut some Wenge for laminated bracing, and will surface it today.

[Joe Sustaire]

Dang, those are some fine looking guitars!
The big dots on that parlor really give it a "retro" look.

Blown away again!