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  #76  
Old 04-16-2014, 07:26 PM
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Bruce Sexauer Bruce Sexauer is offline
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I have taken a few licks from the Gibson repertoire, I think, and I have made one near replica. It was called an "AR" because it was Schoenberg and Eric felt "AJ" was just asking for trouble. II had 2 real Advanced Jumbos to fool with at the time, and the rendition seemed very successful at the time. Posterity will never know as the guitar was stolen from a storage unit and subsequently burned so there would be no evidence. . . along with a number of other interesting pieces including one of the real examples. Perhaps I'll do another one day, but I am more attracted to the LG series these days.
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  #77  
Old 04-17-2014, 03:54 PM
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Default Madness? Or reason?

Perhaps a little of each. Discuss!

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  #78  
Old 04-18-2014, 12:38 AM
Dave Higham Dave Higham is offline
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I wouldn't presume to explain why you would brace a back like this, except to say that you had probably decided on a 'non-active' back and that it's probably as good a bracing method as any other.
After looking at this forum for some time I've seen 'traditional' ladder braced backs, UTB plus X-braced lower bout, double X-braced, multiple x-braced (lattice), vertical lattice, ladder with a longitudinal bar over the ladder, the same with two longitudinal bars and they have all been from reputable luthiers who have chosen the way they do it because they think it works best for them.
When it comes to bracing fronts, the choice is even more varied, from ladder to falcate with everything in between.
I can't remember which reputable luthier said "whatever bracing system you choose, it will probably work if you get the strength to weight ratio right".
  #79  
Old 04-18-2014, 05:36 AM
clinchriver clinchriver is offline
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Sexauer's are very lightly built, I will speculate that this has something to do with the elimination of wolf notes.
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  #80  
Old 04-18-2014, 06:21 AM
Dave Higham Dave Higham is offline
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Guess we're going to have to wait for Bruce to wake up. It's only five twenty in the morning for him, it's two twenty in the afternoon here (France).
  #81  
Old 04-18-2014, 07:28 AM
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Bruce sleeps?
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  #82  
Old 04-18-2014, 10:03 AM
tadol tadol is offline
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I think he keeps a pillow near his bench . .
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  #83  
Old 04-18-2014, 12:52 PM
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Under the bench, Tad . . . ClinchRiver has it right. The back seemed inadequately stiff between the braces to me. This despite being perhaps the thickest back I've ever made. It's response was so unexpected I measured the thickness and found it to be just over .01". The pear wood back I am working on was also measured, since I had the tool out, and is +/.078.

The Limba is assembled at this point, and is super light, having a very live back, as planned. I have many times said approximate that re bracing, Dave, but I cannot be the only one to do so. While any structurally sound system will do the job, the art is getting the job done with the least amount of added weight. On this back, for instance, after adding the 'tweener braces I removed a substantial amount of the original 4.
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  #84  
Old 04-18-2014, 01:46 PM
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Yesterday I prepared the Pear sides for bending, trimmed them to size, and the did some practice bending on the offcut bits as I really had no idea what to expect. I'd rather make them thinner before starting to bend, should it prove necessary.

The pear turned out to bend so easily and hold the shape so perfectly I was stunned. I still had the similar sized pieces of the Limba that I bent a couple of days ago in the fox bender, and I thought I'd see what it was like to hand bend that. I now consider myself very lucky to have bent the side for the single 0 w/o trouble, for I found that no matter how gentle I tried to be with the Limba I broke every piece I tried and never did succeed! For anyone w/o experience thinking of trying to bend a set of sides, I have to say the pear is a great choice, the most cooperative wood I've ever encountered!

This European Pear is so like American Cherry (with which I have worked but never built a guitar) that I suspected at first there was some hanky-panky in the supply line. But as I work with it I find it is a different texture, a sharper smell than I recall, and the color has a (subtle) bluer cast to it, making it vaguely purplish and certainly pretty. There is enough variation from one tree to the next that I have not completely written off the question of honor, and if anyone has any experience with Pear I like to hear of it as this is the only example I've ever touched.
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  #85  
Old 04-18-2014, 08:14 PM
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I reaffirm the warm fuzzy feeling I am getting with the pear wood. Now I have hand bent the cutaway and the end of the side that turns toward it. It not only bends easily, it hold its shape as well or better than anything in my experience. Knock on wood, of course, as I am not done.

These pics may be old news for some of you but this is how I still do it. The back is at just 100 grit from the sander so it's not yet looking nearly as impressive as I expect it will. There is really nice fine flame cross hatching all the way down the middle, and knowing that you might even be able to make it out.



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  #86  
Old 04-19-2014, 03:25 PM
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Although I find it a bit challenging to hold a pen at the deepest part of the neck block, I bite the bullet and do so anyway! Most of my work has been titled and dated since the beginning, and I have become even more conscientious about it in recent years. Looks like I might get the back on today!
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  #87  
Old 04-20-2014, 12:13 PM
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Default Happy Easter

Looks a bit like an flamed egg to me.
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  #88  
Old 04-23-2014, 02:25 PM
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Yesterday I strung up the 4th JB-Uke. I am getting the build protocol sorted, I think, as it came out pretty doggone clean. Here are some photos.


I have made a page for this Uke (more pics) in my website, which can be viewed here.

Today I buffed the D. tuc/Carpathian WRX and glued the neck on, so more on that project soon.

Also, I have made the binding for the Limba and the Pear, so there will be something to talk about there as well, soon.

Thanks for tuning in!
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  #89  
Old 04-23-2014, 05:48 PM
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Off to Orchestra rehearsal, but first (this is as good as D. tuc looks in my experience):

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  #90  
Old 04-23-2014, 06:30 PM
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That is lovely, so much so I had to go back to the start and read up on this omish guitar you've crafted. Wondering: is it spoken for or is it spec'd. Lucky for someone it's spoken for- lucky for me it's spoken for. Thanks for sharing!
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