BRYANT TRENIER: 17” “Aritifex” Archtop (Bosnian Maple/Italian Alpine Spruce)

[Zandit75]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Bryant rough carves the outside of the Bosnian Maple back after the box is closed and the neck is on. This allows him to tap tune the carve and release the recurve in the assembled box where the back and top can interact acoustically.

You can't go from rough carved to pristine smooth photos like that!!!

That's just cheating!!

[iim7V7IM7]

Bryant has now moved ahead into finishing the guitar. The sunburst and initial clear coats of nitrocellulose lacquer have been applied. He still has about 6 more coats of clear nitro to apply. Since Bryant moved his shop to the south of France a few years ago, many of his sunbursts reflect the local countryside colors of the Uzes area.

[cigarfan]

That is just plain gorgeous!

[mountainguitar]

That is beautiful! I love that sunburst- wow! I've never thought of myself as an arch top person, but this thread is having me reconsider!

Thanks for taking us along on this journey-

beth

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

That is just plain gorgeous!

Originally Posted by bmh1

That is beautiful! I love that sunburst- wow! I've never thought of myself as an arch top person, but this thread is having me reconsider!

Thanks for taking us along on this journey-

beth

Hi, if either of you are attending the Artisan Guitar Show in Harrisburg, PA on April 12-14 you are welcome to audition this guitar. Bryant will be exhibiting it at the show.... Archtop guitars, like flat top guitars can range in their acoustic properties depending on the goals of the instrument.

[ruby50]

If he carves the outside of the back after the box is closed, how dose he know how thick the material is? Interesting

Ed

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by ruby50

If he carves the outside of the back after the box is closed, how dose he know how thick the material is? Interesting

Ed

Luthiers have magnetic tools like this (below) that allow them to measure the thickness from the outside and also use their senses in judging how the back flexes and how the tap tone interacts with the top.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tool...ess_Gauge.html

[ruby50]

Thanks for that. Pretty great tool, no?

Ed

[iim7V7IM7]

Now that the final coats of nitrocellulose lacquer has been applied, Bryant has moved on to begin to create the tailpiece, bridge and finger rest. Here are some shots of the tailpiece and bridge being fabricated from some Gaboon Ebony (the striped, Macassar Ebony one shown is for another guitar that he is building).

[cigarfan]

Slick! Looking schweeet.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Slick! Looking schweeet.

Thanks Dennis...

[iim7V7IM7]

[iim7V7IM7]

My spies in Uzes, France have informed me that a Custom 17” acoustic archtop, “Artifex” S.N. 1144 has been stringed up and the initial impressions are “very positive”...

[cigarfan]

Well this is good news. Awesome!

[iim7V7IM7]

Here’s a few shots from Bryant’s workshop bench from today. These are a few photos of the “Artifex” now with strings after bridge work, setup, etc. The finger rest, truss rod cover, pickup and electronic controls will go on later this week...