A tale of two Tenors - 2 Tenor Guitar Builds - Page 5

Mary · #61 01-10-2012, 06:27 AM

Ohhhhhhhhh, OK. Thanks! Now I get it. Nobody will claim I am a genius.

Is this the one you will bring to the McJam in June?

Kitchen Guitars · #62 01-12-2012, 06:13 PM

I got my hands on a Blueridge Tenor yesterday. A buddy loaned her to me. What a hoot to play!!!! The Blueridge Body is twice the size of mine. Mine has more tap tone na na an annnanna

Can't wait to string her up!

Kitchen Guitars · #63 01-12-2012, 09:12 PM

Nice to be back in the shop. I have gotten back to Photography earlier than ever. NOT complaining about Biz. Just yapping about being out of the shop

Got the neck bolt on set up 1/2 done. All of the holes are drilled. I made a temporary Jig for the neck and body.
A trip to Ace hardware should have me set up with my version of the Collings system. The thread is in the neck, protruding into the body, where you attach a nut. Seems so much easier than threading a screw through the block.
With that need for hardware stall I went onto glueing on the headplate.

Tenors are fun to play. I played my loaner for an hour last night. Just plucking notes for Over the Rainbow and such. What pretty tones.

Looking into these cool little guitars there seems to be a market. eBay always astonishes me with what old mediocre to great brands go for. What I also noticed was it is rare to find a builder of the Tenor Guitars. If I start making these little guys/gals anyone interested? What would you do different? Post here or drop me a note.

Kitchen Guitars · #64 01-14-2012, 01:44 PM

I spent a few hours shaping the neck last night. Looks great.
I have replied to all of the emails. I'll let you know when the project starts.
I think I'll use Walnut for all but special requests

Kitchen Guitars · #65 01-16-2012, 08:23 AM

Well, the first Tenor is now in the Tedious stages of finishing. The neck is still in "fine" shaping. The tuners go on today. The bridge is cute. Not quite symmetrical but close. I spent an hour sanding /polishing the Trapeze. I am very happy with how she turned out. When done I will be offering her for sale.
I have lots of images I am resizing I will post them soon.

Kitchen Guitars · #66 01-16-2012, 10:25 AM

The start of Kitchen #5 Tenor #2
I started to cut some Walnut to make another. My Bandsaw blade drifted so, I need to figure that one out. The board will suffer some loss but I will be able to save it.
The original plan was to make one of each size (2 sets of plans). But, for how quick the first one went and I already have made the forms and such I think I will do the same small body. This one is going to be dead strait Indian Rosewood
One modification. I think I will do a 14 fret this time.
In the words of the late, great, Kenneth Mars; "To the Lumber Yard!"

Kitchen Guitars · #67 01-17-2012, 08:07 PM

Switched to an all Mahogany. I had a few exceptional pieces with branch flaws that stopped them from being 00+ in size. Perfect! I feel guilt cutting into Dred Quality boards to make a Munchkin. Hey.... a name!
Top wood is joined. Back wood is ready to glue.

Kitchen Guitars · #68 01-20-2012, 07:33 PM

Fast week. The back strip is on. The Rosette in. Braces are rough cut (Lutz)

Tenor 1 I have the neck final shaping done. To 1000 grit and filled. A few coats of Shellac looks great. Another top and side session with the French Polish.

CBG_BUILDER · #69 01-20-2012, 09:47 PM

Awesome work thus far! I'm enjoying hearing about the builds but if you don't mind me asking, where's the pics???

Kitchen Guitars · #70 01-21-2012, 04:43 AM

Here are a few.

Here is the Munchkin next to a Martin design/Blueridge Tenor

Here is how Collings does his neck mount. I already have 2 nuts buried in the neck block. So, I will use threaded stock and make it like his mount
The pictures I took last night will be resized and such today after a couple hundred Basketball player portraits!

Neil K Walk · #71 01-21-2012, 11:56 PM

People, I got to see and handle this little beauty tonight. It's in the midst of being French polished and John did a pretty slick job with pore filling the walnut neck and Gaboon (sp?) ebony fingerboard.

Great job, man!

Kitchen Guitars · #72 01-22-2012, 02:32 PM

Some more wrap up photo's and some start up photo's of the Mahogany Tenor

In earlier pictures I showed a Dremel boo boo at the neck block. This is the repair. Fortunately the fret board covers most of it.

Here she sits awaiting more finishing

Less than a month! All she needs is Frets. Hee!
It was a great exercise. I decided to take on to utilize and tune skills. Neil was asking me questions on his build and I would have to dig a year into my memory for the answer. As I'd build 1 a year I would have to relearn and often make the same mistake I made a year ago. I am going to attempt 8-10 builds for 2012, 2 of which are sold. As soon as the weather breaks I am to start a Cocobolo OM. I can't start it till I can take the sander outside! My dust collection still leaves much to be desired. Thanks for looking!

Kitchen Guitars · #73 01-23-2012, 06:53 AM

Tenor 2 is starting off.
My goals on this build is to "Jig Up" and avoid the Go bar deck!

The Rosette went in clean. The theme was a last minute decision! My origonal Rosette snapped into pieces as I tried to apply bend! LOL Neil got a funny demo of how it went.

I put a thin layer of wood on the back to push the rosette up/out for sanding and scraping

I LOVE HIGH TECH! I put in the back braces (20' radius), I did all I could to avoid the Gobar deck! 1 brace slipped

I bashed it out. Cleaned the spot with a Plane, then a scraper, then sandpaper.

The replacement glued in fine

I made a stencil for my brace layout. The plans are for ladder braces. I made my own x brace pattern up.

Confession. The forms I made for the first Tenor was not very true or accurate. As I joined the sides to the back on Tenor 1 I used scraps and even a butter knife to true the sides lol. This picture shows me recycling my form and making it more true to the plan. The form for bending the sides only required a little build up here and there.
Today I will finish my forms. Bend the sides and attach them to the back. No photo yet but the back braces (Lutz) are shaped and ready. Probably my favorite chore is shaping the braces with a finger plane. All of the shavings sitting there looks like Dee Snyder took off his wig and left it in my shop!

Kitchen Guitars · #74 01-25-2012, 05:30 AM

Getting the forms perfect is taking longer than I thought! I really want the builds to go smooth so I will keep plugging. Seems I made the curve in the waist too tight a turn I bent 2 sides yesterday. Still not happy with how it is going. Butttt... I am closer.

I did use the go Bar deck for glueing the top braces down (20' radius on the X)
But, I set aside the fiberglass attack batons in lieu of sized birch and maple sticks. I did get attacked by two snapping sticks but it beat the re-enactment of Nathan Lane in Mousetrap!

A funny picture. This is the original drawing after I drew in and stenciled the Plexiglass

Kitchen Guitars · #75 02-03-2012, 10:15 AM

Here is my nod to the Collings bolt on method

I put on Retro Grover Rotomatics. 1. They distracted the look 2. They weighed more than the guitar!

So, I sent off for Rot Mini Grovers. UPS delivered them this morning and they are on! I have 5 more frets to put in. Clean up some slop on the neck, clean up some slop on the fretboard, finish the nut, fret work........ by tomorrow? Maybe!