Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Hey Markus,
My post was written with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek because we seem to be going to so much trouble for such a small ticket item.
Cheers John

Markus,
I'd stick it in a saddle slot and hold it down with string pressure and leave it there for a long time!! Bet it wont fall out either. Now which way round to place the curve?
Cheers John

G'Day Bruce,
I recently repaired a Packard mandolin for Chris Johnson.It was an A style with carved top and back. Speak to Chris he may know more about Packard. Mando sounded very nice.
Cheers John
copleyaustralia.com.au

Google them Nick,and also Holtey Planes and then put one on your wish list. They were the best of the best before Mr. Bailey started casting planes. They were full of Brazilian Rosewood too.
Cheers John
copleyaustralia.com.au

Trevor, I purchased my go bars (round fibreglass) from a kite making supply shop in Sydney (Coogee from memory). I found them on the net and they were great to deal with. I did post about them at the time but it was along time ago and the post may have been lost in the great site crash! Any kite sho...

Thanks Eric,
Web sight is now OK, Yeah, I was trading long before my US namesake started importing Asian made guitars and my logo is a stylised version of my signature which I have used since the 60's. He's a straight up guy and we are friends on facebook.
Cheers John
www.copleyaustralia.com.au

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Toby for the first time on his recent trip to the east and he struck me as a fine young man, seeing his instruments I think he has a bright future and he has age on his side. I look forward to your contributions to this forum. Merry Christmas to everyone and a ...

Hi Dave ,
On my square necks I install a 10mm square steel tube which is epoxied into the neck flush with the fingerboard surface. It also protrudes 25mm into the neck block, this is not glued as the neck bolts on.
Hope this helps,
John
www.copleyaustralia.com.au

Hi Mathew, I just realised I have this book at the moment and it appears that Tony Faux specialised in electric guitars, he tried lots of Aussie timbers but settled on brush box. He was an antique restorer and developed a fretless electric bass and a six string electric with a body of an FJ holden. ...

Thanks for posting these photos Peter, it was a nice friendly atmosphere in the room this year and good to catch up with you and Ratty (John Buckham)
Cheers John Copley

G'Day Everyone, Dom, with the low profile T-track I don't rout a channel in the MDF but face the MDF with Masonite which is the same height as the channel. Masonite is known as tempered hardboard in the States I think. You can fix the channel first and then butt Masonite up against either side for a...

Well done Allan,
What sort of pickup have you got in your weissie? That sounded pretty good.
Congratulations, Cheers Chopper

Jeremys clarification is proved by the fact that Hare and Forbes carry the same machines as Carba-Tec and sell them at a better price . They have the absolute best after sales service and carry the spare parts to back it up. Sound like a plug? No, just a very happy customer who has been on the end o...

Hi Gratay, A word of caution, if that laminate trimmer is the model I think it is please be careful how you place it down after use as the switch is not guarded and can turn itself on accidently. I swapped mine out of the same sort of jig as yours and put it in the Stew-Mac jig and could'nt be happi...

My bad,
You can contact them on Ph.02 9315 7001
Fax 02 9315 8534
Cheers Chopper

After trying to obtain fibreglass go bar rods at a reasonable cost, I finally found a business who had the very thing and were great to deal with. They are Kite Magic in Sydney, Michael Richards is the proprieter. He sells the rod in 1metre lengths and I was able to buy 10 lengths and 40 caps for $4...

Hi Dave,
Bob Cefalu, of RC tonewoods (site sponser) has black and white fibre sheets 150mm wide in 10 and 20 thou. by 30"
Cheers Chopper

G'day Stimpy,
If the finger board is beyond repair, remove the frets and nut and take off the old board on a belt sander, a stationary one affords good control and you should end up with the original surface to affix a new one to.
Cheers Chopper

Yet another way to rout for slotted headstocks is to drill with a forstner bit the start and finish (each end ) of the slot and then with a 1/4" bit in the router and using an edge guide against the side of the peghead rout down the centreline between the two holes . Once this is done you can then a...

For those still wondering, have a look at Taffys post on his' OOO finished and delivered' and you will see what he did with the bushings he received with his Schallers. This is what I do with slotted pegheads as well as I think it is better support for the string post and when you think about it, it...

Hi Rod, Blackwood will bend with no problems at all. It will turn green if you only wrap it in foil, I have found that placing two layers of blotting paper on the out side and one on the inside of the timber first and then wrapping in the foil will prevent the green thing happening. It seems to help...

Last year I purchased an air scrubber from Hare and Forbes in Sydney along with a whole lot of other goodies. Installed it, switched it on, nothing,blown fuse.New fuse got it going but every now and then it would blow the fuse on startup until finally it went Phfftt! Yesterday I drove up to H&F, arr...

I've been using blotting paper, one layer on the inside, two on the outside,wrap the lot in foil for a stain free side. By the way, I'm still using the galvanised sheet steel I temporarily made my slats out of until I could get the proper slats. I've not experienced any problems with them so I guess...

Guy's,
Check out the vice screws from Timbecon in Perth, I'm sure the tail vice screw is the same or adaptable. They have a web site
Cheers John

Hi Jack,
I should have mentioned that my saw did not work too well until I removed all the lacquer coating on it with thinners, after that it performed nicely.
kind regards John