Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

How much instrument building do you plan to do? Is this just a weekend hobby, building one or two per year, or are you going to start a business and be doing it 40 hours per week? I ask because the issue of RH control is very important, but only at certain stages of the building process (when bracin...

Runout is not thought to have bad effects on sound quality of instruments. If you book match a two piece soundboard with runout you get a different appearance of the colour of the timber under finish in each half. C95B3E5B-2AD1-4445-863E-BC866C8384C8.jpeg This is a cosmetic problem rather than a str...

Well, Trevor is making adjustable necks now too. I am hoping that he will show us what he has been up to in the third edition of the books - if he just gets his finger out and writes it (I mean, how hard can it be?) Greg - I did see that video a while back, thanks for reminding me. It is a take on t...

I am planning two new builds and want to try adjustable necks. One or both will be carved archtops, which is also a new venture for me. I have been reading as much as I can about adjustable neck designs and rediscovered the fantastic forum discussion from 2008 - an absolute epic at 15 pages and >350...

Great job. Two completions at once is a cause for celebration, and I bet the new owners are thrilled

Thanks for the heads-up Rod. I am in the market for some and I am actually on my way from Sydney to Melbourne right now. Once I unpack the chrissy presents for my kids and grandkids I will have quite a bit of spare room in the car for the trip home. Geez I hope they are open.......

Peter, you have built two guitars that you are happy with so you are obviously doing it well. But if you make the next one deliberately a bit lighter you might find it could be even better; especially if it is a small body. Kerfed linings or solid linings both work just fine. Solid linings are stiff...

Top thickness is a debatable thing. Factories like Martin or Taylor make guitars to fixed dimensional specifications, and make a fairly good guitar most of the time. For a small body guitar top (steel string) an industry standard would be something like 2.5mm. But when you build your own instrument ...

You could use a parlor style plan like the one for a 1918 Martin 1 series which is available at the Guild of American Luthiers website, and the same plan is also sold by LMI. The FroggyBottom P model is marginally longer and wider in the body than the Martin 1, but is very close with similar shape a...

You could try to twist it back, or you could plane it flat. Interestingly, there was a recent thread at the OLF discussing the idea of intentionally producing a twist just like yours to make a more ergonomic neck for the players hand. Check it out here: http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.p...

Hi Dave
That looks simple, cheap and effective - with good access for cleaning up the glue squeeze out. But I assume it has to be a dead flat back?
cheers
Mark

Welcome Ricky "First guitar sounds better than a factory build - but a bit ugly in places" We can all relate to that. I bet it feels better than a factory job too? It sounds like you are getting yourself sorted out for building really well. Tools will accumulate slowly, together with ideas for futur...

Hi Alex
I love this idea. Do you think they will grow sufficiently without monsoonal weather? At least we have La Nina settling in for the next season or two so Gippsland might seem a bit monsoonal!

Definitely going to be the sexiest thing on the beach this summer

I agree with the discussion so far. If you decide not to resaw then you can get by with a cheaper band-saw. I have a lower spec 14" Hafco from H&F. I think it is the BP-360. It does everything I need, quite adequately. A friend and neighbor has a very flash Laguna which I could beg the use of if I n...

Good luck with it Colin, and let us all know if you hit any trouble. The left/right adjustment of the neck alignment is made by fine adjustments of the cheeks of the heel, bearing against the exterior of the guitar body - not by adjusting the tenon. That is what Trent and Allen meant when they said ...

Thanks Wayne. I will try those options . It is going to be a while before I wet started on that project but at least I am starting to plan and think about it, and to read Benedetto’s book.
Cheers
mm

I love it Wayne. I have a mate who wants an archtop so I am planning to try my first one some time soon. Where do you source soundboard timber? I would be thinking of spruce or Huon pine. And what about those nice blackwood billets?

Well I am enjoying it so far. I have some friends who have seen my guitars and are keen to try it themselves, and I had thought of recommending a kit to them. Seeing you go through it will give me a good idea how to guide them. So, if you are up for doing all of the work of posting, I promise I, for...

Hi Alex. #5 looks great in the photo! I also find finishing to be the most difficult part of the build to pull off without flaws (which is to say that I have never done one without flaws). It seems to either require very fancy gear, or incredibly fastidious technique, or both. II am also very impati...

Absolutely lovely. Great aesthetic and execution. I haven't seen a neck done in silky oak before. It looks very nice - but how was it to carve and shape? How do you think it will go for stability - time will tell? If it performs well for necks I would consider trying it as an alternative to maple.

Hi Bernie Bob Connor, who used to be our fearless leader here at ANZLF, has retired from guitar making these days - and when we last heard was fully engaged with his whisky distillery :dru Your L-00 looks great, and very nicely turned out for a first build. The lutz and maple bindings look lovely wi...

I hog off some material with a plane or files and then use Trevor’s method of a radiused block, rather than the guitar top itself.
But the idea by Anthony Kreher of using that radiused block in combination with a belt sander - that is very clever.

Congratulations Joel. That looks sensational - especially considering it is your first. Great design and execution, and if it sounds good too then you have hit the jackpot. I hope it gives you a lot of pleasure. All really well chosen Aussie woods too, which is a great feature. Cheers!

Yeah, I does look really nice under finish. Definitely a bit walnut like. You didn’t mention the smell - and does it linger in the finished instrument? I must admit that I do sniff guitars.........