Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it seems like I've got 2 options to make my guitar sound better... 1. Pay US$200 (+shipping) for a "tonerite" and let it sit on my guitar while I do nothing 2. Pay AU$0 and do lots of practice to make me AND the guitar sound better Hmm, I wonder which one is a better use...

Spent most of last night listening to PU systems and all I can say is now, I'm totally confused. Didn't really like the K&K from what I could tell. Anthem seemed OK but not a amazing. This is like buying doublebass PUs all over again. Everything seems like a compromise.

I don't often get new guitars. I'm changing a few things around in my life at the mo and having sold a few basses, I was finally in the market for a decent acoustic. I say decent, because despite the amount of acoustic I've played in churches and schools over the years, the most expensive thing I've...

Thus far, I'm up to 8 basses and 1 baritone with tas oak necks. Personally I reckon it's a great timber for necks. Super straight grain, super strong, available, sustainable, cheap. Yes, it does tear out a little too easily and burn quick with a router or sander if your passes are too slow. It's als...

Hmm, that's pretty much what I thought....

I think he'll be keeping it. Coz it's taken us a year to get this far with one thing and another.

Hi all, I'm building a bass with a friend at the moment. He's done a bunch of stuff to it. Last week he spent some time doing the final shaping on the neck. I did some work on it today and discovered he's sanded a divot or notch into the neck surface just below the 14th fret on the bass side... You ...

I've built a few instruments now, all out of aussie timbers. Blackwood is nice. A few timbers that are easier to find and not so exy... Tassie Oak (Vic ash is the same timber), Silky oak (if you can find it), Qld maple, Kauri pine, Jarrah. Tas oak is good for necks and is often cut on the quarter. T...

timbuck wrote: Is this a Six String Bass ?? ...The "B" string confused me...Nice bit of carving you did there

It's a 5 string bass with a low B string.

Thanks guys. I think you're right Mark, I'll be going ahead with a bolt on and the owner of the bass is happy enough.

I've just asked him that exact qu. I wonder what his answer will be?

Yep, it's precisely that debate.

Right, so I'm in an interesting situation. Love some input from seasoned builders... I've got to the point where I was ready to drill neck screws and get this sucker bolted together when... My client/friend decided to ask me to glue it in instead. So we've been having a back and forth about whether ...

Hey Eric, Pete from jazzclub here. Fingerboard = Jarrah. Hard, stable, easy to find and beautiful.

Does it have to be acoustic? Coz an electric would make it a HEAP easier and you could be sure to end up with something with good sound quality.

Nigel, there is one significant issue with your youtube vids....

They make me desire guitars I cannot afford, let alone build!


But seriously, keep up the good work. You're an inspiration!

The other point worth making is, who actually knows what BRW looks like beyond a small group of experts and enthusiasts. Without cutting/sanding the timber, it's pretty difficult to prove conclusively. All manner of other woods could be mistaken for BRW. Alternatively, BRW could be passed off as IRW...

Without looking specifically at the unit, I learnt many years back that most motors and gearboxes for industrial machines are catalogue engineering. If you can find any sort of name on it, an engineering supply company somewhere in Oz probably has something identical on the shelf.

Cool. Thanks.

Thanks. Is there a specific sort of glue I should use to resist the oil affecting adhesion?

Ok, just hit me, the next bass I want to build has binding AND will have an oiled finish too. So, when do I install the binding? Is there anything I need to be aware off?

Well done mate.

Hi, ended up talking to Jeff Mallia. Gonna give it a miss.

Building a bass with a mate at the mo and he's wanting to use the Feiten tuning system. Has anyone done this? Also, how do you go about doing it on a purely custom instrument?

I'd be that Pete Mccurley guy talked of . Closest native timber aesthetically I'd say would be Cooba , Acacia salacina . It's got the same sort of washes of colour , same open pores , similar density if a bit lower . Tap tone is a fair bit softer though . We mostly mill it for Back and sides , with...

A neck?