Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Thanks Jim.
The top was especially chosen for this build.
It was stiff, light in weight and responsive.
Not sure if you have material but if not, give Tim Spittle a call and he can select suitable top, back and a sides set for you.
Cheers
Alan

Hi Jim,
I built a 018 all Blackwood sometime back and I thought it was very good tonally.
My Son uses it and likes the guitar with a k&k Mini Western system.
Here are a few pics.
Cheers
Alan

Watching with great interest Rod.
Looks a treat!
Cheers
Alan

That's a real treat Martin.
I would also be interested in how the mutliscale performs?
Lovely finish and I reckon the straight string pull headstock design would have to improve tuning, sustain and tone.
Cheers
Alan

All done. Its been a long restoration. Sounds good, smells good and is a joy to play. I had to replace the machine heads with the stew mac vintage slot head tuners. I'm using Newtone strings 13s to 55s low tension and they feel and sound good. The old girl is a bit fragile in places as the sides are...

I made a nut to fit in between the zero fret and the nut.
The intonation is not perfect but close enough for old style blues.
Thanks for all your discussion.
Cheers
Alan

G'day Jeff, Yes he would want to fret as well as slide. I will try a jumbo fret closest to the nut and see how that feels. The strings only have to be about 1.5 to 2 mm from the frets which a well worn and then 3 to 4 mm from the 12th fret. That's the drift I have researched anyway. Thanks for your ...

Thank you Martin that is the information that I am looking for. I mean you will obviously test the potion on some scrap and see if it's going to do what you want.
Cheers
Al

Thanks Mark.
I was more interested in some of the old style varnish recipes used by the Luthiers of yesterday.
I think they keep their finish process close to their chest as there are probably years of experimenting gone into getting their particular process and recipe right.
Cheers

Thanks Allen

Thanks Mark, I have no experience with the zero nut. Your explanation makes sense. Thank you!

Another question is I have a friend who has an Epiphone acoustic with a zero nut and he would like to convert it for bottle slide.
Is that possible?
Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Alan

Hello to you all, A builder friend of mine asked me a question the other day about hand finish. He would like to use an oil based varnish recipe to finish a violin. Apparently there are spirit based finish recipe's as well. I know very little so if anyone has some thoughts I would be very interested...

Yes I was carving a neck and my wife said we had to be ready to leave at midday and it was then 10 am. I thought will I use the template or just rough it out first and then use the template and get it perfect when I get home. It is a horrible moment when you strike steel!!!! I had a very figured fin...

Hi Steve,
Loving your series of guitar repairing.
Is the perspex caul with the magnets for stablising the crack underneath the top available to buy or is it your own creation?
Cheers
Alan

Great question! I have talked to my wife about that very thing when we had our will drawn up a few years ago. I have a few local friends here in Townsville who are ANZLF forum members and they would help my wife sort it out. Mine is not a big stash but there is enough to build 25 guitars and half of...

All the best to the ANZLF members for 2017.
Cheers
Alan

Wow Rod, that is one good looking guitar.
Loved the story regard your Grand Father the apple has not fallen far from the tree.
Beautiful work mate.
Cheers
Alan

Hi Rod,
The wood used and your artistry and fine woodworking skills are very special.
There must be an enormous amount of time thought gone into your work.
Beautiful mate thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Alan

Hi Jim,
Beautiful guitar and magic tone.
Autumn Laves is a great melody and I enjoyed your version very much!
The young fella is also a future performer hope he keeps at it.
Thanks for sharing
Cheer
Alan

Very nice tip Steve.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Al

Thanks Steve sounds like a good plan.
We will report back in the near future.
Cheers
Alan

Thanks Steve.
How would you go about preparing the top surface for the re-glue?
This has never happened before so I need some experienced advice.
Cheers
Alan

Getting close now to finish. I aged the top with a short black coffee. Maybe I over did the ageing but I can sand it back. I'm happy enough with the look. Being colour blind it is difficult sometimes however I do have good judgement on shade but no idea on colour. I'm going with some low tension str...

Hello to you all, I have an issue with a bridge lifting after twenty four hours on a new 018 acoustic guitar build. This is one of my student builds and this has never happened to any of my builds. The student did his own French Polish and we masked the bridge footprint off with Stew Mac sticky tape...