Search found 705 matches

by peter.coombe
Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:25 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

Well the red gum mandolin is finally finished. Took a while because I ran out of bridges and Vern Brekke is having problems at the moment with the CNC he was using so had to wait for a bridge. Was well worth the wait. All the nay sayers on red gum now need to eat their words. This is the best soundi...
by peter.coombe
Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:24 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Grants
Replies: 9
Views: 8334

Re: Grants

I have gone through the process and was unsuccessful, and the reason given why was unsuccessful I thought was really stupid. It took so much time and effort that I will never ever apply for a grant ever again. It is a lottery. Way too many applicants, not enough money.
by peter.coombe
Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:47 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Overseas payments
Replies: 12
Views: 11923

Re: Overseas payments

I've always gone with the philosophy of - the easier and more efficient you make your process to get paid, generally the quicker you'll be paid. Yep, and the more likely you will actually be paid. Customers need to be comfortable with what they are doing or they will back out. Penny pinching on fee...
by peter.coombe
Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:48 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Overseas payments
Replies: 12
Views: 11923

Re: Overseas payments

I use Paypal and eat the fees, but most of my sales are local nowadays. I send a Paypal invoice, and they can choose to pay with their Paypal account or with credit card. It is important to make it easy for the customer. I have used bank transfers, and used to have a merchant facility, but most peop...
by peter.coombe
Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:35 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Identifying wood
Replies: 23
Views: 20884

Re: Identifying wood

Could it be celery top pine?
Nope.
by peter.coombe
Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:31 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Identifying wood
Replies: 23
Views: 20884

Re: Identifying wood

After looking at the picture closely, I can't tell if it is King Billy Pine or Western Red Cedar, but if I had to guess I would choose King Billy Pine. Cedar is usually darker, but some pieces I have are exactly the same colour as King Billy, and equally as fine grained. The only way to tell is to s...
by peter.coombe
Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:42 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

Carbon fiber has a very high stiffness to weight ratio, which is good for the top, but that is not what I want for the back, it needs to be heavy. Remember the see saw analogy. The top needs to be as light as possible, so a carbon fiber lattice bracing might be worth a try, but I would not use it on...
by peter.coombe
Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:37 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

That is shellac, followed by Aquacoat pore filler, followed by varnish. The varnish is Target Coatings EM2000, which is an oil varnish in a water emulsion, so it is a water based finish but does not have any of the blue tinge you can see on darker woods that many of the water based finishes have. I ...
by peter.coombe
Thu Jan 14, 2021 10:53 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

Not too shabby under varnish. I am happy with this. Will continue, more later.
by peter.coombe
Wed Jan 13, 2021 10:11 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

Thank you Trevor. I never used it until now because the one piece I purchased twisted and cupped badly, but I am not so concerned about that in a flat top mandolin and for bindings it should not matter. So far so good and it has been though some big humidity changes with the braces on. Will try a bi...
by peter.coombe
Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:22 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

Martin, you probably did not read my mandolin thoughts thread. I have been making flat top mandolins with dead backs for around 2 years. You can make a dead back by more hefty bracing, making the back thicker, using more dense wood, or laminating. I was mostly making the backs thicker. Why? They sou...
by peter.coombe
Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:16 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Re: Red gum

This is where I have problems with explanations. What is meant by "sound absorbtion qualities". A piece of wood has mass, stiffness and Q (amount of internal damping, high Q has less damping). High Q (e.g. rosewood) woods ring on for a long time, low Q woods have a shorter ring. So I assume you mean...
by peter.coombe
Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:10 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: Red gum
Replies: 28
Views: 28604

Red gum

Has anyone tried red gum (i.e. river red gum) as a back and side wood? Only thing I can find after a bit of a hunt around is it is too heavy, splits easily. I am looking around for an Ebony substitute for mandolin backs that is more sustainable and not nose bleed expensive. So, Ebony is heavier and ...
by peter.coombe
Fri Dec 25, 2020 9:09 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: More mandolin thoughts - the end result
Replies: 13
Views: 13154

Re: More mandolin thoughts - the end result

Here are some more pictures of the recently completed mandolins. The BRW and the Tiger Myrtle have already sold, the first and second Ebony mandolins I have not offered for sale (yet) because I am still trying to decide which one to keep. The Tiger Myrtle has arrived with it's new owner just in time...
by peter.coombe
Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:39 am
Forum: The Gallery
Topic: New OM guitar
Replies: 11
Views: 14194

Re: New OM guitar

Semi gloss, but satin is also available.
by peter.coombe
Sat Dec 05, 2020 10:25 am
Forum: The Gallery
Topic: New OM guitar
Replies: 11
Views: 14194

Re: New OM guitar

What's the finish on that instrument?
It is Target Coatings EM2000, a water based alkyd resin varnish.
by peter.coombe
Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:40 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: More mandolin thoughts - the end result
Replies: 13
Views: 13154

Re: More mandolin thoughts - the end result

Well I have just strung up a new Tiger Myrtle and the second Ebony mandolin in the last few days. The Myrtle is a step below both Ebony mandolins in sound, although the back weight is about the same. I said I could not imagine any flat top mandolin sounding any better, well it is time to eat my word...
by peter.coombe
Sat Nov 28, 2020 10:01 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: More mandolin thoughts - the end result
Replies: 13
Views: 13154

Re: More mandolin thoughts - the end result

Of course a 3 or 4 piece back would work, but it is additional work, and I am not sure how the customers would see it. I did make a mandolin with a BRW back, and it sounded quite nice, slightly louder and brighter than the Ebony, but lacked something and I always went back to the Ebony mandolin. A l...
by peter.coombe
Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:19 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: More mandolin thoughts - the end result
Replies: 13
Views: 13154

Re: More mandolin thoughts - the end result

I do have enough Gidgee for one of these mandolins, so that is on the to do list. Gidgee has the same problem as Ebony, rare to find pieces wide enough. I have plenty more Ebony, but would have to make a 3 or 4 piece back. Certainly you could drop the main air mode by using a smaller sound hole, but...
by peter.coombe
Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:13 pm
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: More mandolin thoughts - the end result
Replies: 13
Views: 13154

More mandolin thoughts - the end result

Some time ago I posted some mandolin thoughts about how I was using the principles outlined in the Gore/Gilet books to improve the sound of my flat top mandolins. A quick summary - I found that the main back mode of my flat top mandolins was 3 semitones below that of the main top mode. This matched ...
by peter.coombe
Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:32 am
Forum: The Gallery
Topic: New OM guitar
Replies: 11
Views: 14194

Re: New OM guitar

Bolt on neck, and I am not a guitar player and cannot do it justice so no sound sample until I can persuade a real guitar player to play it a bit in front of a mic.
by peter.coombe
Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:32 am
Forum: The Gallery
Topic: New OM guitar
Replies: 11
Views: 14194

New OM guitar

My latest OM guitar. Traditional woods, Red Spruce (Adirondack) top, Honduran Mahogany back and sides. The mahogany is around 40 years old, I got it from Curley Pete, came from a deceased estate, so I got lucky. This Mahogany has good colour and rings like a bell, but no figure in the wood. River Re...
by peter.coombe
Sat Oct 31, 2020 11:34 am
Forum: The Gallery
Topic: Flamenco Blanca
Replies: 5
Views: 7498

Re: Flamenco Blanca

Nice chops indeed. Good sound from the guitar.
by peter.coombe
Thu Oct 29, 2020 8:56 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: king billy pine question
Replies: 3
Views: 4614

Re: king billy pine question

Nope, no different from Spruce.
by peter.coombe
Wed Oct 28, 2020 9:02 am
Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
Topic: straight dovetail
Replies: 8
Views: 8890

Re: straight dovetail

I did use straight dovetails on mandolins many years ago, but have been using a tapered dovetail ever since. The reason I changed was although a straight dovetail is easier to implement, it is harder to disassemble. After a bit of practice I found the tapered version to be not so hard after all. Man...