Building Again
Building Again
Well I have been back to guitar building, finally... and wanted to show my ANZLF friends some progress pics.
This is my first stint at building two guitars at once and so far so good. I certainly see the time savings in not having to do all the set-up for each operation twice. More importantly though I see the real benefit as having the opportunity to refine the process in as much as it's not over after one go at it. It seems that guitar building is simply 300 (pulled that number out of my arse...) separate operations and since we can have months in between the next time we build we never have an opportunity to really refine anything.
The down side of multiple builds is of course the stuff that we don't enjoy will last twice as long.....
Anyway I am building an OM with Tiger Myrtle from Bob Connor (thanks again Bob - I love this wood) and a dread*ought with Sapele back and sides. Since some guy bought my only dread*ought last week I am thinking that I had better have one of these beasts in stock at all times.
Both will have black tops.
Here is a shot of one of the Sapele sides in the bender. This Sapele seems to be a bit more difficult to bend and the first side had an unacceptable amount of spring back which I fixed on the pipe. The second side I cooked hotter, used more water, and left in the stinkin bender longer so we shall see if this helps:
Here is a shot of the first Sapele side - very pretty wood indeed:
This is going to be the back on the OM and again I LOVE Tiger Myrtle!!! It is very deceptive wood in that it taps like wet cardboard but it bends, planes, and sands like a dream and not to mention that on a guitar it sounds fantastic:
And here is the Sapele back now joined and ready to be sanded with the ROS and 120 next:
I need to stop at a hardware store and buy more turnbuckles so I can get the OM bent and in the mold too. Building more than one guitar at a time is uncovering some additional things that I need to duplicate in the shop.
Thanks for looking!
This is my first stint at building two guitars at once and so far so good. I certainly see the time savings in not having to do all the set-up for each operation twice. More importantly though I see the real benefit as having the opportunity to refine the process in as much as it's not over after one go at it. It seems that guitar building is simply 300 (pulled that number out of my arse...) separate operations and since we can have months in between the next time we build we never have an opportunity to really refine anything.
The down side of multiple builds is of course the stuff that we don't enjoy will last twice as long.....
Anyway I am building an OM with Tiger Myrtle from Bob Connor (thanks again Bob - I love this wood) and a dread*ought with Sapele back and sides. Since some guy bought my only dread*ought last week I am thinking that I had better have one of these beasts in stock at all times.
Both will have black tops.
Here is a shot of one of the Sapele sides in the bender. This Sapele seems to be a bit more difficult to bend and the first side had an unacceptable amount of spring back which I fixed on the pipe. The second side I cooked hotter, used more water, and left in the stinkin bender longer so we shall see if this helps:
Here is a shot of the first Sapele side - very pretty wood indeed:
This is going to be the back on the OM and again I LOVE Tiger Myrtle!!! It is very deceptive wood in that it taps like wet cardboard but it bends, planes, and sands like a dream and not to mention that on a guitar it sounds fantastic:
And here is the Sapele back now joined and ready to be sanded with the ROS and 120 next:
I need to stop at a hardware store and buy more turnbuckles so I can get the OM bent and in the mold too. Building more than one guitar at a time is uncovering some additional things that I need to duplicate in the shop.
Thanks for looking!
- Bob Connor
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Good to see you back in the saddle Hesh.
That Sapele looks sweet.
I agree that Myrtle is a joy to work with.
I've been wondering how a Myrtle top would go? I know Jeffrey Yong tells us that Monkey Pod doesn't have much of a tap tone either so it may be worth an experiment considering the accolades his MP topped guitar got.
That Sapele looks sweet.
I agree that Myrtle is a joy to work with.
I've been wondering how a Myrtle top would go? I know Jeffrey Yong tells us that Monkey Pod doesn't have much of a tap tone either so it may be worth an experiment considering the accolades his MP topped guitar got.
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DREADNOUGHT DREADNOUGHT DREADNOUGHT
Yep, it's not that hard to say 3 times quickly.
Everything is looking sweet there Hesh.
On Myrtle tops. I've got a couple of soprano ukes with the box's closed now. Myrtle tops that are very stiff, both with and across the grain, and tap as good as anything I've hear. Not the Tiger Myrtle though.
Bob Connor mentioned to me that when it gets the fungus in it, that it does sound like cardboard compared to a piece that doesn't.
Yep, it's not that hard to say 3 times quickly.
Everything is looking sweet there Hesh.
On Myrtle tops. I've got a couple of soprano ukes with the box's closed now. Myrtle tops that are very stiff, both with and across the grain, and tap as good as anything I've hear. Not the Tiger Myrtle though.
Bob Connor mentioned to me that when it gets the fungus in it, that it does sound like cardboard compared to a piece that doesn't.
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Hesh...WOW!!!....that side bender, what can I say (was it made in the Ferrari workshop?), I guess you will get and nice laugh when you see my first side bender. I have only used a pipe up until my last two which I have made benders for, will post them in a thread for your entertainment. Looking forward to watching your builds.
Jim
'Jesus mate, that neck is as bent as a hippy in the sixties' (a mate of mine)
Jim
'Jesus mate, that neck is as bent as a hippy in the sixties' (a mate of mine)
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- DarwinStrings
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I keep coming back here to look at that bender of your's Hesh. I have always done it by hand on a pipe but this forum has made me make a few changes.
From this
To this
I don't have one of those blamkets so I just used a hot air gun and it worked fine, the blower does 600 celcius which would be ignition temp for some woods. It was faster than bending by hand.
The next step I suppose for me is to use yours as a model, I assume you use a blanket Hesh, is that correct?
Jim
From this
To this
I don't have one of those blamkets so I just used a hot air gun and it worked fine, the blower does 600 celcius which would be ignition temp for some woods. It was faster than bending by hand.
The next step I suppose for me is to use yours as a model, I assume you use a blanket Hesh, is that correct?
Jim
Thanks folks!
Jim my friend knowing how to bend on a pipe is an important skill to have and even though I use my Fox style bender most of the time I still use the pipe at times to touch-up difficult sides that have too much spring-back or for bending other things.
The Fox or Doolin style benders do make things way easier though. If I were to do it all over again I would check out the Doolin style bender and not because there is anything wrong with the Fox style - the Doolin style is just simpler and takes up a bit less space and requires less wood and hardware to build.
Maybe someone can post a picture of the Doolin style?
Jim my friend knowing how to bend on a pipe is an important skill to have and even though I use my Fox style bender most of the time I still use the pipe at times to touch-up difficult sides that have too much spring-back or for bending other things.
The Fox or Doolin style benders do make things way easier though. If I were to do it all over again I would check out the Doolin style bender and not because there is anything wrong with the Fox style - the Doolin style is just simpler and takes up a bit less space and requires less wood and hardware to build.
Maybe someone can post a picture of the Doolin style?
Jim, I was curious as to how you used the heat gun to accomplish the bend. did you heat the slat, starting at the waist, and heat each bout as you bent it?
Waddy
Build Albums 12 done - 1 in process
Clip for #1 Barrios' "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" - Not me playing
Build Albums 12 done - 1 in process
Clip for #1 Barrios' "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" - Not me playing
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