Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

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Mark McLean
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Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

Post by Mark McLean » Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:29 pm

This is my 5th build. A friend requested that I make her a tenor guitar as she has very small hands and liked the narrow neck of a tenor. I didn't know much about them but did a bit of research and designed this based on a L-OO body (Gibson made a lot of L-OO tenors back in the day). It has a 23 inch scale length, 12th fret neck join, zero fret (to adapt a neck blank that I already had to the required scale, and because I like a zero fret). Waterfall bubinga (from Bob Cefalu) and a sitka top. Fairly plain maple bindings (didn't want to compete with that crazy bubinga) and ebony fb, headplate and bridge. The sea creatures inlay theme was by request. The finish was a rattle can satin nitro, which was a bit different from the hand applied oil finishes that I have done in the past. Finishing is still my weakest skill. I tried it tuned in CGDA but much prefer it tuned celtic GDAE with heavier strings (more mellow, better sustain and the lower string tension feels better). I wish I knew how to play it!
tenor front.jpg
tenor front.jpg (155.44 KiB) Viewed 7625 times
tenor back.jpg
tenor neck.jpg
tenor side.jpg
tenor side.jpg (142.6 KiB) Viewed 7625 times
tenor soundhole binding.jpg

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martintaylor
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Re: Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

Post by martintaylor » Thu Nov 06, 2014 12:38 am

Great job! I love Tenors and have built a few. I have built Martin style tenors from the 1930s. Do you have it tuned traditionally CGDA or in Irish tuning GDAE?

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charangohabsburg
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Re: Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

Post by charangohabsburg » Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:13 am

Very nice and clean work there, Mark! :cl :cl :cl
And of course a gorgeous back. How did these Bubinga back and sides behave when working on them?
Markus

To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.

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Mark McLean
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Re: Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

Post by Mark McLean » Thu Nov 06, 2014 6:04 am

Hi Martin. GDAE worked best for this one. When I first strung it up I tried CGDA but didn't like it. Firstly, the string tension was high and rather hard to play - especially when compared to the six string instruments that I am used to, where I often tune down to open D or DADGAD. Also, the higher tuning made a rather shrill and tinny voice, and I broke some high E strings! When I put some heavier gague strings on it and tuned to GDAE it was a completely different instrument, with a much more mellow voice and better playability.

Markus
It is fairly brittle wood and I was a bit nervous about bending the sides with such figure. I bent them by hand, and I used some Supersoft II. But they bent very easily and no cracking at all. I probably coud have done it without the Supersoft. However, when I routed the binding ledges I did get some chipping of the edges. In retrospect I should have anticipated that and scribed a line by hand before attacking it with a power tool. It wasn't too bad and the small gaps filled without showing up. One of the good things about such busy figured wood is that blemishes tend to disappear into the overall pattern. The bubinga was otherwise very easy to work. It sands and planes well and seems pretty non-toxic. I get bad reactions to some other timbers (e.g. cocobolo). For this quite feminine guitar it worked well aesthetically.

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charangohabsburg
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Re: Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

Post by charangohabsburg » Thu Nov 06, 2014 8:07 am

Thank Mark, that's some very valuable information for me - guess why. :D
Markus

To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.

kiwinoz62
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Re: Bubinga/Sitka tenor guitar

Post by kiwinoz62 » Thu Nov 06, 2014 1:58 pm

That's nice.
Love the simple yet effective rosette & the finish to the soundhole.
The centre stripe with the neck stripe compliment one another & the bubinga looks terrific.
You're workmanship is nice & clean & up there with the best.

Well done. .
cheers wayne . . .

'keep on strummin'

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