Gidgee Classical

A place where you can let us see your finished instruments in all their glory.

Moderators: kiwigeo, Jeremy D

Post Reply
User avatar
Trevor Gore
Blackwood
Posts: 1605
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:11 pm

Gidgee Classical

Post by Trevor Gore » Wed Sep 02, 2015 12:01 am

I did a search through the gallery and couldn't find anything with gidgee back and sides, so thought you good people might be interested in this one. Lutz top, figured gidgee back, sides and head plate, straight grained gidgee fretboard, "mad" gidgee bindings, NGR neck, "mad" gidgee segmented rosette with amboyna trim, with the amboyna also appearing in the head plate. Aus. Blackwood bridge, Gotoh premium tuners with real MOP buttons. All the gidgee was courtesy of Pete (Curly Timbers) and Jeremy at http://www.australianguitartonewood.com. Thank you, gentlemen!
DSCF6558Cs.jpg
DSCF6558Cs.jpg (119.14 KiB) Viewed 21432 times
DSCF6677s.jpg
DSCF6677s.jpg (60.24 KiB) Viewed 21432 times
DSCF6680Cs.jpg
DSCF6680Cs.jpg (77.39 KiB) Viewed 21432 times
DSCF6689Cs.jpg
DSCF6689Cs.jpg (121.59 KiB) Viewed 21432 times
DSCF6614s.jpg
DSCF6614s.jpg (79.37 KiB) Viewed 21432 times
DSCF6582Cs.jpg
DSCF6582Cs.jpg (101.47 KiB) Viewed 21432 times

User avatar
martintaylor
Blackwood
Posts: 288
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2012 9:17 am
Contact:

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by martintaylor » Wed Sep 02, 2015 1:23 am

Wow, Trevor, it looks amazing. Am I right in assuming the mass of the back and sides negates the need for any extra side mass? And, what was the gidgee like to bend?

User avatar
kiwigeo
Admin
Posts: 10582
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:57 pm
Location: Adelaide, Sth Australia

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by kiwigeo » Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:49 am

What's the finish Trevor...hard shellac?
Martin

User avatar
Trevor Gore
Blackwood
Posts: 1605
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:11 pm

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by Trevor Gore » Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:51 am

Thanks, Martin. The extra mass helps with projection, but the side masses are also about tuning the main top resonance. I managed to land the resonances close enough to where I wanted them without trimming with additional side mass, so as it happens, this guitar hasn't got any side masses in. It weighs about the same as an EIR guitar with sides masses.

Straight grained gidgee should bend fine - it just needs to be very hot, then it plasticizes well. The highly figured stuff is very difficult to get smooth bends in. The bindings have grain that runs straight through the thickness, so were a real challenge. Gidgee is very brittle when cold. As I was cutting the bindings some of them broke as they flopped off the saw!

User avatar
Trevor Gore
Blackwood
Posts: 1605
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:11 pm

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by Trevor Gore » Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:52 am

The finish is hard shellac on the top, the rest nitro.

Alan
Sassafras
Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 5:31 pm
Location: Canberra

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by Alan » Wed Sep 02, 2015 6:26 pm

This looks fantastic Trevor.If you want someone to test play it for 20 years or so, I am more than willing to offer my services. :D :D :D


I tried to acquire some Gidgee last year when travelling south from Longreach through to Bourke and was given a piece which was supposed to be Gidgee rescued from the firewood pile. However, when I put it though the bandsaw it had significant internal checks and splits making it worthless for instrument making. I had hoped I might get some ukulele fingerboards but it wasn't even good enough for that :(

curly
Blackwood
Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:25 pm

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by curly » Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:45 pm

Gorgeous work Trevor ,
Man what an honour to see a work of that calibre made from my timber . And we'll done taming that gidg , that was some cranky timber !
Pete

User avatar
soulman
Blackwood
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:48 pm
Location: Ipswich QLD

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by soulman » Sat Sep 05, 2015 8:21 pm

Beautiful work Trevor. Nice piece of Gidgee.

User avatar
Dennis Leahy
Blackwood
Posts: 872
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 12:32 am
Location: Duluth, MN, US
Contact:

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by Dennis Leahy » Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:20 pm

Wow, that is beautiful, Trevor. What a set of wood, and you did it proud.
Another damn Yank!

User avatar
demonx
Blackwood
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:55 pm
Location: Ballarat Victoria
Contact:

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by demonx » Fri Sep 18, 2015 2:19 pm

What a stunner. I'm sure anyone would be proud to own that one.

User avatar
H3ytm@n
Blackwood
Posts: 149
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:09 pm

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by H3ytm@n » Fri Sep 18, 2015 3:34 pm

Beautiful looking guitar!! :cl :cl :cl

Hope you get a chance to post sound sound clips :git
Mike

kpcart
Myrtle
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:12 pm

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by kpcart » Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:44 pm

nice work.
great that you got the binding to match.
what sort of bracing is it? fanned? and did you use traditional 3 braces on back?
how did you decide the bridge shape? , looks very light weight, do you have a bridge plate?
red cedar or Spanish cedar neck?
it is interesting you got the weight down, is it under 1.5kg?
what bracing wood inside?
can you do a sound sample?
I ask all this because I like it from the photos :)

User avatar
kiwigeo
Admin
Posts: 10582
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:57 pm
Location: Adelaide, Sth Australia

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by kiwigeo » Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:01 am

Trevor will no doubt answer all your questions.

You had alot of criticisms for Martin Taylor's recent classical build....be warned that Trevor's builds are about as "non traditional" as you can get :mrgreen:

kpcart wrote:nice work.
great that you got the binding to match.
what sort of bracing is it? fanned? and did you use traditional 3 braces on back?
how did you decide the bridge shape? , looks very light weight, do you have a bridge plate?
red cedar or Spanish cedar neck?
it is interesting you got the weight down, is it under 1.5kg?
what bracing wood inside?
can you do a sound sample?
I ask all this because I like it from the photos :)
Martin

User avatar
Trevor Gore
Blackwood
Posts: 1605
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:11 pm

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by Trevor Gore » Sun Nov 01, 2015 11:00 pm

kpcart wrote:what sort of bracing is it? fanned?
Falcate for classical.
kpcart wrote:...did you use traditional 3 braces on back?
No. I haven't given a name to the back bracing I use, but I use the same system for SS guitars as well. It's in the book; three transverse braces and a "star burst" in the lower bout.
kpcart wrote:...how did you decide the bridge shape?...
Structural efficiency.
kpcart wrote:...looks very light weight, do you have a bridge plate?
Yes, it's light. And no bridge plate.
kpcart wrote:it is interesting you got the weight down, is it under 1.5kg?
No.
kpcart wrote:...what bracing wood inside?
Spruce.
kpcart wrote:...can you do a sound sample?
It was a commission. Gone already.

And thanks to everyone for all the kind comments.

blackalex1952
Blackwood
Posts: 776
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:36 pm
Location: North East Victoria

Re: Gidgee Classical

Post by blackalex1952 » Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:08 pm

Call it Star Burst bracing! Or maybe big bang bracing? :lol:
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 48 guests