Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

This is my first classical guitar. It has taken around 3 years, rumbling along slowly in the background. Made the big effort to finish it for Port Fairy. Glad I did, I like it, and so far it has kicked the behind of every other classical guitar I have had access to. A customer told me he had a "wonderful" Spanish BRW classical guitar he could show me. I thought great, a decent guitar I could get some idea of how good mine is. Well the "wonderful" Spanish guitar got it's behind well kicked, and the customer went all quiet. The thing is, now it is finished I know I can do better and I can hardly wait to make the next one. It certainly had some new challenges, and a couple of screw ups that had to be fixed, but overall I am quite pleased with it. Nothing radical for the first one, Hauser plan from LMI, Swiss Spruce and Indian Rosewood, with Red Cedar neck. I chickened out on the rosette and bridge, they were purchased. Next time I will make a bridge that is lighter than the rosewood bridge, but I don't think I have time to spend learning to make those classical rosettes. Eventually when I get my chops down with these things I would like to try falcate bracing. Might take a while though.

No point in building a rosette when you can get an exact Fleta replica. The premade Indian Rosewood bridges, I buy them but modify them to weigh 19gram with bone on the string tie instead of maple, you will never have a failure with them. I would say to anyone always be careful with the hauser plans, the sound boards on those plans were incorrectly measured, too thick, or hauser just used really soft light non stiff spruce. Also Indian is the way to go, the best classicals are Indian and not Brazilian. I have owned over 100 classicals and played all the top masters. I like that you kept this traditional. I say stay away from the falcate, the fan bracing gives the best tone cour range

Very nice, classic looking classical

Great to see another wonderful guitar build.

Wayne
https://wjguitars.wixsite.com/mysite-1

So kpart, how do you get the weight down on the bridges? Can't remember if I made the top thinner than the plan, half way to Port Fairy at the moment so can't check, but I think I did, the Swiss Spruce was quite stiff along the grain. What I do remember is that the fan braces were really small. Whatever, it worked, the guitar has a lovely sweet sound. I have been trying to decide what woods to use on the next one, so thanks for the advice, I think I will stick with European Spruce and EIR and keep it looking traditional.

I just take the underside down a fraction, and slightly round it to match the slightly domed soundboard. Then take the saddle lip down a bit as I only do 10 or 11mm saddle height for classical and 7mm for flamenco. Mine are 18 - 20gram for classical or 16g for flamenco, and I don't use a bridge plate as its just an upside down bridge really, and My braces are about 4x4mm sometimes 4x3. I've found the best classical to be light weight, around 86 to 89mm sound hole, f# body resonance and only 2 to 4 semitone pitch difference between back and top. What did your body resonance come out at? Segovias hauser was a super low E, so it had deep bases but fairly week trebles. Most classical are g or g#, I've never copied a plan cos each wood is different. I believe also in thinking of the guitar as an air pump, when you tap on the bridge, a lot of air should pump out of the sound hole.

China is a modern guitar builder's friend, search guitar Bridge tie on ebay! Scrape off the premade ones wood tie plate and glue on a bone one! Basically for $10-15 you have a professional quality bridge, and less work for the same result.

Thanks, that is good information.

In Port Fairy at the moment, and don't have my records, but from memory I think the main air mode came in at between F# and G, and 2.5 semitones between the main top and main back mode. When tapping the bridge before the stings went on there was a really big woof out the sound hole. Not too bad for a first effort, but I would like to shift the balance towards a tad less bass.

sounds like a good result.