Curious About a Guitar

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Wandoo
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Curious About a Guitar

Post by deleted » Thu Dec 05, 2013 8:09 pm

I wonder if any of you guys might be able to offer me some information or insight into this guitar. I found it in Australia which is why I'm posting on this forum; perhaps you'll recognise some of the hardware.

I bought it in Melbourne from a Salvation Army charity shop almost 2 years ago for 15 or 20$. Something about it interested me. It seemed unique, possibly home made.

Prior to my purchasing it someone had brutally reset the neck for, I guess, slide guitar. I again reset the neck, though at the 13th or 14th fret the fret board runs out of line with the rest of the neck (up until there the intonation is great!). I've put light gauge silk and steels on it which I'm a little concerned about but after 2 months belly-up has not increased.

It's fun to play.


Here are the strange things: the gears for the tuners are huge in diameter (and appear to be made of heavy duty plastic; the spindles that the strings thread into are metal (1 reason why I considered putting silk+steel).

The bridge is recessed at the back, which I believe is suited for ball end strings (another reason I put silk+steel).

The top is solid wood, relatively soft, though it seems to be made from 5 or 6 separate pieces.

Inside the guitar, both top and back are ladder braced (the glue work seems fairly sloppy).

Binding is made from a strip of thinly coated wood.

Fret board is possibly completely flat. Not sure what wood it is made from, but the grain of it makes it look almost as though it is all laminated together.

The original bridge saddle was simply a standard piece of fret wire. I added a piece of bone after I reset the neck.

It seems there was a paper sticker (possibly with brand) inside the sound hole but it's no longer there.

Neck is bolted on, but had not been sawn off (the past owner sawed the neck to alter it's angle and turn it into a slide guitar.

Some of these photos are from before my operation.

Image Image Image Image Image Image Image

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Allen
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Re: Curious About a Guitar

Post by Allen » Fri Dec 06, 2013 6:55 am

The tuners are ones for a nylon strung Classical guitar, and that appears from some of the design elements as to what it's original construction was aimed at. The bridge style, rosette and neck/fret board all point in that direction.

Other than that, can't tell you much more.
Allen R. McFarlen
https://www.brguitars.com
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Cairns, Australia

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kiwigeo
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Re: Curious About a Guitar

Post by kiwigeo » Fri Dec 06, 2013 3:53 pm

The neck grain looks weird....

Oh right..its laminated.
Martin

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Wandoo
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Re: Curious About a Guitar

Post by deleted » Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:47 pm

you're right, it's clearly a laminate neck.

If this guitar is as cheap as it seems I wonder why they bothered to put a solid top on it.

Well, it sounds pretty nice to me and plays excellently.

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