sMg Guitars

January 10, 2009

I made some advancement on working the rosette for the spruce top, but discovered I did not have enough BWB binding.  I installed the inner and outer ring, and will complete the center ring which will be BWB PAUA BWB when I receive the BWB I ordered today.

I measured the thickness of the wood on my Taylor 12 string, and at 3.4mm, I confirmed I had the thickness of my top and back around 3.5mm and proceeded with the rosette and the back reinforcement strip.

Here’s what the back looked like before adding the reinforcement strip.

I used my gobar platform to install the strip, and also forced down the warped sides into the radius dish to allow the glue to dry with the back in it’s eventual shape.

I was concerned about the cracking sounds that accompanied the clamping.  My concerns were confirmed when I released the back from the gobar and saw the backstrip had split.

So, now I am double trouble.  I don’t have another backstrip, I don’t have another back reinforcement strip, and the warped sides won’t like being braced without breaking the backstrip again (I suspect).  So, as part of my emergency order for BWB for the rosette, I added multiple backstrips, multiple reinforcement strips, and to be on the triple safe side, multiple curly maple binding strips and purfling (these objects will be bent in my bending machine, and God knows, I will probably break a few in the process of bending).

The beauty of my task list, mentioned in the previous entry, is that I have several task paths which I can take should one or more tasks go south on me, like the one with the back.

I worked a bit on shaping the neck, bringing the thickness of the headstock down to 15mm, drilling holes for the tuning machines and installing fret dots.

I have decided to install the tuning machines “down” as I like the balance better.

Here they are “up” (the tuning peg exits the shaft on the upper side).

“Down”.  I still have some right side peghead removal to get the dimensions balanced.  It’s a little fat on the right.

January 3, 2009

Now that my keyboard has self healed, I can add captions to these posted photos.

I purchased a planer, and successfully created excelsior!  Actually, it worked very well on the spruce, but I erred seriously on a walnut side.  See below.

Joined the top plates, then sanded down.  I’m at 3.5mm, which may be right for a 12 string top.  I’ll measure my Taylor to see, then sand down to the appropriate thickness after I install the rosette.

This spruce has a lot of color change going on, which is an intentional choice of the commissionee.

Narrow grain at center widens out toward the sides.

The back pieces were warped, and I took a stab at flattening with heating blanket.  Helped, but only a wee bit.

Here’s a detail look at the back after joining and some sanding.  It’s still warped, and my hope is that the braces will hold it to shape.

Here’s the result of improper use of the planer on the walnut sides.  Let this be a lesson to you!  I THOUGHT I was paying attention to the grain direction, but erred and chopped out several large hunks.  This piece may be salvagable, but I’m not sure yet what for.  It’s now too short to be used as sides, even on a small parlor guitar.  Maybe a uke.  Nah.

December 1, 2008

While preparing the drill press platform for Safe T Planer work to bring down sides and back prior to bending and joining I finished the headstock veneer and did a little neck shaping.

Got some inlay off eBay.  Here it is laid out on the fretboard.  I’ll probably stick with traditional dots on this one.

November 23, 2008

Designed and contructed a headstock cover plate to accomodate the fact that the 12 string headstock is too large for the use of my logo encrusted blanks.  Here’s a picture of it prior to gluing to the headstock.

November 19, 2008

Becauase the headstock is oversized for the 12-string, my pre-made veneer with my sMg logo is too small.  I designed an ebony/walnut/ebony chevron with maple stiping so I could use the sMg inlay and craft a veneer piece large enough for the 12-string headstock.  Below is the upper portion construction, just awaiting an insert of ebony on the bottom (top is on left, bottom is right).

November 18, 2008

Channelled the neck for truss rod and graphite reinforcement.  Epoxied in graphite.

Designed a headstock, size and shape, made template, drilled 3/8″ holes for tuning machines.  installed to check spacing and appearance.

November 12, 2008

The wood for the 12-string dreadnought arrived today.  Very nice stuff.  The top is cedar.

This will be my first try at thickness planing and joining.  I’m wavering between visiting a colleague with a drum sander or trying the Safe-T-Planer on the drill press.

The back and sides are walnut, with very interesting pattern.  There’s some heartwood on the sides that I may try to incorporate.  I’ll have to avoid the knot, but there’s enough length to include or exclude the heartwood.

The back wood is quite thick and a little warped.  I’m still not sure how to proceed with the thickness planing.  Do I try and relieve the warp first?  Or plane through the warp?  Hmm.

November 9, 2008

Geez, the bold button won’t turn off.  I’m not shouting, I promise.

OK, there it goes.  I’m applying water based lacquer to guitar 803 after the greening endeavor.  In between lacquer coats I have completed the construction of the side bending machine.  I’ve received the stainless sheets and silicon heating blanket, and the final step will be to build the guitar specific molds, in this case, a dreadnought.

I have also embarked on designing the binding, purfling, rosette, and headstock.  I took measures on my Taylor 12 string to see the differences between the dreadnought pattern and the 12-string guitar actuals.  As expected, the neck is wider, and the headstock is much larger.  Much larger so that I was worried I wouldn’t have enough neck stock.  The width at the tip of the headstock was of concern, and at 3.25″, my mahogany neck blank is just that, so I’ll have enough width, and length if I carefully build the neck stack to be “just right”.  In other words, I won’t have much room for oversizing.

Also, my sMg headplates aren’t large enough for a 12-string headstock.  I’ve got some Ideas about a chevron type design for the headplate, but will have to experiment to assure it doesn’t look too much like a clown suit. 

I’ve gone out on a limb to create a multi line purfling which won’t be too busy, but will be striking (I hope).  For the top binding it will be curly maple/brown white black purfling (see gallery).  The back strip is complementary to the purfling for the top (see gallery).  The back binding will be curly maple/ black white/ walnut back.  The sides will be curly/bw.  I’ll use a curly maple end graft and heel graft.  The rosette will be (starting from the outer ring)  BWB cedar BWB abalone BWB cedar BWB.

Still awaiting the delivery of the wood.  I have all the components for the rest of the guitar, and am ready to start upon receipt of the back/sides/top.

October 28, 2008

It’s been decided.  My next guitar will be a 12-string dreadnought.  I’ve procured some red cedar for the top and walnut for the back and sides.  Since I’m getting this from an alternate source than LMI, it won’t be joined, thickness sanded, nor bent.  Hence all the activity trying to build a bending machine.  I’ve chosen curly maple for the binding and some interesting purfling and matching backstrip.

Second from the top will be the backstrip.

4th from top will be the purfling.  I’ll bind the fretboard with ivory, use Grover Chrome mini tuners, and abalone shell rosette.  I’m going to also accent all binding both top and back with a B/W strip.

I have dreadnought plans, but I’ll need to build molds and forms for the bending machine for the dreadnought body size.  I’ve got a jumbo Taylor 12 string and I’ve been peering inside to see what adaptation to braces is warranted for a 12 string and the extra tension created with 12 string pulls vs. 6.  What I’ve seen so far is beefier braces and a thicker bridge plate.  I suspect a wider fretboard, but haven’t measured yet to compare to plan dimensions.

Larry’s worried, he thinks I’ll neglect his guitar to work on the new one.  I’ll try not to get distracted with new work.  I’ve got some sanding to do on Larry’s guitar, but now that the spray booth is ready, I’m very close to applying stain and beginning the application of lacquer.

October 13, 2008

Today, the stock market rebounded!  I’m pretty sure this was primarily due to the news that Stephen Godbe has received another commission for a guitar.

This commission is from an old friend in the Bay Area.  He has set a pretty aggressive schedule for me to complete and we are only beginning to discuss the design, woods, and model.  We might go with a parlor, but we’ve also discussed twelve string, and I’m wondering if a parlor twelve string is possible.

I’ve also been considering what I would do next for myself, now that I have kept my first guitar only for my personal use.  I ordered plans for a resonator guitar, and I’m leaning toward that as guitar 806.