sMg Guitars

August 5, 2009

I now have in hand all the components for Guitar 905.  As soon as I return from guitar camp (PSGW), I’ll start building.  I’ll be balancing my work between this guitar, Carl’s parlor, and the final setup for 901, 902 and 904.  As well, guitar 903 will get some attention.  I need to keep next steps for each guitar documented so that as one component sits and cures (after glue up), I can use the wait time to tackle another piece.  I plan to bring 3 guitars up to completion prior to spraying so I can maximize the time in the spray booth.

I now have multiple unassociated backs, sides and tops (not committed to a customer).  I have Engleman parlor tops, sitka spruce tops, and a redwood sinker top.  For back and side sets, I have East Indian rosewood, ziricote, mayan walnut, and claro walnut.  Oooh, so many opportunities.

August 5, 2009

Three guitars in the spray booth for another session today.  The Resonator, 901, got a ninth coat of lacquer.  Before I spray 3 more, I’ll see if there’s a need for any gap filling.  Not sure if I’ll try and fill the gaps with lacquer or epoxy, depends upon presence and severity.

The Koa Parlor for Carol (902) is really handsome.  Carol sez “old country”.  This is after the 6th coat.

Beth’s OM (904) is also on the 6th coat.

Tomorrow:  Coats 7 through 9.

August 2, 2009

John, the new owner of Guitar 905, and I discussed design considerations and component choices and arrived upon using a Claro Walnut back and sides and Sitka Spruce top (with a little amber thrown in to soften the whiteness) for an OM.

We picked some walnut from Notable Woods in Lopez Island, WA.  The walnut arrived yesterday and is just the ticket.  Lots of curl and distinctive grain running through the back and sides.

July 30, 2009

I have been contacted by the “recipient” of my auction guitar; the guitar which was auctioned off at the Phinney Neighborhood Center’s Moulin Rouge Auction event.

John and I have been emailing and phoning to determine the guitar to be built.

Decision:  A Claro Walnut OM.  Components are in transit, and work begins in earnest next week.

July 24, 2009

I’ve been distracted from getting into the spray booth because of Carl’s guitar.  I can see a pattern here.  What I really like doing is the preliminary stuff, and by the time I get to the finish and setup, I’m easily distracted.  I had planned all along to start the spraying of 3 guitars ready for the booth since last Monday.  It’s Friday, and I finally allowed myself to do a lacquer session.  I got 3 guitars prepped for spraying, finally, by end of day yesterday:  901 – the Resonator which has already been sealed and grain pore filled; 902 – Carol’s parlor ready for sanding sealer; and 904 – Beth’s OM.  Here they are waiting to be sprizted.

First the resonator, then the two koa’s.  After each received one coat, I finished with two more coats on the resonator as it’s in the layer the lacquer phase.  The sanding sealer for the two koa’s is the prep before the grain pore filler, which I will do tomorrow morning.

Carol’s parlor with the first coat……….

Now Beth’s OM……..

This is all just a precursor of how that koa is going to shimmer.  I’m very happy.

Carl’s components arrived today, and I’ll balance the waiting for lacquer to dry with actual guitar construction.

July 22, 2009

Quickly received the koa from Notable Woods.  Real dramatic dark stripes and a bit of a whorl.

I’m using Engelman Spruce for the top.  Finished installing the rosette rings and paua.

July 22, 2009

Tom and Susan have been working on my logo for the design and layout of business cards, guitar labels and letterhead.  I have chosen the black (vs. gray or red) for the guitar label.  The photo below shows examples.

July 19, 2009

This date in history…today is St. Vincent de Paul day.  (Founder of the Lazarist Fathers and the Daughters of Charity (1576-1660)).

I was informed that this was a lazy man’s way to provide a topic for a daily post.  But it does provide a useful topic for today’s entry.  Charity.

Carl, don’t dismay, this isn’t charity, it’s desire.  Desire to make another guitar for a true friend.

I have come to an arrangement with my friend Carl to make him his own sMg guitar.  This will be guitar number 10 or 11, depending upon whether the “auction guitar” ever comes to fruition.  I have not yet been approached by the winner of the Phinney Community Center auction guitar.  I’m not sure how to follow up, whether I should let Phinney know, or to stand by until contacted.  That being said, I will retire guitar number 905 until the auction guitar is resolved.

So Carl, that means you are guitar 906.  When you peer into the sound hole and see the embossed serial number on the neck block, you can turn the guitar upside down, peer once again, and see that the serial number has not changed.

Carl and I have been working on materials and design and concluded that a parlor of koa (ooh, my most favorite) with lots of nice appointments is his future guitar.

I’m going to take my first journey of top pufling in paua.  This little guitar will shine.

July 13, 2009

The Koa OM for Beth is one of the three prepping for the spray booth (the others are the Koa Parlor and the Zebrawood Resonator).  I’ve been working frantically on the neck shaping and have finally installed (glued) the fretboard.  As you may recall, I goofed up the fretboard by installing the fret markers in the wrong location (an act I have performed before, and continue to perform).  I received a replacement fretboard, installed fret markers in the correct location (!), profiled the fretboard, trimmed/planed the edges, and glued to the neck.

It looks grand, and will be ready for lacquer as soon as I clean up the neck to fretboard joint, profile the neck a wee bit more, confirm the neck angle, and add frets.

July 13, 2009

Slowly, three guitars are staging toward the spray booth.  I could have forged ahead and started applying lacquer earlier, but thought I’d wait for my family to leave town before I infected them with the fumes from spraying.  So I’ve been working simultaneously on getting three guitars prepped to go into the spray booth at the same time starting Monday, July 20th (Carol’s day after departure date).

Guitar 902, the mahogany topped parlor for Carol (and me!) just needed frets installed and a final sanding and cleaning.  Last night, I installed the frets.

The fret dimensions are a wee bit larger than I have worked with in the past, so we’ll see how they fare through the setup and then “action” phases.