Ladder Braced Birch

[Joe Sustaire]

Well I actually have a new build underway. Ladder braced grand concert with white spruce top from Grant and birch back and sides also from Grant.

This isn't a full build thread because I haven't been taking a lot of pics but I do have a few of the pertinent ones...... Just trying to get back into it. Finding the top of my workbench and all my mis-placed and buried tools has been the biggest challenge!





This is my first set of sides bent with a blanket and bending jig. I've always bent on the hot pipe before.



And here's a look under the hood before I put the back on.



This is a modified ladder bracing pattern that I got from Haans Brentrup. A pattern designed to beef up the structural integrity around the soundhole while retaining the ladder braced sound. I've also followed his lead and built this with a cylindrical 12' top radius instead of the usual domed top which was a feature of Larson guitars.

Here's the back bracing.



And if you're really paying attention, you might have noticed that that doesn't look like birch but rather like some sap streaked spruce. Good eye! The back got sanded too thin so I laminated it with a too thin sanded top I had from years back. So yeah, plywood back.....

[Dennis Leahy]

Way to go, Joe!

The cylindrical top is also what Dave White does, and he sure gets a gorgeous, full sound.

[johnparchem]

Looks good!

I was taught to use a cylindrical top by Rick Davis and built one guitar that way. I went back to a domed top as I was able to buy radius dishes. I find with a radius dish I always have to fight to avoid putting to much angle on the top for the the fret board extension. So I have been considering going to a cylindrical profiled rims as well.

[Joe Sustaire]

And here's some shots of the box closed up and bound. Sorry about the fuzzy pics, my camera isn't doing to well. Same camera I've always used and I'm using a tripod, must have bumped some of the settings wrong.










Simple herringbone rosette, walnut backstrip and end wedge bordered with purf, some nice purfling on top, and bound with tortoiseshell celluloid binding.

And most importantly, the closed box has a real nice thump to it, so I'm pleased.......

[Fred Blom]

Looking good, Joe. Keep the pictures coming

[Dennis Leahy]

Beautiful purfling/binding scheme, Joe. Nice box!

[Colin S]

Love the blonde look Joe. Is this going to have a tailpiece or fixed bridge, I know you do both?

Colin

[Joe Sustaire]

Thanks guys!

I've never done or had a blonde guitar and figured I would stain this one, but it's starting to grow on me. Might have to just go with blonde. That way it would match my guitar skills better...... No offense to blondes intended!

And forgot to mention, this was my first occasion to cut the binding channels using Garry Hallums router binding tool/jig. Talk about reducing the butt clenching factor, this tool is indeed incredible!

And yeah, I'm going with a pinned bridge on this one Colin.

I think I figured out what's wrong with my pictures. Some many months or years back I changed the picture size setting to small, trying to get an avatar pic sized so that some forum or other would accept it and never changed it back. Man when you don't use this shit all the time my mind just puts these details in the garbage pail.......