The Luthier Community

That's why I'm avoiding the deep end of the pool Dennis, I'm already a few bricks short of a full stack and I just can't risk it!

Hey Coopman, no this scale length won't tune up to standard tuning. You don't have to drop all the way to B-b, you can raise it to C-c or C#-c#, but that's about it. Of course I also string it with heavier strings, sometimes 64 to 14's, but you don't have to use that heavy a string, depends on the feel you like. I've never tried doing a fan fret, but it seems like they make a lot of sense if you play in a lot of lowered open tunings.

Thanks for the comments guys!

Hey Dennis, I'm not real smart but 1 at a time is all that I want to try any more. I found out that I cain't swim with all them bricks
Joe, 2 at a time is enough to keep your mind addled.
jess

I don't know about you guys, but damn, rosettes are intimidating as hell to me! After a couple of days of studying and dithering about choices and purfing, and lines, I finally got to it today, and had a pretty good Sunday. I think I pulled it off...….

So first off I did a hot water soak on a piece of purfling that I made up some years back, don't remember what kind of wood it is, but it's kinda spruce colored with flecks in it. Anyway after a hot soak I bent it around a circle form so it would fit in it's channel easier without breaking.
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Then while that was drying I used my old hand-made circle routing jig with the trusty harbor freight high dollar router and started cutting some grooves.
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For my bound soundhole I'm using some tortoise binding that's cut down and set it into a groove that when I cut out the soundhole will leave it sitting on a shelf. Gives it a little more support so that it's not just relying upon a glue joint on the edge of the soundhole. This shot shows the differnt purfs I'm using in this rosette.
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And here they are installed waiting to be sanded down and the soundhole cut out.
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Note that outer ring looks b/w/b before sanding. It is that checked flat piece laying across the rosette in one of the former pics. Some purfling I picked up off ebay for cheap from China. Guess I didn't look at the dimensions real good. When I got it I found out it's real thin, too thin to be used as purfling, won't bend laying flat and would probably get sanded through if you used it as standard purfling. So I finally figured out how to get some use out of it by standing it on edge. And when it's run through the sander you wind up with a nice fine checkered line.
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Added another shot...…
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And there you have it. I'm pretty pleased after all that sweating! Ha!

Looks beautiful, Joe! Nice tasty combination of elements. Brilliant use of the veneer-thin purfling, up on edge!

That’s looking really good, Joe. Very nice use of that purfling on edge. I’ve got some of that cheap stuff too. I’ll have to look at it in a new way.

Funny your trepidation about rosettes is completely opposite to my feelings. I love creating a unique rosette that reflects the rest of the woods in the guitar and my sense of aesthetics.

Keep it coming!

John

Looking good Joe. I have a home made circle cutter also and like you I write directions right on the tool!! Nice to know which way to turn . Old age isn't for the meek!!

Mike

Dang Michael, after reading your post I went back and looked at the picture and cracked up. I can remember using it this time that twice I sat there and mentally went through which way to turn the knob to move the pin piece in order to increase or decrease the radius to widen my routing slot. Sometimes directions aren't enough, I need flashing strobe lights to remind me to read my own instructions!

Got my sides bent. Thinned them to .080", 15 minute hot water soak, then paper wrap, foil wrap, and then onto the bending form.

Here's my high tech, hot water vat.... old gas tank cut in half, using my old coleman stove with both burners going to heat the water. Could only heat it up to about 160f but that seems to be enough.
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And here's my bender form....
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Sides bent great, no ripples, no cracks.
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And into the mold.
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Next I'm going to jig up so I can try the solid linings everyone is using. Seems like a good idea. Got my 1/16" mahogany veneer in from Certainly Woods so now's the time.......