# First guitar - dreadnaught



## DLJeffs (Nov 15, 2020)

I think I'd only ever looked on Craig'slist once or twice in my life. For some reason two days ago I went on to see if there was any lumber I could use for a stand for our printer. Lo and behold a local person had just posted that he was selling his guitar making jigs. I've wanted to build my own acoustic for maybe 30 years, just never found a class, etc. and didn't want to invest in all the special tools, jigs, etc. So called the guy and said I'm interested in his jigs but only if he was willing to coach me along the way. He said that sounded really interesting to him as well, as he'd been thinking about setting up a small group class type of thing. We met today and worked out a plan! I'm so psyched! Finally will be building my own acoustic guitar, a standard dreadnaught, Martin pattern. Can't wait to get started.

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 6 | +Karma 3


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## Arn213 (Nov 15, 2020)

What a great barter and deal you made! I would if you can afford to is to slowly purchase whatever he has because you would save so much $$$ from buying used and on top of that see what guitar building wood sets he has that he is willing to let go so you have a head start. The advantage to that is the wood he has slowly seasoned and ready for suit up in building. Pick up a room hygrometer for the wood; he might have one.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DLJeffs (Nov 15, 2020)

Arn, thanks very much for any advice. He and i talked for about 3 hours this morning and that's one of the things we talked about. He recommended the same thing - he has a bunch of Adirondack spruce tops and mahogany sides and bottoms and I'll get at least 3. I will probably pick up a myrtle set as well just for something different. He's a traditional guitar builder so prefers the spruce and mahogany for tone. But I think I'd like one with some more character in the wood - maybe. I'm starting with one to see how it goes. Both my son and daughter play so I figure if I'm halfway successful I'll build at least 3.

Hopefully, I can ask lots of questions of you and other luthiers on here, at least for a second opinion. I 'm really excited about this project. The seller isn't getting completely out of guitar making but wants to focus on the CNC design aspects and electrics more than acoustics. He said to make any money at them he has to buy very high end wood and charge a lot because of the time involved.

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## Arn213 (Nov 15, 2020)

^That is great and I am happy about the part that you were able to barter with him on helping you build as part of the jig purchase. I suggest be a “super sponge” and ask away on his build approach from beginning to end. That would be a “pricele$$” entry into steel string building.

The Adirondack red spruce is a must for soundboards. Martin was a prolific user of that species during the “Golden Era” and they switched to Sitka from my understanding because it was easier to obtain /plentiful for commercial builds. Genuine mahogany is a good place to start for back and sides. Ask him about using genuine rosewood for the back and sides for one of the builds. You will notice a big tonal and sound difference between that and the mahogany. Well, you can go to a good guitar store and try the same model and you will hear a difference between the 2 different species. Also, there are other guitar sizes that you might be interested in like an OM, Concert (between a dred and an OM), Jumbo, 00 parlor, etc.

We do have a lot of good domestic woods that is suitable for back and sides as well as soundboards available here in America. Myrtle wood is an interesting wood- Collings and I believe Breedlove uses them for back and sides. There might be available videos online so you can get an idea of the tonal properties.

There are some talented builders here and hopefully they will come out of the woodwork.

What he said is true on your last paragraph. The CNC is a great tool for cutting and to be able to have a larger production and be able to cut intricate details with intricate transitions. Most acoustic users tend to only want to use mahogany or rosewood- most because of tradition, familiarity and because it it true and tested. But, don’t let that stop you as more and more builders tend to experiment to see how other species can work for specific voicing and because some woods overtime will become restricted (due to over harvesting) requiring alternative woods to be used. I am primarily an electric guitar player and those too I must admit there are certain traditional woods used to net familiar sound results that musicians tend to go for because it is familiar. However, in the last couple of decades that “thinking” has changed as more exotic woods became available and curiosity seekers followed.

Best of luck. Excited for you and waiting to see how your development and your builds unfold!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Great Post 1


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## DLJeffs (Nov 17, 2020)

Arn - One thing I know I am going to have to make is one of those tables with all the spring rods for gluing up the braces, top and bottom (I can't remember what it's called). Have you seen any simple designs for those? The guy I bought the forms from said they're nothing fancy and easy to make along with the rods. I can use another work table so I'm thinking maybe I can come up with something that I can dual purpose - when not clamping a guitar I can use it for other stuff. Maybe a way to make the upper support removeable.


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## Arn213 (Nov 17, 2020)

That’s a “Go Bar Clamping System” that efficiently glues the braces and bm panels. You could buy them from the luthier builders outfits that will cost you around $ 600 or you can build them yourself as it is pretty simple outside of purchasing the flexible rods, hardware and the radius dishes (could be made too). There is plenty of info. on line and YouTube if you want to build one of these. Here is one useful link: https://www.liutaiomottola.com/Tools/Go.htm

You should ask the luthier you are working with how he built his and ask him what he would change to it based on his build experience to make it better and more efficient.

Hopefully some of the fine luthiers will come out of the woodwork and give you some advise.

On a side note, there is a little easier way to “get your feet wet”. Have you ever thought of building a guitar kit first? Not trying to push you in that direction, but it is an option.

Not my photo, but attaching it for readers reference:


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## barry richardson (Nov 17, 2020)

Looks like your all set Doug, looking forward to the build!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Nature Man (Nov 17, 2020)

One of those once in a lifetime opportunities! Take FULL advantage of what is right in front of you! Congrats! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## DLJeffs (Nov 17, 2020)

Thanks Arn, I'll check out that link. 99% sure I'll build my own rather than buy one. The guy I'm working with mentioned building one so hopefully he'll have some design guidance. He did say you want to be able to rotate it like a lazy susan I think. I got the two radius dishes needed for a dreadnought when I got the jigs so I'm all set. Hopefully I can use the same radius dishes for both sanding the sides, braces as well as gluiong and clamping when the time comes.

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## barefoot (Nov 18, 2020)

Yeah, Doug. Make your own go-bar table. Rotating is good. Just put a removable top on it and you have a great general-purpose table. 

Arn's idea to get a kit is a good one if you don't have a bending iron and some of the other tools you'll get along the way. The tools are pretty expensive. Buy good ones rather than buying cheap stuff because it makes financial sense in the long run. For example, buy one good chisel rather than a cheap set, etc. Same goes for clamps; cheap clamps will drive you nuts and maybe ruin your work. I learned that the hard way and LOVE Irwin Quick Grip clamps; they're expensive and worth every penny--truly one-handed, strong and have fine ratcheting where as look-alike clamps don't have as many adjustments or slip under pressure.


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## DLJeffs (Nov 18, 2020)

Thanks for chiming in Carla. I'm hoping you luthiers keep providing suggestions and advice (the price is right!). One question - when you say rotating, could I make the base of the go-bar table a couple thicknesses of 3/4" plywood, wide enough to accommodate the radius dishes, and then simply get a 12" lazy susan bearing and attach it to the bottom of the 3/4" ply? I'd still have to build a stand for it to sit on - or another sheet of 3/4" ply that would sit on my work bench. And I assume you want to be able to lock it in place sometimes so you need a way to stop it from rotating when needed.

Second question - what are your thoughts on the spring bars? Can they be made from wood or some other material (lots of 3/8" round fiberglass rods here people use to mark the edge of their driveway in the snow so they know where the pavement ends). Or is it worth the cost to simply buy them?


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## barefoot (Nov 18, 2020)

Doug,
You can make the rods, but wood doesn't actually have the right spring for a go-bar table, I've found. I'm rather poor, so I made my rods out of split bamboo. They work okay, but honestly, I'd rather have the fiberglass rods (having worked with them on another luthier's table). They have the right spring, don't lose that spring like wood/bamboo does, and should have the covered tips so that they don't damage the wood or stick to it if they get glue on them. If you can get them free or cheap, jump at them. Get at least a three dozen, all the same length, of course. Each brace might need at least three rods, so the more the merrier--having enough means you don't have to do things in pieces and bits.

I'm less convinced about having a rotating table. If your go-bar table is in the open floor, you can just walk around it. I suspect that a rotating table might have some built-in wobble but maybe not. If it has wobble, then the rods would have varying pressure which I don't like the sound of. You do need quite a bit of pressure to get those braces down tight. I tend to clamp pretty tight anyway. If you just put the glue on and then clamp them tight, you run the risk of squeezing too much glue out and creating a dry joint--WRONG. The way around that is to either clamp lightly and come back later and clamp tight when the glue's had time to sink in and is beginning to set, or (my way), spread the glue and wait until it's just starting to tack up before placing it with a medium-tight clamp, checking in 15 minutes to make sure it's down tight. These processes usually result in less squeeze-out around the edges--therefore less cleanup needed. Another trick is to spread the glue and then run a finger or rag around the edge and wipe off the very edges of the piece so that the squeeze out ends up at the edge, rather than all over the place.

Many clamps will leave impressions in the wood, so padding the clamps/wood is a good idea. I cut up wine corks to insert when I need padding and can't use wood pieces like popsicle sticks, etc. Even better is thick plastic because it never sticks to the board/brace, which can be a nightmare. It's good practice to make your braces out of really good, straight-grain wood. I use my best wood for braces; it pays dividends in strength and acoustics. I always hand split my braces off of larger wood, a practice followed by the best luthiers to avoid run-out.

Most luthiers use several types of glue for instruments. Hide glue can be tricky, has a short working time if made from scratch, but is super strong and reversible, plus acoustically superior--AND, it's traditional. The premade type you can buy in a hardware store is okay in a pinch, but nowhere as good as the granular stuff you mix yourself. You can buy it in strengths but the stronger the strength, the shorter the working time, sometimes decreased to no more than 15 seconds, which is tough to get right. It always pays to dry fit your clamps before adding glue. The other type of glue is regular wood glue (NOT waterproof). It's easy to find, cheap enough, has good open time and is reversible, but not as easy to remove once dry as hide glue is. It's also available in a dark color for dark wood. Hint: don't wipe off wet squeeze-out because it will leave a discoloration on the wood. Wait until it's dry and chip it off carefully with a chisel. That sounds difficult, but actually, done carefully, makes for a much cleaner look. Of course there's cryo for many things like spotting it on the bottom of frets, for certain types of inlay, like pearl and various things. They make it in black for work on ebony, which is nice. Another hint: Mixing thin cryo with sawdust makes a great fill but you have to plan that it WILL darken, so you might have to mix sawdust to get the right color--always test the mix before applying.

BTW, you might know this stuff, and I don't mean to presume you don't/do. Just trying to cover the basics here in case.

I have to leave town for a few days to go to Vermont. We'll be very busy and I don't know if I can resume here until I get back, but I will be back. Count on it. I love talking with other woodworkers!

Reactions: Informative 1


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## DLJeffs (Nov 18, 2020)

Thanks for all the insights and advice, Carla. It doesn't bother me at all if you cover something I might already know, just reinforces it. I've learned there are many ways to make a guitar and about twice as many opinions as what's the best way. I met with my mentor today and he concurred with your recommendation of Cumpiano's book. He also said it wasn't necessary to make the actual go-bar deck rotate around like a lazy susan. Just make it such a way that I can walk 360 degrees around it to install clamps, etc. That'll work nicely because I have a mobile work station I made from an old bathroom cabinet. Reinforced the sides, put on lockable casters and a 2" thick top. I can wheel it anywhere to work and it's solid. We're going to check out rosettes next.

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## barefoot (Nov 18, 2020)

Doug, the unquestioned best rosettes in the world, overall, come out of Russia. http://www.schrammguitars.com/russian_rosettes.html They really are beautiful. 

There are a lot of nice rosettes, both SS and classical, on eBay, where they're generally much cheaper than at Schramm and somewhat cheaper than at LMI. Stew-Mac doesn't carry much, but they have rosette-making supplies! There are a bunch of good luthiers who have posted tutorials on making them. 
I've never had the urge to do it because it's so tedious and time consuming...

...and I'm all thumbs at teeny, tiny things.
...but it is the indelible mark of a master.
...fascinating possibilities for subtle, cultural and artistic expression.
...hmmmmm.


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## DLJeffs (Nov 19, 2020)

Just in case you haven't heard of them, this is one supplier my mentor told me about. Local Pacific NW company. All MOP or abalone stuff.

https://www.luthiersupply.com/


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## barefoot (Nov 19, 2020)

When I started in luthery I bought out an old button factory and resold her 50-year-old shell from Australia (he best!) for two years on eBay. Learned a lot about shell. Here are some more very fine inlay outfits:
https://www.knifehandles.com/culpepper-and-company (Culpepper & Co.)
https://www.inlaybanding.com/products.html (prime wood bandings)
http://www.harveyleachinlays.com/custom-inlays.html (custom and exquisite--good for ideas)
https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/abalone-inlay-material.html (large pieces of shell and ablam)

Bottom line: From personal experience, I suggest caution in using ablam; it is so thin that it can be difficult to inlay successfully as very thin inlay can too easily pop out. I have had the best luck with using 1/8" inlay because it stays put. Another hint about inlaying, I got from Larry Robinson himself (yeah, from a phone conversation with him. He is a very nice fella!) is to back cut the edges of your inlay pattern; that is, to cut the pattern back from the edge so that the top edge protrudes a bit. That way it's a lot easier to get a tight fit with no spaces showing. BTW, Larry does all the million-dollar anniversary guitars for Martin. His work is a bit fancy for me, but astonishing for the skill he displays. 

My inlay idol is Grit Laskin because, aside from skill, his work shows so much art.




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grit laskin - Google Search






www.google.com


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## Arn213 (Nov 19, 2020)

If you are planning to sell what you are building- buy any shell inlays (abalone, mother of pearl, etc) from a reputable seller that can furnish you with Fish & Wildlife permit (import/export). Yes, it will cost you like $ 100 whether it is a handful or a big order- but, it gives you peace of mind that you can import or export guitars you built with “shellfish inlays” because you have the proper paperwork. If you don’t have a permit and you ship it outside the country, customs at the destination country can confiscate it- you don’t have proper paperwork, your guitar is long gone. This also pertains to CITES restricted woods (proper documentation for import/export).

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## barefoot (Nov 19, 2020)

Back when I was selling my pearl, CITES hadn't restricted it. My stock was, indeed, 50 years old. Here's a picture of some of it--black pearl. Pretty stuff. I sold to, mostly, luthiers. I had promised he original owner that I would make sure it was well used.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 2


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## DLJeffs (Nov 20, 2020)

Beautiful stuff. I'm probably going to keep my guitar pretty basic and focus more on trying to achieve quality woodwork, joinery, etc. Hopefully, the sound will be awesome and it'll be an upgrade over my current guitar. Maybe down the road I'll consider some of this fancy stuff.

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## barefoot (Nov 20, 2020)

Wise idea Doug. It might not hurt to do one inlay of some sort to make it yours. Not mandatory, though. Just building it is enough. c:
Incidentally, black pearl is getting to be almost unobtainable anyway, and always expensive.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DLJeffs (Nov 24, 2020)

barefoot said:


> Wise idea Doug. It might not hurt to do one inlay of some sort to make it yours. Not mandatory, though. Just building it is enough. c:
> Incidentally, black pearl is getting to be almost unobtainable anyway, and always expensive.


Yeah, we're on the same track. Maybe some little engraving on the headstock or something. If I put a veneer top piece on the headstock, it can easily be trashed and started over if I screw up the engraving.

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## DLJeffs (Nov 25, 2020)

Arn @Arn213 Carla @barefoot and any others,
What are the dimensions of your go bar deck? I'm getting ready to make mine and just thought I'd ask. I know the base and top need to be big enough to accomdate the body form and radius disks. But what about the height between top and bottom? I'm thinking it should be high enough to get your head in there to check clamps, see what's going on, etc. But not too tall. Thanks
Doug


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## barefoot (Nov 25, 2020)

Doug, 
A consideration: I'm such a midget at 5'1" and 110#, also, with a shorter reach, that my numbers don't apply. That said here are some considerations:

First, I presume that you are going to use this as a utility table when not a go-bar deck, so make the height one that you are very comfortable working at. 
Second, you need to measure the height of whatever work you'll be putting in there, or make the table height changeable. 
Third, add on the height between the top of the table + @work thickness+ distance to your head height plus about 2" to prevent head banging. 
Problems with where to lay the supply rods while trying to juggle radius disks, glue, braces, etc. lead me to suggest that you have vertical storage sleeves, or drawers or pull-out tool tops, something so you don't find yourself needing a separate tool trolley. If it's drawers, then the rods will be very handy and can be stored permanently there. That plus a pull-out work shelf below the drawer, would be very handy. I would put something rough (like sandpaper or canvas) glued on the bottom of the go-bar top piece to give the rods a firm grip for ease of handling when setting up. You will find yourself having to use some at angles at times; it gets very busy in there sometimes and you don't want those rods to have a tenuous top attachment. That means that in order to get the right tension on gluing braces, you should probably have some rods a bit longer--but at any rate, that's the most experimental part of the setup since the rods will always be bent. I can't predict the amount of deflection since I don't know the ultimate height of your working space or the relative stiffness of your rods. I would guess they should deflect about 3-4" from plum.

It just dawned on me (du-uh) to check with Stew-Mac--since they sell a Go-Bar Deck. Their rods are only 24" long; their whole rig is diagrammed on this page:




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Go-bar Clamping Deck - StewMac


Go-bar Clamping Deck




www.stewmac.com





Hope this helps.


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## DLJeffs (Nov 25, 2020)

Thanks Carla. I have a portable work table I made from an old cabinet. I plan to make the go bar deck so it sits on top of that work table when I'm using it. It'll work well because it's a solid base and I can wheel it out where I have 360 degree walkaround access - or I can unlock the casters and spin the whole thing around. When I'm not using the go bar deck I'll store it elsewhere. I will make my bars from maple so can make a couple different lengths for when I'm gluing braces and when I'm gluing the body/top/bottom. Good suggestion about storage and easy access of bars - have to cogitate on that one a little. Maybe a small shelf / bin that can be attached to my work table, maybe some PVC tubes of various lengths. I don't have a dedicated shop so all my stuff is portable / multi-application.

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## barefoot (Nov 25, 2020)

When making an arch top or back piece, the radius disk must be in place while gluing the braces. That's the only way I know to do it. The trouble with Stew-Mac's go-bar table is that the radius disks will likely not fit inside the upright supports, so making the disk dimensions part of the table-top sizing is one of the first steps in your deck design. I say this because my radius disks are huge--about 2' in diameter.

I suggest using something like poly rods, but not wood. The wood soon takes a bend and then you lose pressure. I used split bamboo, but still, it bent and lost efficacy.


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## DLJeffs (Nov 25, 2020)

I was taking the dimension of the radius disk into account and will make sure it fits inside. I don't figure to make too many guitars and my coach is recommending the maple bars. If they start to soften I'll have to adjust. Got my truss rods today and some other parts and tools are on their way. HOpefully, we'll start shortly after Thanksgiving.

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## DLJeffs (Dec 7, 2020)

Got started yesterday on the rosette. Didn't finish, didn't like the way the purflings were lining up so called a halt and will restart later this week. I'll post a photo when we get the rosette glued in. But thought I'd list all the stuff i've been accumulating. Takes a lot to build a guitar.

Spruce top, mahogany back and sides
Mahogany neck blank
Ebony fingerboard
Headplate
Rosette material
Purfling
Kerfing
Bracewood
Bridge
Bridge plate
Head and tail block mahogany
Binding (synthetic tortoise)
End cap and end graft (synthetic tortoise - no turtles or tortoises will be harmed in making this guitar)
Back strip
Side bracing
Saddle and nut
Fretwire
Truss rod (goes in neck)
Tuning machines (haven't got these yet)
Neck hardware (I'm going with a bolt on neck)
Pick guard

Tools:
Body jig
Radius discs
Dremel
Dremel base
Tiny router bit for rosette
Dremel base for rosette
Lots of clamps
Go bar deck and go bars (building my own)
Long, stiff chisel for bracing
Small hand plane
Sharpening stones (for chisel and plane blade)
Lots of sand paper
Shellac (for sealing and prevent glue from staining)
Wood glue, super glue
Ruler
Digital caliper
Rasp for shaping neck
Band saw for roughing neck and rough trimming top and back
Drum sander for thinning top, back and sides
Drill bits, hand drill and drill press
Razor blade and exacto blade
More sand paper
More clamps
Brain lube and elbow grease

I'm sure there's some I've left out. But this is gonna be fun.

Routed the grooves for the rosette yesterday using the Dremel and a bit that looks like a dentist's tool. Teeny tiny adjustments, lots of small cuts and testing to see if we got the width just right for the purfling. I screwed up and got one of the grooves a bit too wide so we need to get a 10 purfling to tighten it up (we didn't have a 10). But so far so good. I'll finish up the go bar deck and rip some bracing material this week before we get back to the rosette mid-week or so.

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## barefoot (Dec 12, 2020)

Doug, that's quite a list and very thorough. If I had a single comment on anything it would be to suggest that instead of ripping your bracing stock, you might want to split it out of a larger board. That way you won't have any accidental runout because splitting it keeps the grain absolutely straight, which is much better for the sound and strength of the bracing. I always use my very best wood for braces.


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## DLJeffs (Dec 12, 2020)

Can you explain "accidental runout", please? I suppose I could split my bracing. I planed the maple down to the appropriate thickness (which is actually the height of the brace above the top or bottom), leaving it just proud of the line so I have room for final sanding / planing / chiselling. Ensured I kept the grain direction configured according to the plans. But if I split the boards to rough width, I still need to plane them to final dimension, right? I'm not seeing how that would be any different than ripping them to final width on the table saw. And factoring in my ability with a hand plane, I suspect I'd ruin a lot more bracing that way. Hopefully we'll get back on the rosette this week end and start bending sides.


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## barefoot (Dec 12, 2020)

Sorry if I'm dense or not paying enough attention. If you were preparing the bracing with all that grain stuff in mind, I think you didn't need any input from me. Go forward and conquer. c:

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## DLJeffs (Dec 12, 2020)

barefoot said:


> Sorry if I'm dense or not paying enough attention. If you were preparing the bracing with all that grain stuff in mind, I think you didn't need any input from me. Go forward and conquer. c:


Luckily the plans I have show the desired grain direction for each of the braces. Got several boards cut for each of the braces, not cut to length obviously but ready for when we get to braces. Interestingly, for some of the braces the plans show two dimensions (e.g. one might be shown as 5/16" wide or 3/8" wide). I guess that allows one to adjust the sound some.

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## barefoot (Dec 13, 2020)

DLJeffs said:


> Interestingly, for some of the braces the plans show two dimensions (e.g. one might be shown as 5/16" wide or 3/8" wide). I guess that allows one to adjust the sound some.


Yes. Considering the detailed instructions you've pointed out about how to rip the bracing, etc., and the fact that I can't see your bracing scheme, it's clear that you will have enough wood to tune the bracing--the point where the luthier puts on his big-boy pants goes it alone. 
Go for it, Doug.


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## DLJeffs (Dec 28, 2020)

Made some more progress today. My coach and I milled the grooves for the rosette but he hasn't been able to get back over to glue the rosette in place yet. So I moved on to bending sides. We reviewed the procedure, I read Cumpiano's book, and watched a couple videos. Figured I could do this on my own.

Set up the bending jig and tested the heat blanket. Since I was bending mahogany sides, I decided to start bending the lower bout at 270 degrees and then keep going from there. Then do a 15 minute soak at 300 - 310 degrees. I also decided to use a little more water than the videos demonstrated. My coach said where he used to work they put their sides in a shallow tank for a minute or two. The video showed a quick couple of spritzes from a bottle. I also decided to use white plain craft paper to shield the wood (some videos used aluminum foil). Bottom line, the process worked fine. Did two sets of mahogany sides. Oh, I also made a cardboard frame to set the second set of sides on so they hold their shape until I'm ready to do the second guitar.








Bending jig, wood side sandwiched between metal, paper, wood, paper, heat blanket, and metal.



First side, bent, placed into jig to see how well it fit. Pretty well, a little relaxation at the upper bout but fits into the jig with little pressure.



First set of sides in the jig.



Second set of sides in my cardboard, temporary form, tied up so they keep the shape until I'm ready to glue them up.

Reactions: Way Cool 4


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## Mike Hill (Dec 29, 2020)

This is so cool to follow.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## T. Ben (Dec 29, 2020)




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## DLJeffs (Jan 1, 2021)

Glued up the rosette today. I really like the way it looks with the dark bands highlighting the abalone. The tan stain is a thin surface coat of shellac to keep any glue mishaps from getting into the top. It'll sand out when we sand the top to final. The gaps in the purling will be underneath the finger board so not an issue. Also fiddled with some minor adjustments to the end blocks and marking the sides, ready to cut them to length in preparation to glue on the end blocks. That'll be tomorrow's task.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 1, 2021)

Wow. Looks nice so far

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## Tony (Jan 1, 2021)

I have no interest in building a guitar but this is an excellent thread! Sounds like you got the Craigslist find of a century! To get all that with an instructor/mentor is so cool!!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DLJeffs (Jan 1, 2021)

Tony said:


> I have no interest in building a guitar but this is an excellent thread! Sounds like you got the Craigslist find of a century! To get all that with an instructor/mentor is so cool!!


No doubt. There are lots of videos and I got Cumpiano's book (which most consider the bible for guitar builders) but there are way too many little tricks and keys to a good build that my coach brings. And there are lots of ways to do things. Carla and Arn have added tons to this project already too. I might have been able to build a guitar without him, but there is a good chance it might fall apart or would sound terrible.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 3, 2021)

Glued sides to end blocks today. Radius the top and then glue on kerfing strips tomorrow. Then while that's drying I'll start sanding the rosette.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 4, 2021)

Sanded the rosette. I think it looks great. Little bit of epoxy bleed into the soft spruce but I think that'll disappear with final finish. Still have more sanding to do on the top as well to get it to final thickness.

Reactions: Like 5 | EyeCandy! 1


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## DLJeffs (Jan 5, 2021)

Sanded the top side on the 50 ft radius disc. Won't be the last time so mostly just got it all flush. That made it ready to glue on kerfing. Kerfing is a narrow strip of wood with narrow saw kerfs cut in it so it's flexible as a rope. Kerfing gets glued to the side, flush with the top edge, and another section flush with the bottom edge. Ultimately, the top and bottom will be glued to the kerfing. So essentially, kerfing expands the top and bottom edge so you have a large enough gluing surface to get a good bond, without influencing the flex in the top (sound quality).

Most luthiers have a set of 50 or so good clamps to do this. Being cheap, and not in guitar production mode, went with the clothes pin option. Did you know that finding clothes pins these days is like a scavenger hunt? Finally found some in Walmart. I haven't been in Walmart in quite some time. There's a whole segment of humanity in that store that defies explanation. Anyway, got some clothes pins. Then I had to wind rubber bands on them to increase the clamping pressure. Finally, ready. Here's some pics of kerfing and of the kerfing glued onto one half of the top side. I'll glue on the other side tomorrow. Then it's back to the radius disc to get all those edges flush again.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 9, 2021)

Glued kerfing and finished sanding both top and back in the radius discs (that puts the correct curvatures to top and back). Finished cutting braces for both top and back (had to make a couple adjustments from the other day). Then we tested the go bar deck and decided on the final length of the go bars and cut them to length. Then we glued in the center braces on the back - these reinforce the glue joint connecting the book matched back sections - first thing in the go bar deck. It worked perfect. Tomorrow I'll rough cut the back to shape and we'll glue on the rest of the back braces. I'll do the side braces during the week and next time we get together we'll glue the back to the sides and start on the braces for the top. It'll start to look like a guitar.

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## woodtickgreg (Jan 10, 2021)

Very cool build thread. Enjoying it. I dont know how I missed this one but I'm glad to have found it.

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## Arn213 (Jan 10, 2021)

Looking good so far. Probably jumping ahead and I am not sure if it will be implemented as it is usually optional. Any thoughts of using bracing on the side walls?


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## DLJeffs (Jan 10, 2021)

Thanks all. Good progress this weekend. Made side braces and got about half glued in place. Finished the center bracing on the back, radiused the back braces, and got them glued in place in the go bar deck. Over the next couple days I'll finish gluing all the side braces in place, round the 'X" braces.. Then next week end we'll hopefully start gluing up the top bracing.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 13, 2021)

Got the side braces glued in place now. Cleaned up and sanded the interior of the sides (just in case someone looks inside). Shaping the back bracing now. Making wood curls and sawdust. Next I'll radius the X bracing for the top so I'm ready next time my coach comes over. One thing I've learned is the sequence of steps is worth thinking through. For example, we glued the center braces in place first, then cut out the gap for the transverse braces and glued them on. That allowed us to sand and finish the center brace. But now it's in the way of finishing the transverse braces. It's 6 of one, half dozen of another and comes down to a personal preference which one you glue in place first. The top is much straighter forward. The only thing is deciding how far to position the X from the sound hole.


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## quags37 (Jan 18, 2021)

This is so awesome to watch, Doug. Looking forward to continuing to watch the progress!


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## DLJeffs (Jan 18, 2021)

Thanks Nick. I started on the X bracing for the top yesterday. But I screwed up the first one I did. I'll start over tomorrow and if it goes as it's supposed to I'll post a picture.


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## DLJeffs (Jan 19, 2021)

After a brief learning curve, I got my X brace done. The joint fits nice and snug and the angle is spot on (to the plan drawing of 100 degrees). Glued it up and stuck it in the go deck. I was preparing to cut out the sound hole and while trying to set the depth on my Dremel with 1/32" bit, I snapped the bit. Man, they're fragile. So ordered a couple more and will pick up the build when they get here. In the meantime I can sand the top. The area around the sound hole / rosette will be around 0.125" and on the lower bout it'll taper to 0.11" at the edges. The upper bout isn't as important.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 23, 2021)

More progress this week....

Cut out the sound hole and sanded the top close to final thickness. Edges get down to around 0.1" and the middle of the lower bout is around 0.12 - 0.125". The upper bout is around 0.135". We'll do the final sanding when we do the sounding.

Glued the X brace to the top, cut the transverse brace to length and drilled the hole needed to insert the wrench into the truss rod, and glued it to the top.

I'll keep cutting and gluing top bracing this week. I have to plan them around go bars and access in the go deck so that'll probably take me 2 - 4 days, including drying time.

Here's a shot of the back bracing, finished except for the edge tapers to be ready for gluing to the sides.

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## quags37 (Jan 23, 2021)

Question for ya Doug.. Do you cut all the scallops and taper the ends of the braces after gluing them on the soundboard? If so, whats the reasoning?


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## DLJeffs (Jan 24, 2021)

Nick - From all my questions to my coach (thankfully he's a patient guy), here's what I know (or think I know). Bracing is installed mainly for two reasons - (1) structural reinforcement (protect glue joints, provide durability and crack resistance, etc); (2) to transfer/control vibration and flexibility. The bracing in many mass produced guitars was altered from the original designs to increase durability so manufacturers weren't dealing with complaints about guitars cracking, warping, etc. and to improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process. But it cost the guitar sound qualities. I won't be worrying about durability - this guitar won't be the one I take fishing or camping with me. Therefore, we're focusing on sound quality and a little on tradition and craftsmanship (and my education about guitars and making them).

All the braces will get tapered. Not all the braces will penetrate through the kerfing and sides. All the bottom braces will be notched into the sides, the X brace and transverse brace will be notched into the sides. I think that's all (I get confused). If I understand correctly, the scallops and taper of the braces are part of the sounding process, changing and altering the flexibility of the top in selected areas. Some of the end tapers on braces that are notched into the sides are done simply so they will be hidden behind the binding later. While the Martin plans we're using do provide dimensions for bracing, it appears those aren't set in stone and can vary based on the builder's preference. I will roughly taper the braces where they abut the X bracing, just to make it easier later. Other than that, all the final scallops and tapers are done after gluing and as part of the sounding step. The top itself can also get some more sanding as part of sounding the top. It's a fascinating process for sure.

One thing I've learned, you can mechanically follow a set of plans or videos and build a perfectly functional, attractive guitar. But there are steps where the art or magic come into play that differentiate a really good sounding guitar from a mass produced guitar. That's where my coach is proving so valuable and I'm sure glad he agreed to help me.


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## quags37 (Jan 24, 2021)

DLJeffs said:


> Nick - From all my questions to my coach (thankfully he's a patient guy), here's what I know (or think I know). Bracing is installed mainly for two reasons - structural reinforcement (protect glue joints, provide durability and crack resistance, etc) and/or to transfer/control vibration and flexibility. The bracing in many mass produced guitars was altered from the original designs to increase durability so manufacturers weren't dealing with complaints about guitars cracking, warping, etc. and to improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process. But it cost the guitar sound qualities. I won't be worrying about durability - this guitar won't be the one I take fishing or camping with me. Therefore, we're focusing on sound quality and a little on tradition and craftsmanship (and my education about guitars and making them).
> 
> All the braces will get tapered. Not all the braces will penetrate through the kerfing and sides. All the bottom braces will be notched into the sides, the X brace and transverse brace will be notched into the sides. I think that's all (I get confused). If I understand correctly, the scallops and taper of the braces are part of the sounding process, changing and altering the flexibility of the top in selected areas. While the Martin plans we're using do provide dimensions for bracing, it appears those aren't set in stone and can vary based on the builder's preference. I will roughly taper the braces where they abut the X bracing, just to make it easier later. Other than that, all the final scallops and tapers are done after gluing and as part of the sounding step. The top itself can also get some more sanding as part of sounding the top. It's a fascinating process for sure.
> 
> One thing I've learned, you can mechanically follow a set of plans or videos and build a perfectly functional, attractive guitar. But there are steps where the art or magic come into play that differentiate a really good sounding guitar from a mass produced guitar. That's where my coach is proving so valuable and I'm sure glad he agreed to help me.


Interesting, and it makes sense to do that later to fine tune the sound. I know that Martin got away from the scalloped bracing for a while, and went back to it in most of their guitars.

I know it doesn't need to be done, but seems reasonable to remove what you can and let the soundboard vibrate, without compromising the integrity of the build. I know it opens up the bottom end a good bit, and top end some, so it will depend on the sound you're looking for. 

Of the two acoustics I have, 1 has mahogany back and sides, and the other is EIR. I'm not sure of the differences in brace pattern and scalloping though. What I do know, is that the mahogany is very mid-range-y compared to the EIR which sounds extremely full. That said, there are plenty of other differences too, like bridge and saddle material, body shape, and plenty of other things.

Lots of pieces that can alter the sound in a guitar, thats for sure! And then there's time... My mahogany guitar has opened up sound-wise and richened over the years some too. I'm sure an experienced luthier can foresee that to some extent too..


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## DLJeffs (Jan 24, 2021)

Completely agree. My coach has said a couple times this one will not reach it's best for a few months after it's a guitar. I asked him about different woods and his thinking is there are lots of woods that make good guitars. Different woods produce subtle differences in tone (as you have found) so it really comes down to what you like. Some are more difficult to work with, bend, etc. too. And as you also pointed out, there's so many ways and places you can change the sound - that's part of that experience, art, magic I was talking about.

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## Arn213 (Jan 24, 2021)

This is my personal take and everyone will have a different view (which is a good thing). Commercially speaking, all mass production guitars are made to suit a larger spectrum of players with certain species (based on their inherent musical and mechanical properties) used to have a tested sound outcome with familiar results. That is the “result of one size fits all”. However, there are specific users that wants certain “voicing” to get the “sound” they are after or have already. It is all about the SOUND and tailoring it to suit your needs. Just like a well made “tailored” suit to fit you exactly. Not everyone arrives at that at the exact moment. It is sometimes determined by time, experience and sometimes getting a custom sound to fit a record project. It does take time to become “seasoned” at the sound that you want as a musician, but your preference then can also changed as you grown and develop your own style. I am still learning as I am going ....

Outside of paper and practice- I do have 2 dreds. that has mahogany back/sides and the other having rosewood back/sides. There is “audible” difference and suited to different situations. You don’t have to be a luthier or musician to hear it.


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## DLJeffs (Jan 25, 2021)

More progress on the top bracing yesterday. Cut out and shaped the upper transverse (popsicle), the two sound hole braces, and the four finger braces. I scalloped the inner face of the finger braces before gluing just because it's easier to do it before rather than after. That face abuts the X brace so running a chisel in there can be a little risky. None of these penetrate the sides so the outer face and the overall shape (arced top surface) will be done during sounding. Next I'll make the two lower tone bars. Once they're glued on, we're ready to sound the top. After that we get ready to glue the bottom and top to the sides.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 27, 2021)

Top braces all glued in place, ready for shaping and tuning. I think I got the joints all nice and tight. My coach said some builders opt to chisel a notch in the X brace and then stuff the tapered end of the tone bar into that notch. We decided to just butt them tight against the X brace.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 30, 2021)

Today we got into the "magic" part of guitar building... shaping the braces and sounding the top. This is where we cut scallops and tapers into the braces, shave them down to get the right flex and save weight, and tap on the top listening to the sound. 95% done with a long chisel - which for me was a learning experience but once I got the hang of it went pretty well and I can see why chisels are the tool of choice.

Next I'll clean up the braces with a minimal amount of sanding. Then I'll cut and glue in the bridge plate. I'll need to make a cull for that since it's a thin piece of wood. I'll also make the cull shaped like the silhouette of the guitar which we'll use when we glue the top and back to the sides. Then we'll do the final shaving of the braces, cut notches in the sides / kerfing and glue in the top and bottom. It'll start to look like a guitar then.

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## Jolie0708 (Feb 6, 2021)

Thank you so much for sharing your guitar building journey! I've always thought it would be cool to build my own, but just didn't/ don't have the means. I played one for many years until arthritis got me a few years ago & during the pandemic I discovered the uke, and I'm in love! It's alot easier for me to play and I've fallen in love with playing again! One day I will get me an authentic Hawaiian made one!  One again thank you for sharing! I've enjoyed reading about your build!


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## Arn213 (Feb 6, 2021)

Jolie0708 said:


> Thank you so much for sharing your guitar building journey! I've always thought it would be cool to build my own, but just didn't/ don't have the means. I played one for many years until arthritis got me a few years ago & during the pandemic I discovered the uke, and I'm in love! It's alot easier for me to play and I've fallen in love with playing again! One day I will get me an authentic Hawaiian made one!  One again thank you for sharing! I've enjoyed reading about your build!


^You can still play if you are careful and follow a regimen. One of the areas that causes arthritic pain or development in playing guitar is not properly stretching your hands and arms. It also does something to do with not properly warming up with proper guitar exercise before hitting whatever routine that you go through when playing. You have to treat it like a sport where the athlete warms up before they go into their main routine. I read that certain fingerboard radius and neck profile can cause wrist and finger pain and can lead to arthritis over time. A rounder radius like 7.5” and a big neck profile like a baseball bat could be detrimental. If you go down to a flatter radius from 12”-16” and a smaller profile, that would help alleviate any wrist/finger/hand health conditions that would rise up in the years of playing. 

Action plays a role too versus high relief and low relief. High relief means that the distance between the underside of the string to the top of the fret has a greater distance which requires a lot more effort. Low relief means the distance between the underside of the strings to the top of the frets is closer distance which requires less effort to chord and fret a note.

I would go to a store and play as many size necks and fretboard radius available. Pick the one that feels the most ergonomic and comfortable to you- their like shoes and you have to find the proper shoe fit to maintain balance and comfort. My 2 cents and I have been playing for over 35 years and I do those steps above so I can continue on playing.


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## Jolie0708 (Feb 6, 2021)

Arn213 said:


> ^You can still play if you are careful and follow a regimen. One of the areas that causes arthritic pain or development in playing guitar is not properly stretching your hands and arms. It also does something to do with not properly warming up with proper guitar exercise before hitting whatever routine that you go through when playing. You have to treat it like a sport where the athlete warms up before they go into their main routine. I read that certain fingerboard radius and neck profile can cause wrist and finger pain and can lead to arthritis over time. A rounder radius like 7.5” and a big neck profile like a baseball bat could be detrimental. If you go down to a flatter radius from 12”-16” and a smaller profile, that would help alleviate any wrist/finger/hand health conditions that would rise up in the years of playing.
> 
> Action plays a role too versus high relief and low relief. High relief means that the distance between the underside of the string to the top of the fret has a greater distance which requires a lot more effort. Low relief means the distance between the underside of the strings to the top of the frets is closer distance which requires less effort to chord and fret a note.
> 
> I would go to a store and play as many size necks and fretboard radius available. Pick the one that feels the most ergonomic and comfortable to you- their like shoes and you have to find the proper shoe fit to maintain balance and comfort. My 2 cents and I have been playing for over 35 years and I do those steps above so I can continue on playing.


Thank you so much for the info! I played a low relief guitar, but last couple years I got to where I couldn't even grip a small ball. Couple years and few diagnoses later im doing PT on my hands and shoulders. Someone gave me a concert uke and I have really enjoyed it. I had a smaller neck lower action guitar I gave my sister because she wanted to pick it back up again. She wants to get back to her 12 string. I told her not for me 
I do good walking and chewing gum sometimes. But playing the uke has been a joy for me till I can get part of my range of motion back.


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## DLJeffs (Feb 6, 2021)

Jolie0708 said:


> Thank you so much for sharing your guitar building journey! I've always thought it would be cool to build my own, but just didn't/ don't have the means. I played one for many years until arthritis got me a few years ago & during the pandemic I discovered the uke, and I'm in love! It's alot easier for me to play and I've fallen in love with playing again! One day I will get me an authentic Hawaiian made one!  One again thank you for sharing! I've enjoyed reading about your build!


Thanks for the kind words and for hanging with me. It's moving a little slower than many people build because I wait for days when my coach can get together. After we've worked through the days work I usually come away thinking I could do this on my own. There's been some things that made it well worth waiting for but I think the next one I'll be able to move a little faster on my own. Hopefully he'll be free tomorrow and we'll start getting the back and the top ready to glue to the sides. I think that's a process that once you get into it you want to get it glued and into the go bar deck so we're making sure he has the time to spare.

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## Arn213 (Feb 7, 2021)

Jolie0708 said:


> Thank you so much for the info! I played a low relief guitar, but last couple years I got to where I couldn't even grip a small ball. Couple years and few diagnoses later im doing PT on my hands and shoulders. Someone gave me a concert uke and I have really enjoyed it. I had a smaller neck lower action guitar I gave my sister because she wanted to pick it back up again. She wants to get back to her 12 string. I told her not for me
> I do good walking and chewing gum sometimes. But playing the uke has been a joy for me till I can get part of my range of motion back.


You bet. I love the sound of a 12 string as you get the sound of 2 guitars in one. If you have arthritic tendencies, I would not recommend it as it takes a lot more effort and finger strength to press on 2 parallel strings as oppose to 1 string on a 6 string acoustic. 

It sounds like the concert uke size is filling the void for you until you get the necessary treatment and rehab. I can see how that size would be playable and manageable for you. While I like the sound of the uke, I personally like having the availability of having the 2 treble strings (E & B) and wider surface on the fretboard. It’s like owning a pair of fingerless gloves and wish you had the non fingerless on a cold winters day. They do sell travel guitars which is available as 3/4 to 1/2 scale of a standard guitar if you decide to move up from the uke and get those 2 extra strings back. You can also get lighter gauge strings to help you ease on chording or fretting a note with less effort.

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## 2feathers Creative Making (Feb 7, 2021)

DLJeffs said:


> Thanks for the kind words and for hanging with me. It's moving a little slower than many people build because I wait for days when my coach can get together. After we've worked through the days work I usually come away thinking I could do this on my own. There's been some things that made it well worth waiting for but I think the next one I'll be able to move a little faster on my own. Hopefully he'll be free tomorrow and we'll start getting the back and the top ready to glue to the sides. I think that's a process that once you get into it you want to get it glued and into the go bar deck so we're making sure he has the time to spare.


As for future builds with go bar deck, you may want to check out the lighter electricians fiberglass fish sticks for pressure rods. I am not a guitar builder but I am an electrician.


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## DLJeffs (Feb 7, 2021)

2feathers Creative Making said:


> As for future builds with go bar deck, you may want to check out the lighter electricians fiberglass fish sticks for pressure rods. I am not a guitar builder but I am an electrician.


Thanks. I looked at fiberglass rods but they have their own difficulties - different rods apply different pressure, I did not know the precise length so if I had to cut them down I would have had to deal with fiberglass shards, the cost, etc. Finally, had plenty of hard maple available which made the price the determining factor. Able to easily trim them to whatever length I need. If I planned to make lots of guitars the fiberglass would have been worth it because over time the maple rods will take a set and lose some of the pressure.


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## 2feathers Creative Making (Feb 7, 2021)

DLJeffs said:


> . Finally, had plenty of hard maple available which made the price the determining factor. Able to easily trim them to whatever length I need. If I planned to make lots of guitars the fiberglass would have been worth it because over time the maple rods will take a set and lose some of the pressure.


I would use hard maple if just a couple to three builds as well. I hate buying stuff when I got something on hand.


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## DLJeffs (Feb 28, 2021)

Finally, got back to my guitar today. Spent all afternoon getting the top and the back ready to be glued to the sides. This is one of the more critical steps and attention to detail is top priority. First we trimmed up the braces, cutting the edges to proper length, shaving them so they are all the precise same thickness, made clear marks and the cut notches in the sides for the braces that penetrate the side. Cut all of them short of full and then carefully shave and sand them for nice snug fit. Six notches on the top side, eight notches for the back. The top and back are 99% ready for gluing. I will just to some final fit up checks and sanding to make sure the top and back have full contact with the kerfing on the sides. Still need to drill the holes for the neck attachment bolts. Then we'll glue the back on first and once that sets, we'll glue to top and it'll be a guitar box. Then on the neck. Here's a couple shots of the top showing how the braces are notched into the sides.

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## DLJeffs (Mar 25, 2021)

Our schedules finally aligned so my coach and I glued the back to the sides last week end. Had to shorten some go bars to account for the height of the sides. Drilled the holes in the neck block (these will be to attach the neck when we get to that part). Just where the lower bouts begins after the waist I had a small gap between the sides and the frame. So we crisscrossed a couple go bars to push the sides against the frame before we did the final glue up. We both forgot that we had shaved and cut the braces without those go bars in there. So after the glue up we noticed one or two of the braces did not extend all the way to the side. They were captured under the kerfing but the gap in the notches was more than we wanted. So I made a couple small plugs from the brace cutoffs and glued them in to fill the space. Plenty of glue filled any voids. We got a really tight glue up between the kerfing and the sides so it probably wasn't an issue but I had the time so what the heck. We got a really nice shape to the back. We'll glue the top on in the next few days and then start on the neck. The braces crisscrossing the sides are only temporary and we'll remove them through the sound hole after we glue the top on.

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## Mike Hill (Mar 25, 2021)

Doug, this is just so cool. Thank you for documenting it!

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## DLJeffs (Mar 25, 2021)

Thanks all. Building my own guitar has been everything I had imagined and a real learning experience. I'm getting more and more anxious to finish it so I can hear how it sounds. Then I hope to build one for each of my kids (hope I can remember all the tricks and details and sequences).


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## Arn213 (Mar 25, 2021)

Nice work so far Jeff. Which process have you enjoyed more- bracing the top or the back?


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## Don Ratcliff (Mar 25, 2021)

I just found this thread, wh as t a great score and to have it come with a coach is even better. It's really looking good.

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## DLJeffs (Mar 26, 2021)

Arn213 said:


> Nice work so far Jeff. Which process have you enjoyed more- bracing the top or the back?


Making braces is all good - relatively simple woodworking. I'd have to say the top braces are more interesting to make because they have such a larger impact on the sound and they interact with each other more. Minor adjustments in height and thickness, and position of the braces, can change the sound quite a bit. From what I've learned, if you really understand top bracing, you can customize the sound to increase bass or treble or resonance. The difference in layout of top bracing on a steel string acoustic versus a classical guitar is a good example. Right now I'm just happy if this guitar has better sound than my store bought guitar. I will say that learning to use that long chisel has been fun. Started out very tentative but as I got confidence I started making bolder cuts and it went faster.

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## DLJeffs (Mar 29, 2021)

Sunday we made a guitar shaped box!! No hinges but it has a hole for putting stuff in or taking stuff out. Thinking I might repurpose it as a guitar. Glue up looks good, nice solid fit between top and kerfing. Braces fit into the notches nice and snug. Next step is to trim off the excess from the top and back; route a 0.25" dado for the back strip; and route the rabbets and glue on the binding around the body. It's starting to look like a guitar. This is the top in the go bar deck.




Another shot of the top in the go bar deck, this is the neck end and the hole in the transverse brace is for the neck adjustment tool to reach the truss rod...




And here's the body all glued up and out of the go bar deck and out of the frame. Sweet!

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## T. Ben (Mar 29, 2021)




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## DLJeffs (Apr 17, 2021)

Got a late start today - my coach was helping his Dad make fence posts from downed trees with his chainsaw. But we made some progress today. Trimmed off all the excess wood from the top and back. Then we cut the slot, made the end graft, and glued the end graft into place. Then we routed the dado and glued the back strip into place. Had to stop there to let the glue dry before we can route the rabbets for the binding and glue the binding into place. The end graft is tortoise and the binding will also be tortoise. It looks like a guitar now without a neck and sounds pretty good. My coach is going to rough out the neck on his CNC mill to save us some time.

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## T. Ben (Apr 18, 2021)




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## DLJeffs (May 8, 2021)

Cleaned up the body, routed the rabbets and glued on the binding, both top and back. Tomorrow I might clean it up and the body will be ready for spray finish. 

Here's also a photo of the rack of electric guitars my coach is working on...

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## 2feathers Creative Making (May 8, 2021)

I'll be darn. That looks a bit like a guitar! Whaddya know?

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## T. Ben (May 9, 2021)




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## DLJeffs (May 18, 2021)

Went down to my coach's shop today, hoping to watch his CNC mill cut out some necks. Unfortunately, minor glitches forced us to stop partway through. But I got to fondle the body. It's out of the cordage wrap and tape and is cleaned up and ready for finish. Looks and sounds really great. I forgot my camera so these pics are from my phone. The color isn't quite accurate.

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## DLJeffs (May 22, 2021)

Worked on the neck today...and re-bent a second set of mahogany sides so I can start on guitar #2. My coach is making a few accoustics for his boss so made some jigs and cut out the neck on his CNC. First we joint one side so we have a flat surface to register to. Next, we rough the sides out on the band saw. Then we clamp them to a jig on the CNC and cut two grooves for maple stiffeners. After we glued those in and sanded flat, we clamp the necks back in the CNC and it planes the headstock and the fingerboard surface. It also cuts the groove for the truss rod and the alignment holes for the fingerboard. 

I bent a second set of mahogany sides a while ago and put them into a body jig I made from cardboard. One of the sides must have shifted in the bender so the ends wouldn't butt against the other side when I put them in the form. So we tried to re-bend them today. The first side came out better and the second side was still in the bender. Hopefully I'll be able to use them. If not, I have a set of ebony sides and back that will be a gorgeous guitar. I also have a set of figured myrtle sides and back that will be the third guitar.

So while the side was cooling, we worked on the fingerboard. Using another jig, we drilled holes to match the alignment pins the CNC drilled in the neck. The fingerboard I got already had fret grooves but it wasn't 100% square so we had to mark it up and square it off. Then we checked the length and how it fit against the rosette (if it's off center that's where it will really show). 

Next I'll finish truing the sides of the fingerboard and we'll finish cutting out the neck. Then I'll shape the back and heel of the neck. My coach is working on transferring my design for an inlay for the headstock and we'll use the CNC to cut it out. Then we'll drill holes for the neck attachment and the tuners and get ready to attach the neck and then the bridge.

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## Arn213 (May 22, 2021)

It’s looking good. Have you and your coach decided yet on the neck heel joint whether it would be dovetail or bolt-on?


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## DLJeffs (May 23, 2021)

We're doing bolt on for this one. He's doing a dovetail on the one he's building for his boss. He's there's pluses and minuses to both (like just about everything we've done so far). Do you have a preference? And if so, why? I'm working on getting a second set of sides bent so I can start on #2 when this one goes to the spray booth. I screwed up on half of the mahogany set I had so we're tried to re-bend them yesterday. If they don't come out usable, I'll switch to a set of ebony sides I have.


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## Arn213 (May 23, 2021)

DLJeffs said:


> We're doing bolt on for this one. He's doing a dovetail on the one he's building for his boss. He's there's pluses and minuses to both (like just about everything we've done so far). Do you have a preference? And if so, why? I'm working on getting a second set of sides bent so I can start on #2 when this one goes to the spray booth. I screwed up on half of the mahogany set I had so we're tried to re-bend them yesterday. If they don't come out usable, I'll switch to a set of ebony sides I have.


I am a traditionalist when it comes to joinery, so I prefer the detail and coupling of wood to wood. However, I don’t mind the bolt-on because of the “convenience” factor and you will thank yourself if the neck needs a little tweaking without having to do a reset.

If you are adventurous enough and open to it, I would do one of each since you have the same specs. on both. You can then compare to see if you hear a subtle difference in the sound transfer as the neck is a “tone filter”. The bolt-on will have a very slight bright sound projection in my playing experience. YMMV.

Ebony sides? You have to make sure you have this guitar properly humidified during the winter season. Ebony likes to drink. If it is not properly hydrated, you will see checking and cracking. This is the trouble with ebony.

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## DLJeffs (May 23, 2021)

Arn -
Do you have a favorite humidifier for inside a guitar case? I have a very old, very cheap one - it's a piece of porous ceramic inside a plastic yellow snap lid container.


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## Arn213 (May 23, 2021)

DLJeffs said:


> Arn -
> Do you have a favorite humidifier for inside a guitar case? I have a very old, very cheap one - it's a piece of porous ceramic inside a plastic yellow snap lid container.



Doug @DLJeffs - I use the product below and stretch it out to about 6 months on the acoustic (they suggest shorter period; but 6 months is the max for me). For my electrics, I use the same thing but stretch it out a bit longer because 95 percent of the guitar has a finish on it (the fretboard is unfinished); whereas the acoustic inside the box is totally unfinished including the fretboard and the saddle. I locate this bag underneath the neck close to the neck heel and for acoustic inside the sound hole. See links below.






Humidipak Maintain | Accessories | D'Addario


D'Addario Humidipak is the only maintenance-free, two-way humidity control system for guitar. It automatically maintains the optimal 45%-50% relative humidity level within your instrument case, eliminating the guesswork and potential mess



www.daddario.com










Humidipak Maintain | Accessories | D'Addario


D'Addario Humidipak is the only maintenance-free, two-way humidity control system for guitar. It automatically maintains the optimal 45%-50% relative humidity level within your instrument case, eliminating the guesswork and potential mess



www.daddario.com





^This method can be costly depending on how fast you changed the paks. It could run you $ 50 per year or $ 100 per year, but you deal with no water mess or the sanitary debate with using a standard drop in humidifier at the sound hole or loose pod in the case.

The below also works which is a “manual sponge” and what basically most people use because it is economical to use, but you have to do more monitoring to make sure the sponge does not become dry- so refilling schedules is a must. I have used this and it works fine- so does the luthiers that I know. See link below:





Acoustic Guitar Humidifier Pro | Accessories | D'Addario


The D’Addario Humidifier Pro protects your guitar even in the driest conditions. Using a specialized hydrophilic sponge that holds 12x its dry weight in water (much more than an ordinary sponge), the Humidifier Pro allows for longer periods between re-fills and increases protection in drier...



www.daddario.com





Then there are the room humidifiers that works well, but requires monitoring when you need to refill with water and it does add to your electrical bill as it gets plugged into your electrical outlet. My brother and sister in law uses this in tandem with the humid packs because they have very old and very expensive violins and violas.

Oh and you need to invest in one of these and it is a must to have a hygrometer in the room were your instruments reside- “not a hydrometer” lol per @gman2431 ! You have to invest on that if you want to protect the health of your instruments and keep you from paying for or making expensive repairs. You want to keep the relative humidity between 40-50%.

The maintenance factor is the challenging aspects if want your acoustics to stay healthy and be playable at optimal level. It is almost like “following a 2 year old around” to make sure they are fed, they get there proper nap time, time for the bottle and whether it is that time to change their diapers again- I don’t know what is worst between the two?

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## DLJeffs (Jun 24, 2021)

This is actually going to be for my second guitar. But I got my rosette jig from StewMac and gave it a try today. I cut some ebony thins to the same width and diameter as my abalone. I have a vision of a mixed abalone / black ebony main rosette ring with a couple cream & black purfling rings one each side.









Oh yeah, my coach texted me and we're going to work on the neck Sunday. Sweet. Getting closer.

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## DLJeffs (Jul 13, 2021)

My coach finished the headstock inlays on his CNC. They came out really really nice. He made three headstock plates since I hope to make a minimum of three guitars.

Flying fish are very cool fish. The family name is exocoetidae, which is from the ancient Greek roughly meaning "sleeping outside". It was thought that flying fish left the water to sleep on land because of the way they flew across the waves and because they were often found on boats. The Exocet missile is named after flying fish. I worked up a design that I thought would incorporate the abalone and mother of pearl nicely.

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## DLJeffs (Dec 5, 2021)

Spent the last three Saturdays shaping and fitting two of the necks. Today I final sanded the first one and bolted it on, making sure it's centered all around and fits nice and tight. Everything looks pretty good to me so hopefully later this week we'll get it into the spray booth.

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## DLJeffs (Mar 24, 2022)

Finally got time in the guitar shop with my coach. We got both first and second bodies buffed. They looked pretty darn good just after spraying. Then my coach took a random orbital sander to one, with 800 grit paper. I cringed! But as they say, sometimes you need to crack a few eggs to make a cake - or something like that.

So we sanded the finish down, stopping to wipe and search for any shiny spots, grain pores, etc. Next, buffed them on the wheels using red rouge and then white and finally with no compound. Last we took them to the workshop and did a final wipe with wax and buffed that off with a soft cloth. These things glisten like glass now (check out the reflexion of the top of one guitar in the back of the other below). The tortoise shell binding and heel plate show up way better, the mahogany sparkles with red-gold sparks, and the rosettes look three-D. Really amazing how much better they look from before. Next up we'll be attaching necks and bridges.

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## Nature Man (Mar 24, 2022)

That’s an amazing and very impressive transformation! Chuck

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## 2feathers Creative Making (Mar 25, 2022)

That is a first class finish! You found a jewel when you got this coach!

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## Arn213 (Mar 25, 2022)

Well done Jeff- looking like dipped glass When you get a chance next time is if you can get a close up of the tortoiseshell binding with the mahogany to show the members here- it is the perfect combination with Honduran mahogany. I love that combo with koa (it looks incredible with snakewood too).

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## DLJeffs (Mar 25, 2022)

Arn asked for a shot showing the tortoise shell binding on the mahogany sides and back. Here's a shot of the heel plate and binding. This might be a little lighter than actual, but when we buffed them out the contrast between the tortoise shell and mahogany did increase and you could see the color variations in the tortoise shell more. They do look really good together. Forgive the dust on the back, I didn't stop to wipe it off.

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## FLQuacker (Mar 28, 2022)

Nice!

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## DLJeffs (Apr 2, 2022)

Got one neck attached today. Planned to do both but my coach had a pesky guitar / customer who needed attention. We'll do the second one and attach the bridge on this one tomorrow (we hope).

We final fit the neck - required a little careful sanding and chiseling, removing glue beads, places where finish had accumulated, etc. Then, we marked where the neck would go and drilled two small holes for inserting toothpicks so we could align the neck in that exact place when we glued it. These toothpicks will be hidden beneath one of the fret wires later.

Next we used a router to remove most of the finish where the fingerboard attaches to the body. This is actually the only area that gets glued.

Then it was time to glue. Applied glue, used the toothpicks to align the neck, positioned cauls and applied clamps. Cleaned up glue squeeze out and then it was set aside to cure.

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## 2feathers Creative Making (Apr 2, 2022)

Looks like quite the process. Still watching from the easy chair...

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## DLJeffs (Apr 3, 2022)

Glued the neck on guitar #2 and then glued on the bridge on guitar #1. Once again, it was a little scary taking a router and drill and scraper to that beautifully finished and buffed top. Steps to attach the bridge are:
1. locate bridge - distance from the 12 fret, and centering on the fingerboard, we used a templated and long straight edge
2. once properly located, drilled registration pins so we can get it back into that exact placement after we routed off the lacquer finish
3. mask off the location, carefully scribe the edge of the area we want to clean up, then use a router to remove the lacquer finish
4. using a razor blade as a scraper, clean up any remaining lacquer and put a slight chamfer on the edge, remove any fuzzy shavings, etc.
5. tape a caul to the bridge plate inside the guitar body, apply lots of glue, and then using the registration pins, stick the bridge back on
6. apply the bridge clamp on the outside, then using a long reach clamp tighten it all down until we see lots of squeeze to clean up using Q tips, toothpicks and a damp cloth

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## T. Ben (Apr 4, 2022)




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## barefoot (Apr 6, 2022)

DLJeffs said:


> Made some more progress today. My coach and I milled the grooves for the rosette but he hasn't been able to get back over to glue the rosette in place yet. So I moved on to bending sides. We reviewed the procedure, I read Cumpiano's book, and watched a couple videos. Figured I could do this on my own.
> 
> Set up the bending jig and tested the heat blanket. Since I was bending mahogany sides, I decided to start bending the lower bout at 270 degrees and then keep going from there. Then do a 15 minute soak at 300 - 310 degrees. I also decided to use a little more water than the videos demonstrated. My coach said where he used to work they put their sides in a shallow tank for a minute or two. The video showed a quick couple of spritzes from a bottle. I also decided to use white plain craft paper to shield the wood (some videos used aluminum foil). Bottom line, the process worked fine. Did two sets of mahogany sides. Oh, I also made a cardboard frame to set the second set of sides on so they hold their shape until I'm ready to do the second guitar.
> 
> ...


Yeah, springback is a bitch. I have a universally-adjustable form I made that's not quite so handy as yours, but my storage limitations demand such compromises.


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## DLJeffs (May 22, 2022)

Glued the bridge on the second guitar today. So now guitars #1 and #2 are ready for fretting, tuners and strings. Hopefully we'll be able to find a full week end day to do that and I'll be able to hear how they sound. Also, had my coach inspect guitar #3 bracing and sides and make sure they're ready for closing up the box. He suggested one minor modification to the top bracing so I'll do that and then start making the notches and attaching the back.

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## Arn213 (May 23, 2022)

Looking good Doug. I gave this a good look and realized you have two different materials going on which is is good in my book as it will give it a “twist”. Ebony fingerboard and that belly bridge appears to be Brazilian rosewood- beautiful 2 tone heartwood and grain make up. I have worked and seen some East Indian rosewood and Amazonian rosewood that is identical optically with heartwood and grain make up with the real deal Rio rosewood with the exception of the aroma difference and pore differentiation at the end grain. How far am I?


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## DLJeffs (May 23, 2022)

You could be right, I'm not 100% sure either way. My coach made these bridges on his CNC back when he was still making acoustics, I just bought them as part of the deal when I bought his side benders and forms. It was easier, simpler, and helped him get rid of some miscellaneous stuff that was taking up shop space. I got tops, sides, backs, fingerboards, bridges, and necks for 3 guitars as part of the original deal. I think the headstock overlays and the bridges are the same wood - rosewood, and the fingerboards are ebony.

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## DLJeffs (Jun 10, 2022)

Went down to the shop last night and worked until 11:30pm to get the first dreadnaught finished. Well, finished enough to string it up and play it. We'll let it settle into becoming a real guitar for a week or two then do some final touch up if needed. Still need to do some minor relieving on the backside of the nut and we want to raise the saddle a smidge. But this guitar looks incredible and sounds even better. Even my coach was impressed with the sound quality and he's a much better judge of that than I am. He thinks it might sound even better if I put medium strings on it (I only had light strings). The feeling of accomplishment is really good and I have learned so much about guitars, this has been everything I wanted it to be. We'll get together and finish #2 Saturday.

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## Nature Man (Jun 10, 2022)

Congrats! What a terrific journey in the life of this magical playing instrument! Has to give you incredible satisfaction! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jun 10, 2022)

Congrats. Looks nice

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## T. Ben (Jun 10, 2022)



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