# Third guitar



## DLJeffs (Jan 8, 2022)

While waiting my turn in the spray booth for my first two guitars, thought I'd get a head start on #3. I decided to try a little different rosette. Cut wedges from some zebrawood thins I got from Jason Martin. I'll glue these up and then using my Dremel with the rosette attachment I'll trim it into a nice rosette circle. Then I'll route the next top and glue this zebrawood circle in place with some purfling trim. Once that dries and I sand it flat, I'll route a groove and glue in some abalone down the center of the zebrawood. Hopefully it'll work out as I envision.

Cut all this using a little Japanese saw I got for CHristmas. Made that little plexiglas pattern you see in the photo.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 2 | Way Cool 5


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## El Guapo (Jan 9, 2022)

I’m loving your build threads! Other than aesthetic changes, are there any design changes you have planned for this build? Any different techniques or desired tonal qualities? You instrument builders are some of the most impressive woodworkers on here IMO.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DLJeffs (Jan 9, 2022)

El Guapo said:


> I’m loving your build threads! Other than aesthetic changes, are there any design changes you have planned for this build? Any different techniques or desired tonal qualities? You instrument builders are some of the most impressive woodworkers on here IMO.


Thanks Andrew. But these guitars would probably be scrap wood if I didn't have the guy who's helping me, helping me. I'm certainly no luthier. This one will also be a dreadnought (I only have side bender forms for a dreadnought). It'll have either ebony or myrtle back and sides. Other than that I don't know. We could maybe play with the bracing a little. But I expect it'll be a pretty standard Martin-based dreadnought.


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## El Guapo (Jan 9, 2022)

DLJeffs said:


> Thanks Andrew. But these guitars would probably be scrap wood if I didn't have the guy who's helping me, helping me. I'm certainly no luthier. This one will also be a dreadnought (I only have side bender forms for a dreadnought). It'll have either ebony or myrtle back and sides. Other than that I don't know. We could maybe play with the bracing a little. But I expect it'll be a pretty standard Martin-based dreadnought.


Tough to beat the rich sound of a Martin dreadnought!

Reactions: Agree 1 | Useful 1


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## DLJeffs (Jan 17, 2022)

Had to remake my rosette - the first one wasn't wide enough. Doh! Anyway, remade the wedges, glued it up, cut it round (to the proper dimension this time). Then, routed the grooves in the top. Put purflings on the inside and outside, fit the zebra wood ring, then routed out the inside. I think I'll save myself a little sanding and deepen the dado for the zebra wood ring before I glue it in. But it's looking pretty good. 

After I glue and sand the zebra wood, I'll route another dado inside the zebra wood to install an abalone ring. Plus I'll add one more purfling ring outside the whole thing to kind of finish it off.

Reactions: Way Cool 3 | Creative 1


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## El Guapo (Jan 19, 2022)

Looking great!


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## DLJeffs (Jan 21, 2022)

Finished the rosette this morning after putting a final coat of finish on my gift swap for Tim. Came out really nice (the rosette, the gift is too but isn't totally finished yet so I'm withholding judgement). Had one tiny chip come out of the corner of one of the abalone sections (must have been cracked and I didn't see it) so I'll have to fill that with epoxy. Other than that I'm pretty pleased.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 5 | Way Cool 4


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## Gdurfey (Jan 21, 2022)

Oh, wow!!! WOW! I meant.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## T. Ben (Jan 22, 2022)




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## El Guapo (Jan 22, 2022)

Does the rosette sit in a recess in the spruce?


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## DLJeffs (Jan 22, 2022)

Yes. You use a Dremel tool with a router head attached. That's what the 3/16" hole is for. A metal pin goes in there and the router head has a hole that fits over that pin so the Dremel rotates in a perfect circle. The router head lets you make very finite adjustments so you don't cut all the way through the top. So you route the grooves, glue in the zebra wood, abalone and purfling strips which are plastic. After they dry, I use a chisel and scrapers to roughly trim them close to the top and then a big sanding block to smooth it all out. Today I cut the groove in the back for the back strip and glued it in. I'll take a photo tomorrow and then scrape and sand the back strip smooth. After that, I'll trim off the excess material from the top and back and I'll be ready to bend sides and start making braces, etc.

Reactions: Way Cool 1 | Informative 1


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## Lou Currier (Jan 23, 2022)




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## DLJeffs (Jan 23, 2022)

Finished the back strip this morning. Pretty straightforward process. Find the middle of the back, set up the Dremel to the desired depth. Then figure out how far away to clamp a solid straight edge-fence so the dado I cut is centered. Make a couple short test cuts outside the line where the back will be cut out so I can test fit the back strip and then cut the dado groove. I used a 0.125" bit, so I had to move my fence to the other side of my dado to achieve the final width to match the back strip I had. Then mixed up some epoxy and glued in the back strip.

Let the epoxy dry overnight, then this morning used scrapers to shave down the back strip. The shavings from the scraper looked like snake skins. Then used a big sanding block to finish smoothing out the strip. In my first guitar we waiting to install the back strip until after the body was done. This is a little more difficult because the back has a curve to it. So I decided to install the back strip while the back was still flat. Hopefully all the moving around and clamping and sanding won't result in it moving at all. But now I have both the top and back close to ready to make braces and glue to sides. All I need to do is layout the final position for each and trim off the excess. We'll also make the top thinner by sanding it because it's a little too think right now.

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## DLJeffs (Jan 23, 2022)

Yesterday Andrew ( @El Guapo ) asked about the rosette. So while I had the camera out I took a couple shots to better explain how that gets done.
The first shot shows the Dremel and the two attachments. The silver router base allows you to very accurately set depth of cut by adjusting with the brass knobs.

The black jig attaches to the router base by those two screws. It allows me to very accurately adjust the distance the router bit is from the center pin. The center pin is a 3/16" metal pin that is seated in a hole drilled through the top of the guitar and into the base board. In the second photo you can see how the black base sets on the center pin. The black set screw locks the adjustment in place.

The last picture is some of the bits we use. These are the smallest I have, they're 0.03". The black outer band and the inner groove (this is where the sound hole will be cut out) in my rosette were made with this bit. They're pretty fragile so you have to be careful to always have the router running when you lower the bit into the top and anytime you're moving the Dremel. When I made this rosette, I used a 1/8" bit. I cut the inner most edge, then figuring out the width needed for my zebra wood plus two sections of purfling, I cut the outer edge. Then I just routed out the middle. But it's always smart to set up a test station where you can make test cuts and try out your rosette material for fit before cutting the actual top. Extremely small errors in measurement become very visible in the finished product.

Reactions: Like 4 | Informative 1


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## El Guapo (Jan 23, 2022)

I definitely need more margin of error for anything I attempt! Thanks for walking us through the process.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## DLJeffs (Jan 23, 2022)

El Guapo said:


> I definitely need more margin of error for anything I attempt! Thanks for walking us through the process.


The Dremel makes it pretty fool proof. The ticket is to always make a test cut so you can make very tiny adjustments and test the fit before making the final.

Reactions: Like 1


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## El Guapo (Jan 23, 2022)

are the first two builds completely finished? How do they play?


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## DLJeffs (Jan 23, 2022)

No, I wish. My coach got really busy starting in November. That put a crimp on finishing getting the necks attached and starting the spraying. We have a couple options for spraying (there's one or two local guitar shops that might be willing to spray finish them as well). Then my coach caught covid so isolated himself for about 10 days. So right now, we need to make the final adjustments to attach the necks and fingerboards and then get them into the spray booths. After that we need to install frets, bridges, and tuners and then do the final set up adjustments. Then, maybe I'll be able to play them.

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## DLJeffs (Feb 2, 2022)

Cut and radiused the back braces today. One of the more menial jobs but an important one to not take short cuts. You want the braces to be uniform and achieve the proper arc so they will glue up tightly so you don't get buzzing. Usually results in some scuffed knuckles and sore fingers.

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## DLJeffs (Feb 5, 2022)

Glued the back braces in yesterday. So today spent a couple hours shaping and sanding the back braces. Then cut the center bracing for the middle three sections, sanded them and glued them in place. The center bracing for the two end sections will wait until I get the sides bent and glued up so I can fit them close to the end and neck blocks. Next up I'll start radiusing the X braces and the transverse brace. Gluing them in will wait until we sand the top to thin it a little.

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## DLJeffs (Feb 12, 2022)

Killing time, waiting for my turn in the spray booth still. Goofed around on the computer and made up a label to stick inside the guitars. Made up a master with 6 labels on a page, then took it to Staples and had them print me three pages on "natural" paper (rather than bleached) so it looks kind of old fashioned. Not completely sure the best way to glue the labels in. Thinking diluting Titebond 50/50 with water and applying enough glue to the back of the label that it softens a little so it will confirm over the center brace.

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## Arn213 (Feb 12, 2022)

I had this link on my reference page and this should give you an idea for what you want to do for the above:






Make custom labels for your guitars! - StewMac


Dan Erlewine's making a forgery of an old Gibson label, using his brother as an accomplice (he's got a good excuse). While he's at it, he shows how you can make new custom labels for your own guitars.




www.stewmac.com

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## DLJeffs (Feb 16, 2022)

Got together with my coach and we started paste filling. He had a mahogany and a medium walnut, we did a test and decided we liked the mahogany best. It darkens up the natural mahogany quite a bit but will lighten a little with drying and finishing. We'll scrape the back strip a little just to make it stand out a little more before finishing. Getting closer to the spray booth.

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 2


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## El Guapo (Feb 16, 2022)

I love watching the progress… keep it going!

Reactions: Agree 5


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## DLJeffs (Feb 17, 2022)

El Guapo said:


> I love watching the progress… keep it going!


Thanks Andrew. Progress has been slow at times but I've really enjoyed learning about guitars and sound and wood and rosettes and brace design and kerfing and purfling and binding and different glues for different purposes. I'd never paste filled anything before so that was another learning experience for me. I am getting anxious to string these up and make some noise with them.

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## El Guapo (Feb 17, 2022)

Can you explain the process and purpose of paste filling? I’ve played the guitar for a long time, but know almost nothing about the construction of one.


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## DLJeffs (Feb 17, 2022)

If I understand it correctly, paste fillers are sort of a combo stain and micro particulates. The filler is wiped on perpendicular to grain, spread fairly quickly because it dries fast. Then we used a rag with a light application of naphtha to further spread and even the filler. Last, after letting it dry for a minute or two, use a clean rag and wipe off excess. The filler fills and darkens the grain pores, which makes the finishing process go much better. The top is masked off so absolutely no filler gets on the top. We did not apply filler to the fingerboard but did not bother taping it off because it's so dark you can't see any overlap if you get any. The filler we used was made by Mohawk. The particulates had settled to the bottom so we used a screw driver to lightly mix them, but we tried to leave a small layer of solvent on top. I shook the medium walnut can and the particulates mixed throughout. When we did our test application it dried very fast and formed little balls of solid filler under the application rag. So it's better to leave a little solvent on the top.

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## El Guapo (Feb 18, 2022)

Is the process purely for aesthetics in preparation for finish, or does it affect sound/resonance?


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## DLJeffs (Feb 18, 2022)

Pretty sure it's just part of the finishing. My coach said we could leave it the natural mahogany after I commented how dark the paste filler made it. But if we do that, he said, he'd have to apply a couple coats of finish and then sand it to get it to the same place as applying paste filler does. So it's a more time and effort to leave it the natural mahogany color. He said he likes the paste filler because it's more like the old traditional Martins. I'm kind of torn - I liked the contrast between the mahogany and the binding but the darker color is much richer.

I think they took the paste filler process from fine furniture builders.

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## Mike Hill (Feb 18, 2022)

Ok, I musta missed it - what is the back on this one?


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## DLJeffs (Feb 18, 2022)

Mike Hill said:


> Ok, I musta missed it - what is the back on this one?


Those two are both mahogany back and sides. That's how the paste filling darkened it. But I think with finish it's going to feel really warm and kind of historic.


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## DLJeffs (Feb 19, 2022)

Big progress today. Stripped off the masking, cleaned up the residual paste filler around the edges of the binding, did some minor touchup sanding, sanded off the sharp edges so the lacquer won't break, added the veins to the wings on the flying fish logo, used shipping foam and plastic lids from sour cream containers to plug the sound holes, and finally applied 4 coats of lacquer. Really like how the lacquer lightened the sides and back and brought out the grain. It also makes the rosettes really shine. Tomorrow we'll scuff them up a little and apply some more lacquer.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 4


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## El Guapo (Feb 22, 2022)

Man, that had to be a great day for you! Those are looking fantastic!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DLJeffs (Feb 22, 2022)

El Guapo said:


> Man, that had to be a great day for you! Those are looking fantastic!


Yeah, it was pretty cool to watch them come to life - so to speak. Once the finish started to build they started looking a lot more professional. My coach was going to put another couple coats on today and then we'll do the final sanding and apply the final finish coat. After that we let them stabilize, let the finish completely dry, buff them out, etc. and then we'll finish fitting the necks and start fretting, etc. One thing that was eye opening was how the first few coats of finish made every little ding, scratch, glue line, etc show up. We both looked them over before spraying and still a bunch of defects appeared. None that weren't fixable, just surprising how many we didn't see before. Even one of the rosettes which I'd sanded and checked and double checked, still revealed a couple tiny chips in the abalone that I had to fill with super glue and then sand.

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## DLJeffs (Feb 23, 2022)

Well, bad news. For some reason the lacquer didn't adhere well enough to the paste filler. We're not sure if it was the solvents in the paste filler, the filler itself, or the xylol we used to even out the paste filler. My coach hadn't used the particular brand of filler before so he isn't sure but was surprised. Never had this problem before. Anyway, he called and said he lightly sanded off the finish on the sides and back and neck and will apply a light stain and then re-spray them this week. I suspect it was the xylol but unless we run some tests we might not ever know. BUmmer. But all's not lost, the guitars still look awesome and in fact, because of the filler stayed in the grain pores and the extra sanding, etc. the finish job is even better. They'll just be a little lighter color than we had with just the filler and spray.

Reactions: Sincere 1


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## El Guapo (Feb 24, 2022)

Bummer, but at least nothing lost but a bit of time!


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## DLJeffs (Mar 5, 2022)

Like my coach says "There's nothing we can't fix". So scraped off the lacquer, sanded the sides, backs, necks and headstocks, added a light stain, re-filled with different paste fill and re-sprayed. They look great now. Not buffed yet, need to let them cure for a couple weeks. Next will be final fitting the necks, then frets, tuners, and bridges. Looking more like a real guitar each time we work on them. Also started bracing the 3rd guitar.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 3


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## Nature Man (Mar 5, 2022)

A pair of beauty queens! They are amazing! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Arn213 (Mar 5, 2022)

The paddle headstock inlays really is an eye catcher! I probably missed it, are the “duo” the same scale length? I also missed what material the fretboard and bridge is? Going to hit you up with some questions and you probably have it down on the set list to do. Are the necks both set at the 12th or 14th fret of the upper bout? Will they have a belly bridge, pyramid or your own hybrid? Are the bridge string through or pin less bridge? Fretboard radius? Neck profile? Volute? Action- low, medium, high? 

Can’t wait to hear the finished product.

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## DLJeffs (Mar 5, 2022)

That's more questions than I have answers for. The fretboards are ebony, the headstock overlay is rosewood. Not sure what "necks are set at" means but I think the answer is 12th. The fret where the neck crosses the body is the 12th. We have the bridges but I don't know what style - they will have pegs, we have the pegs. I don't know what radius we'll put on the fretboards but we're staying pretty true to the old Martin's. The action will probably be low to medium, definitely not high.

What I'm anxious to experience is the sound. There are subtle differences in the build that should result in different sound. Plus, I am starting the third one and will apply what I learn from the first two to this one.

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## El Guapo (Mar 5, 2022)

Wow, those look great! The headstocks are absolutely beautiful, as are the bodies. Great work so far!


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## Arn213 (Mar 5, 2022)

DLJeffs said:


> That's more questions than I have answers for. The fretboards are ebony, the headstock overlay is rosewood. Not sure what "necks are set at" means but I think the answer is 12th. The fret where the neck crosses the body is the 12th. We have the bridges but I don't know what style - they will have pegs, we have the pegs. I don't know what radius we'll put on the fretboards but we're staying pretty true to the old Martin's. The action will probably be low to medium, definitely not high.
> 
> What I'm anxious to experience is the sound. There are subtle differences in the build that should result in different sound. Plus, I am starting the third one and will apply what I learn from the first two to this one.


Thank you Doug. I edited my post and you answered it perfectly at the 12th fret. So both would be a shorter scale length probably in the 24.75” neighborhood. Got it that it is a traditional string through bridge. Martin radius traditionally is 16” and that sounds like where you are headed. I do like the low to medium action.

The neck profile you will encounter next and that is a matter of personal preference. Just forewarn you to pick a neck profile that will suite the shape of your palms/hands and your playing style- this way you don’t feel fatigued or making too much effort when fretting, chording, etc.. I think you mentioned one of these dreads. is for your daughter, so keep the size of her hands in mind when you profile and shape her guitar neck. You want her to feel comfortable and her hand movement to be effortless as she moves up and down the neck. The 1st and 12th fret thickness should be your gauge point. Then figure out profile shapes- C, D, U, V, hybrid or asymmetrical types. You will have to do the same when it comes to your guitar so you can enjoy the guitar properly. 

I am sure your coach will cover this, but something to think about earlier on before that day comes so you know what to implement. If you are unsure, go to your nearest guitar store and bring her with you- try all the Martin dreadnought they have available. Pull aside the 1 or 2 that is comfortable when playing. Bring a caliper and yes, bring a contour gauge so you can measure at the 1st and 12th fret location.

@El Guapo - I know you have something you can add to this as I know your a guitar player and other WB members (Wayne @FLQuacker) hopefully.

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## DLJeffs (Mar 6, 2022)

EDIT: I need to correct my earlier answer. The necks attach to the bodies at the 14th fret, not the 12th. I did a lot of fiddling, stroking, holding, sliding, etc. when I was shaping the necks. At first I thought I wanted a D shaped profile in the back but ended up liking a more pointed D. They feel good to me although it's a little hard to be certain without actually being able to play. I did try to take into account my daughter's slightly smaller hands on the one I hope to give her. Making these guitars has been all I wanted so far, to learn a little about the intricacies and little things that make a plain guitar into a good guitar, etc. From what I gather, we can still put all that effort in and end up with a mediocre sounding instrument. There's always a bit of luck, voodoo, black magic, hocus poscus in play. Maybe I'll get lucky and one of mine will sound truly sweet.

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## SubVet10 (Mar 23, 2022)

That head stock inlay is really neat. How did you choose the name of exocet.


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## DLJeffs (Mar 23, 2022)

Sorry there's not been much progress lately - my coach has been helping a high school shop teacher in addition to reacting to increased orders at the guitar shop. Anyway, going down tomorrow to buff and hopefully attach some necks.

@SubVet10 Brandon - the scientific name for the Family of flying fish is Exocoetidae. Loosely translated from ancient Greek meaning "sleeping outside". People hypothesized flying fish slept outside the water. The marine launched Exocet missile is named after the flying fish (you probably already knew that).

Reactions: Informative 3


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## SubVet10 (Mar 24, 2022)

@DLJeffs that is very interesting what the Greeks thought about fish sleeping outside. 
I knew of the exocet missile, largely for negative reasons. I did not know it meant flying fish until the other day when I searched for it. It is funny how things are all connected together.


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## DLJeffs (May 14, 2022)

Got clamps? Glued the end blocks on guitar #3 today. Bent the sides Thursday, played golf yesterday. I'm encouraged because each guitar I'm working on seems to get better. For example, on this one I bent the sides on my own, got them correct, cut them to length and the seams are straight and tight. Made the end blocks and they fit nicely. I think I learned a little.

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## Arn213 (May 15, 2022)

That is some gorgeous sides- striped ebony or Mac. ebony? What are the rest of the specs.? Not to sway you another way, but particularly love the tonal envelope and complexed dynamics particularly formulated with this species combined (from what I have played) is cedar or spruce top with not genuine mahogany neck, but with a sapele neck! That sapele neck as a tone filter adds that extra sparkle and slight reverb effect from what my old ears can hear.


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## DLJeffs (May 15, 2022)

I'm not entirely sure what type of ebony they are, same as the back. They were a set that my coach had stashed away way back when we started this journey. Right now I have a mahogany neck blank already roughed out. And the spruce top with the zebra wood/abalone rosette. Trying to decide whether to use cocobolo for the binding and stuff. I have a cocobolo board my Dad brought home from Panama back in 1986. I might wait to use it on guitar #4 which will have myrtle back and sides. I think the contrast would be prettier than on the dark ebony. Time to go unclamp and put the sides back in the form and start sanding.

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## Arn213 (May 15, 2022)

Abalone purfling on ebony does look amazing, but might be too much “bling” for your taste. Aesthetically as binding material with this wood hue, I prefer pink ivory, bloodwood, Purple Heart (inner) laminate with really black ebony (outer) as this does outline the shape of the guitar and looks elegant. You could always incorporate the “zebra wood” as a multi laminate binding material (with jet black ebony) to cohesively bring it altogether as you have that in you rosette design. 

I personally would like to see that special Cocobolo plank become back and sides for another guitar in a different body shape like an OM or a 00 depending on the width of the material. But, whatever you decide, it will work out for the best.


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## DLJeffs (May 15, 2022)

My coach and I will decide on when to use that cocobolo as I'll need to use the machines in his shop to make the pieces. I only have forms for a dreadnaught so no OM or OO for me. I still have a full set of tortoise shell binding too.

Got these sides sanded and ready for kerfing today. The top was pretty easy but the back took some sweat equity. Who ever cut them didn't do a very good job and there were a couple real shallow dips that I had to work out. Plus I could have better prepared the neck block to save myself some sanding.


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## 2feathers Creative Making (May 16, 2022)

Sounds like fun, with just a hint of back pain...

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## DLJeffs (May 20, 2022)

Progress is made. Glued on kerfing to both sides and did final radius sanding. Gluing in side braces now. This set of sides gets better looking every time I look at it. I'm anxious to see what finish will do to it. My coach and I plan to meet this week end, glue on the bridge on guitar #2 (both guitars will then be ready for tuners, bridge pins and final set up). Then we'll sound the sound board for #3 and he'll give it an inspection and the go ahead to start closing the box.

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## FLQuacker (May 20, 2022)

Like it...a lot!

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## DLJeffs (Jul 10, 2022)

Got back to this guitar after finishing that printer stand (had to finish the latter in order to have room for the former). Anyway, cut notches and glued the back to the sides. I think I did a better job this time than I did on the second, much tighter fit, kept the back strip centered, etc. Then I cut and glued in the last two center braces - since these have to conform to where the back mates up with the neck and heel blocks, it's best to wait to make them. Next up, cutting notches and gluing on the top. This is going to be a pretty guitar. Hope it sounds as good as it will look.

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## DLJeffs (Aug 23, 2022)

Progress made since getting back from our river float. Made notches and glued top on the body. Rough shaped the neck to within approx +/- 0.15". I'm pleased I've been able to do nearly all the work to this point with only quality checks by my coach.

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## JerseyHighlander (Aug 23, 2022)

Don't know how I've been missing this so far, but this is great stuff. Looks like fine, clean work across the board.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Steve in VA (Aug 24, 2022)

Amazing work Doug! Thanks for sharing your journey with us!!

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## DLJeffs (Aug 24, 2022)

Arn213 said:


> That is some gorgeous sides- striped ebony or Mac. ebony? What are the rest of the specs.? Not to sway you another way, but particularly love the tonal envelope and complexed dynamics particularly formulated with this species combined (from what I have played) is cedar or spruce top with not genuine mahogany neck, but with a sapele neck! That sapele neck as a tone filter adds that extra sparkle and slight reverb effect from what my old ears can hear.


UPDATE: My coach told me this back and sides was part of a large batch he bought quite awhile ago from a guy who was a sort of wheeler dealer. He bought and sold gem stones but took payment in exotic wood. My coach bought 100 sets from him. This ebony came from Papua New Guinea. He said it's often sold as mac ebony but the guy was honest with him and said it came from PNG and sold it at a lower price. As far as I am concerned, it's still beautiful and since I worked for 3+ years in PNG I have a weak connection to this wood.

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## DLJeffs (Dec 18, 2022)

Finally, binding day. My coach has to finish a big order of acoustics for a local shop so we've been holding off binding until we can do them all together - economy of scale and time and labor. Pics will follow ...

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## DLJeffs (Dec 20, 2022)

We bound this guitar last Sunday. We also thinned down the top quite a bit, so it's has a much better sound now, maybe in between my first and second guitars, which would be cool. Today I pulled off the tape (not as easy as it sounds since that stuff sticks in the glue and tears and little pieces get left behind, etc) and then started sanding. Got it to 120 grit, maybe 80% done. But it looks like we got a good glue up, don't see any gaps anywhere. Tortoise shell (plastic) binding and a little black/white/black purfling strip both top and back looks great. Here's a couple pics.

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## Nature Man (Dec 20, 2022)

Glad you are back at it! Progress is good. Chuck

Reactions: Agree 1


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