Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Are you trying to fit 3 deg pins in a 5 deg bridge?

Lillian, I do put a rough longitudinal shape on the top of the 'parabolic' braces before I glue them to the top. As you can see here they are not all the same profile. http://www.anzlf.com/phpBB2/userpix/99_002_2_1.jpg The peaks of the 'parabola' are in different places according to the position of ...

Not sure who makes Sting's lute, looks like it could be a Wadsworth, not one of mine though. I'm ambivalent about Sting, on the one hand he absolutely murders both the lute and Dowland, bit like asking Liberace to play Chopin, his playing lacks any subtlty and his voice is totally inappropriate for ...

Colin, My apologies for mis-reading your intentions. It was just your comment after Bob's mention of Al's corker guitar. I totally agree with your comments about 'pseudo-science' and I often get frustrated by people on forums who claim folklore as scientific fact, such as: "The advantage for the lu...

Yes, have used broken glass many times as a scraper. On my lutes and historic instrument repairs I never use modern abrasives so all smoothing is done with glass scrapers. Custom curved scrapers can also be manufactured as needed. Score the glass with a cutter then snap along the score. The opposite...

Geophysicists...a strange breed. Theyre not hard to spot in the office...they're the guys wearing bright coloured braces and a bow tie. Theyre also the guys who promise to come out and witness a wellsite seismic survey but they end up either crashing the vehicle on the way to the rig or failing the...

Graham, I don't believe I mentioned Alan Carruth at all did I? I certainly never 'caverliery' dismissed him as far as I am aware? I have a lot of time for some of his stuff. Please don't read into my words statements that are not there, that achieves nothing except to generate ill-feeling. But, if I...

OK Bob, on your next guitar let me see you mount the back and top plates using rubber gaskets, if damping at this joint is unimportant. I'm afraid there is a lot of mis-placed pseudo-science being applied in luthiery now, take a scientific principle, apply it to a system for which it isn't designed ...

Probably a stupid question but if using HHG for fixing a top/back to sides is such a major operation then what is the advantage of doing it this way over using Titebond? I know some of you will say ease of undoing the glue joint but Ive undone Titebond back/side joints on one of my guitars twice an...

I did used to do it with hide. Do it in a warm room and warm the parts with a hair dryer, put the glue on with a squeezee bottle, back plate on and rapid application of go bars. With practice, which is the secret, it can be done fairly easily. Playing the hairdyer on the edge as you put the bars on ...

Colin, as stated at the OLF, you're guitar is a winner M8. Though, I'm picturing it with a burst, and wondering why you held back this time? Also, your use of the r'dwood burl looks much better than mine! Glad to see it go to such a fine home. Steve Steve I did in fact consider doing a burst, and p...

Thanks for all the kind comments, greatly appreciated. Let me answer some of your specific questions. Sebastian, I do a fair bit of restoration work for the London museums, one of the colleges has a supply of very old wood in its store all labelled up with the origin and dates of acquisition. They g...

My favourite steel string guitar has always been the slot-headed OOO 12 fret, I’ve built quite a few over the years, but this is the first one that I’ve put a redwood top on. In fact the first redwood guitar I’ve made. Here’s the details. B&S: Cuban mahogany Top: Redwood Rosette: Redwood bur...

Gee thanks for posting all that Cuban Bob, the fact that it's CITIES II listed now and I can't buy any of it makes me feel a lot better !

Colin

Somehow I posted it twice!

Colin

I use a router for my slotheads now, having always done them by hand before. My wife bought me one of Luthier Tools slothead fixtures for classical and steel string recently, which has made the task a doddle. After shaping the exterior of the head put it into the fixture, then drill the tuner holes....

I've never had the slightest problem using tru-oil over z-poxy. It has always worked perfectly with no grains appearing on the surface, just a perfect smooth tru-oil surface. Like any other finish it does need to be used properly, it's not a magic system. But, if the z-poxy is allowed to harden off ...

Richard Wright, founding member and keyboard player with Pink Floyd died yesterday after a short battle with cancer. I remember seeing the fledgling Pink Floyd at the UFO club in London in the 60s, a small unknown psychedelic band; Barrett, Mason, Waters and Wright, oil slides on the wall and a stra...

Those that know me from the OLF will know that I do a fair bit of restoration work for some of the London museums of their historic plucked instruments. So I've had to learn to make these parchment roses, and more importantly, to restore existing ones. In fact they are not that technically difficult...

Another great little instrument Dave. I think it would make a wonderful pub guitar. Another to add to my 'to do' list. Or of course you could just send it to me after Cheltenham, Suzanna would understand.

Your folder on my music player is getting quite full now.

Colin

Bob, up to your usual standards. That Tasmanian oak is certainly an amazing looking piece of wood. Australia is fast becoming the place we now look to for inspitrational builds (it's all right Howard doesn't come here). It'll take time for the top to open up, If the top end doesn't come together and...

Bob, another great guitar. The Tiger myrtle is stunning and you have brought out it's beauty with your usual panache.

Colin

I use a Panasonic Lumix FX50, and love it. Comes with a wide angle lens, three degrees of antishake etc. My technicians that look after our expensive toys at the University advise that when buying a digital camera, buy one from an electronics company rather than a camera company, the Panasonics come...

Just checked some Grover Sta-tite's, miked the shaft's and they are .249"-.250". Drilled a hole in some mahogany with the 1/4" bit and they are a tight fit, but not the tuners fault as they are within normal tolerances. Just gently reamed the hole with a 6.5mm bit and they are a perfect fit. On a he...

I too pre-slot my bridges, indeed on my lutes I glue the bridge onto the top before I glue the top to the body! I don't believe guess work comes into it at all and with a 1/8" saddle, there is plenty of meat for fine tuning, I'm very fussy about intonation, though final intonation comes from the pla...