Loving following your skills and creativity on this build. Videos are awesome.

Thanks so much, Dave - that means a lot to me!  I have fun doing the instrument woodworking and get to relive it when I make the videos, so I get to have fun twice doing these. 

Made a little progress on the guitar build and got the X-brace glued, ready to sand the 28' radius on the bottom of the braces.

 

I gotta' admit David, I don't grasp the intricacies of the cross brace fitment as it relates to sound but really enjoyed the video; well except when the bit hit the pattern hold down screw. Also will admit ya' scared me some with the last pass on the jointer, but all turned out OK so on with the show. Looking forward to the next video. Fun to watch a real craftsman at work. Thanks!

Getting caught up with your work David... wow!

7 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

I gotta' admit David, I don't grasp the intricacies of the cross brace fitment as it relates to sound but really enjoyed the video; well except when the bit hit the pattern hold down screw. Also will admit ya' scared me some with the last pass on the jointer, but all turned out OK so on with the show. Looking forward to the next video. Fun to watch a real craftsman at work. Thanks!

Thanks, Dave!  If the joint on the X brace isn't a good, tight fit then you're relying on glue to handle vibrations and sound conductance.  Wood to wood is far, far better at this than glue.  Yes, the jointer part wasn't the smartest thing I've done in the shop but, sad to say, it isn't the dumbest, either. 

50 minutes ago, Cal said:

Getting caught up with your work David... wow!

Thanks, Cal, just having fun in the shop!

Finished the next step and began another, so here's an update - 

 

Glued these 80 grit pieces to the 28' radius dish - 

Cut the Bubinga bridge plate and an MDF caul to hold it down for gluing -  

And a video to go along with all of this -

 

Thoroughly enjoying every aspect of this build David. This video helped me a lot understanding the fitment of the cross brace. Looking forward to the next episode.

 

What's more amazing is the fact you can still wear shorts in your workshop this time of year. Already packed all mine away a couple of weeks ago.

Edited November 6, 20232 yr by Grandpadave52

It also helps that our shop is fully insulated and climate controlled, but I could wear shorts year-round if I wanted but I'm too cheap to heat the shop that much in the winter.  It can easily get in and stay in the low 20's to high teens here in NW Louisiana but I usually keep the shop in the low to mid 60's 24/7.

 

Glad you're liking the build - I'm having fun! 

More progress on the acoustic build - 

 

Another awesome video David. Such an interesting and fun build to follow. I had no idea so many different types of braces were required inside the body of an acoustic guitar. Is there a particular reason you chose old school hide glue versus modern versions?

 

Besides learning about guitar building, I now understand why no unicorns made it aboard the Ark. Guessing Noah (maybe Shem) grabbed the wrong template which didn't allow for the extra stall space. Just kidding...cubits aren't my strong suit either.

 

Thanks for the video extra soundbyte of the B52 too. Extremely rare to hear that in West Central Indiana. Many years ago there were several stationed at the Air Force base in Peru, IN.

 

Thanks so much for sharing with us here.

Edited November 14, 20232 yr by Grandpadave52

On 11/14/2023 at 11:55 AM, Grandpadave52 said:

Another awesome video David. Such an interesting and fun build to follow. I had no idea so many different types of braces were required inside the body of an acoustic guitar. Is there a particular reason you chose old school hide glue versus modern versions?

 

Besides learning about guitar building, I now understand why no unicorns made it aboard the Ark. Guessing Noah (maybe Shem) grabbed the wrong template which didn't allow for the extra stall space. Just kidding...cubits aren't my strong suit either.

 

Thanks for the video extra soundbyte of the B52 too. Extremely rare to hear that in West Central Indiana. Many years ago there were several stationed at the Air Force base in Peru, IN.

 

Thanks so much for sharing with us here.

Thanks so much, Dave!  I chose hide glue because many folks believe it sounds better than TB or other glues of that type.  It's mainly because hide glue dries hard and transmits sound (vibrations) better than the softer TB glue.  But my guess is that if you take two guitars that are otherwise identical, one assembled with hide glue and one with TB, and let an 'expert' play them that they would not be able to tell you which was which.  It was still pretty cool to use, though.  I didn't care for how sloppy I was with the hide glue but I'll make some changes and see if I can do that a little better.

 

We're just a couple of miles from Barksdale AFB where we have the greatest concentration of our B-52 fleet (the rest are in Minot).  Seems like there are about 85 flying and some 55 or so are stationed at BAFB so we hear/see them every day since we're right in the area where they make their turn to approach landing from the north.

My Inlaws lived in Haughton and on one trip got to see a B-52 taking off (just from the Interstate) and it was magnificent. They used to have them parked within view before 9-11 .Hard to believe that a plane that old is still the primary bomber in the fleet and sooo big.

1 hour ago, Gerald said:

My Inlaws lived in Haughton and on one trip got to see a B-52 taking off (just from the Interstate) and it was magnificent. They used to have them parked within view before 9-11 .Hard to believe that a plane that old is still the primary bomber in the fleet and sooo big.

You can still see them from I-20 and if you time it just right they'll land right over your head, probably 200' in the air at that point, maybe less.  And yes, they are huge!

 

Funny story - years ago when I played golf I was a member at the club very close to our home, no more than a mile away.  On the road into the course there is a very large house, about 12,000 sq. ft. sitting on 25 acres (many people think it's the clubhouse for the course but it's actually larger than the clubhouse!).

 

I was playing with one of the B-52 pilots and as a B-52 flew over we stopped to watch and he said, "you know, it's funny but there's a half million dollars of guidance systems on board each plane, maybe a million, but the instructions when you're flying in from the north are to go to the big house and turn left for your approach." 

2 hours ago, difalkner said:

I was playing with one of the B-52 pilots and as a B-52 flew over we stopped to watch and he said, "you know, it's funny but there's a half million dollars of guidance systems on board each plane, maybe a million, but the instructions when you're flying in from the north are to go to the big house and turn left for your approach." 

Great story David. We used to frequently vacation in Savannah, GA, years ago. Always seemed to be there when C130's were coming or going to Hunter Army Airfield there. Those were awesome to watch too. One year they must have been training pilots and doing touch and go landings/ take-offs. At any given time there were six to eight in formation. Just outside Savannah at Pooler, just off of I-95 is the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum. Such an awesome and humbling place to visit.

Sounds like it's a cool place, Dave.  BAFB has an outdoor museum of maybe 15 decommissioned aircraft and I've been there a few times.  They also have an indoor museum with a lot of Air Force items from years ago and it's well worth visiting if you're local, not sure I'd drive hundreds of miles to see it, though. 

19 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Great story David. We used to frequently vacation in Savannah, GA, years ago. Always seemed to be there when C130's were coming or going to Hunter Army Airfield there. Those were awesome to watch too. One year they must have been training pilots and doing touch and go landings/ take-offs. At any given time there were six to eight in formation. Just outside Savannah at Pooler, just off of I-95 is the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum. Such an awesome and humbling place to visit.

The NG has their C17s here at the Jackson Airport and they come almost directly over our church. Looks like the whole church would fit in.

Did some carving on the braces, got a new chisel, and on to the next step!

 

Another awesome episode David. I'm mesmerized as i follow along. Pardon me in advance for my ignorance but so many questions...had to pause the video so I wouldn't forget to ask. BTW, it wasn't too long IMO; left me hanging for the next one

1. What is the purpose of carving down the top (soundboard?) braces? Acoustics/ tone/ resonance quality? 
2. Why the ridge crowns? Why 2 on the longer braces?
3. Do you have a certain dimension you're trying to attain, eg a template or is is just by feel and/or sight?
4. Purpose of the "patch" on the cross brace? Reasons you chose a different species?
5. Manufacturer, model, ~age of the old chisel you first used. Love seeing it in use.
6. Finally, has the whole project been about having an excuse to buy that new chisel.

Oh, one final question. The guitar background music (Mason Williams, Classical GasI think?). Is that you playing?

 

Keep the great videos coming. I need my weekly or more "fix" of these. Excited to hear this play. You'll have to do a 12 string next.

 

10 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Another awesome episode David. I'm mesmerized as i follow along. Pardon me in advance for my ignorance but so many questions...had to pause the video so I wouldn't forget to ask. BTW, it wasn't too long IMO; left me hanging for the next one

1. What is the purpose of carving down the top (soundboard?) braces? Acoustics/ tone/ resonance quality? 
2. Why the ridge crowns? Why 2 on the longer braces?
3. Do you have a certain dimension you're trying to attain, eg a template or is is just by feel and/or sight?
4. Purpose of the "patch" on the cross brace? Reasons you chose a different species?
5. Manufacturer, model, ~age of the old chisel you first used. Love seeing it in use.
6. Finally, has the whole project been about having an excuse to buy that new chisel.

Oh, one final question. The guitar background music (Mason Williams, Classical Gas think?). Is that you playing?

 

Keep the great videos coming. I need my weekly or more "fix" of these. Excited to hear this play. You'll have to do a 12 string next.

 

Thanks so much, Dave, glad you like the video!

 

1.  Scalloped bracing or carving and voicing the top is more responsive, easier to get sound out of the guitar.  Guitars with straight bracing means the top is heavier, stiffer, and requires a bit more effort to get sound out of the guitar.  Straight bracing is ideal for Bluegrass or other styles of music where you'll want to 'dig in' and really attack the strings.  Scalloped bracing is a lighter top and well suited for someone who does light finger picking or strumming.

2.  Tradition more than anything, really.  That's the way the golden era of Martin guitars was built so it's copied often; it works. Many builders experiment with this but most use it because it worked for Martin.

3.  I drew the bracing pattern and played with it until I was comfortable but it closely resembles Martin, like most do.  For the final shape I tap the top and listen to the sound and from that point it's by feel.

4.  The cap on the X-brace joint is more personal preference than anything else.  I used Padauk on my first guitar but since I'm using Bubinga on the bridge plate I decided to use Bubinga on the other pieces inside the guitar that aren't Spruce.

5.  The old chisel belonged to my Dad, no idea as to the origin.  He never got it this sharp but it's not an expensive chisel; it just feels good and holds an edge really good.  The new chisel is by Two Cherries and it's a delight to use.

6.  Any project that requires the purchase of a new tool is a good project! LOL! 

 

Yes, that's me playing the first guitar.  The first little bit is just noodling around in G and C and then segues into Classical Gas.

 

So glad you're liking these and a 12-string is on my bucket list but it's pretty far down the list.