Status, Git #3

[Will Reyer]

Well, I've had my troubles with #3. I stuck in temporary, quarter-inch wide maple nut and saddle, no intonation or shaping, and strung it up. Sound was awful. Roughed out a Corian nut, sound improved, but still not nearly as good as #2 at that stage. #3 has .122" Russian birch plywood top, where #2 had underlayment plywood top, .182". Disappointing. Got useful words in reply to distressed email from John and Kjell.

Installed 1/4" wide Corian saddle, ala Don Teeter. Couldn't get strings 1, 5, and 6 to intonate properly, showing sharp, even though the nut to saddle distance, and the width of the saddle itself, were identical to what I did for guitar #2, 25.4" scale, .150 compensation. With a superhighway width saddle it should have been wide enough to accommodate useful intonation. Not so.

So today I spent a couple hours making a fixture and made the saddle slot 1/16" wider (photo). Will first try to use existing saddle shimmed back. Failing that, will make a new saddle.

My daughter gave us a new granddaughter Saturday in Austin, TX so may go there shortly. When complete, I'll add a sound file, it's getting better.

[Will Reyer]

O.k., several trials and tribulations later, guitar #3 is done. In fact, took it down to the “last Saturday of the month” open-mike at the local restaurant and played it.

I widened the straight bridge slot 1/16” and shimmed the saddle back. Everything intonates well now except the 2nd string. I may yet (or not) make a new saddle next time I rough out some Corian stock. I made a second nut, an improvement. The local master luthier, Kjell, played the guitar and found the 5th string buzzing. Added a piece of printer paper as a .004” shim under the nut, curing the problem.

Not being even slightly pretentious, having made a total of 3 guitars now, added an NT logo, surface-applied, made from formica, on the headstock. Need to wander off to the County Clerk and take out a DBA for “Native Timbre” not that I actually want to go into production in my retirement.

This is an OM silhouette acoustic guitar 3-1/4” thick, top and back parallel. Sound hole is 3-5/8” diameter. Sides and headstock veneer are red oak from the skid of a pallet. Bindings, fingerboard, and saddle are cherry. Back and soundboard are 1/8” Russian birch plywood. Neck is yellow poplar with a cherry stripe. Reverse-kerf linings are 1/4” x 3/4” from basswood, kerfed with a carbide chop saw blade on my radial arm saw. Half-moon-button, sealed 15:1 tuners from the cigarbox git place.

All the wood is plain-sawn except the interior bracing including the X-braced top. The bracing is from common white pine lumber stock, but selected for quarter-sawn grain orientation. Nut and saddle are both 1/4” wide Corian. Scale is 25.4”. Nut width is 1-3/4”. Spanish V joint headstock at 15 degrees.

Finish is a coat of sanding sealer and two of Minwax Wipe-On Poly. A rosette isn't a structural requirement with a plywood top. No pick guard since I play fingerstyle. Fingerboard is flat and I push the frets in with my fingers, bedding in epoxy, per Don Teeter. White side markers from 3/32” diameter plastic rod Kjell gave me. Neck is reinforced with a 12” piece of 1/4”x1/2” steel. Two furniture gimmick hardware screws (shown in previous photos) attach the mortise & tenon neck, fingerboard extension is not glued down. GHS phosphor bronze strings, light gage. Sound file attached.

[Will Reyer]

photo

[Dave Bagwill]

Well that sounds just might fine, an admirable job all around, and it looks great as well.

[John Link]

Looks good Will.

[Paul C]

Looks really nice. What more does one need from a players view and builders view. Great job!

[Paul C]

I did just listen too. It sounds just as good as it looks beautiful !