Acoustic Guitar Construction

I'm going to get some photos posted of a current project, and then come back and type up all the wonderful details for you.

This is another OM-M

M for Modern and Michaud, as my initial drawing ended up so very close to a retired Joel Michaud OM model, and the opportunity arose to get the mold from him that I merged the two into this incarnation.

25" Scale
Wenge / Western Red Cedar / Cherry - Structured sides
Top TBD
Carbon D neck reinforcement
Finishing details TBD...

I both wanted to try doing the triple laminated structured sides, and build a spec guitar (or one for myself) along side the more traditionally built Goncalo Alves OM-M that I started - so many details on this are still to come.

I had the great fortune to meet Dion James at the La Conner Gutiar Festival last year, and have a deep admiration for his tone, builds, and style—not to mention he's a great person.

Over the past year I had been researching more about the "Structured Sides" he's been using. As well I looked to the work of Jeremy Clark (52 Instruments), Adam Turley and of course Sergei de Jonge. The theory makes great sense to me, so I had to try building one in this style to compare to more traditionally kerf lined single wall sides.

Of course, this start with making the kerfed laminate...




On a 12" table saw this is a back breaking reach to make over and over again. After this set I'm committing to getting a phase converter and setting up my little Hammond Glider sliding top table saw. It will make this process so much less effort. (It will be a much shorter reach kerfing on the Hammond)

Test fitting into my laminating mold.



This shape has a very tight bend at the upper bout, so there was a lot of gentle test fitting.

This makes for unbelievably stiff rims.



A note on the bracing plans: My final X will have a more narrow spread like a traditional OM. That drawing was an early look at bracing in the style of Dion and Adam. I'm going to stick with a bracing scheme I'm more familiar with voicing on this one.

The obligatory through the mold shot...

Test fitting the rims in the mold.

This one will also have a carbon reinforced neck.