Beard Reso Guitar Kit

[Dan Pennington]

OK, here we go. But first some thoughts I just had about the Beard reso guitar kit. It might be the ideal kit for a first build. No rosette to inlay. No bracing to shape an arched top and back. No problems with fall off of the fingerboard extension. Everything's flat, flat, flat! No bridge to glue to the top. Other than having to carve the neck, it's the easiest kit I've done.

Here are the pieces/parts to the fit.

I decided to make one change to the construction and use a sound post system instead of the basket that was provided. Supposed to give a fuller warmer tone based on what i read on line. The back is more free to vibrate and get into sound production. Or maybe it's just magic.
Here's the basket. I'll show the the posts and ring that replaced it later.


The basket is attached to both the top and back with kerfed linings. Easy as both are flat. The kit comes with a short set of build instructions and a very nice full size plan.

For an outside form, I used my KMG adjustable mold. Very handy for the odd size one off build. I was having troubles with a failing memory chip in my camera and I lost some photos of my build process, so I don't have the usual photo of the kerfing being glued on with a hundred clamps. I also lost shots of trimming the bent sides to length and gluing on the end blocks. That's pretty standard build stuff. Look at anyone else's build and you can see them. Here's my result.


To do the sound post setup, I had to make a ring that gets glued to the inside of the top and acts as a shelf for the reso cone to sit on. I build wood block banjo rims, so I have a lot of banjo rim stuff laying around. I used one layer of 8 walnut blocks. I put it back on my rim lathe and turned it down to the size for the cone shelf.



Then I glued it to the top.


Then, because I'm doing the sound posts, I had to put braces on the back for the post to sit on and one on the top. Using the basket stiffens up the top and back so that bracings is not needed. Here's the top sitting on the back all braced.

[Dave Bagwill]

This is a real fun thing to watch!! Thanks

[Dan Pennington]

Onward and upward!
Gluing the top to the sides.


Then I glued in six dowel sound posts. Connecting the cone shelf ring to the back braces. In the standard construction, the basket does this.


Here's the box in one piece. I failed to mention that the top, back and sides are birch plywood - 1/4 in. for the top, 1/8 in. for the back, and 3/32 in. for the sides. The box is stiff, stiff, stiff.


On to the neck.
And here's the neck now. The area where the neck will attach is slightly rounded, so I chiseled a bit of relief in the heel so the neck will sit flat on the 1/2 in. shoulder that will be there after I cut the neck shape. Just like fitting a banjo neck to a round rim. Then I clamped the neck to the body and marked where the bolts will be screwed in. After the neck is to final shape, I'll do a bit of flossing with some sand paper to refine the neck/body joint.


Neck with lag screws installed.


I glued some ears to the peg head to get it wide enough for my preferred head shape and here's the provided ebony overlay shaped and glued on.



And that's where I am now. I'll post some more in 4 or 5 days after I get back from visiting family in Michigan.
Dan in Minneapolis

[ken cierp]

Great project!!

Is the Walnut ring something you added that is not supplied with the kit?

Does Beard offer a choice of unfinished and ready to use necks?

[Dan Pennington]

The walnut ring that I used for the cone shelf is ring of blocks that was meant to be part of a block banjo rim. I've got a few of them laying around. I got the idea for the sound post set up from a youtube video by Gary Clardy of Clardy Guitars. He cut his ring out of plywood with a router.
Beard does not offer shaped necks on his website. He probably would for some extra. When I ordered the kit, I asked for the top to be made without the two small screen holes. And they did it at no extra cost. They cut the kits as they are ordered. I was planning to make a small central sound hole like a regular guitar, but I changed my mind and cut the holes myself. I decided to keep this kit simple. Sometime, this winter, I plan on making a wood body reso from scratch with fancy solid woods and some bling. I'll do the central sound hole then.

[Dennis in Anola]

Very interesting: I play the "Dobro". Is yours going to be round neck or square neck?

[ken cierp]

Dan please excuse my "density" I still don't get the walnut ring, is that something that your project will have which is not part of the normal reso structure?