Wednesday, January 25, 2012

OK the headscratching over string gauges continues.

my regular acoustic has a scale length of 645mm like a martin dread.....

I have a supply of D'Addario strings that I got bulk a while back for pennies, with the gauges:

13 / 17 / 26w / 35w / 45w / 56w

the tuning is standard E A D G B E........

now, the tenor has a scale of (lets average it) 550mm

tuned GDAE

so.......

the G string is just about right at 56 as the open G on the tenor is almost exactly the same as an E on a regular guitar fretted at the 3rd fret (a G!!)

the top E is 100 mm or so shorter than on a regular guitar, so it SHOULD go thicker.....at the minute I have the 13 on there, but I MIGHT just try the 17 ........

and in the middle?

well. I put the 45 on as the D. its 100mm shorter than it would be on a regular, but its tuned two semitones higher than the 3rd fret...... it'll do......

first attempt had the 17 on the A position but that meant it was loose.... regular guitar on a 3rd fret it'd be a C, but here its only an A..... it was loose, floppy and just not as nice as it should have been......

but with the 26 on there its a lot nicer on a regular guitar, that string would be playing at Ab on the 3rd fret so it's only a semitone away.......

so, all in all I THINK I'm sorted... at least I will be tomorrow when I swop the top E for the 17 just to see.....

I'll play it in for a day or two and then decide for certain, and sort the intonation and fit the pup

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

the bridge takes a lot of thinking, being angled and all that......

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but after rough making a nut, suing my patented bridge placer, its all ready to cut around and then use a sharp chisel to remove the varnish under the bridge. a little glue, a few hours drying time and we'll be ready for strings!

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and here we go!!

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still a load of setup to do, so I'll leave it under tension for a while before I get too involved in that. the string gauges will take a bit of thinking about too....

anyway still to do: nut tidied, intonation set on bridge, under saddle piezo and strap jack preamp fitted, and the frets polished. still, even as it is, I had a wee tinkle on it earlier and it has potential!!

Friday, January 20, 2012

heel cap glued on and fret marked fitted.

traditionally instruments tuned in 5ths have a dot on the 10th fret while guitars (and bass guitars) have the dot on the 9th....

to save confusion, I just did 3,5,7,& 12.

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a load of sanding, the the fretboard masked off and ready for some clear coat....

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

neck work.....

fretboard radiused

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back of neck carved

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fretted

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test fitting....... Looking like a guitar!!

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neck glued in place.

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and before someone starts, I KNOW the frets aren't parallel, and the tuner holes are asymetric. they're MEANT to be!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Holes drilled on the top edge

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braces carved and maple bridge plate fitted

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top glued to sides

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binding with a black & white purfling strip

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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

started on a tenor guitar.

blame Seth Lakeman I suppose......

and as it's #80 (ie a "10" instruemnt) it has the potential to go off piste a little......

so, fanned frets, check

soundholes along the top edge rather than the front, check

two cutaways like a SG, check

mahogany back & sides, spruce top ebony fretboard & bridge, bone nut saddle & pins.

lets get stuck in!!

sides bent

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back joined to sides

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neck glued up, mahogany with a thin pencil line veneer of maple up the centre fretboard marked out with scale 560mm on the bass side and 530mm on the treble and the 8th fret being perpendicular

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top rim beefed up to take the sound holes

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and top bracing started

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Married with 4 kids, Christian, worship leader, luthier