Woody 3…a construction diary of a L-00 sized steel string.
By jkinnaird | November 18, 2008
John Kinnaird | Build Diary | “Woody 3 Part I”
I am making a small guitar out of Mahogany and Cedar. The shape is my version of the Gibson L-00. Not quite identical to the old Gibson design, just inspired by it. The mahogany to be used is very old. I bought it from a retire wood worker who had it in his possesion for years and would not part with it until his retirement. He made some beautiful furniture with this stuff. It is more richly colored than any mahogany I have ever seen and its age has given it a resonance unmatched by younger cuts of Honduran Mahogany
Here is a small wood pile showing that old sawn Cuban mahogany veneer. The veneer is about 3/16 of an inch and was imported to the USA a few years before Castro took over the country. It is flitch sawn so that each piece is bookmatched to the cut above and below it in the stack.
This shows the back under construction. The veneers are too narrow to make a two piece back, necessitating a three piece back. Here the glued up back sections are thicknessed in an abrasive planer to 3/32 of an inch.
Gluing on the back reinforcement using a go bar deck and hide glue. To the left is a glue cleanout chisel
Glue pot with a squeeze bottle of hide glue heated in a water bath. Temp is 145 degrees. This is used on all parts of the guitar
Chiseling out gaps in the back reinforcement to accept the back braces.
The braces are glued on and some still have some glue squeeze-out that needs removing with the clean-up chisel.
Topics: Build Diary | No Comments »
Guitar Photography: This guitar…
By terence | November 17, 2008
Guest Photo | BabyJean | “This guitar…”
This image is easily formatted to fit any resolution- Left Click for a larger view, right click to save!
Here’s a shot taken by BabyJean- The composition is perfect - fantastic background and placement of key elements. There is also a very subdued set of tones contrasted with the warm lighting. I really like this photo and I hope you enjoy it too!
Photo ©2008 BabyJean. Used with permission.
Check out more great photos from BabyJean here: http://babyjean.deviantart.com/
Topics: Photography | No Comments »
Gidgee. Tonewood Database.
By terence | November 15, 2008
Acacia cambagei| Tonewood Profile | ”Gidgee”
All pictures - Click to enlarge!
Please email with any corrections/ additional info
We aim to keep each profile as complete as possible & your help is appreciated!
Quick Facts
Scientific name: Acacia cambagei
Trade names: Stinking Gidgee
Janka: 1575
Uses: Fingerboards, drop tops, veneer
RIYL: Ebony, Acacia
Bling factor: Grain variation common.
Availability: Rare
CITES status: Not listed. No restrictions
Note: (RIYL) Recommended If You Like
Natural History
Gidgee describes a wide range of Acacia species but the most common is Acacia cambagei. It is also known as Stinking gidgee and is names after R.H. Cambage, a geologist with knowledgable in Australian plants.
It ranges from Queensland to New South Wales. In it’s native semi-arid and arid environment it can obtain heights of 12 metres and a trunk diameter of 30cm.
Status
This is a relatively uncommon tree in it’s native range but is not considered under threat.
Physical properties
This timber is chocolate coloured with a fine, even grain. It occurs in flammed varieties, occasionally called Ringed Gidgee. The leaves and bark of this tree produce a characteristic odour, hence the name “stinking gidgee”. is a dark chocolate brown to black, occasionally with streaks of purple.
Zebrawood has a Janka rating of 19kN and a Specific Gravity around 0.5.
As a tonewood…
The Gidgee I have seen available have been limited to decorative or fingerboard sizes. In use, it is extremely fine grained and durable. A very fine alternative to ebony.
Jeremy Fullerton says: ” ‘it’s place in instrument making is limited to solid body caps, decorative work… Possibly it’s best use however is for fingerboards. This species is an attractive goldish dark brown to very dark brown…”
Availability
Supplies are limited but steady at the time of writing.
Gidgee- the darkest board, second from the left
Links:
Jeremy Fullerton guitars: http://www.jfcustom.com.au/menu.htm
Jack Spira guitars: http://www.jackspiraguitars.com/
References:
Wikipedia
luthiers forum
©2008 Terence Tan.
Pictures copyright individual holders. As above. Used with permission.
Any infringement of copyright is entirely unintentional. Any copyright issues should be address to: writers@guitarbench.com. We will attempt to resolve these issues quickly.
Topics: Tonewood Database | 1 Comment »
Guitar Photography: As my guitar…
By terence | November 10, 2008
Guest Photo | Herv| “As my guitar…”
This image is easily formatted to fit any resolution- Left Click for a larger view, right click to save!
Here’s a shot taken by Herv- A great composition with effective use of depth of field and beautiful tones. Hope you enjoy it!
All content ©2008 Herv. Used with permission.
Check out more great photos from Herv here:http://herv.deviantart.com/
Topics: Photography | No Comments »
Huon Pine. Tonewood profile
By terence | November 7, 2008
Lagarostrobos Franklinii | Tonewood Profile | ”Huon Pine”
Natural History
Huon Pine is a connifer which ranges to the wet south-western corner of Tasmania. It is often found along rivers and is the sole species in Lagarostrobos.
Huon pine is slow growing and long lived with some trees over 2 centuries old. It reaches up to 30 m high and has arching branches with spirally arranged leaves.
On Mount Read, North Western Tasmania, a stand of trees, each genetically identical has been estimated to be over 10 centuries old.
Status
Trees were heavily logged in the 20th century for their fine timber. Given the trees’ slow growth, this has led to remaining stands covering less than 105 square kilometres. The remaining stands of this species of tree now has protected status within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.
Like the King Billy Pine, Huon has been planted as an ornamental in Northern Europe and has been successful in Deeside, Scotland where it receives rainfall for good growth.
Physical properties
Huon pine has a Golden Yellow hue with fine grain and aromatic rot resistant oils. The oils contain methyl eugenol which is responsible for the timber’s unique smell and resistance to rot.
As a tonewood…
It is softer and heavier than spruce, requiring a fine balancing act in terms of thickness for strength yet thiness for weight.
Australian Luthier, Scott Wise has had good results with Huon and says:
“Steel string guitars with smaller bodies tend to sound bigger in this wood. I first used it experimentally in the early 1980s and have had repeat orders based on the sound of those early guitars.”
Subjective tone…
My experience of Huon pine as a top wood comes from several flattop guitars, in the OO to SJ size.
I would broadly characterise the tone of Huon Pine as restrained but with tremendous sustain and great richness and depth in the overtone content over all ranges. It has very similar qualities to New Zealand Kauri in terms of headroom and respondse.
Availability
As a protected species, Huon Pine is no longer commercially harvested and is only rarely available.
References:
WIKIpedia
Handbook of Australian timbers
©2008 Terence Tan.
Pictures copyright individual holders.
Any infringement of copyright is entirely unintentional. Any copyright issues should be address to: writers@guitarbench.com. We will attempt to resolve these issues quickly. We accept that we can make mistakes and omissions thus, any additions or corrects will be cheerfully accepted!
Topics: Tonewood Database | No Comments »
Guitar Photography: Stock with guitar
By terence | November 3, 2008
Guest Photo | Lina-Tsu| “Guitar Warmth”
This image is easily formatted to fit any resolution- Left Click for a larger view, right click to save!
Here’s a shot taken by Lina- A great composition with extremely warm tones and fantastic emotion- even though the composition has been used extensively, the mood here is so strong, I had to feature it- and christen it “guitar warmth”. Hope you enjoy it!
All content ©2008 Lina Tsu. Used with permission.
Check out more great photos from Lina here:http://lina-tsu.deviantart.com/
Topics: Photography | No Comments »
African Blackwood. Tonewood database.
By terence | October 31, 2008
Dalbergia melanoxylon| Tonewood Profile | ”African Blackwood”
All pictures - Click to enlarge!
Please email with any corrections/ additional info
We aim to keep each profile as complete as possible & your help is appreciated!
Not to be confused with Australian Blackwood (an Acacia) or Malaysian Blackwood (an Ebony), African Blackwood is a true rosewood from East/South Africa with a threatened future.
Quick Facts
Scientific name: Dalbergia melanoxylon
Trade names: African Blackwood
Janka: ~3500lbf
Uses: Back & sides, drop tops, veneer
RIYL: Rosewoods
Bling factor: Tends to be Homogenous
Availability: Patchy
CITES status: Not listed. No restrictions
Natural History
Bashkin Guitar
This beautifully made guitar by Michael Bashkin has an African Blackwood back and sides. Check out the entire guitar here.
Dalbergia melanoxylon is small semi-deciduous tree/ shrub. It is often found in the open woodlands of East and Southern Africa. Melanoxylon attains heights of 20 m in height and trunk diameters of 1m.
African Blackwood is widely used throughout Africa in herbal remedies and is greatly prized for it’s timber for the tonewood and carving trade. Most of the timber felled locally enters into the tourist trade as cravings. In 2002, the value of crafts containing African Blackwood was estimated at US$100 million.
Status
African Blackwood is has been successfully introduced to India and Western Australia, it is under severe pressure due to over harvesting. In Kenya, commercial stocks are now exhausted and in many parts of it’s range is considered threatened. It has been eradicated in Australia where it behaved as an agressive weed.
Bashkin Guitar
African Blackwood back and sides. This is
Physical properties
It has a Janka rating of around 3500 and a specific gravity of 1.8. It contains quinonoid constituents which may be the cause of an allergic contact dermatitis in woodworkers exposed to African Blackwood.
As a tonewood…
Subjective tone…
I would classify this wood as providing a dark and bell-like overtone content with a slow response.
Availability
Very limited in large sizes.
References:
Wikipedia
Prota database
US deparment of agriculture- topical timbers of the world.
http://www.mpingoconservation.org
©2008 Terence Tan.
Pictures copyright individual holders.
Any infringement of copyright is entirely unintentional. Any copyright issues should be address to: writers@guitarbench.com. We will attempt to resolve these issues quickly. We accept that we can make mistakes and omissions thus, any additions or corrects will be cheerfully accepted!
Topics: Tonewood Database | 2 Comments »
Update 11/08
By terence | October 28, 2008
Dear Friends and readers,
Things are moving along in guitarbench.com!
Expect a slower moving website during November 2008 to January 2009. Our main editor and coder will have more commitments and day work during this period.
What we will be running during this period is:
1. Monday Photography- weekly
2. Website benefit auction- for November-December 2008
3. Luthier build diary- intermittently
4. Monthly feature
5. Tonewood database- intermittently
Thank you again for the encouragement and taking the time to visit!
The Guitarbench Team.
Topics: Administration | No Comments »
Guitar Photography: One Sweet World
By terence | October 28, 2008
Guest Photo | kodomophoto| “One Sweet World”
This image is easily formatted to fit any resolution- Left Click for a larger view, right click to save!
Here’s a shot taken by Jenn- A great composition with effective use of depth of field to isolate the fiddler. Hope you enjoy it!
All content ©2008 Kodomophoto. Used with permission.
Check out more great photos from Jenn here: http://komodophoto.deviantart.com/
Topics: Photography | No Comments »
Liz Clark. Interview. Review.
By terence | October 23, 2008
Liz Clark | 2008 | Interview |
I managed to steal a few moments of her time to chat about getting started and her vocal delivery.
Video Feature
Who’s your Angel- Liz Clark’s music video from her first album. Directed by M.Bonfills
Full size: Here
TT- Liz, thanks for speaking to us. Can I start by asking if you tell us a little about how you came to be a professional musician?
LC- My journey to becoming a professional musician started about 12 years ago when I picked up my dad’s old guitar he hadn’t played in years and decided I would learn every Beatles song, in case they ever needed a new member. I haven’t given up that dream ever since!
TT- Whenever I listen to your music, I’m struck by how your vocal delivery is so clear and direct especially in contrast to the rather dense rhythm. Is that something you specifically look to achieve when recording?
LC- Wow, you pick out things I’m not even aware of! I think while I’m writing songs, I definitely try to convey what I’m saying in a clear way, with intent behind them. As far as the dense rhythm, I just have a musical taste for that sort of drive.
But I do remember having an epiphany once while listening to Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man”, thinking “ok- THAT’S how you spit out your words. THAT’S how you get your lyrics across”. I can’t touch that, but it’s something I strive for.
TT- With regards to guitar, do you view it primarily as a rhythm accompaniment for your vocals?
LC- At the moment, yes. I wish I was a better guitar player, though. “I’m strictly rhythm, I don’t make it cry or sing”. But in some ways, I’m really into the freedom of having simple accompaniment and arrangements. I wouldn’t want to mask a song with minor augmented 7th jazz chords or something when just a plain old chord would suffice (smiles)
TT- This is a guitar blog so I’ll have to ask what your favoured stage setup is……
LC- I mostly perform with my martin D-35. It’s from the 1970’s and the sound is just so rich and warm. It does need a bit of TLC though. I’ve got a fancy-shmancy stereo pick up in it called B-Band, but it is difficult to balance the sound if you don’t have the right sound guy.
And, like the nerdy Beatles fan I am, I have a rickenbacker 360 and a vox ac-15. But I don’t really want to tour with those because it’s hard to take those overseas and such, but I love that sound and I use rickenbackers on my albums a lot.
Video Feature
Hurricane- Liz Clark live at Rockwood 2005
Full size: Here
TT- Could you share with us a little of your songwriting process? Do you compose the lyrics and music together, seperately, alone in a band?
LC- That’s the hardest question to answer because it’s never the same! I don’t really HAVE a process, I just try to be available for the song when it hits me in any form, lyrics first or musically or whatever. But I will say that lots of times I come up with a general idea of what I want for lyrics and music together.
Even if it’s just the general idea of the song, lyrically, mixed with the emotion of the music. For instance, knowing that a defiant, break up song has to be a rocker with heavy chords. Sometimes I just like how words sound when they’re held out in a song. Like, “raaaaaaaain down”. Doesn’t that sound good??(smiles)
TT- Sure does! Would you have any advice for budding singer-songwriters?
EH- I think songwriters are amongst some of the lucky ones out of all the budding artists of any type because it’s so easy to hit the road and make a few bucks at it right away if you’re organized enough. It’s such an important job, I think. Because music hits a person directly in the heart before it passes through in an intellectual way, so you can communicate so deeply with people on a basic human level, without even really knowing them.
And, at risk of sounding too nerdy or new-agey, truth is really the biggest thing. Finding your own truth and writing about it is what separates the real art from the manufactured. A good song that came from pure honesty, no one can argue with and it’s what makes art unique.
Links:
Liz Clark http://www.lizclarkmusic.com/
©2008 Terence Tan.
Pictures & Videos courtesy of Liz Clark & Management- ©2008 respectively.
Special thanks to Rich @ RJO artist relations/
Topics: Music | 3 Comments »