Classical Guitar - Tasmanian Tiger Myrtle

[Kim]

If it if so readily available, and inexpensive, I'm surprised that it is not used more widely! Though I do no have strings on it yet, it reminds me an awful lot of Cpanish cypress.

Gregory

Ahh yes, myrtle is a fine and dandy tonewood indeed and working with it certainly is a dream, that is of course until you discover that exposure to it has a tendency to shrinks your testicles and promote the growth of moobs













Cheers

Kim

[Colonial Tonewoods]

If it if so readily available, and inexpensive, I'm surprised that it is not used more widely! Though I do no have strings on it yet, it reminds me an awful lot of Cpanish cypress.

Gregory

Ahh yes, myrtle is a fine and dandy tonewood indeed and working with it certainly is a dream, that is of course until you discover that exposure to it has a tendency to shrinks your testicles and promote the growth of moobs













Cheers

Kim

Kim,
That's just wrong. I was enjoying a doughnut and a glass of milk until I scrolled down and saw Mr. Caruso from Python's "The Meaning of Life."

Greg that's one sweet looking guitar. I can't wait to see what it looks like with a finish.

[Kim]

Kim,
That's just wrong. I was enjoying a doughnut and a glass of milk until I scrolled down and saw Mr. Caruso from Python's "The Meaning of Life."

Greg that's one sweet looking guitar. I can't wait to see what it looks like with a finish.

Just trying to keep the secret source safe Steve, don't want you Yanks taking all the good stuff before I get my hands on it

And your correct my friend, that certainly is one sweet looking guitar, in fact a good number of them

Cheers

Kim

[Lillian]

Damn Kim. That was uncalled for. Ohhh, you are a sick and twisted man.

Which is the very reason I like you.

[ozziebluesman]

Beautiful guitar Gregory! The Tiger Myrtle is stunning. I have used some plain Myrtle for binding, headplate and rosette on my latest project. The wood is nice to work with. Thanks for sharing your guitars with us!

Cheers

Alan

[Gregory USA]

Ok Kim-

I hardly know you and already you are flashing your moobs (if that is truly the most disgusting terminology I have ever encountered) and discussing my cujones. Dios mio amigo!

So now that I know that you are outspoken, perfectly vile, have no sense of shame, and that nothing is off limits, including a twisted sense of humor... I must say thay we're going to be good friends.

You must have been swooning the day of that post... suffering from the vapors? My first reaction to your self-portrait was... "my eyes! my eyes!!!! . and then I had to look far far far beyond all that obvious charisma and your boyish good looks, and I was reminded of a naughtly little joke I once heard. I'd advise you to stop reading now... but I know you well enough to know that your tongue is already hanging out for this one.

A woman says to her husband who's profession is plastic surgery, "Honey, I want a breast augmentation for my birthday!" And the doc just rolls his eyes, "Sweetie, your breasts are just fine as they are". A year goes by, and upon her birthday, she again announces, "Honey, I want a breast augmentation!" And Dr. Husband dismissively says, "No, I don't think so".

This scenario goes on for the better part of the next twenty years of their marriage when the wife finally puts her foot down and says, "Mr. Man, I demand a breast augmentation". The husband smiles, looks at his wife with that special look of love, and he says, "Honey, why not just take some toilet paper... and rub it between your breasts?" His wife replies, "what good will that do?" Dr. Husband says, well turn around... look what it has done to your ass for the last 20 years!".

So Kim... the moobs are incredulous... but we're mostly afraid of the corresponding derriere.

Guitar is coming along slowly but wonderfully. Takes a nice french polish of shellac. I think bracing the top is my favorite guitar work. Then carving the neck is such a gloriously sensuous experience, and the french polish is when I dream most about my next guitar. Just wait for my next one ladies and gentleman, and then there is Kim too!

[Gregory USA]

Ozzie- Thank for stopping by and viewing this thread. I certainly appreciate your encouraging comments. I agree, myrtle is a great wood whether machining or by hand work. I bet it would make stunning bindings. I never thought of that!! Thanks for the idea!

Does anybody know a source in AUS for a reasonably priced, and very nice red myrtle quartersawn back and side set?

[Gregory USA]

Stephen-

Thanks for stopping by and viewing the guitar. This one is a personal favorite. Thanks for continuing to be my prefered source of tonewood, and thanks for deliving on this gorgeous set of wood. It is everything you promised ..... and then some. You've got me hooked! Shop Colonial Tonewoods folks!

Gregory

[WaddyT]

That is a very nice instrument. Interesting, non-traditional, rosette. Very nice workmanship. Call me an "Old Fuddy-Duddy, but I find it difficult to warm up to very unusual features on Classical guitars. I will say, though, the rosette really draws the eye to the center of the instrument. I hope that is your desire, but I wonder if it takes away from your other fine work, as, when my eye is trying to take in all of your artestry, it keeps drifting away to the rosette, and never quite takes in the instrument as a whole. Probably just me, but your work is outstanding, and I bet it sounds fine.

[Hesh1956]

Hi Gregory and welcome to the ANZLF!

Kim is a great guy and you always know where you stand with him. I just wish he had not posted that picture of Billy Dean Thomas, another beloved member here, without prior permission and more importantly.....warning.....

Tiger is great stuff and I will make a bet with you. I suspect that your tiger guitar, once completed, will be the loudest guitar that you have built to date.

I built a L-OO with Tiger and it is louder than my dread*oughts...... The wood as Bob indicated taps like shit but once turned into a guitar it is glassy, reflective, and powerful. It also sands, bends, and planes very well. Not to mention that it is beautiful beyond my ability to describe.

Here are some shots of my L-OO.











Great to have you here Gregory!

[Gregory USA]

Waddy-

Thank you for your comments and onservations, I really appreciate your thoughts. Indeed, the rosette is kind of a bullseye on this guitar top. With wood so full of character for the back and sides, I think a traditional mosaic rosette would have looked odd, and gotten lost or competed with the overall dynamics of the guitar. I had to do this pseudo-bookmatched look because the material is so directional in character, and mirroring also emphasized the tiger appearance I really wanted to bring out in the wood.

Presently, the top is french polished and smooth as glass. A seal coat of shellac has been applied to the back and sides, and believe it or not, it has a more cohesive look even though it has a long way to go through finishing. Check back in the next couple of weeks and I will post photos of the finished guitar.

Thanks again!

Gregory

[Gregory USA]

Hesh-

Thank you for your posting and the generous sampling of your guitar pics. Stunning work! Unfortunately, I am strictly a classical and flamenco builder so I am kind of lost when it comes to the glamorous world of steel string insturments. I don't know a dreadnought from an OM, from a hole in my head.

I found the black top surprising on your guitar. Personally, I would be hard pressed to dye/paint a top black, but I really do like the look of it on your particular instrument. It's elegant, sleek, and kind of becomes a blank canvas to the tiger myrtle which just jumps out at you. I also really like your bridge design- simple, very well crafted, and probably very finely tuned to your guitar's needs.

Indeed, the tiger myrtle has very little tap tone. It almost sounded hollow and like balsa wood. I thought.... dead wood. Once my german spruce top got on it, this thing has a thunderously loud drum sound. I think the German spruce top is a nice marriage to this back and side set. The African Blackwood fingerboard and bridge (almost a standard on all my instuments) is especially nice partnered with the near-black figure in the tiger myrtle.

Working with this wood reminded me alot of Spanish Cypress. It requires no fill, and really sands evenly and well. It also cuts quite cleanly. I do have to give Spanish cypress a little boost---- I love the smell of the wood when working with it. It smells like a fresh cut lawn. When it came to finishing, the tiger myrtle really displayed alot of color variation and the finish that is not so readily apparent in photos or on the raw wood. I truly love the coral-pinks, salmon, oranges, reds, and golden browns delineated with those coffee-black stripes.

Keep an eye out... I hope to have stings on her in less than 10 days!

Gregory

[Dennis Leahy]

Gregory, let's see a bit more of the "moon and stars" guitar, the one on the far right in the group shot. Caught my eye...

Dennis

[Kim]

Gregory, let's see a bit more of the "moon and stars" guitar, the one on the far right in the group shot. Caught my eye...

Dennis

Caught mine to Dennis, I was hoping no one else would notice so I could steal the idea and call it my own

Looks great Gregory.

Cheers

Kim

[Gregory USA]

Hey Dennis and Kim,

I won't photograph in detail my design on this one because I do not like people "borrowing" my artwork, but I'm happy to share with you how I did it. And you can come up with your own design. The overall design is quite simple to accomplish, and goes as follows: For the bridge, fingerboard, peghead, and rosette you will need a large quantity (100 or so) of ssorted sizes of abalone dots, I used 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm "marker" dots often used for the edge of the fingerboard. LMI sells the dots in packets of 20 dots per size and they run about $8 per packet for the paua abalone. I think I spent about $60 - $75 to get the assorted sizes I would end up using. I used more of the smallest size dots and few of the larger dots. The smaller dots really look great and almost twinkle like glitter when massed. I was thinking "Milky Way" for this design.

Get out a down-cut bit that corresponds to the size of the dot... (LMI sells these for about $9 per bit.. I used what I had at home), and place a piece of tape at the end of the bit to act as your depth gauge if you are not using a drill press. I used a hand drill quite successfully. Drill a hole just a tad deeper than the dot, add some CA glue, and then plug with the dot. Spray accelerator on the CA to speed drying... and then scrape off excess glue, sand. Repeat. That's all it is.

I wanted the design to be very random, as if the dots were scattered haphazardly on the fingerboard... so make sure to leave some places of negative space that do not have dots, and likewise, be sure to concentrate the dots heavily in some areas. The soundboard's rosette was fitted with the dots AFTER the rosette wood was inlaid into the top. The bridge was shaped and then dots added BEFORE it was glued down. Dots were inlaid into the peghead after it was mostly finished/shaped/slotted/drilled. Dots were inlaid into the fingerboard AFTER it was glued into position on the neck, and AFTER it was leveled. The dots should be almost flush on the fingerboard and require a minimum of sanding just to level them with the board.

If you have trouble sinking one of the dots into the hole, or if you completely mess up a hole, go to a larger bit, redrill the hole with the larger bit, and hopefully you can hide the mistake with a larger dot. Rule of thumb in tight areas, leave enough margin for the next largest size dot than the intended size dot. That way, you have some room to fix any errors. This guitar was entirely rosewood- East Indian rosewood fingerboard. It will not work well in African Blackwood because the wood does not drill well and tears out or powders away. It will also make toast of your drill bits quickly... I tried it. It would be fantastic and easy to accomplish on ebony (African).

Give it a shot... it's a simple inlay, a no brainer really.. it just takes about a whole day from start to finish.

"Borrowing" a design and calling it your own? That's bad karma. You should always give credit where credit is due...

Incidentally, the "group" pic. The flamenca blanca, or Spanish Cypress just to the left of the rosewood guitar you guys are talking about.. I sold it Friday! It was a fantastic guitar and I will miss it. It is going to a good home and will be played alot.

[Stu]

Welcome Gregory and as everyone has stated, fantastic builds.
I'm of no doubt you'll be a big resource for inspiration to us all, as is
Hesh and his 'blacktop' which definitely strikes a chord with me. Brilliant stuff. As is all I've seen here. Amazing lutherie at work.



cheers, Stu

[Kim]

Hey Dennis and Kim,

"Borrowing" a design and calling it your own? That's bad karma. You should always give credit where credit is due...

Hey Gregory, I was only joking

Ive actually seen this method taken a step further with Galaxy themes. Planets inlaid in fine detail, such as a blue silver ringed Saturn, a redish Mars etc cut from various shell to give that mottled milky effect and, just as you describe, varying sized pearl marker dots placed in random simply using corresponding brad-point bits to quickly produce the affect of 3D space.

I have seen yet another with an incredible planet scape like one is looking out across craters and pinnacles toward the dark side of the moon, once again various sized dots employed to mimic a deep space skyline. I have also seen the same technique used effectively to resemble jewels and pearls spilling from a treasure chest and also as bubbles in sub marine themes.

The above-mentioned designs where all applied to electric guitars, I don't think you would have gotten away with being quite that loud on a classical guitar I think that what you have done there is tasteful but it's also about as brash as you would want to get for the notoriously conservative classical market.

Cheers

Kim

[Dennis Leahy]

Gregory, Kim was kidding. Kim is an artist, and has his own creative muses. He might steal a beer on a hot day, but not your themed guitar design.

Dennis

{edit} I was typing at the same time as Kim.

[Gregory USA]

You talked me into it... photos to come.

Indeed, it's a departure from the rigid classical world, but I aspire only to please the artist in me, and if other people understand and like it....great! I'm not a commercial luthier, I'm not a purist... I'm just a nice guy aspiring to build some very personal guitars. If you hand me money for one of my guitars, then you are purchasing the guitar you have always dreamed of. I'll talk you out of it before I talk you into it.

Sound is my paramount concern with guitars, once I have a good sense of how this guitar will sound, I then venture to ornament the guitar with whatever theme strikes me. Some classical players and builders are very conservative with their instruments. That suits their taste, not mine. I don't think that my instruments are "over the top", but then again I've not been exposed to alot of other classical builders.
I rather like being the "renegade" and left to express myself than to be stifled by nonsense ideas of what a classical guitar "should" be. A guitar IS a guitar on it's own merit. I think each guitar is as unique as each builder, and we all know that no builder every builds the same guitar exactly the same way twice. I think a luthier should never aspire to build the same instrument over and over. I hope never to repeat, I only hope to improve with each successive guitar.

I have a very good friend who is a high-end classical builder here in the USA. He lives in another state and we've never built an instrument together. He's very much a purist. I love watching his face when he extracts one of my instruments form its case. Sometimes he is compeltely humored and nods approvingly (the 3 ring knot rosette was a winner), and other times entirely disapproving (the rosewood with abalone dots). But when he plays, he closes his eyes, and that is where the decision is made.

So maybe my guitars are funky to some, tedious to others, or maybe they are inspiring to yet another. I'm curious as to what people think, but in the end... the wood itself tells me what to do. And in this tiger myrtle guitar underway now... she's gonna purrr....

Gregory

[Gregory USA]

Here are some photos of the East Indian Rosewood concert-flamenco guitar with abalone inlays on the rosette, bridge, fingerboard, and peghead. The guitar was crafted entirely of premium East Indian Rosewood (neck, back, sides, bridge, back bracing, end block, back reinforcement strip, rib struts, fingerboard, headplate, bindings). It was paired with a master grade 2.6mm German Spruce top. Reverse mahogany kerfing front and back.

Carving a rosewood neck, if you have never done it, is like carving concrete. My first four guitars had rosewood or birds eye maple necks. It's amazing that I have gone on to build more guitars. Now prefering Honduran mahogany for obvious reasons of ease of carving and nominal weight, I am hard pressed to carve rosewood again. I do have plans to do a pair of all-Cocobolo guitars with cocobolo necks, just like the rosewood guitar pictured, but Cocobolo is even more difficult than the East Indian rosewood. Plans are still on the back burner.

This body is more narrow than a classical instrument. The rib height on this guitar is following Torre's dimensions and slope for a flamenco guitar. This guitar is loud, stong mid-range, strong trebles, booming bass. It barks with a fast attack. It is also a heavy guitar due to the rosewood neck. To counter the weight of the rosewood neck, rosewood back bracing and end block inside the guitar help to weight the box so that the neck does not tip to the ground as one would think... she's balanced but slightly weighty. I'm still working out the action, it's currently a bit too high for my taste.

When the sides and back were thickness planed with a safety planer for this rosewood guitar, it revealed a rainbow of colors that are hard to explain. There were patchs of true purple (like dye/paint), and brilliant cobalt blue, with deep rish reds, autumnal golds, deep violets, ambers, coral and sunset pinks, and chocolatey browns. It's a shame that the raw East Indian rosewood changes under a finish because this was like an impressionist painting by Monet. I'll never forget its raw beauty... truly like a pallete of oil color.

Enjoy the photos. This was guitar #4 for me. French polished by hand to near perfection!

*** Incidentally, notice the fingerboard binding on the side edges and end edge- it makes for a very finished look when bound with the same wood as the fingerboard. It's a very subtle touch, and no metal fret ends protruding (now or later). This is now a usual operation on all my fingerboards and really dresses things up to give it a polished look. Of course you could do it with a contrasting wood, but I like the subte effect of the same wood-on-wood look. Give it a try-- you'll love it.

[Gregory USA]

Stu- thanks for your generous comments. Check back in about 10 days, and I will have this tiger myrtle guitar strung up! She's gonna be really nice from what I can tell so far.

Gregory