Current Build - Falcate Braced Multiscale OM cutaway

[kiwigeo]

Ok I was going to keep this project under wraps until it was finished mainly due to the high risk of f**k ups. That said I think things have progressed to a stage where the risk has reduced enough for me to feel comfortable posting up a few pics.

Instrument Specs:

Multiscale: 652 to 635mm. 8th fret is bias fret.
Back and Sides: IRW
Top: Swiss Spruce (Moon spruce from Tim)
Headstock: straight string pull
Bracing: falcate (lainate KBP with CF tow reinforcing)
Pick Up System: Fishman mic/undersaddle piezeo.

Bending up the IRW sides. The cut away was a ^^555^^ng &&&** to get right....4 attempts.

laminate solid Limewood top linings going in.

Side splints fitted including one each side with T nuts for adding weights to trim top resonances.

Back bracing going in.

Neck being made up. Thanks to Dave White for the idea on handling the transition from the headstock to the neck.

[kiwigeo]

No pics of the top being jointed and thicknessed but here's the rosette going in. I went for a "stained glass" style rosette inspired by the brilliant work of Jason Kostal. I didn't manage to have any success staining up some of the pieces of Coobah burl so I left the wood natural.
Fitting the burl segments together using CA glue. The rosette is temporarily glued to a layer of parcel paper.

The rosette gets a rough sanding to level the ebony seperators and then the whole assembly is shellaced and then seperated from the backing paper with a palette knife.

The rosette is re-mounted on double sided tape and cut out using a Dremel and a 1/8" down cut spiral cutter.

The rosette gets a final sanding and shellacing before being lifted off the double sided tape.

Installing the rosette into the top. Epoxy glue was used to glue in the rosette and purfling.

Routing channels for inner and outer BWB purfling rings. 1/8" downcut spiral cutter used for these cuts.

Fitting purfling fitted. Final leveling (a chance to test the new Bosch ROS). Soundhole cut out.

[kiwigeo]

Making up and fitting the falcate bracing and bridge plate. The bracing is a three part laminate of King Billy Pine.

Shaping bracing prior to laying in top layer of CF tow. The Fishman pickup system gets test fitted.

[demonx]

Ok I was going to keep this project under wraps until it was finished mainly due to the high risk of f**k ups.

Aren't showing our stuff ups half the point of making these threads?

That aside, looking great so far.

I really like the rosette. Simple but time consuming. I had a thought of doing something similar myself but using a variety of different timber colors, I hadn't seen it done before, then I looked up Jason Kostal re your comment and it seems it's definitely been done before!

[Mat]

Nice progress! I also couldn't help but enjoy the stockpile of timber behind the build!

[johnparchem]

I also liked the rosette. Keep posting the pictures, I love watching your process. What height bracing did you use for your falcate braces? As an OM I am assuming this is a 14 fret to the body. I need to work though the geometry to understand the amount to tilt the head stock to achieve the angle you want for the multiscale.

[kiwigeo]

I also liked the rosette. Keep posting the pictures, I love watching your process. What height bracing did you use for your falcate braces? As an OM I am assuming this is a 14 fret to the body. I need to work though the geometry to understand the amount to tilt the head stock to achieve the angle you want for the multiscale.

John,

Bracing height is 9mm over the bridge area...aiming for T(1,1)2 of 180hz. Top thickness is currently around 2.7mm but will be a bit thinner by the time I get to finishing the top.

The headstock/neck angle is 14degrees. The geometry between the two is handled by gluing in the small wedge you can see in the photos. The idea came from Dave White (Thanks Dave):

[kiwigeo]

I really like the rosette. Simple but time consuming. I had a thought of doing something similar myself but using a variety of different timber colors, I hadn't seen it done before, then I looked up Jason Kostal re your comment and it seems it's definitely been done before!

Yeah that rosette was time consuming......about 3 days work. I had to take breaks as I was starting to see everything I looked at through a stained glass window! Jason uses the Mixol dyes to stain up his burls of spalted maple. I didnt have much success getting the dye to penetrate very far into the Coobah. You can do it with a vacuum impreg kit but that would involve getting in the kit.

[blackalex1952]

So nice to see! Have you tried using an old pressure cooker for the vacuum impregnating? Assuming you have a vacuum pump...Also I noticed tearout on the soundhole post routing...sanded away I assume. I have been using Kyocera diamond bits in my dremel, they minimise that issue, if you haven't heard of them.

[56nortondomy]

Nice work Martin, the rosette looks great, so do the hold down weights ( some of us have to use Stanleys )
Wayne

[kiwigeo]

So nice to see! Have you tried using an old pressure cooker for the vacuum impregnating? Assuming you have a vacuum pump...Also I noticed tearout on the soundhole post routing...sanded away I assume. I have been using Kyocera diamond bits in my dremel, they minimise that issue, if you haven't heard of them.

Thanks for the pressure cooker tip. My wife has a cooker but I think she'd notice if I sneaked it back into the cupboard covered in red dye.

A little bit of tear out around the soundhole because I don't usually bother taking any care in cutting direction etc. The hole gets dressed up with sandpaper around a piece of dowel prior to finishing so no real point in going to any great effort to minimize tear out

[kiwigeo]

Nice work Martin, the rosette looks great, so do the hold down weights ( some of us have to use Stanleys )
Wayne

The LN and the Veritas just happened to be handy. I've got a Stanley...but that's on full time duty weighing down a pile of ebony fretboards.

[kiwigeo]

Nice progress! I also couldn't help but enjoy the stockpile of timber behind the build!

That's a pile of flatsawn Fijian mahogany neck blanks I picked up from Ash Sanders. There's a second set of shelves behind with all the "good stuff"

[blackalex1952]

Where did you get the limewood? I want some for solid linings. That was the species used on the original Selmer Maccaferris.

[kiwigeo]

Where did you get the limewood? I want some for solid linings. That was the species used on the original Selmer Maccaferris.

I got it from Ottos here in Adelaide. It's ok but gets a bit fuzzy when you work it. Ive just got in a bunch of blackwood linings from Jeremy which Ill be using in future.

[Woodsy23]

Great looking guitar.
Like others, I love the rosette particularly. I cut some burl pieces recently to make a rosette. I think I'll do one similar to yours.
Keep the posts coming.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks for all the positive comments chaps. This build has been a challenge right from the word go.....

[kiwigeo]

Last major job on the top - fitting the UTB.

[Bob Connor]

Oi. That'll never work with that few clamps on it !!!!!!!!

[56nortondomy]

First it was the planes and now the clamps, talk about rubbing your nose in it
Wayne

[kiwigeo]

The upper bout is only slightly domed and is flat around the fretboard area. This is critical for correct neck geometry and to get it to work you need to clamp the UTB and top against a caul...hence the overkill with the clamps.

[kiwigeo]

LOL...all you sharp eyed Suzies picked up in the clamp overkill...but you missed the fact I forgot to drill the truss rod adjuster hole in the UTB.

[johnparchem]

How could we see, all of those clamps got in the way!

[Bob Connor]

LOL...all you sharp eyed Suzies picked up in the clamp overkill...but you missed the fact I forgot to drill the truss rod adjuster hole in the UTB.

I don't drill a hole through the UTB any more. I reckon it weakens things too much.

Regards

[kiwigeo]

Drilled the truss rod key hole and shaped the UTB and laid on CF tow. The top is now basically finished....time for a beer!!