Search found 120 matches

by Douglas Ingram
Wed Apr 06, 2016 6:53 pm
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: Any source for finding really obscure wood?
Replies: 8
Views: 11872

Re: Any source for finding really obscure wood?

I'd buy just the head and make my own handle. I would be using it for my canoe building and I need a light hammer as I use it for several days at a time when I'm making a new canoe. I've developed a specific handle for my needs, one where my hand does not slide up the shaft too close to the head. I'...
by Douglas Ingram
Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:48 pm
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: Any source for finding really obscure wood?
Replies: 8
Views: 11872

Re: Any source for finding really obscure wood?

Damn, Matthew, now I really want some of those hammer heads!
by Douglas Ingram
Fri Jan 15, 2016 3:26 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Re: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

Thanks Paul! Yes, your essay helped a lot. I did do a few alterations from the described method, but nothing of consequence. Mostly I didn't use the jointer table for the hand plane but instead made up a shooting board for jointing the sides of the staves. I haven't been on for awhile, either, or I'...
by Douglas Ingram
Fri Sep 25, 2015 12:31 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Geometry of the English viol
Replies: 0
Views: 11679

Geometry of the English viol

I wish that I had found this prior to my own efforts at making a viol. I can't tell if the approach described is 100% authentic, but the results from the efforts seem consistent with the extant instruments.

https://www.academia.edu/149099/The_Geo ... lish_Viols
by Douglas Ingram
Sat May 09, 2015 12:17 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Re: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

This is a wonderfully attractive instrument. I've watched your progress on this off and on. Remind me when you began? About 7 years ago! There has been a lot of other work that has had to be done during that time. A lot of research, a lot of living, and a few setbacks. Its ironic that, now that I a...
by Douglas Ingram
Sat May 09, 2015 12:13 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Re: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

That's pretty spectacular. Is there no carving of the top? Or is it "assembled" and then carved? This is a bent stave soundboard. Slip matched pieces of spruce are bent, then glued together, then carved. The pieces are each no more than 1cm thick and the carving goes pretty easy compared ...
by Douglas Ingram
Sat May 09, 2015 12:07 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Re: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

This just knocks my socks off! That scroll is amazing. Your wife is one lucky lady. So, is this similar to the arpeggione, for which Schubert famously wrote a sonata? The arpeggione was made by Stauffer and was, essentially, a guitar played with a bow. A hybrid instrument, actually. Six strings tun...
by Douglas Ingram
Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:54 am
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Re: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

Thanks everyone!

Once I get the bow made, and the case, I can return to some guitar making.

Its a lot of work making these, I made this one for love. Next one, if there is a next one, is for cash!
by Douglas Ingram
Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:27 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Re: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

The scroll and other details
by Douglas Ingram
Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:24 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Remember my bass viol? Its finished!
Replies: 14
Views: 27362

Remember my bass viol? Its finished!

A good number of you have been very interested in the viola da gamba that I've been building. Well, it is finally finished! The biggest hurdle in building this bass viol was the research. All of the learning that was required to understand the instrument and its construction was significant. Compare...
by Douglas Ingram
Sun Apr 05, 2015 9:21 am
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Making a bass Viola da gamba strings set up/fitting
Replies: 5
Views: 14674

Re: Making a bass Viola da gamba strings set up/fitting

Stephen Faulk wrote:Douglass, Douglass Douglass, That first gamba was not enough for you?

Shou'nt you be out scraping cargo canoes?
Pretty much, pretty much...
by Douglas Ingram
Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:02 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: Making a bass Viola da gamba strings set up/fitting
Replies: 5
Views: 14674

Re: Making a bass Viola da gamba strings set up/fitting

Hi Carl, I am just about finished making a bass viol as well. I am at the point of getting all of the frets tied on, and then that's it. I know all too well that absence of information for builder of viols! I am happy to share whatever I can because we vio makers have to support one another! One pla...
by Douglas Ingram
Fri Feb 20, 2015 3:19 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Classical guitar string length
Replies: 5
Views: 6218

Re: Classical guitar string length

Phil, for classical building get in the habit of using metric as the world of classical guitar making uses it universally. There is a strong argument that back in the 19th c. an inch based system was used, but that won't help you now. That Ramirez guitar isn't so popular these days. the scale is lon...
by Douglas Ingram
Sat Nov 29, 2014 3:24 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Reverse classical tuner head design
Replies: 3
Views: 3773

Re: Reverse classical tuner head design

With the Rubner's you can trim the barrels.
by Douglas Ingram
Sat Sep 06, 2014 3:56 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Mistral project
Replies: 9
Views: 8599

Re: Mistral project

He used LAZER beams!
by Douglas Ingram
Fri Aug 08, 2014 5:31 pm
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: 'caue everyone loves some inlay...progress on the viol
Replies: 14
Views: 26167

Re: 'caue everyone loves some inlay...progress on the viol

Beth Mayer wrote:Beautiful, Doug! Any updates?

Oh, yes! Stay tuned.

I'm detailing the surfaces now in preparation for finish.
by Douglas Ingram
Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:59 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Shop size?
Replies: 28
Views: 18902

Re: Shop size?

If you can swing it, a 24' x 30' would be nice. You could have a 24' x 24" work and storage room, and a 12' x 24' clean room/office/display/visitor room, etc. I'd be inclined to arrange the tooling centrally and have various specialized work stations arranged around the perimeter.
by Douglas Ingram
Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:15 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Wake me up, please. What are you working on?
Replies: 49
Views: 31076

Re: Wake me up, please. What are you working on?

I just finished a spalted maple/Elm Thinline. I'm also working on a bass viol, usually called a viola da gamba. I just finished the fingerboard and tailpiece inlays and border.
by Douglas Ingram
Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:39 am
Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
Topic: 'caue everyone loves some inlay...progress on the viol
Replies: 14
Views: 26167

Re: 'caue everyone loves some inlay...progress on the viol

At long last I have the borders for the fingerboard and tailpiece for the viola da gamba done!

Time, now, for the next step, which is to get the inlay on the front and back repaired. I had some serious setbacks last summer due to exceptionally high humidity overnight for a few too many nights.
by Douglas Ingram
Tue Dec 17, 2013 12:07 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: What to do first to improve the sound of a recently complete classical guitar
Replies: 19
Views: 10341

Re: What to do first to improve the sound of a recently complete classical guitar

I'm not overlooking all of the useful technical input here, but I'd like to add to the comments regarding string choice. EJ-45 strings are nice all-round strings. However, on these older designs I have found that suing something like Aquila Nylgut makes a rather dramatic difference in how the guitar...

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