Search found 208 matches

by Dave Stewart
Sun Jun 12, 2016 7:47 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Buffing Fretboards
Replies: 16
Views: 18535

Re: Buffing Fretboards

I agree with Randolph. I used to take mine to 2000 and then buff with Mez. (Have a separate buffing wheel for ebony.... even a 6 or 8" .... it'll get black)
Tough to beat that beautiful, silky patina ebony takes on after buffing.
by Dave Stewart
Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:27 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: full size floating humbucker on archtop
Replies: 28
Views: 37254

Re: full size floating humbucker on archtop

.....KA handwound smoothtop??
by Dave Stewart
Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:37 am
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: steaming out small dents & dings
Replies: 17
Views: 19283

Re: steaming out small dents & dings

Didn't use it a lot, but certainly one of the handiest tools when I was building was the Weller pistol-grip soldering iron fitted with a spatula tip. Just put a soaked folded swatch over any dent/blemish, pull the trigger & hold the tip on it a few seconds ('till it steams a while) and gone. Ins...
by Dave Stewart
Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:49 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: full size floating humbucker on archtop
Replies: 28
Views: 37254

Re: full size floating humbucker on archtop

Better quality & sound. Adjustable . I won't get into the subjectivity of it but it's basically the go-to floating pickup for many (if not most) high end archtop builders. Google "Kent Armstrong's handwound floating 12-poles PAF" to find out all you need, incl KA's website for handwoun...
by Dave Stewart
Sun Jan 17, 2016 1:59 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: full size floating humbucker on archtop
Replies: 28
Views: 37254

Re: full size floating humbucker on archtop

I've used a few of Kent Armstrong's handwound floating 12-poles PAFs .... good pickups (& different from the offshore ones). Usually mounted to the underside of the fingerrest (although on a 7-string i did stick an untabbed 14-pole to a brass plate inlet into the underside of a fingerboard exten...
by Dave Stewart
Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:04 am
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: How do you guys store your tools? Please show pics of your tool storage
Replies: 27
Views: 40479

Re: How do you guys store your tools? Please show pics of your tool storage

My shop was a bedroom when I was building (....well, it still is) ... everything in there. Dust collector is in the closet space, along with wood storage and WIP on a shelf above. Looking the other way is a bandsaw and tablesaw/ drillpress along the window wall.
by Dave Stewart
Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:47 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Geoff's 3rd Archtop Guitar
Replies: 14
Views: 16718

Re: Geoff's 3rd Archtop Guitar

Lovely guitar Geoff.... great elements & tonewoods. Bridge a bit heavy imo but neck/action looks great & I like the mahogany neck with that finish.
by Dave Stewart
Sun Nov 08, 2015 2:15 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Sacconi Tailpiece pivot block
Replies: 6
Views: 8097

Re: Sacconi Tailpiece pivot block

??? Regardless, you need something very hard for the cable to "break" (in the "break angle" sense of the word) over .... otherwise it will dig it's own groove. By "raising" that something (ie making the saddle higher, like a violin), you lift the tailpiece high enough t...
by Dave Stewart
Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:59 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Sacconi Tailpiece pivot block
Replies: 6
Views: 8097

Re: Sacconi Tailpiece pivot block

As long as you seat it properly on the tailblock, nothing wrong with using a raised violin-style saddle as the fulcrum for the sacconi. I preferred it to the inelegant (& spruce-denting) pivot glued to the tailpiece underside. But that's just me.
by Dave Stewart
Sun Nov 01, 2015 10:39 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: archtop weight
Replies: 5
Views: 6308

Re: archtop weight

Archtops tend toward the heavy side. When I was building, I used to track weights of everything (braced tops @ ass'y, backs, final box, final neck before finish, bridge etc.etc) to squeeze out the lowest weight I could. (Ken Parkers archtops are supposed to be on the 3 lb range, although I could nev...
by Dave Stewart
Sat Sep 26, 2015 8:47 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: case for benedetto style 17" arch top
Replies: 8
Views: 10783

Re: case for benedetto style 17" arch top

http://www.tkl.com/site_item_details.ph ... uitar+Case
I used to get them from Geo Heinl in Toronto (ie local)
by Dave Stewart
Thu Sep 03, 2015 8:49 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: case for benedetto style 17" arch top
Replies: 8
Views: 10783

Re: case for benedetto style 17" arch top

FWIW, I always used the TKL 9116 and 9120 (16" & 17") with no problems & no modifications. Both cases are arched front & back.
by Dave Stewart
Thu Jun 18, 2015 8:46 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: one more shatten thumbwheell wire up question
Replies: 2
Views: 4313

Re: one more shatten thumbwheell wire up question

Plug it in & hold the pu near strings of ANY guitar....
by Dave Stewart
Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:16 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: first back carve update
Replies: 13
Views: 13316

Re: first back carve update

Im not very good with software and Bobs arching templates were not helpful. I think my topo spacing was to far apart in the lower bout area from bridge to tail. giving a flatter profile.Ive completed the inside carve successfully without issue. If anyone has generated topo templates Id be grateful ...
by Dave Stewart
Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:20 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: first back carve update
Replies: 13
Views: 13316

Re: first back carve update

FWIW, I never used a drillpress. My method was to start with the longitudinal template & reduce the centerline down to match the template with gouges / fingerplanes etc. (I flattened the template recurve so it would bottom at the correct arch height ... recurves come later). Then mark the statio...
by Dave Stewart
Wed Jan 28, 2015 9:16 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: first back carve update
Replies: 13
Views: 13316

Re: first back carve update

Bob Benedetto's book (which you should have) has templates which you can use.
Alternately, you can generate cycloid templates in pdf using this program
http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~smann/ccycloid/
by Dave Stewart
Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:01 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: guitar sanding vice
Replies: 16
Views: 16467

Re: guitar sanding vice

Greg, yes the pipe just goes through an elongated hole in the bench leg, with the "backer" half of the pipe clamp fixed to the backside of the leg and adjusts like a normal pipe clamp (sorry, no pics). The other requirement is the notched (1/4" alum.) foot operated "comb" at...
by Dave Stewart
Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:28 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: type of bracing used with oval hole archtops
Replies: 6
Views: 8115

Re: type of bracing used with oval hole archtops

All good advice.
FWIW I made one, using an X-brace (which you have to open up quite a bit to clear the oval) and a transverse brace. Bit beefy in hindsight, but it worked out well.
1102 bracing.jpg
1102 fr body-full bk.jpg
by Dave Stewart
Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:34 am
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: new archtop needs honey finish
Replies: 10
Views: 10589

Re: new archtop needs honey finish

"Honey amber" is different for different people..... lots of recipes.
For me, it needs red. My blend was 5 drops amber/2 drops cherry red per oz lacquer.
1-2# orange shellac as a sealcoat didn't hurt either.
801 front from 1pm on black-47.jpg
by Dave Stewart
Mon Dec 22, 2014 11:52 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: guitar sanding vice
Replies: 16
Views: 16467

Re: guitar sanding vice

I've used a simple leg vice on my bench for decades (basically just a pipe clamp through the bench leg), which allows me to use it as a troji (with 4" removable foam pads either side) or a mount for the Benedetto type holding jig.
leg vise.jpg
body jig 1.jpg
body jig 1.jpg (31.36 KiB) Viewed 16269 times

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