MIMF

I'm sure there are ideas that are better worth stealing (like I said, it was a pain to assemble) but by all means go ahead.

Hi Brian, Pictures are worth a thousand words, especially if one is not so good at writing. I'll attach one. I don't think I'll be doing this exact configuration again. It was really tricky to get the bolts into place and tighten them through the soundhole, and of course I had to do it a few times t...

Hi everyone, For those of you in or around Ottawa (Canada), the Ottawa Guitar Show is coming up this sunday, June 29th. There will be 36 luthiers from Ontario, Quebec, and northern new york, showing everything from ukes to amps to harp guitars. We will have a mini-concert series running all day long...

Hi everybody! I'd like to invite anyone and everyone to the second annual Ottawa Guitar Show. It's taking place 11am-6pm on June 16th (that's fathers' day) at Alcorn Music Studios, 953 Gladstone ave. Ottawa, Ontario. We'll have 14 of the region's top guitar (and uke) builders, musical performances a...

I've used that calculator too. It's very comprehensive. You can even usee it for multiscale instruments, or even just temperament etc. I'd just been making printouts on my home epson, and I figured that even if it doesn't scale absolutely, it will at least be consistent in its error, so close enough...

Graph-tech makes piezo saddles to fit ABM bridges- they also make the hexpander midi interface. I think they also make piezo saddles to fit Hipshot as well. Check them out at the obvious URL. You can order the bridges with piezo pre-installed directly from ABM. I did that for a guitar with individua...

That was pretty much how I arrived at the proportions. It's not that different in dimensions to a regular neck. Rick's website has a section on how to go about getting a license for his various patents, with prices. It's very straightforward. And if you need to know more, he's good about responding ...

Hi Jason. Yes, it is licensed. And you are free (encouraged, actually) to adjust the proportions to your taste. One advantage is that you get a little extra stiffness for a given neck thickness, because there's more wood on the back of the neck. In practice the limit to the thinness of the neck is t...

I don't have another shot of the volute, but here you can see a little more of the neck and the back.

Glad you like it. Here's a shot of what it's like inside. Long neck tenon, chambers on both sides. The pickup routs were done after, and connected the chambers.

Here's another neat thing. The client came to me with the idea of using Rick Toone's patented Trapezoid Neck Profile™ (TNP™) . I've always been an admirer of Rick's guitars, and was keen to try it out. It works quite well. The unusual shape is less intrusive than you might think, since you generally...

I made deep bevels around the edges for comfort. This bit at the upper bass bout exposes the chambering to act as a kind of soundport. There is a set of Schatten thumbwheel controls (master tone and volume) peeking out of the edge too.

I'm really happy with the way this one turned out. Believe it or not, this is actually the second headless semi-hollow seven-string guitar I've made. A niche market, perhaps, but I'll take it. The body and neck is black walnut, and the top is actually a beautiful piece of red spruce. It was split on...

For any of you MIMF'ers up here in Canada's capital, I'd like to invite you all to the first ever Ottawa Luthiers Showcase and Guitar Festival! Twelve Ottawa guitar- and gear-makers will be showing their stuff, and there will be guitar music performances all day long. It's free to visit, and there's...

I know it's not designed for mountain dulcimrs, but my new favourite fretting program is http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/
That should work. It's also java-based, so it works on my mac.

Just remembered- Ken Parker builds his archtop necks using a core of douglas fir. Of course they also have harder wood wrapped around that, along with some carbon fibre etc, but he knows what he's doing. I recall reading that doug. Fir has better resistance to cold creep that many woods as well, tho...

I've been thinking of trying out doug. Fir. It is often stiffer than most of the woods we usually use for necks, though I have read that there is a lot of variation, so you have to pick your pieces carefully. Like you I'm intrigued by the idea of using more softwoods, mostly to save weight and impro...

I restored an old harmony like this a few years ago. It had obviously hardly been played, but was still rather dull brownish amber, and grimy. Turned out it must have had a coating of wax applied to it (maybe even from the factory- wax and buff is a lot easier than doing a proper finish). I removed ...

I just found out about this site, though it appears they've been around for a few years. Lots of furniture makers, jewelry designers, and a few accomplished-looking luthiers are part of it. I'm thinking of signing up, but it's not free so I need to know if it's likely to actually bring in some work....

Don't get the makita planer. Get the steel city 13" one with the helical inserts! I use mine for everything, instead of a drum sander. It runs way smoother and quieter than regular planers, and it'll handle figured wood much better too. I've used it for sides down to 0.080" using a backing...