MIMF

by **Normand Fullum** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:08 am

Hi Everyone, I am new to this Forum and also I am not a luthier but I build my 6 strings acoustic guitar last year from a kit from StewardMac a Triple O Martin 1923 model out of Rosewood and sikta spruce and the result is fantastic. A great sound and action. I have to say that I am wooden telescope maker and very well equiped for wood work. I am looking for a 12 strings acoustic guitar kit if that even exist???

If you know of someone?
Thank you

Normand Fullum

by **Randy Roberts** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:26 pm

Normand,

Congratulations, you are the 100,000th person to reafim the first law of Lutherie - Nobody can build just one.

Do you build your telescopes all from kits or are you building them from the ground up so to speak?
Have you considered going from scratch rather than a kit this time with the guitar? The kit will have given you the backround of the basics of construction, and there is a two decade wealth of information in the 2 libraries here to search for specific concerns. Just a suggestion, as most find it even more satisfying than a kit.

by **Normand Fullum** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:13 am

Hi Randy
Thank you for your reply,
No, all my telescopes are build from ground up but I have 25 years experience doing them!! I know it would be a great experience to build a 12 strings from scratch but I am scare to screw-up!!! I will have to think about it for a while

Thanks again
Normand

by **Bryan Bear** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:07 pm

I don't have much advice since I have never made from a kit nor have I done a 12 string. I just wanted to say that you can't just come to this forum as a new poster and say that you make wooden telescopes without posting some pictures! Come on man, we want to see them.

Guitar looks great by the way, isn't it a great feeling to string up and play something you made!?!

I understand the reluctance to step away from the kit approach. There is certainly several things to learn that are already taken care of with the kit but those are all things you can learn. I would suggest doing a lot of reading here in the library and old discussions. The tricky thing is stepping up to a 12 string as there may be a few things that are different than a typical 6 string. If you are unable to find a 12 string kit you like and you don't have your heart set on a 12 string right away, consider making another 6 string from scratch then making the jump to a 12 from there.

by **Peter Wilcox** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:47 pm

Hi Normand. I have no info for you on 12 string kits, but would echo what Bryan says about building a 6 string from scratch, and with that experience and knowledge under your belt, then go for the 12.

I'd like to see some of your telescopes. I too made a number of telescopes, when I was younger. Mostly the optics, and most never got mounted. Here's one I didn't make the optics for (a surplus aerial photo lens), but has a novel mount.

by **Normand Fullum** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 1:51 pm

Hi Peter and Brian,
I hear you, I know I should give it a try from scratch !! But, where can I get plans ??
I am posting some of my wooden telescopes I made !! :-)

Thank you
Normand

by **Barry Daniels** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:05 pm

Luthiers Mercantile has a plan for a 12 string Dreadnaught.

http://www.lmii.com/products/media-gifts-more/plans/plans-steel-string

by **Bryan Bear** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:30 pm

Those look great. I really like the first one!

Plans can be had for not a lot of money. Some plans may be better than others or have hidden quirks that may not be obvious to you. Check the archives for posts about a given set of plans and ask here to see if anyone has any input on a particular plan you might be considering. I'm a little odd in that I have only once built to a plan drawn by someone else. All of my other instruments have been drawn up by me. I have used some plans for ballpark references or to help guide bracing decisions. How you proceed will have a lot to do with your particular style and what works for you.

A good plan is a great help but more important (IMHO) is understanding the construction process and what affects other aspects of the project. There are several different approaches to various steps and they are all appropriate but they are not necessarily interchangeable. Clearly, the instructions that came with your kit served you well. look them over again and ask yourself questions about how you would go about getting the geometry right if you had to make the components the kit had done for you.

For me, it was also helpful to find websites from other guitar makers where they showed their build process. Mario Prolux comes to mind as one I went over several times. Another good resource is build logs on fora like this one and others. They are nice because you can see a process unfold and read other makers discussing it. That can help connect the dots. You won't really be trying to copy their process, rather you will start to get a handle on how different approaches work. You'll probably change your process from guitar to guitar as your tooling resources and preferences change but until you have really flown solo, don't get too fancy.

by **Peter Wilcox** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:01 pm

Those are some beautiful telescopes. I especially like the "man in the moon" altitude axes, and the eyepiece holder attached below.

by **Mark Swanson** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:45 pm

Wow, ditto on the telescopes! you will bring new meaning to the term"tele" that we use here quite a bit.

by **Gordon Bellerose** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:30 pm

That is some beautiful carving work on the telescopes Normand.
I think there have been some really good suggestions here, and by the looks of it, you have the wood working skills to pull it off.

If you have already built from a kit, you have the basics of glue and assembly procedures. If I remember correctly, those stewmac kits come with an instruction DVD. You have the guitar in front of you to copy from, so building another 6 string would be relatively easy.
You can buy a set of back and sides from many different suppliers, and those same suppliers would also sell tops. Some also sell pre-slotted fret boards, and bridge plates.

Plans can be purchased from many different places, but as Barry suggested, LMII is one of the most respected, along with stewmac.
Perhaps a scratch built 6 string would sharpen your skills to a point where the 12 string would be the next natural step.

I am just starting my first acoustic, afte building over a dozen electric guitars. As with anything you want to do well, study, study, study.

by **Normand Fullum** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 8:06 am

Thank you all for your advice, I will have to think about it for a while. I know I have the tools and a little skill but t's "Time" I and short of!! With my telescope making busyness that takes most of my time and I need some time to play my guitar.... :-)

Anyway, I will probably make one from scratch but I will have to read more about it before I do the jump!

Sincerely
Normand

by **Gordon Bellerose** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 7:12 pm

Here is a set of plans for a 12 string.
I have never seen these up close, so I cannot verify their accuracy.
Most of the sites selling plans are pretty good.
I have used some of their tools, and was pleasantly surprised.