BYO, Two for the Road

Craig Bumgarner

Shawn wrote:

Great work Craig...I'm highly impressed by your attention to detail! I have wanted a Cedar top Oval Hole for a long time, so if you're ever able to take more pictures of that particular guitar, I'd love to see the back, sides, neck, etc.

Thanks Shawn. I don't have detail pictures of the oval hole guitar yet, but will post when I do.

Craig

Craig Bumgarner

Heretic wrote:

Very impressive! A player and a guitar maker! Congratulations.

Thanks! and just to prove it, here is a picture of Drew and I playing at the New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt, MD last Friday night. I delivered the guitar to him that night and he sat in with us for a couple songs, playing it for the first time.

Craig

Craig Bumgarner

Bones wrote:

From reading that I'm under the impression that with a pliage the top edges of the sides (that bond to the sound board) are totally flat (not sanded in a dished form) whereas if you don't use a pliage the edges are sanded to match the 15' radius dish, is that right?

Right, the sides edges are straight in profile when you use a pliage. On the one guitar I made without a pliage, seems like I used a 15' dish and 12' radius top braces. I know of other builders who use straight sides without a pliage and get the doming from the braces only.

Bones wrote:

If so, do you think there would be any merit in doing a pliage and doing the 15' radius in the sides to get even more arch???

I don't know, but by all means let us know what you get if you try it. I don't think the arch shape in the top itself (i.e. just the top plate, not the top & braces together) is of much help to sound one way or the other, but it the arch principal do allow for a thinner top, lighter bracing or heavier bridge loading, all of which can have substantial effect on sound. More arch would allow for more of all that. It is all matter of making it work together.

Bones wrote:

As far as the pliage itself, are you still doing it all the way across and then having it flatten out at the edges when you clamp it to the sides or are you doing the 'dart' technique or some way of bending the pliage so it dies off toward the edge?

I take it most of the way across but I favor the inside. I get this by just not clamping down as hard on the outside edge.

CB

noodlenot

very nice craig! i mean , REALLY nice!

maybe i can reach you for a tip or two when i´ll start building my guitar.... :P

cheers,
Miguel.

Craig Bumgarner

Shawn wrote:

.... if you're ever able to take more pictures of that particular guitar, I'd love to see the back, sides, neck, etc. Shawn

Here you go..... Pictures are hi-res, so use the zoom tool for details.

wayne nakamura

Beautiful work Craig. Keep it up!

cheers

crookedpinky

Thanks for posting these pics and - more importantly - thanks for giving me the inspiration to get back to my buidling. I started two years ago and then gave up, after reading your posts I started afresh.

So far I've got the back and sides laminated, the neck ans heel blocks glued in place and - to save time - I ordered a pre slotted and radiused ebony fingerboard. I glued up some maple neck blanks when I first started a build two years ago, so that's good to go.

I've decided to buy some stuff like the fingerboard and pre-kerfed linings as I can't get to use my shed because of the winter weather here in Scotland.

One of the things I've learned the value of is having a good body mold - I took the time to make one from 25mm sheets of MDF - it's still not finished but it was finished enough to let me do the body build so far.

The biggest and most valued lesson is that you really need to have patience. I hope to have the construction all finished in two weeks then there'll be the challenge of applying the finish.

I'll post some pics once it's all together and thanks agin for all the tips and inspiration supplied here,
Alan

richdaigle

Nice work...Ive been building 2 selmer/macs a year, for the last few years,(archtops before that) always one for gigging, the other for sale. Each one sounds better the previous. i could go on in length about Pliage and vaneered backs and sides, latter bracing, but I'm in my shop...and well...it's a sickness aint it?

I've kept a photo journal of the process on my Facebook page... add me an you can chk em out.


Frank Vignola tried my Favino model and said it was "the best gypsy guitar I've ever played" he wanted it, but, it was my main axe, and I play for a living!!


Cheers
Rich Daigle

crookedpinky

Thanks for the kind words - though I have to say maybe the pictures do flatter what I've built so far. In any case this is very much a practice run and I've learned so much about the building process and what not to do which means the next one should be better. I'll look you up on facebook - I've posted some pics of the top, back and sides.

cheers for now
Alan