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Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
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Author:  dmills [ Mon May 12, 2008 8:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
No. 2 is finally complete. It’s a claro walnut body with a cedar top and cocobolo bindings and it’s going to be a present to my oldest daughter next month for her birthday. I had originally finished the sides and back with Behlen’s varnish and French Polished the cedar top. It took a while the climb the varnish learning curve but it came out looking quite good in the end. However, after curing for a month, the FP’d top was reasonably hard considering the softness of the cedar but could still be marred with little more than an intense stare from a casual onlooker. I decided that : teenage daughter + cedar top + French Polish = bad idea.

So, I applied a two martini poultice to the top and was back to wood within 20 minutes without sanding. 5 thin coats of varnish later and the top was buffed out and looking spectacular. If anyone does not have spray equipment and wants to try a brushed on finish, a varnish finish is a close second to a french polish finish in my opinion. Never could get completely rid of the “sand” though no matter how thoroughly I cleaned my brush.

It has also been very interesting being able to switch back and forth playing this SJ against my first build which was an OM with a sitka top. Lots of bottom end, much more projection and sustain compared to the OM’s ringing trebles and greater string separation. I’ve already started another SJ with one of Shane’s Lutz tops and look forward to directly comparing a spruce top to a cedar top on the same body size.

Thanks for looking.
Author:  Hesh [ Mon May 12, 2008 9:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Doug buddy this is a great looking guitar and I am sure that your daughter will be thrilled!!!! You are a GOOD dad!!!

The SJ is very cool IMHO because it has as much bottom, or can, as a dread but is sexier looking. My last guitar was an OLF SJ with Shane's wonderful Lutz and folks seem to like it a lot.

Great looking guitar - very nicely done! [:Y:] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]
Author:  joe white [ Mon May 12, 2008 11:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
VERY NICE! That is one of my favorite wood combos. You gotta' love walnut and cedar. She looks great! [:Y:] [clap]
Author:  SniderMike [ Tue May 13, 2008 12:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Beautiful. I love the rosette!
Author:  Ken Franklin [ Tue May 13, 2008 1:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Great work, Doug. Nice looking finish.
Author:  Dave White [ Tue May 13, 2008 7:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Doug,

Lovely guitar and nice finish. It's always nice to make instruments for your daughters.
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Tue May 13, 2008 7:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Doug, Great Job ! Your daughter will be thrilled I,m sure.
Nice finish and that rosette is awesome! Congrats on a very cool guitar!
Wish I could play it. :D
Author:  burbank [ Tue May 13, 2008 8:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Doug,

Fantastic #2! You should be proud.
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Tue May 13, 2008 9:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Hey Doug. Fantastic instrument there and only #2! Lots of lovely details, the bound head, the rosette. Finish looks great. Congratulations! I hope your daughter lets you bring it to the next Illinois gathering - would love to hear it. What a good dad!
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Tue May 13, 2008 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
What a great looking guitar. The rosette is really nice. Good job on all choices of accoutrements. [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]
Author:  Todd Rose [ Tue May 13, 2008 11:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
That is a very nice looking guitar, Doug!

(I'm calling you Doug because everybody else is calling you Doug, so if your name isn't Doug, don't blame me! :D )

Is that from the OLF SJ plans? If so, did you make any significant changes to the plans, like different body depth or different bracing?
Author:  Steve Walden [ Tue May 13, 2008 12:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Wow! That is a great looking instrument! I know she sounds just as great a she looks.

And the bar for us noobs is raised yet again! [headinwall]
Author:  dmills [ Tue May 13, 2008 9:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Todd - I followed the OLF SJ plans with regard to the body dimensions. I eliminated the peaks on the finger braces and reduced their cross section to 1/4 x 1/4 before shaping. I also reduced the scallop peak heights somewhat for all other braces and thinned the brace sections - more of a wedge profile than a bullet. I also added a small brace at the base of the bridge plate.

Steve - Have the details for the next Illinois/Chicago gathering been confirmed? I have a shady backyard patio and a big BBQ grill if the location is still up for grabs. If anyone is interested let me know (I live in Naperville) and we can start a dedicated thread to set the details.
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Tue May 13, 2008 10:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
No plans yet for a gathering, but it seems like we should be starting to talk about this, if we want it to happen. PM sent!
Author:  Anthony Z [ Wed May 14, 2008 11:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Doug congrats....a beauty for a beauty no doubt. I too love the rosette and the SJ is my favorite looking body style. I like the sound of an SJ -- though I liken it more so to an OM but with a better ba da boom bottom end.

Does your daughter know it is for her and has she seen it? I am sure she will treasure it for life. No better gift than the gift of time you poured into this guitar.
Author:  dmills [ Thu May 15, 2008 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Hey Anthony. She's watched me build it over the last year and is really excited. I'm not letting her play it however until her birthday arrives in a few weeks. Mean old dad! I'm hoping it's a birthday present that might get passed along to her own daughter one day.
Author:  Todd Rose [ Thu May 15, 2008 7:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
dmills wrote:
Todd - I followed the OLF SJ plans with regard to the body dimensions. I eliminated the peaks on the finger braces and reduced their cross section to 1/4 x 1/4 before shaping. I also reduced the scallop peak heights somewhat for all other braces and thinned the brace sections - more of a wedge profile than a bullet. I also added a small brace at the base of the bridge plate.


Thanks, Doug. So, lots of bottom end, good projection and sustain... anything else you can tell us about the sound?
Author:  James W B [ Thu May 15, 2008 8:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Real pretty.How thick did you make your cedar top? I`ve been wanting to build an SJ Jumbo, but I can`t seem to get the plan I ordered back in March.The Rosette is super cool.Is it spalted Maple?
James
Author:  LanceK [ Fri May 16, 2008 8:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Nice guitar Doug!
Ive always wanted to work with Walnut! Great looking stuff! [clap]
Author:  dmills [ Fri May 16, 2008 9:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Todd – More descriptions of the sound? I think Hesh was right. An SJ to my ear sounds like the product of a romantic union between a Dread and an OM. Good balance, strong projection and a solid bottom end.

James – The rosette is made from a block of Afzelia burl similar to one of the ones below which I purchased on eBay. Lots of interesting burl blocks for sale there. As to the top thickness, I think I ended up at about 125 thou under the bridge area when I reached the point that the stiffness of the top started decreasing at a noticeable increasing rate. I stopped there. I thinned the edges of the lower bout to about 110 which was thinned probably another 3 or 4 thou during the final sanding.
Author:  yakmatter [ Sat May 17, 2008 9:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
wow. that looks fantastic! i'm about to build my no.2. i was thinking of doing walnut and cedar. this confirms my choice. what woods did you use to make that laminated neck?

beautiful rosette!
Author:  dmills [ Sat May 17, 2008 1:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
yakmatter wrote:
wow. that looks fantastic! i'm about to build my no.2. i was thinking of doing walnut and cedar. this confirms my choice. what woods did you use to make that laminated neck?

beautiful rosette!


Hey Adam. The neck is a cnc neck from John Watkins. The center is black walnut with a thin border of black fiber on each side. Claro walnut is beautiful and easy to work. You'll love it.
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Mon May 19, 2008 11:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
[clap] [clap] [clap]

She came out lovely

I still have to disagree about FP and Cedar togather. Some of the greatest guitars in history were FP'd Cedar toped. Dings are going to happen but will with Nitro, Cat Poly, French polish or any finsh in one degree or another

It is a musical instrument not body armore laughing6-hehe
Author:  dmills [ Mon May 19, 2008 12:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Claro Walnut / Cedar SJ
Michael,

I agree. And thanks again for the advice way back when I was trying to decide which way to go. At the end of the day it was the intended recipient that drove the decision. The next SJ on the bench is for me and she’ll be wearing FP to her debutante ball.

And by the way, I don't know how often you get thanked for putting out such a great set of plans, but, let me say once again - Thank you! This was my first SJ and they were a pleasure to work with.
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