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Two recently finished small bodies
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=54424		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Two recently finished small bodies
I love seeing pics of people's finished guitars. It really gets my creative juices flowing. I was looking at some today and thought, "I wish people posted finished guitars more often." Then It hit me, I should do it too if I'm going to lament that others don't do it often enough. . .

Here are a couple I finished recently (Okay about a year ago :) )

One is a parlor with Katalox back and sides, Lutz top, curly hard maple neck and redheart bindings. 12.75" lower bout 12 fret. This one sounds nice but maybe not quite as nice as the other one I made of this size.

The other is a 13.5" lower bout cherry 12 fret with an engleman top and a cherry neck. This was the first time I tried radial purfling. I used some chechen and was really happy with the way it came out. I think this is one may be the best sounding guitar I have made and the owner is in love with it.

Attachment:
alia front.jpg


Attachment:
Alia back.jpg


Attachment:
Alia tail.jpg


Attachment:
Alia back 2.jpg
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
And the other. . .

Attachment:
Caroline front.jpg


Attachment:
Caroline back.jpg
Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Nice guitars Bryan, I like the little ones. What's your finish these days, it looks good. I've been busy with repairs (setups mostly) so the one I'm working on is moving slowly. I just finished setting the dovetail today so maybe I can post it in a few months
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Thanks. The finish on both is z-poxy porefill with French polished Royal-lac. I've done this now of 4 guitars and I think I'll be sticking with it. I wish I could learn to photograph it better. I can't get a good shot of how the curly maple shows off.
Author:  Colin North [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Nice Brian, thanks for posting.
Author:  banjopicks [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Beautiful work Bryan. That's the other finish I want to try after I finish this one. It looks great here.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Maybe it’s the photos but I think your French polished Royal Lac looks better than mine - nice work.


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Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
SteveSmith wrote:
Maybe it’s the photos but I think your French polished Royal Lac looks better than mine - nice work.

Thanks. I will say that there is a bit of a change you need to make with Royal Lac that is hard to describe. The first two I did with it seemed easier to me. I felt like I was having to make more adjustments on the second two. I did them all with the same can. I’m wondering if it’s age was contributing to my struggles. I’ll be getting a fresh can next time I have one ready to finish.

That said, when I was warming the bridge area for HHG on the cherry guitar, I mindlessly overheated the finish and it bubbled up. I didn’t really notice until the bridge was on. I was able to do a good enough job repairing it even though that is outside of my experience. So that made me happy.


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Author:  Ken Nagy [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
I like the look of both. Does the katalux make a brighter sound? Maybe a thinner top? I have a piece of katalux that I need cut into back and sides.

I don't know all the guitar finishes. I thought that FP was started on bare wood. I'm guessing that using Zpoxy first cuts out a lot of coats? Sounds like a good idea.

Limited to 250k, a detail shot is the only way to see detail.
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
I’m not even close to experienced enough to make claims about how Katalox affects the tone. I did make one other guitar of this model using a different back and side wood. BUT. . . The tops and bridges were different woods too. I used the same bracing pattern and made the tops feel about the same to my intuitive (go by what feels right) method. So, you should assume there are 1,000 differences between them.

The pores were filled with Z-poxy and sanded back to bare wood. Then I wipe on thinned out z-poxy just to keep the color even and pop the grain. This is just part of my process. The katalox didn’t really need much fillings and the cherry didn’t need it at all. I would not say that it adds much thickness so I wouldn’t consider it a head start on the finish.
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Maybe this will show the Royal-lac a bit better. It is far from perfect French Polish but skis the rest of my work :)

Attachment:
B067F0CA-E73A-46C8-9471-88AF9B2C890F.jpeg


Edit, well it looks like the flaws are still getting compressed out by reducing the image. I guess that is a good thing ha! It looks like a hand rubbed finish, not bad at all, but not like it was dipped in thick plastic then leveled with lots of sanding.
Author:  Chris Pile [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Sharp looking pair, Bryan!
Author:  ballbanjos [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Royal lac is a great finish. I've done a couple of guitars using it (french polished) and I was very happy. Your finishes look great (as do the guitars--good job!)

Dave
Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Bryan Bear wrote:
Thanks. I will say that there is a bit of a change you need to make with Royal Lac that is hard to describe. The first two I did with it seemed easier to me. I felt like I was having to make more adjustments on the second two. I did them all with the same can. I’m wondering if it’s age was contributing to my struggles. I’ll be getting a fresh can next time I have one ready to finish.

That said, when I was warming the bridge area for HHG on the cherry guitar, I mindlessly overheated the finish and it bubbled up. I didn’t really notice until the bridge was on. I was able to do a good enough job repairing it even though that is outside of my experience. So that made me happy.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


I really like french polished Royal Lac although I'm always looking for an easier finish - haven't found one yet that looks as good and is as thin.

I buy a fresh can if it has been open more than a few months. I will let the Seal Lac go a lot longer since it doesn't seem to go bad (I believe that is straight shellac}.
Author:  Glen H [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Two amazing gits! Good job.
Author:  jfmckenna [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Nice! I like the alternative wood choices. I have done a few in Royal Lac and I think I like the stuff but cannot quite figure it out at the same time. Do you use traditional FP technique to apply it? Do you spray it? Do you wet sand? Do you polish out on a buffer?
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Thanks John. I pretty much do straight French polish. Or, my version of it anyway. I think everyone does it a little different. As mentioned before, my base coat is thinned Z-proxy. I then pad on a few thin coats of regular shellac. After that it is just Royal-Lac, olive oil and alcohol on the pad like normal. Build and spirit off. I typically don’t do any sanding but sometimes I will if I let a surface get a little lumpy because I was getting greedy and putting too much shellac on the pad. I also did some light sanding when I was doing the repairs I mentioned before. I sand with olive oil because I heard some people had issues when wet sanding Royal-Lac with water. Of course, you don’t have to sand imperfections, you can just keep going and even them out. I’m not a purist and am not above sanding.

I get a nice gloss just from spiriting off but I do wait until it has hardened up and buff with Meguire’s swirl remover. I honestly can’t tell if that makes a difference or not.

I know what you mean when you say you cannot quite figure it out. I feel like, with French polish, you are always figuring it out on the fly. Conditions change and one session may need a slightly different approach than the last. With Royal-Lac, it seems like it is always changing and harder to predict what it wants. I think part of that is my method. I don’t ever measure the cut of my shellac. I add it straight to the pad with a dropper and add alcohol the same way. I am just mixing the right consistency on the pad. Royal-Lac is a heavier cut than what I usually am using so I might just be having a harder time making those adjustments on the fly.

Still, it seems like it wants more oil than regular shellac and the pad cover seems like it wants to get gummed up easier. Another dozen guitars and I might have a feel for it.
Author:  Clay S. [ Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Nice looking guitars. The finish work looks outstanding. Small bodied guitars can be addictive!
Author:  Carey [ Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
[quote="Clay S."]Nice looking guitars. The finish work looks outstanding. Small bodied guitars can be addictive![/quote]

Hear, hear- very nice, and I love the small ones.
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
I'm making my triple O sized model now and it feels enormous. :)
Author:  Dave m2 [ Mon Sep 27, 2021 11:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Well then Bryan...

The woodwork on this one was finished a while back but I am still working on the setup. It is a straight up version of Trevor Gore's falcate braced SS. I like the look and the design always makes a good sounding guitar.

The reason I'm still working on the setup is that I thought for a change I would try this business of nut and saddle intonation to get it more accurately in tune. So far I have completely failed! It is the worst tuned guitar I have ever made! I will get there eventually even if I have to revert to just saddle intonation.

It is Sitka with US black walnut. Enjoy! Dave
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Mon Sep 27, 2021 11:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Nice Dave! I like the light line boards ring the back strip going into the back purfling. I am doing something similar on the one I’m making now but with a narrow back strip.
Author:  Bob Orr [ Mon Sep 27, 2021 12:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Lovely work Bryan.
Author:  flemsmith [ Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Radial purfling? Could please explain process and mebbe a closer pix? If I understand correctly, I've never seen that before. Beautiful guitars and finishing. Thanks, Roy
Author:  Dave m2 [ Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Two recently finished small bodies
Thanks Bryan, The line is a bit thick - I've used thinner one on a classical and it looks better. Still experimenting with decorative schemes. Cheers Dave

PS that bloodwood binding looks extraordinary!
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