Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello folks, it's been a while, I've been busy, I'll try to post pics of guitars I completed last month in the next few days. Here's one, it's my take on the Martin 14 fret 0 shape, 13 1/4" lower bout, 25" scale, cocobolo trim, fretboard, bridge and peghead veneer, custom rosette (that's my theme for 2007), oil varnish. Thanks for looking!

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Laurent,

That's a sweet little guitar. I like the all wood and wood combinations you have put together - very elegant indeed. Very nice rosette and I like the bridge contours as well. The varnish makes the woods look very tactile - well done! Was the bracing design your own or from a plan?

The usual question - how does it sound?

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

That is really beautiful! The rosette is great, are all the purfling lines the same wood? Is it maple? Where did you get the tuners also? Is the oil varnish on the top too? That is a lot of questions. I really like it!

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Laurent!!!!!  Great to see you here my freind!!!!

Your latest is gorgeous in all respects.  From the excellent finish with a beautiful burst to the rosette that I would like to know more about please?

And - how do you like the tone with Honduran Rosewood?

Outstanding and you have the artist's eye my friend.

I tried really hard, but there is nothing there not to like.  Beautiful in every way, even the burst.  Like Dave, how does she sound?

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

[QUOTE=Dave White]Was the bracing design your own or from a plan? The usual question - how does it sound?[/QUOTE]

Bracing is mine, nothing revolutionary, two x-braces (with a narrower angle than Martin's I believe), one tone-bar, four finger-braces. I use a "doughnut" to reinforce the soundhole area and also my soundhole braces are mortised under a fairly large upper-brace (5/8"), the latter meeting the neck-block tongue running under the FB. The sound is surprising for such a small body, it's not lacking is bass, although the mids are strong, pretty rich and clear and enormous projection. I'll record a sample when I have time.


[QUOTE=blegeyt]Where did you get the tuners also? Is the oil varnish on the top too?[/QUOTE]

Tuners are Gotoh Sta-tites imitations/re-issues, they're very good IMHO. I just replace the buttons with ebony ones as sold by StewMac. Sunburst was done with nitro-cellulose lacquer, top coat is oil varnish though.


[QUOTE=Hesh]From the excellent finish with a beautiful burst to the rosette that I would like to know more about please?And - how do you like the tone with Honduran Rosewood?[/QUOTE]

I made the rosette material with 2" x 5" (it could be any dimenson though) stacks of alternating .020" curly maple and .080" various hardwoods (mahogany, koa, rosewoods etc.). I glued the stacks together in a staircase configuraion until I had about 32" of length. Then I planned/sanded down the long staircase flat to about .040" thickness. After that I ripped strips on the bandsaw and cleaned them to .080" height for side purflings. For the rosette I cut one strip in two, invert one side and put a .010", 015" 0r .020" curly male between and build my rosette with other wood strips around. I hope it's kind of clear… It's sort of the traditionna Spanish way to make herringbone, no? I like Honduran RW a lot, it's heavy though, but tonally in the same territory as Braz, cocobolo, bloodwood, pau rosa etc. It definitely favors the bass and allows overtones to go through without losing clarity. But the top is German, very lightly braced and pretty thin so…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Very Very Nice! I love those rich warm colors and tones!!!
Excellent effort, and a beautiful body style..cool rosette, nice bridge, simple headstock design but very tasteful and love the binding/purfling scheme.
Cheers
Charlie

Fantastic! I love the appointments, and the overall color scheme. That thing is Warm with a capital W.

Great Job!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Hi Laurent, haven't seen you around for a while. Great looking guitar!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Wow, what a beauty. If it sounds 1/2 as good as it looks, you have winner, I'm betting it sounds twice as good as it looks................Well done in all regards!!!

Peter

very, very beautiful guitar!

I have to attempt one of the sunburst finishes one day. I'm always amazed at how pretty these guitars are with virtually no bling at all. Good job my friend!!

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Reguards,

Ken H

Thanks to all for the kind comments… Here are two short mp3s of the guitar:

What was (excerpt)

Offering (excerpt)

Tuning is C G D G C D, phosphor bronze lights, 2 x small capsule cardioid mics (one toward the neck/body joint, the other toward the bridge) about 1ft from the guitar.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Sounds good! , Looks good! , Nice job!
I really like your finish....

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

It Sounds good Laurent!

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Mercy, that IS a lot of sound from such a little box.
Very nice instrument, Laurent!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Laurent--

Very elegant rosette and just a stunning guitar.  Thanks for posting the sound clips.  Very nice example the the small bodied guitar!

 

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC