Official Luthiers Forum!

Thanks for your kind comments Dave, Hesh, and Arnt.

What did you use for finish ??

KTM9, brushed on with a foam brush. You can read for some of my trials and tribulations regarding the finish if you search for my thread titled "Wierd Problems with KTM9" or something similar to that. Just an update on that issue - I'm still working on trying to figure the exact cause (LMI was kind enough to supply me some more KTM9 in order to do so), but here's my working hypothesis: I used the 3M Perfect It and Finesse It compounds as part of the finish process. Those contain petroleum distillates. On a finishing website (Homestead perhaps???) I just happen to run across a statement that certain petroleum distillates can soften some waterbornes. I think that's what happened in my case, and the sheet I had the buffed body laying on imprinted onto the finish. If I determine that is indeed the cause by reproducing it in a controlled experiment, LMI will be posting a cautionary note making people aware of this possible effect of liquid rubbing compounds on the KTM9.

Interestingly, during the recent Newport festival, Mike Doolin mentioned to me that he either suspected the same affect with Meguiar's liquid compounds he's used or he knew for a fact they softened the KTM9. If my memory were better I would remember which was his exact statement.



Beautiful guitar Pete and it looks like a real player too.

Wow, Hesh! If you can tell that just by looking, I must learn more about getting great tone from you!!

Actually, when I was going to post the so called "real" photos that I hope to take this weekend, I was also hoping to put up a couple of sound clips. But, since I don't have a website, that would require someone volunteering some server space to host the actual clips.

Pete -- I hear you! After I am done with an Archtop that is going in the spray booth tonight and finish its lagging cousin -- I'm going to build a couple of flattops...no cutaway...simple 1 line black purfling/binding, no fancy inlay ....AND NO CUTAWAY....heck I might not even put a gloss finish on it and spray it a matte black ! The road of more immediate gratification! (famous last words)

So with what you said and my thoughts -- you'll probably build a fancy cutaway with abalone top/rib purfling with fancy inlay running the length of the headstock down the fretboard......

Seeing the response I got for listing my first guitar on e-bay for $20k (as a joke) I wouldn't recommend $350k but seeing that J. Thomas Davis gets upwards of $6k for uglier guitars than yours I'd stick a hefty price on it! Then again 7 years on one guitar is no joke...maybe you should just keep it!

Anthony, i think Pete should inlay a diamond inside a butterfly on his fretboard too!

you'll probably build a fancy cutaway with abalone top/rib purfling with fancy inlay running the length of the headstock down the fretboard......

Tony, I know you're only kidding, but the thought has corssed my mind! But, I can guarantee you it WILL NOT happen ... yet. I do have a plan for an elaborate guitar with lots of abalone purfling and a very dark cedar soundboard, though. I'm envisioning that to be really sharp. That will be several instruments in the future.



Then again 7 years on one guitar is no joke...maybe you should just keep it!

You bet your bootie I'm keeping it! I wouldn't let anything leave the shop until I can have a reasonable statistical probablility that over the long haul, things will stay together, and not need repair.




Anthony, i think Pete should inlay a diamond inside a butterfly on his fretboard too!

Hey Serge, I like that idea! On this instrument, the face of the fingerboard was supposed to be bare (my preferred look), but when I found out it was impossible to make my inlay visually "work" on the headstock, I just moved it down to the 12th fret, since I really really really wanted to try my hand at an inlay.

Stunning guitar. I like the fret ends, are they rounded or am I seeing it incorrectly? If rounded, did you do that with heat or abrading?

_________________
"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

   Pete!

MATT!

I like the fret ends, are they rounded or am I seeing it incorrectly? If rounded, did you do that with heat or abrading?

Steve, I did do the semi-hemispherical fret treatment (Google Harry Fleishmann (sp?) or True North Guitars). I did it differently than others, though, since I am not patient enough to do that by hand ON the fingerboard manually.

What I did is carefully cut the frets to length for each slot. Undercut the ends (StewMac Nipper) since my fingerboard is bound. Then, chucked up the fret (still straight) into my hand drill and brought it over to the belt sander for a quick sweep from about nearly perpendicular to the platen to nearly 0 degrees to it. Then just spin the fret against some finer grades of sandpaper backed against something giving like foam. Finally polish the whole fret on a wheel with rouge and install.

To do the semi-hemi on each fret takes about 60 seconds probably, so I don't think it's nearly as tedious as the more standard way of doing the semi-hemi after hammering them in.

That said, I will not be doing semi-hemi again, unless when I'm selling selling guitars a customer requests it. Here's why:

1) As sharp as they look, I don't really like the feel. It's minor, but noticable. I was warned about this by a well known luthier, but I tried it anyway.

2) Also, doing it my way (and also the standard way?) the ends don't go to the ends of the fingerboard completely - they're about 1/64" or 1/32" short, meaning I lost 1/16" of spread on the stings.

3) Related to #2, another thing is that it's real hard to place the frets accurately, since you have to hammer them in with that small amount of space between the fret end and fingerboard edge, and make the space the same on both sides. The ends (sighting down the fingerboard) end up staggered pretty ugly! Plus, despite my careful measuring the pre-cut fret, the fret lengths didn't come out accurately enough since I foolishly didn't use the actual fingerboard as a guide. Doing it the standard way (installing first, then cutting to length) eliminates this problem.


After posting the "official and real" debut photos of this guitar next week, I'll also post photos of some of the problems I encountered (like I described above), in the hopes I may save someone the trouble of having to learn themselves.

I just realized I have a better photo of the fret ends with me. If you look closely, you can see the unevenness of the ends even in this shot.