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Could someone be so so kind to tell me what is the soundhole size used by Romanillos ?  The length and two widths of the plantilla seem to be more or less Torres, but the body is deeper. Torres hole seems to be 85mm from the info i have so far. Perhaps Jose used a larger hole?

Second, how much doming on the top?  I suspect the usual 2-3mm because his bracing is on the beefy side, while Torres' have minimalist bracing with severe doming (5mm at the center)

I'm chewing all this because I will soon start my no 2 and I am making plans for the solera.  I will be using Neil Ostberg's plans, but might do a Romanillos bracing pattern...

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Build log

Both Courtnall and Kevin Aram's drawing state that the soundhole diameter is 87mm (which means my GAL plan is a little off as it measures about 88.5 there).

The Romanillos doming is a little complicated - search the forum archive for threads by Shawn, who has attended Jose's course (drool! envy!)

I plan to start two Romanillos style guitars hopefully in August, after I get a couple of others done

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Here is a pretty good slide view of the Romanillos construction technique. I, too, am working on a Romanillos style guitar, and have gotten a lot of information from the threads that Shawn has contributed to.  If you right click on the slide views, you can toggle play on and off to stop the slide show, and print the individual shots.  It tells a lot.

The soundhole in the GAL magazine and plan is 87mm, based on the measurements in the upper left list of dimensions.  It actually says 8.7cm.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Waddy - You're right, the GAL plan SAYS 87, but the plan I received measures to 88.5. I haven't checked to see if everything on the plan is correspondingly enlarged. Hopefully yours was closer.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Yes.. Shawn and Joshua, those lucky.... I have read those threads several times in the past and at least i can dream about that course in the years to come.

That guitar looks sweet. Very clean work inside out. I usualy hate backs that do not have a center stripe but that one is just perfect.

Anyway, I'm still confused on the solera.  The lower bout is raised a few mm, but what about the upper bout. Is it tapering to being flush with the main solera body at the 12 fret?  If this is true, then the neck is exactly at the same level with the under-the-bridge spruce, same way a perfectly flat top would be:   _/\/|_

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Build log

You know, I didn't check.  I used the plan to make a half body form, and sort of forced it to size about 2mm shy of full size to allow for side thickness.  I then re-constructed my solera to add the raised lower bout and scooped it out, leaving about 1.5mm of flat around the edges to allow for 90* tentellones.

I'll check the plan for the soundhole size and re-post it.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Alex, the lower bout is raised, and tapered back flush at the main brace and scooped out to roughly a 25' radius, maybe a little lower in the center to allow for some spring-back after you glue the fan braces.  The lower bout is level, and the neck extension is tapered about 3mm or so at the approximate location of the first fret area.  The top is cut to actual size, and the sides are mounted proud of the sides to the level part of the solera. The tentellones are then glued in pressing the top flat against the level edges of the upper bout and against the sides, using fish glue or HHG.  When done, the sides are then trimmed down to the level of the top.  This gives the top some doming in every direction, and puts a little stress across the grain because of the raised lowerbout area on the solera.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Jim, I checked my Romanillos plan, and mine is dead on at 87mm.  I ran a copy at the UPS Store that I mounted on a board so I can write all over it, and not mess up the original, and it is off about 1mm.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars