Official Luthiers Forum!

That is an incredibly beautiful guitar Dave.
Excellent work!

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Yes ! I agree with all the others Dave. Just a great archtop.
I love the look of the black top and everything is top notch!
This guitar has me thinking of building an archtop now! someday.......

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Dave, pics like yours make me wish I built archtops.
That is so gorgeous.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve, an archtop is well within your capabilities.

Tell you what -- you tackle an archtop and I'll build a flattop (I've already stolen one of your rosette's for just that reason)

Dave - that's a very nice looking guitar you've built there sir! Does it sound as good as it looks? We'll need a soundclip to listen to methinks. I'm quite looking forward to seeing your turorial and/or article too.

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

I can't add anything that others havent said, but boy oh boy am I impressed!

Craftsmanship and beauty at it's best!

Congrats!!

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Reguards,

Ken H

Dave, I agree with everyone here. That's a wonderful guitar! Maybe I'll have to try making an archtop now that I see it can have a bolt on neck.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Thanks for the inspiration and the 'outside the box thinking' Dave.

After reading this it occurred to me that I could do a bolt on neck on
a Gretsch-style guitar by accessing the bolts through the neck pick up hole.
I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier.

Hey Dave,

Could you explain how you went about finishing the black dyed top.

Did you just dye the bare wood & then spray it with the clear finish?
Did you have any trouble with sanding through the black?

Can you see any of the woodgrain or is it an opaque finish. It's hard
to tell from the photos.

Thanks again. Steve & Ken - go for it! I guarantee you'll enjoy making an archtop (and we need more here )
Dave, the black is opaque. I pre-dyed (aniline) the top, figuring it would aid coverage & result in a thinner finish. I then used colortone black pigment in the lacquer (40 drops/oz.) & shot 3 coats, unmasked & touch-up scraped the bindings. Then shot clear. ( Note: Have black as your innermost purfling line - this gives a tolerance on scraping & ensures a clean transition.)

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Dave
Milton, ON

Ok, Anthony, what kind of time frame are we considering?
I'm booked up this year, but perhaps next?
(Actually, it sounds like you've already got a jump on me....)

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Now that is craftsmanship of the highest order! As someone who has just started carving some violin plates I have the highest admiration for you archtop builders.

When you look at an archtop, they just look so cool don't they.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.