Official Luthiers Forum!

I call this guitar a Petite Jumbo, as it's smaller than an SJ. It's just 15" across the lower bout. In fact the dimensions are pretty much that of a OM, but just more of that Fat Bottom Girl look.

I just got this one completed and set up, and I'm really pleased with it. It's really responsive like the last PJ that I built. Much more so that the OOO/OM's that I've built previously. I am building lighter each time, so it could be this, or perhaps it's the body shape. I'll have to go back and build a OOO again to see if there I get an improvement in them as well.

I've got an identically built guitar with an Engelman Spruce top that is ready to buff and assemble. This will be a good comparison of the effect of different tops on tone.

The Specs.

Back and Sides - Queensland Walnut
Top - Australian Red Cedar
Neck - Laminated Queensland Walnut - Cypress
Head Stock Veneers - West Australian Sheoak
Fret Board - West Australian Sheoak
Bridge - West Australian Sheoak
Bindings - Curly Tasmanian Oak
Scale Length - 25.4"
Tuners - Gotoh 510's
Top - 199 grams
Total Weight - 1870 grams

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
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Cairns, Australia

That's a beautiful guitar. Allen. All of the pieces make a harmonious composition. What is the rosette? It makes nice contrast to the cedar. Is it a true cedar?

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

The rosette is a piece of spalted Avocado that I found in the trash can at the Cairns Woodworkers Guild. One mans trash is another's treasure.

Here's a little info on Australian Red Cedar (Toonis Australis). It's really nice to work with. The surface is much harder than cedar or spruce, so it'll take some rougher handling while building without dinging or scratching. The grain though is very pronounced, so you do need to pore fill the top. This one took two goes with WEST Systems to get it to be somewhat level.

AUSTRALIAN RED-CEDAR Family: Meliaceae

Other Common Names: Toon (India), Thitkado (Burma), Youhom (Thailand), Soeren
(Indonesia), Epi, Kapere (Papua-New Guinea).

Distribution: India and Burma as well as scattered in evergreen and moist mixed deciduous
forests throughout Southeast Asia including Australia.

THE TREE
May attain a height of 120 ft with a clear bole to 80 ft; trunk diameters up to 60 in.,
sometimes buttressed and fluted. Size and other characteristics vary with species.

THE WOOD
General Characteristics: Heartwood light brick-red when first exposed aging to a rich
reddish-brown; sapwood pinkish, grayish-white, or yellow-brown, rather sharply
defined. Texture rather coarse and uneven; lustrous; grain generally straight to
somewhat interlocked; fragrant cedary odor, pronounced when fresh, characteristic
acrid taste.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
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Cairns, Australia

That's really nice looking! Another very organic looking guitar. The wood combinations work really well together too.
Nicely done...

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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."

Thanks Don. The size 5 terz with some of your beautiful wood in the works now. I'm agonizing over how to do it justice though.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
Facebook
Cairns, Australia

Allen M8 I really like the shape of this guitar - PJ. In fact I like it better then and OM which has been my favorite. It's very eloquent looking, more rounded where it should be to my eye - I guess that I like fat bottomed girls/ladies too....

The finish looks outstanding too - what kind of finish is it?

I find it interesting that you are weighing things and that you are seeing and hearing a difference as your guitars get lighter. Although I love the 510 tuners this guitar would have been sub 4 pounds with Waverleys or a Waverley clone tuner.

Very nice job Allen!!!

The finish is Mirotone catalyzed lacquer. An Australian product. It's an acrylic rather than nitro. It's over WEST Systems epoxy as a pore filler.

I have the 510's with the black buttons, that are a fair bit lighter, and they are going to go on the next guitar with the Engelman top, but a great deal of the weight of this guitar is in the Qld. Walnut. It's bloody heavy, and the neck being made from it, adds a fair bit of fat to the "Fat Bottom Girl".

One thing about having some mass in the neck and headstock seems to be a great deal more sustain.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
Facebook
Cairns, Australia

Awesome guitar! WEST is good stuff, I've used it on boats, never thought of it for use as you did.
What kind of leaves are in the background of your label?

Absolutely stunning guitar Allen. I sure love the indigenous woods you have to work with in Australia. I would have to agree that the SJ shape is probably my favorite.

I only take exception with labelling it "fat bottom girl", I so much prefer to say it has a J-Lo shape...much better imagery and visual

Nice, Allen, really, really nice!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Fine workmanship, congratulations! Only suggestion would be a somewhat narrower and longer headstock.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I envy your Ausies your wood supply, and this guitar just deepens my problem! What a nice tonal pallette you've got there, and it all works so nicely together.
Ditto on what Howard said re. headstock.

Thanks for posting that beauty!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Indeed, Steve, I love Aussie/Tassie tonewood. I hope to make a second order to good 'ole Tim Spittle when I have a bit of extra cash one day!!

Allen, congratulations on a fine build. I just love the richness of the woods you have used, and success of the design elements right down to the tuners.

yep, nice one .. I have to add my sentiments to the topwood .. I LOVE red cedar when it gets all chocolate like .. my fave ..

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

What a beauty ! I really like that red cedar top.
And that shape is very nice! Great job Allen .

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Thanks everyone, and I'm pleased that Howard mentioned the head stock. After it was built I thought that the proportions could get tweaked a bit. That'll happen the next time around.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
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Cairns, Australia

Allen, it is beautiful. I love the shape of it. Even Sweetie thinks it looks "like a guitar should". The wood choices and your workmanship make for a stunning guitar. Well done.

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Aoibeann