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Well, the humidity just dropped due to an arctic blast in the midwest. Last week it was 42% and now it's near mid 20% and dropping. This means that after gluing up the back to the sides, I need to wait for more favorable humidity conditions in order to glue the top.

So I thought I'd post a few pics of the boat and top to elicit any constructive comments before sealing it up in a week or so when conditions permit.

The guitar follows Michal P.'s plans with some slight modifications. I'm using Zootman's WFB and Carpathian Spruce. All bracing is Adirondack spruce and all glue joints are HHG. Check out the pics and let me know what you think:







Thanks for looking!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

whooooaawwww! Awesome wooooooooddeeeeeeeelleeeeeeeeiiiioooooo!!



Great job so far!!

Keep up with the excellent craftmanship guys!!!!!!

JJ that is looking great. Nice neat clean work. I'm sure it's just a shadow but the bridge plate looks a bit thick? Cool side braces too. Bobc38767.4648726852

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
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The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Wow, that does look great. I was actually a little curious about that
bridge plate also.

How tall are the peaks on those x-braces? I've never looked at these
plans before, but that is some beautiful shaping.

Bridge Plate...The Padouk plate is .090" thick but it has a 3/16" brace at the south end. I got that idea from John K. and Mario. The bridge plate is glued tightly to the adjoining bracing but not let into the braces...one departure from the plan.

X-Braces...The peaks are about .750" per Michael's plans.

Side braces...These are the cut off scrap laminate wood strips from the laminated neck blanks I build. Just wouldn't think of scrapping them!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Very nice, JJ. I can't wait to see it under finish.

Looks very nice....but....
It almost looks like your sides aren't running parallel to each other at the waist? If so, you're going to have a different sized top than back...perhaps it's just my imagination.

Other than that and the bridge plate others mentioned it looks great.

What does the inscription say?

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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."

Don...you just scared the hell out of me so I ran downstairs and checked the waist dimensions. You're right...there is a 1/16" difference between top and back at the waist. Good eye for a "former" luthier! Actually they're both square and parallel. I believe there is some parallax distortion due to the angle and lens combination that makes it look out of kilter.

Inscription...As you may know, I name all of my guitars. I don't want to reveal the name of this one until it's completed. The inscription is just something personal I write based on the person for whom it is dedicated. In the past, I named my guitars for my sons and brothers for whom they were made. This one is for me so I named it in honor of someone who provided inspiration in my learning process.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

[QUOTE=Don Williams] Looks very nice....but....
It almost looks like your sides aren't running parallel to each other at the waist?[/QUOTE]

Me thinks it is the camera distortng that view.

LOVE the wood!

Larry

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Thank You and Best To All

That looks great! Neat, clean and I love those laminations. Clinton

That gal is just elegant! I see you`re playing the weather on closing up, also. What humidity are you waiting on? I`ve got the same weather here in Decatur.

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

phew! I had a feeling it was the camera, but didn't want you to kick yourself if it wasn't. Been there. Done that.

Cool thing about the inscription...

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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."

The humidity conditions when I glued on the braces and the back varied between 38%-43%. I'm waiting for similar conditions before I glue on the top. In the meantime, I'm keeping the back while it sits in the mold as well as the top in my humidified wood storage area where it is struggling to maintain 35%.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I`1m sitting at a constant 36% in my little room where I do most of my little stuff, and maintaining 40% or better is like babysitting. Do you think 36% is still a little too dry?

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

I'm going to wait only because I don't want to be sorry later. I'm in no hurry since I have no deadline. I'm really trying to be more patient lately based on having made impulsive decisions in the past that I often seemed to regret. Perhaps I'm a bit conservative?

Maybe some of the adult luthiers might comment on the risk of gluing at 35%. I'm still an impulsive adolescent!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Very nice work. I love the three piece side braces and laminated head block. Very classy!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Great work JJ, straight from the big mouth of the South, yours truly.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Super clean JJ! Hope to see that one at the NEXT MGL meet! Im hoping to bring along the 12 fret dread im doing. Its been one thing after the other (life wise) keeping me from getting this one done, my client has shown patience above and beyond

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Bruce...not necessarily "big", but you are indeed the mouth of the South!

Lance...now I really know how much effort it takes to keep everything so clean inside. Thanks for posting the great examples. I'm committed to keeping up with the higher level of attention to detail...still a long way to go! I'll be bringing it to the next meeting...I only hope I have the top on by then.

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

[QUOTE=JJ Donohue] Maybe some of the adult luthiers might comment on the risk of gluing at 35%. I'm still an impulsive adolescent![/QUOTE]

I hear you on that one JJ! "Oh, I'll just go ahead and do this little task since I'm here. I know I should do X and Y before I do this (or just wait) but I want to do it now!" 2 days later "$%@#$!!! Why didn't I just wait and do it right??!!"

I'm a toddler on your scale!

Great looking guitar. Like the inscription. SJ is my next!ATaylor38767.6911111111

Very nice work JJ. I too like the use of the laminated side braces and neck block. It really adds to the guitar.

Very nice JJ, looking good. Your workmanship is tight and clean and I like those laminiated braces. I think is better to glue at 35% than 65% but I would wait till you were in the 40's if possible. Looking good JJ, keep it up.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

JJ--I just saw my set of that WF Bubinga this a.m., and thought of you and your project. So nice to see it...thanks for posting. (Only now I'm going to have to get off my duff and get mine built.)
My comment would be on those bracing peaks--.750" seems excessive. The Martin Herringbone plan has the tallest dimension for the "X" at 5/8"--what's that, .625"? And the second peak, closest to the edge is c. .500"
Since your top is still off, you can at least tinker with those peaks some, if you choose to do so.

Looking really clean!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Thanks, Steve. I'll take a look at those peaks when I get home this weekend. One of the reasons it takes me so long to build is the time it takes for me just to re-familiarize myself with the project after weeks of absence. Your suggestion certainly is timely since it can be more easily modified now.

As for getting off your duff and getting the WFB sister in the game, I'll be most interested in learning how an "adult luthier" approaches the build. Any ideas as to what you'll build with it yet?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com