Closing box and the neck making

 OO project has a lot of progress. The body is closed. Before close the box, I applied two coat of shellac. Inside of the body has nice and shinny surface. Shellac coat improves the moisture sensitivity. I also made the neck blanks from Spanish cedar. OO model has a five piece laminated neck using Spanish cedar, maple, and ebony. Neck head stock was jointed using the V-joint technique. V-joint is a time consuming method for the neck making. However, this technique is able to maximize the material usage. 

Next step is the purfling and binding install. I also will make a beveled edge at the neck joint. You can see the beveled edge in the last photo. 

00 size and Black Limba project

 I have been working on a 14th fret joint 00-size using the black limba back and side. Top is a European spruce with Brazilian RW bridge plate and Adirondack spruce X-bracing. Rosetta is a spoiled Tamarindo and Padauk with black border. Side is a laminate using the limba and Yellow cedar. Bracing design is my standard scalloped X-bracing. This guitar does not have a cut-a-way, because of the small size. I do not want to loose the body space from the cut-a-way. To maintain equally good high position playability, I will use the sloped neck joint. It also called as the raised neck joint that has completely floating fingerboard extension above the 14th fret just like a arched top guitar. I also add a beveled edge to the body at the 14th fret neck joint. Those combination makes excellent high position access. 

                                         

Carbon Lattice Classical model is sold

 Carbon lattice classical model is sold. Before shipping the guitar, I polished and cleaned with a Meguiar's M2 mirror glaze fine cut and a guitar cleaner respectively. Then, I replaced the strings to a new set. This time, I installed the Labella Pepe Romero strings and Hard tension. This strings made merrow treble sound. At the guitar show, I installed the GHS Muriel Anderson Signature set that has the titanium strings for the 1-E, B, and G strings. The titanium set made dryer and more over tones. But, some customers mentioned that my guitar is a bit too dry at treble side. So, I installed the normal nylon strings for the 1-E, B, and G strings this time. Labella strings showed quite standard tonal character for me. I personally prefer the dryer treble sound; however, the strings selection is 100% player's choice.

The guitar is housed in the Gator ATA model case with TSA latches. The guitar will be shipped with a certificate of authenticity and an invoice.

Jazz Nylon design update complete

 Jazz nylon design update is complete. Now, my Jazz nylon model is ver. 2. Neck is jointed to the body using one screw. Neck has the sloped design, and is completely isolated from the sound board. So the sound board has the maximum vibration freedom. To maintain the sound crispiness at the high position above 12th fret, I installed two graphite rods under the finger board. The sound board has 10x10 balsa carbon fiber Epoxy laminate lattice bracing. This guitar created nice crispy sound with a lot of over tones. Plane nylon strings showed nice over tones. 3rd strings is the most difficult strings to generate over tones. Balsa Epoxy composite lattice bracing works the best for me at this moment. I thinned the top thickness more than half of my previous design. So, the top thickness is super thin. I cannot tell the number. However, I have a robustness concerns for this guitar. Therefore, I made my own guitar, and I am not deliver this design at least one year of use. I am very excited about this guitar's sound quality. It is heard to wait to see my customer's reactions at the California international guitar festival. The festival will be at the Sun Luis Obispo. I have my guitar exhibition at the show.

Top: Port Orforf Cedar with 10x10 balsa carbon fiber Epoxy laminated lattice bracing.

Neck : Spanish cedar with two graphite rods, and 12th fret joint

Neck width: 48mm at nut and 60mm at 12th fret

Tuning machine: Schertler Black

Finger board: Brazilian RW, 650mm scale

Head plate veneer: Cocobolo

Neck and head joint: Vee joint

Bridge: Brazilian rose wood, 12 hole design

Body shape: Ramirez shape with Florentine cut-a-way

Body: Amazon Rosewood

Rosetta: King wood and Hawaiian Koa trim

Binding: Flamed Hawaiian Koa

Nut and saddle: Cow born

Arm rest: Flamed maple with black dye

Replacing the top for Balsa Carbon Epoxy composite

 I replaced the top for my old Jazz nylon model. I also modified the neck joint to the bolt-on and sloped neck joint. The old top was the spruce based 5x5 reversed scalloped bracing. This guitar has an offset sound hole that made strong buss, and the sound balance was not good. Although, the old design had nice sound quality when it was plugged, I wanted to make nice acoustic sound. So, I removed the neck and the sound board from my old Jazz Nylon model and replaced to a new sound board. I made a new sound board from a Port Orford cedar using carbon Epoxy laminated 10x10 lattice bracing. I re-placed all bindings, because I wanted install a black trim between the binding and the body. I also changed the neck joint design to the bolt-on and the sloped neck. Sloped neck does not glued to the top. The neck extension from the 12-th fret is floating from the top for the best sound board movement. In this design, I used the standard sound hole location. I also changed the bridge to the standard classical guitar design using the Brazilian RW. The upgraded guitar is completed, and I will report the sound quality in my next update.

 

Balsa Carbon Epoxy composite Lattice Nylon Complete

     Balsa carbon Epoxy composite lattice nylon model is complete. I tested this guitar a week ago with D'addario Pro Arte EJ-46 strings. This guitar showed not clear tone and quiet voice at the first time. Lattice bracing guitar always shows poor sound quality at the first time strings installed. Now, a week later, the guitar shows completely different sound quality and laud voice. This guitar shows brighter and responsible sound. For some reasons, the Lattice bracing guitar takes time to open-up the sound quality. Now, I am very happy with the sound quality from the balsa carbon epoxy composite lattice bracing. This bracing system creates next level of the nylon strings guitar sound.

     Sloped neck system is also the first time for me. I do not feel any difficulty on the sloped necked guitar. Playing position is quite natural. Sloped neck with the beveled edge is a cool design for me. High position playability is excellent without using the cur-a-way design. Most classical guitar players do not want to use the cut-a-way design due to the non traditional appearance. However, the sloped neck with the beveled edge design could be accepted those people hopefully.