Lattice Nylon filling work starts

 Lattice nylon project moved to the Epoxy filling work. Before move to the filling work, I completed a bridge and an armrest making. Armrest is made by a Maple with black dye. This time, I increased the thickness from 6.5mm to 8mm to make more slope. This is for improving the playability. Bridge is made by the Brazilian RW. The bridge is a standard classical guitar design with thickness of 7.5mm for the saddle, and 8.5mm for the string holder. My bridge is using the 12-hole design for the best strings angle to the saddle. I also did a very detailed sanding work for removing all scratches. Filling work for this guitar is relatively easy, because of the bolt on neck joint design. Neck and body were individually filled with System-3 epoxy and silica thickener. I will have two more filling and sanding sessions before go to the spraying session.

Lattice Nylon a lot of progress

 I did not update for the Lattice Nylon project. However, I have been working very heard for this project. Body making is completed. Also, neck making is almost done. I used a Monterey cypress for the neck. I wanted to make a white neck. I found a large piece of Monterey cypress many years ago. So, I simply garbed this material. This material is a bit too spongy for the neck. So, I installed three graphite rods. I am not sure that this material makes a stable neck. If this neck does not work well, I will make an other neck using the Spanish cypress, and swap it. This is a beauty of the bolt on neck joint design. This guitar has the sloped neck design without gluing  the finger board above 12th fret to the top. The finger board above 12th fret is floating from the sound board. This design is just like a arched top guitar. This design helps to make a better body resonance. After sanding sessions for the body and the neck, I will move to the finishing work. 

Sound board rework

      I re-worked the sound board bracing. I did not have good confidence about the first version of the lattice bracing. Therefore, I removed the bracing from the sound board. Then, I changed the board thickness profile to 1.4mm at the bridge portion with 1mm at edges. So, the sound board has ultimately thin profile now. I applied 9x9 balsa lattice which has quite similar design as the Greg Smallmann design. At the bridge portion, the balsa lattice has extra carbon fiber laminate to make quite ridged configuration. At the sound board edges, there are approximately 1" long epoxy carbon fiber re-enforcements. In this section, sound board thickness is only 1mm. So the epoxy carbon re-enforcement must be applied. 

     I also completed the back bracing. The back has 5x5 Sitka spruce lattice. All lattice edges are implanted in to the solid lining. So the back is extremely ridged. Although there is no picture, I already closed the box. You can see a bird cage like carbon fiber rod flame. This flame makes very strong body rigidness at the sound board side. Also, this carbon rod is able to prevent the long time body de-formation from the strings forces. 

     This guitar will use the sloped neck with bolt on joint. I will add a beveled edge at the neck joint. A combination between the sloped neck and the beveled edge, high position playability must be quite good.

Lattice Nylon Project

 I have a new project for a Nylon strings guitar. This guitar is for a California International Guitar Festival.

https://www.californiainternationalguitarfestival.com/

This time, I will make a traditional classical guitar for the exhibition. I will use balsa and carbon fiber Epoxy lamination top for the highest possible over tone generation. Neck will be a sloped neck with a beveled edge for the best high position playability. Side and backs are King wood. I am still working on the top design. I made a balsa and carbon fiber epoxy composite 6x6 lattice top using an Adirondack spruce. I will make another top using the Yellow cedar with 9x9 lattice design. I will select one of the designs. Body has a massive carbon fiber rod reinforcement. This carbon rod flame makes the strongest possible body with minimum weight increasing penalty. Side material was already laminated with yellow cedar. My goal is making a guitar with the best tonal quality and playability.

 

SSJ Complete

      SSJ making is completed. I set-up high-E is 1.9mm at 12F, and Low-E is 2.7mm at 12F. This guitar showed nice over tones with a bit brighter tonal character than the rose wood. This is due to the Padauk B&S and Adirondack top combination. Tonal character is in between RW and Mahogany. This guitar has very responsible touch. I installed the D'addario EJ16 phosphor bronze set. This set has quite bright tonal character. So, it may change the tonal character with other strings set. However, EJ16 is my reference string set for testing a new guitar. 

     The SSJ is in a Guardian CG-044-HD case. Fitting in the guardian case looks very good with nice holding. Before shipping this guitar, I will replace strings to a new set. I also will have a polishing session before ship this guitar.

Wet sanding, Polishing, and Bridge install

      2000-grit wet sanding and polishing works are done. I take only one 2000-grid wet sanding session after the final coat of the EM6000. 2000-grid wet sanding requires a little bit longer sanding time to make a perfect smoothness. However, this method makes the best polishing quality, due to the smallest possible sanding scratches. If I use the 1200-grid session, the following 2000-grid session is not able to remove the 1200-grid scratches easily. Therefore, I only have one 2000-grid session after the final coat spray. 

     I also completed the bridge installation. I have been using the Tight bond for the bridge gluing. I also have been using the vacuum clump for the bridge clamping. First clumping is approximately 7-minits. Then, I clean the excess glue using a wetted cotton fabric. I also remove the masking tape at the bridge portion. So, I can clean the surface near the bridge edges. Then, I resume the vacuum clumping additionally half hour. This bridge assembly process is the best for me.