Evenlode Guitars.

earwighoney

Great thread.  The workshop pictures are fantastic.  

@octatonic

What finishes do you plan to use for the acoustic guitars?  I presume you will be leaning towards nitro?  Just out of curiousity what size bridgeplate are you planning to use?  

I'm fairly unschooled to technicalities but I highly recommend searching for Alan Carruth's posts at a few forums (eg Delcamp and so on) about Young's Modulus (and other subjects).  He's written some really interesting posts with some fascinating information. 

Good luck finishing the builds. 

octatonic

earwighoney said:

Great thread.  The workshop pictures are fantastic.  

@octatonic

What finishes do you plan to use for the acoustic guitars?  I presume you will be leaning towards nitro?  Just out of curiousity what size bridgeplate are you planning to use?  

I'm fairly unschooled to technicalities but I highly recommend searching for Alan Carruth's posts at a few forums (eg Delcamp and so on) about Young's Modulus (and other subjects).  He's written some really interesting posts with some fascinating information. 

Good luck finishing the builds. 

Thank you.

On the finishing- I haven't decided yet.

If it was completely up to me I would use an oil finish and probably nothing else.

It is easy to apply, looks great, is easy to maintain, has a negligible effect on instrument acoustics, is healthier for the person applying it and I think better for the environment.

Unfortunately *some* guitarists automatically assume that an oil finish somehow equates to a lower quality product.

I don't agree with this position but I have to face the practical realities of running a guitar business (should I get that far with it) so I imagine it will be a bit of both.

earwighoney

octatonic said:

On the finishing- I haven't decided yet.

If it was completely up to me I would use an oil finish and probably nothing else.

It is easy to apply, looks great, is easy to maintain, has a negligible effect on instrument acoustics, is healthier for the person applying it and I think better for the environment.

Unfortunately *some* guitarists automatically assume that an oil finish somehow equates to a lower quality product.

I don't agree with this position but I have to face the practical realities of running a guitar business (should I get that far with it) so I imagine it will be a bit of both.

I'm in agreement when it comes to finishes.  Many seem to equate a shiny plasticky finish as one which is quality (something which impacts other purchasing as well, it's possibly ingrained in much of our lives).  Nitro seems to be a really horrible finish for fumes for the builder and the environment.  

Do you ever use shellac/French Polish?  It seems to have a bit more acceptance amongst guitarists than Oil Finishes, possibly down to tradition.  I really like Oil/FP finishes not just for sound, but the assurance if something does need to be repaired it's more manageable than a Nitro/Poly repair. 

Roland

The exciting side of this is the approach that James is taking to working out how different elements affect the guitar. Small batch manufacture of braces and other components gives a level of homogeneity across the batch so that the impact of other differences is easier to isolate. I'm interested to see how the Young's modulus of the individual panels affects the sound.

I also like the way he is breaking from tradition, and looking at things like multi laminate necks

octatonic

earwighoney said:

octatonic said:

On the finishing- I haven't decided yet.

If it was completely up to me I would use an oil finish and probably nothing else.

It is easy to apply, looks great, is easy to maintain, has a negligible effect on instrument acoustics, is healthier for the person applying it and I think better for the environment.

Unfortunately *some* guitarists automatically assume that an oil finish somehow equates to a lower quality product.

I don't agree with this position but I have to face the practical realities of running a guitar business (should I get that far with it) so I imagine it will be a bit of both.

I'm in agreement when it comes to finishes.  Many seem to equate a shiny plasticky finish as one which is quality (something which impacts other purchasing as well, it's possibly ingrained in much of our lives).  Nitro seems to be a really horrible finish for fumes for the builder and the environment.  

Do you ever use shellac/French Polish?  It seems to have a bit more acceptance amongst guitarists than Oil Finishes, possibly down to tradition.  I really like Oil/FP finishes not just for sound, but the assurance if something does need to be repaired it's more manageable than a Nitro/Poly repair. 

I'd done a couple of French polish jobs on the degree I did- by choice- virtually no-one else did.

The problem with a French polish is it is so fragile- maybe that is the wrong word but it marks up immediately you start playing.

I don't think it is appropriate outside of vintage restorations

It is also labour intensive- I'd have to charge 5 times what i'd charge for an oil finish to make it worthwhile.

Nice to see someone else on side about oil finishes.

octatonic

Roland said:

The exciting side of this is the approach that James is taking to working out how different elements affect the guitar. Small batch manufacture of braces and other components gives a level of homogeneity across the batch so that the impact of other differences is easier to isolate. I'm interested to see how the Young's modulus of the individual panels affects the sound.

I also like the way he is breaking from tradition, and looking at things like multi laminate necks

Thanks Roland.

WezV

octatonic said:

earwighoney said:

Great thread.  The workshop pictures are fantastic.  

@octatonic

What finishes do you plan to use for the acoustic guitars?  I presume you will be leaning towards nitro?  Just out of curiousity what size bridgeplate are you planning to use?  

I'm fairly unschooled to technicalities but I highly recommend searching for Alan Carruth's posts at a few forums (eg Delcamp and so on) about Young's Modulus (and other subjects).  He's written some really interesting posts with some fascinating information. 

Good luck finishing the builds. 

Thank you.

On the finishing- I haven't decided yet.

If it was completely up to me I would use an oil finish and probably nothing else.

It is easy to apply, looks great, is easy to maintain, has a negligible effect on instrument acoustics, is healthier for the person applying it and I think better for the environment.

Unfortunately *some* guitarists automatically assume that an oil finish somehow equates to a lower quality product.

I don't agree with this position but I have to face the practical realities of running a guitar business (should I get that far with it) so I imagine it will be a bit of both.

its never done  blackmachine any harm.   Tbh an oil finish makes it harder to hide flaws than even clear lacquer

I love oil finishes, but its as much about the technique as the material itself, true of any finish really and I have seenplenty of low quality oil finishes.   A quick wipe on and let dry oil finish is very different to a wetsanded and hand buffed oil finish.  Just like nitro over fullerplast is different to nitro onto wood

I would caution against oil on acoustic tops.   I have done danish oil on a couple and they sounded dead for ages.  The one i kept does however sound awesome now.   I know this  has been used against me as an admission that oil finishes sound bad before.   I don't agree, I just don't think any finish is suitable for all woods and situations.  For acoustics I think you really need to consider a different on the top to the rest of the guitar

octatonic

I've done fewer coats of oil on the soundboard- usually 2, maybe 3.

I assume you've tried that though.

WezV

Yeah, I assume its down to the different resin content on some softwoods... It wont be all, but I think I will test on off cuts before trying again, if it stays even slightly tacky I wont be using it on the top.

octatonic

Router table adventures: I made some S-type guitar templates (I have a top router template and a neck as well).

In theory I could sell these to people if they wanted to buy them.
If anyone wants such a thing then PM me.