Cliff, great to have you as a friend. I hope you have a fine time with instrument building and that the products sound better than a muzzle loader. I gurantee you won't build just one. Ukes aren't a bad place to start. Long on learning/developing alot of the various methods and whole bunch easier on the wallet starting out.

P.S. How do you think a piece of koa would look as a stock on a Pennsylvania rifle?

I think it would be stunning. A bit gaudy but, then, so is some of the high priced English and Bastogne walnut, not to speak of some of the Claro that you can get. I guess I'm just in love with the color of koa. Too bad it isn't a better tonewood.

Bob

Hey cliff -- I'm going to put a jig drawing up on my drawing board and see if I cant come up with some type of form to make the guitar that I want.. when I get the monster done I will post it in the forum so Bob Webster can see it too-- I was a cabinet maker for many years before I was forced to retire(that's another story) however I am also not a rocket sceintest but I do have some mechanical ability so it shouldn't be too much for me to brain storm something that will work for me.
I'll keep you posted ok?? be safe --

GM Cliff Ineed some info if you can supply it-- Im looking for the web site for remerez guitars -- the shop tour site --
Can you supply a link for me?? Thanx in advance for your help
Be safe-- Donald

Thanx Cliff-- not a problem cuzz Im not too good at puter stuff my self :(
BTW-- I'm working on a form to put together the classical guitar- Im going to give LMI a call in the morning and get some info on the outside profiles on classical guitars... I have a template for the remirez so I have a place to start from- I will contact you and let you know the scoop ok??
best to you--
Donald

Hi Cliff-- here is a lil helpful hint for you and I hope it works out for you
If you are going to pass on a web stie to someone then all you do is put
WWW. and then the address --- that way all the reciepent does is click on the info and presto to the web site they go.. give it a try and what the heck the worse you can do is fail and Im sure there wont be any hard feelings anywhere ok??
best to you,
Donald

Hey Cliff just thought I'd give you an up date on my progress of the form I am making to assemble the guitar I want to make...
Its coming along good so far and I should have it finished soon.
I will post a pic as soon as I ger- er- done ok??

From what I understand and Im not an expert on the subject of hyde glue,
but if its glued together properly then it wont come apart on you.
A tennor uke?? nice one - thats tuned the same as a tennor guitar if i'm not mistaken (correction requested)
I have another idea about making a stringed thing-- I want to make a mando that will be tuned one octive below a standad mando, 8 strings and with a 1-3/4 inch nut-- Bob Webber aut to get a kick out of that one.... be safe guy and do a good job --

I really don't know how I missed your earlier post asking about black acacia. Sorry, mate. Yeah, I've seen some absolutely gorgeous guitars made from the stuff. It doesn't quite have the striking caramel colors of koa. It's like someone turned down the saturation a bit in Photoshop, but it does develop some very nice irridescent colors under finish that's quite lovely. It's a bit stiffer and harder to bend and work than koa and shares its propensity to scorch if you get the bending iron too hot, but overall well worth the effort. Soundwise, it's alot like curly maple, which is fine.

Cheers,
Bob

hey Cliff- I dont know weather it was here or on another site that I saw a 000 or OM size guitar that Frank Ford took and made an 8 string mando out of-- I also thought the thing could be tuned like a tennor guitar??
Maby???
I like to get into the odd things as far as stringed instrements go
Ive done my share of solid body guitars for the hard rock set and then I tryed my hand at a dred and did ok now I want to get "classy"
and do a classical..
keep pluggin guy and have fun but be safe :-)

Okay, Cliff, you ruined me. I found the Luxus site. Got an extra $2500 for a nice blank? It makes English walnut and its prices seem rather pedestrian. But now I know what I want for Christmas....

Bob

Back in the days when I lived in the SF Bay Area, my wife and I used to run over to Reno every February to the Firearms and Engravers show. It was quite something to visit with some of the craftsment there and see some pretty great work. I've been told that the Safari Club Annual Meeting in Las Vegas takes all that to yet another level. Seeing their work puts my dabbling in flat pieces of wood in perspective and truly humbles me.

OK Cliff -- I promised you a few pics of the mold that I'm making to do a classical guitar.. gimmie an idea of what ya think-- I sent these pics to BoB webber to get his openion on my brane storm....
I will know how it works when I start making the new toy.....
How ya makin out on that uke???
Donald

Hey Cliff- Take a look see on my page-- I got a rave review.....
YEEE---HAWWWW ( thats redneck for wow) LOL
be safe bro....
Donald

Good morning Cliff and welcome to a new day--
I always wonder why people end up in the place where they are--
Iffin ya dont mind can ya tell me how you happen to end up where you are??
I ended up where I am because of a company that I was working for in the early 90's-- I'm origonally from New England and they needed a tec.
in NC and asked me if I would go there and I said "well yeah" since I didnt like where I was-- so they moved me to Greensburro and I traveled between there and Charolette and I loved it here so much that when I retired I moved here and here is where I will stay...
I must admit that I was a red neck a long time before red neck was "cool" so I fit rite in...People here can tell that I'm a transplant but I have picked up a slight drawl since I got here.
be safe guy and have a gr8 day :-)
cheers,
Donald

Good mornin Cliff-- Interesting story as to how you ended up whee you are... kind of nice to know a lil about the people that you are trying to make friends with....
BTW I like your friend there with the 45ACP, or is it a 9 MM??
he can be on my team any time he wants to ..... LOL
Cheers,
Donald

Hey Cliff-- hows that toe of yours doin??
I went and ordered up the material for my classical build--
going with rosewood for the sides and back and engleman spruce for the top, along with snakewood for the trim..
I name all of my guitars so I'm calling this one "elegant jane"
was going to call it plain jane but since I've decided to do it a lil up scale I think the name fits LOL
you be well my friend and please be safe ...
Cheers,
Donald

Hey Cliff- A blog sounds like a good idea--I"m gonna make one and it sounds like it could be a fun thing to do.
After all Maby we will get a lot of feed back on it, who knows??
Bob sugests that I use a light coat of varnish and then the true oil finish.
What I'm trying to accomplish here is the most tone out of the guitar as I can possibly get, and of coarse no finish is the best, but it needs some sort of protection against use and ECT. and true oil seems to be the way to go.
Cheers,
Donald

My wife and I were at a blue grass festival and I heard the most fantastic mando that I ever heard and upon inspection of this thing I noticed that it didn't have a finish on it at all-- it was kind of dirty from being handled but it sounded fantastic... I asked the player why it didn't have a finish on it and he said that he liked the sound so well he didn't want to spoil it.
NOW-- here's my theory-- if there is no finish or as little finish as possable on the guitar it will have a better tone.. I might be all wet but I think I would rather start with a thin coat of finish and go from there.
Got to give you another bit of news-- I started to make my guitar today by making the braces and some of them don't look like they will brace a thing-- I asked Bob about it and he said to go by the print and do not deviate a bit from it... I said oooook...
thats all the news that is the news-- enjoy the 4th weekend and please be safe ........................

Hey Cliff-- I started a Blog on my page so view and enjoy..
cheers,
Donald

Hey Cliff- I'm in the process of posting pics and ECT. to my blog.
last entry 7/7/09 take a look see :-)
Cheers,
Donald

GM Cliff I was serfing arround the musical web and noticed a web site called Jamplay, and saw lessons to learn Hawaiian slack key type of music and found it quite interesting to learn, I'm also thinking of trying to learn that music because I like it..
How ya doin on that uke??
be safe my friend
Donald

hey Cliff-- new pic of progress-- take a look see-- Donald

Hey Cliff-- in answer to your question about a spreader to "push"
the sides out the answer is -- yes-- I baught the sides and other material to do this classic from LMI and they did the bending of the sides,
and when I recieved the order I made a call back to them and said that the sides didn't fit the mold, and the claim is that the sides are bent "generic"
so they may not fit the mold exactly... I'm not that well along in the bending of wood thing as yet so I didn't want to take the chance of spoiling it --- sooooo--- the way it is I guess I will have to live with... time will tell if it's ok...

The more I think about it Cliff the more Im willing to give it a try and if it don't work out then I guess I start srom scratch, which is something that I have done in the past... cheers

OK Cliff I have another pic up and the thing is near finished-- got so involved in making it that I didn't take pics along the way..
Take a look see and comments are always welcome.
Cheers, Donald

Hey Cliff-- I have a wood bending pipe all set up and working --
I have a book called guitar making, tradition and technology
by William R. Cumpiano and Jonathan D. Natelson that has a complete section on wood bending and I'm going to get ahold of some maple from a local cabinet shop and do some serious bending to see what happens,
then move on to other woods after I have bent up about a mile of this maple --
MEANWHILE -- my project should be ready for viewing in complete form tomarrow or monday , I did a tap test on it on the back side opposite the bridge and it rang an almost perfict "B" note, so it aut to sound pritty good.
After I get re done maby I will learn how to play the thing(old rocker here)
Hows the foot coming along and are ya gettin that "uke" on its way to being done??
peace-- Donald

Hi Cliff-- Well you wanted to see the finished product so here it is--
pease- Donald

Hey Cliff- Im going to see if my son in law can make me a sound track so you will be able to hear what this beauty sounds like - it rings like the bells of St.Marys and I am pleased with it over all--
peace bro.

Hey guy - Hows things going wiff you?? Did you get done wiff that uke yet??

Hey Cliff- good to see you on line- gimme some news ok???
Peace,
Donald

Hey Cliff- No new guitars at this time-- Im finishing up stuff that has been 1/2 done for a while.
Got an idea to make a 14 fret/8 string box that will be tuned like a mandolin only an octave lower, it will have a OOO size body.
That's all the news that is the news from red neck country,
you be well and safe, keep me posted to whats goin on ok??
Peace, Dopnald

good looking pic Cliff.. just don't sqeeze the trig.
Have a good night .
Luis