1
A loose blade in the router caused an extra area to be cut, which was later filled in.
2
The first back, at 2.2mm thick and reinforced with extra braces, was too rigid. It lacked the elasticity needed to accommodate wood movement. It was glued in October during high humidity. In the winter, as the humidity dropped drastically, the wood shrank beyond what the braces could compensate for, leading to cracks. After patching the initial crack and hoping for the best, the backboard almost split in half within a week, necessitating the creation of a new one. The replacement was thinned to an optimal 1.5mm and constructed without the excessive bracing, which resolved the issues.
3
Sent Rosewood to the planer as a consequence of laziness.
4
While gluing the back, I used foam on the soundboard for protection. However, when the clamps were applied, the foam collapsed at the edges due to uneven pressure and compressed the soundboard near the center due to insufficient support, causing minor cracks. Measuring the soundboard with a straight edge revealed a slight concavity at the edge. Closer inspection showed the internal braces were intact. The final solution involved chipping away the damaged area and replacing it with a matching wood piece.
Ultimately, I embraced the guitar's history by making visible butterfly tenon patches with veneer inlays rather than concealing the repairs.
5
The fretboard was glued without a robust jig to hold it in place, resulting in a slight backward bend in the neck once the glue dried. I corrected this using the steam bending method to adjust the neck and achieve normal relief.
6
After initial stringing and playing the guitar, I observed uneven volume across the strings; the high E and low E strings were quieter than the others, with the A-string being the loudest. The overall sound was low and lacked impact unless played forcefully. This may be due to overbuilding and a deficient bracing design. However, the guitar bridge and neck setup, despite being suboptimal, did not exhibit any critical failures.
Four months after its initial stringing, I finished its lacquer and took the time to carefully observe and examine the instrument again. The sound and frequency response remained fairly good, with balanced tonal ranges and a bright timbre. However, I concluded that the main issues were its weight and somewhat redundant internal structure. It feels heavy and overly reinforced, resulting in notes that lack impact. The player needs to consciously exert more force to achieve a dynamic sound, making it a challenging instrument to master, demanding strong hands.
The sound also seemed to have improved compared to before the lacquer was applied. I speculate that the lacquer may have made the wood harder and more brittle, or the improvement might be attributed to the use of different strings, environmental factors, and the passage of time.
Things to consider for the next guitar
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Redesign the T-brace/neck joint to facilitate repairs and reduce weight.
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Always consider wood movement.
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Opt for a solid wood neck, using the best quarter-sawn wood available.
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Incorporate a two-way adjustable truss rod.
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Improve bracing to make it lighter and thinner, using wood with more consistent grain. Consider a thinner overall soundboard.
- Make a work-board that can arch soundboard slightly
- Draw an accurate side cross-section to resolve neck angle, relief, action, string heigh, etc. with precision.
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Prefer air-dried over torrefied wood for the soundboard next time.
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Design a unique rosette.
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Construct sides from symmetrical laminate to minimise uneven water absorption, ensuring seamless joints.
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Use laminate or steam-bent solid wood lining for gluing the sides to the top and back.
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Develop a special router jig for cutting the binding channel.
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Ensure the neck and top are perfectly flat; wedge the fretboard to create the neck angle—this process needs refinement.
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Support the fretboard with hardwood or steel beams during gluing to prevent warping.
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Enhance adhesion by scratching the hardwood gluing surfaces in a grid pattern, reducing slippage.
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Use 400-600 strength hot hide glue more extensively, avoiding liquid hide glue or fish glue.
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When gluing ebony bridges, be cautious of water absorption and swelling at the edges. Compensate by making the gluing surface more concave at the ends than in the centre section.