Make that "don't over do it".
(I hate when spell check misses things like that.)
Type: Posts; User: sunburst
Make that "don't over do it".
(I hate when spell check misses things like that.)
The goal is level frets. If the offending fret is high and can be driven down without undue force, then that is a good repair. IF the fret cannot be driven down without undue force don't hit it...
Dana is successful in making good sounding guitars, so his methods don't need to be called into question, but his explanations of what he is doing are based on conjecture rather than measurements,...
There is much info out there about tap tuning, much of it inaccurate, some useful.
Suffice it to say that it is not necessary to "tap tune" in order to make a good-sounding mandolin. Many builders...
You might try Randy Lucas.http://www.lucasguitars.com/
I don't know if he has archtop billets but he's a great guy and I've known him to have good quality wood in the past.
(I assume you've tried...
Still the case, though guitar building has mostly overtaken mandolin building around here lately, so that's different.
My adjustable rods weigh 23 grams, my filler stick is spruce. I haven't done the math, but replacing maple with spruce offsets the addition of steel very slightly. Given a choice, I would prefer to...
While I think of my instrument making as being only slightly "art", there are those who tell me I'm an artist and consider my work to be art. Not an uncommon situation for someone who does this sort...
Richard500 is correct (as usual). Dave explained it more or less this way:
The "top" of a banjo in the head. When it is tighter it is stiffer, so tightening a banjo head makes the top stiffer....
1/16" is good as long as the neck and frets are in good shape. I still suspect fret problems.
I read a book quite a few years ago. I wasn't overly impressed with the book (and much less with another in the series that i gave up on), but it made me think of art, what art is, what art is not,...
'Melt' is correct, low nut slots cause buzzing of open strings.
What is your action height? I don't know nor need to know who dressed the frets, but I suspect something was missed. Good frets,...
Read post #12.
Loosening the gear screw creates added clearance at the tuner plates and makes turning easier, but it also causes lost screws and gears. Loosening the gear screws is a "quick and dirty" way to...
I did that in a quilted mandola neck, but the mandola is now somewhere far away so I don't know what the neck bow and/or adjustability situation is. Are any of yours where you can keep tabs on them?...
There is also quite a bit of added torsional load on the end block and associated structure of the body.
Not a big deal, being a cheap mandolin. Makes it playable for the time being at least.
I have a gouge or two with missing ferrules and since I don't drive them hard with a mallet they're fine.
If the handle with remove easily and you can find copper or brass the right size, you could...
That is correct, as long as the string is the same material and diameter.
Experiments have been done regarding after-length (distance from bridge to tailpiece) and break-over angle, and as far as I...
I have several pattern makers gouges and chisels. Most are too big (like one of these) for my purposes. They were given to me by a family who inherited them and needed to clear out some things....
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Some are in better shape than others due to past use and abuse. I don't need museum pieces for cutting wood.
These came from various sources, flea markets mostly, and are of various brands.
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Here are the "old" gouges that I use regularly. I have a few others that I use that are newer, and I have some more old ones that I don't use, but these are the 'antiques' that I find most useful. I...
Almost all of my gouges are old with the exception of 2 custom made ones (one of them is good, the other doesn't live up to it's supposed quality) and some small carvers gouges that I bought new...