MIMF

Thanks for the additional suggestions, David K. and David B. Much appreciated.

The Treeline product states that it could be stabilzed or manmade. Does anyone have suppliers they've used to source gem quality turquoise (i.e., Persian or Arizona)?

Thanks, Carl.

My latest commission will include a fingerboard inlay of a rosary with crushed genuine turquoise as the beads. For those of you who have worked with crushed turquoise, where do you normally get it? Craft shops? Jewellery supply stores? Or do you get turquoise beads and crush them yourself? Many than...

Thanks Mark. Much appreciated.

Thanks, Barry. I've heard from a few others on this matter, and the prognostication is good. I suspect that the lacquer will in fact soften the pearloid some - we don't store lacquer or lacquer thinner in plastic bottles for that very reason. But, hopefully, the pearloid will harden up again as the ...

I'm planning a build for export to the USA, and am hoping to avoid the USFW "tax" by not using any shell product. I'm considering pearloid for fretmarkers and for headstock inlay. However, given that pearloid is basically plastic, I suspect the headstock inlay could melt under my nitro fin...

Hi David. To my knowledge, you only need be concerned if you plan to sell the raw Madagascar ebony (to someone outside of the USA ). If you build a guitar with it, and export the guitar, it isn't covered, and you don't need a permit.

Ok. It looks lke cocobolo (along with various other woods, as Beate has mentioned) will be moved from Appendix III to Appendix II effective June 12th, and if my German is up to snuff, this website indicates that it is for raw wood only (footnote 6), not finished instruments. http://www.bfn.de/0305_c...

I'm just about to begin a cocobolo guitar for export to the US (I live in Canada), and was doing some research on cocobolo. Until recently, cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) has been listed in CITES Appendix III (for Panama and Guatamala populations only). However, I just read the following, which comes f...

I've used a variation on Mike S.'s approach with success. I break the process into two steps: 1. Route the entire width, and install the perfling lines, but instead of the MOP, install a teflon strip the same dimension as your MOP. Then flood the channel with CA. 2. Once dry, pull the teflon strip o...

To Michael's point about getting the frets perfectly on the same plane... perhaps that is why Cumpiano and Natelson suggested the higher settings, as their book is oriented towards novice builders with minimal tooling. Assuming less experienced builders may not achieve perfectly leveled frets, they ...

I don't go as low as Bob, but close. I build only steel-strings, and try to set the low E at 6/64" and the high E at 5.25/64". There is no one answer, as it depends a lot of the style of play that the guitar will experience. If I were building a guitar for someone who wanted to primarily p...

An very enjoyable and thoughtful read. Thanks, William and Charles.

Charles, have you given thought to repeating this exercise with other luminaries of our trade? Grit Laskin, Kevin Ryan, Charles Fox, Ervin Somogyi... come to mind.

I read on the forum a few years back about someone repairing a nut slot that was cut too deep by putting some nut powder back into the slot and then applying some CA to it. (Sorry I can't remember who posted the idea.) I've never had to do this myself, and so i don't know how useful it is. But, I ca...

I like to make my binding channels in four steps. First I set my router (laminate trimmer) for half the thickness and half the height as the final channel will be. My bindings are just less than 1/16" by 1/4". So, in the first run, I am taking off less than 1/32" thick and 1/8" d...

Hi Jonny. Two issues... the mechanical/building issues in putting a cutaway in a smaller upper bout, and the tonal issues. I build what I call a grand concert with a 10.5" upper bout. This is slightly wider than your plan, but close. With a small upper bout, the cutaway will be tighter (smaller...

I think to get a good sense of what your options are and the consequences in terms of the fingerboard overhang are to get a nice big piece of drafting board paper, and sharp pencil and nice long ruler, and draw your guitar - side angle - at full scale. Or if you are handy with CAD, so much the bette...

I use Mario's system as well. I get my hanger bolts from Home Depot, and the portion that screws into the heel has wood screw threads, not machine threads. (At the other end, there are machine threads.) I also insert the maple dowel, keeping the grain lines of the dowel perpendicular to the screw/bo...

Hi Steve. I've found that spring steel can stain the wood. I like to put a layer of craft (brown bag) paper between the wood and the steel slat. (Incidentally, I bend on a pipe, and steel slats are just as applicable with that setup.) Keep in mind too that your linings will reinforce the side, and i...