1928 style Nick Lucas finished

[Ron Belanger]

Just completed this 1928 style Nick Lucas. It is gone to a good friend/customer who is in the hospital on the list for a heart transplant.

Back and sides - Honduran Mahogany
Top - Red Spruce
Neck - 3 piece Mahogany
Inlay - MOP Nick Lucas from Andy DePaule
Headstock veneer, fingerboard, bridge - ebony
Rosette - spalted birch with MOP & BWB rings
Finish - body - KTM SV over system 3 epoxy filler.
- neck - Waterlox
- headstock veneer- FP
Scale length 24 1/4 inches
Lower bout 14 inche
Lower bout depth 4 5/8 inches
Upper bout 10 1/8 inches
heel depth 4 1/8 inches

It is very responsive - Has a rich bottom end and great mids and highs. I like it a lot and will definitely add it to my repertoire.

[Ron Belanger]

A couple more pics

[Mark Swanson]

That's very pretty Ron! I bet it sounds great.
I noticed the 24-1/4" scale, is that standard for the older Nick Lucas guitars? I didn't know that...it is the same scale as the fatboy guitars that I like to build.

[Ron Belanger]

That scale length seems standard for 1927 and 1928. In 1929 it changed to 24 3/4. I used medium strings and it is very easy to play.

[Mark Swanson]

Yes I like medium strings on the Fatboy too...lights a little too loose at that scale. Good job Ron! Is the finish color hand rubbed in?

[Ron Belanger]

I use the stewmac dyes in alcohol and I spray the burst and the tints for the side and back. I mask the purfling and the rosette before I spray the dye and then spray a couple of coats of shellac before I fill with system 3 epoxy.

[Darrel Friesen]

Wow! That's a real beauty Ron.

[Joe Lanza]

That's beautiful. How did you brace it?

[Ron Belanger]

Thanks, it was fun to build.
As far as a plan is concerned I started with a template from David Wren and then picked up the GAL Plan #6 '20s Gibson L-0 Guitar which has an H bracing pattern. I wanted and used an X brace pattern from a photo of a 1928 or so L-1 top. I used a 24 1/4 inch scale length and adjusted the X slightly to fit 13 frets to the body. The bridge was more or less centered between the upper transverse brace and the tail block. With the short scale length I set it up with medium strings.

[Dave Anderson]

That is a very nice looking guitar..Great job on the finish.

[Bryan Bear]

Very nice! Any chance of a sound clip?

[Pat Foster]

Handsome guitar!

Pat

[Chuck Tweedy]

Awesome Ron!