Custom
Parlor Guitars Steel String
Two are being built: one steel string and one
gut or classical
Click on the images for a larger view. Photos shown newest to oldest
 |
 |
 |
|
Here are two photos of the body showing the routing for the binding. This is always a tricky process to get the inlays to fit tight and to avoid any damage to the remaining wood. The sides do not have any finish on them so they show up lighter in the photos than the back. |
The assembly of the sound box is complete. The top and rim were assembled the day before this photo. Here the back has been fit and is now clamped to the sides and top. The next steps are to put the binding on the body and build the neck. |
|
 |
 |
 |
| The first time I made a pyramid bridge I spent days thinking of how to make the pyramid. The simple process came to me as you can see here. An angle block is places on the base of the vertical mill to hold the bridge in position. It is them a simple matter of milling and turning the bridge to make a great looking pyramid. |
A candid shot by Joe Holler. This is of me, Jim Holler, assembling the rim to the top. A process that always put a bit of stress into my system. It is a challenge to work fast enough for the glue not to dry on you and slow enough not to make a mistake. |
The top complete. Note the tuning of the X bracing. The bridge plate is Brazilian Rosewood. The X bracing is Sitka spruce and the small cross bracing is made of some very old Euro Red Spruce. Very nice tap tone! |
 |
 |
 |
| The highly Quilted Maple sides and back have been cut from the board, thickened bent and the end block glued on to form the hoop of the guitar body. The finished top and Back stand in front of the neck blank. There is a very thin finish applied to the back to highlight the beauty of the Curly Maple. | The bridge will be made of Ebony. The bridge features a classic pyramid design and a compensated saddle location for great intonation. The Ebony selected is from some stock I have that is well over 15 years old. Very fine quality. Standard bridge pins will be used. | The Back has been thickened to 2 mm and the book matched parts glued together. Here the center mahogany support ribs and the four back braces are glued and shaped. The back is ready for assemble to the guitar. |
 |
 |
 |
| The drawings for the guitar are posted on the wall of the shop for quick and frequent review. | Here the binding has been bent in a bending machine. Quilted Maple bending is a challenge to keep the wood smooth with out splitting. The wood is also wrapped in cloth to keep the stainless steel of the bending form from staining the light color wood. These Quilted Maple binding are cut from the edge of the side boards for a perfect match. A drawing of the steel string top bracing is under the bindings. | The highly Quilted Maple sides have been cut from the board, thickened bent and the end block glued on to form the hoop of the guitar body. |
