Guitar #50, "Violante", Has a New Top!

This guitar originally had a double/composite top, the top was made from a nice Western red cedar outer top with a honeycomb Nomex core, and that inner core was covered with a veneer of redwood. The guitar had an incredible amount of sustain when played and was LOUD, but it didn't have a bel canto voice, the voice wasn't exciting. The guitarists who played it went "meh",  handed it back to me and played the other guitars that I had on hand, all of those other guitars eventually sold, and this one languished in its guitar case.

Please, if you have any questions or comments about this guitar, send them to me at highcountrylutherie@gmail.com

If you are interested in my removal process please click here, and here. 

Earlier this summer, I did the sensible thing and removed the top, then took a redwood top that was already put together with a rosette. You can search my blog for other posts for my process of removing and replacing a guitar top. Removing a guitar top is a bit drastic, but I want this guitar to sing, to be alluring so it can go out the door with a satisfied customer.

First things first, remove the top, this usually requires breaking most of the top into pieces.

The original top lining, which was spruce, was removed and replaced with beech lining. The hardness of beech helps to enhance the depth of the guitar's voice, and does make the guitar a little louder.

The new top, redwood in this case, was braced after the manner of Robert Bouchet's famous bracing pattern that has a "soul bar" placed underneath the bridge location.

The new top is glued on with the help of spool clamps.

Here is the guitar with the new top! I remove part of the fretboard for this task. I cut the fretboard at the 9th fret, gently heat it with an old clothes iron and pry it up with a palette knife. 

 

The back and sides are gorgeous, they are Santos rosewood!
 

The binding is East Indian rosewood with black and white purflings.

The end graft is also East Indian rosewood.

I inlaid Mother of Pearl dots into the rosette! Simply stunning to look at!

I will start the French polishing on it later this week, my goal is to have it ready for sale late in the fall or early winter!

Stay tuned and don't forget to read my Substack posts!