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2011 Luthierie Camps...H5/H4 Mandola Construction:July 17-22, 2011
F5 Mandolin Construction:July 17-22, 2011
Oct. 9-14, 2011
Tap Tuning:
Nov. 12-13, 2011
Tools & Fixtures
2012 Date TBA
Please visit our website or email Kali for more information about these programs.
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Dear Luthiers,
We just returned from the Bluegrass on the Beach festival at Lake Havasu, Arizona, March 17-20, hosted by Larry and Sondra Baker. These are the same folks who put on the Bluegrassin' in the Foothills festival in Plymouth, California, and they are really great events to attend. While there, Ken and I got a chance to do some final preparations on three instruments we are building - an F5, H5, and an H4 - and we are working to get them finished in time to put them up for sale at our booth at the Father's Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, California hosted by the California Bluegrass Association in June. Festivals are a great place for us to relax and do things like detail sanding; the environment is very different from the day-to-day production atmosphere here at our shop.
One of my greatest joys is working with wood - it is a splendid gift that Mother Nature gives us, and you may already have a sense from my previous email newsletters that I have a rather intense reverence for wood. I also have a great deal of respect for it, and we are never cavalier when working with wood in the shop. This includes holding wood carefully when feeding it into machines, being cautious of slippery sawdust on the floor, having a functional dust collector on every machine, and most importantly, wearing a dust mask whenever sawing, sanding, or machining wood. The dust from some hardwoods, and from many tropical hardwoods is not only hazardous, but in some cases it can be carcinogenic. Please join us in wearing a dust mask when creating dust. Paper masks are fine, but make the investment in the better two-strap types with the small clip that helps it conform to the shape of your nose. And if you have had the privilege of working with some of our redwood soundboards, you may have experienced small splinters. If not removed immediately, redwood splinters will cause painful infections, so do take the time to attend to them as they occur. I make it a habit of wearing disposable nitrile ("exam") gloves that I get from Costco. They are inexpensive I can change them as often as needed throughout the day. (If you have watched any of our videos on our Facebook or YouTube pages, you've probably seen me wearing them.) They have saved me from splinters, provide better grip, and keep glue off my hands. It may take a little getting used to, but try them - you'll like them.
Do you have friends into luthierie? If you do, and you think they might benefit from receiving this email each month, we'd be glad to add them to the list. As you know, there is no obligation, and it is completely free. So, please don't hesitate to let them know about it, and they can drop an email to Kali and simply say, "please add me to your monthly email newsletter list." We'll be excited to have them receive our tips and information, and I'm sure they'll be happy to get it, too.
Next time you are visiting our on-line store, you'll notice that our system now calculates the postage based on weight-to-zip. Compared to our previous system, this should reflect a minor savings in postal costs, and we're pleased to pass this benefit along to you.
And, I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that our next Luthierie Camp is July 17-22, 2011. It is a "Pick Your Instrument Camp," and you may build either an F5, F4, H5, or H4. We still have a few benches open, and we hope you can join us.
If your plans take you to California this summer, I hope you'll find a way to stop by to say "hello." We'd love to meet you and give you the five-cent tour!
Thanks for building with us...
Roger
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Is the neck on the centerline?
A few years back, I received a call from someone who wanted to know more about our mandolin kits. After we talked for a while, he said "do you build them with the neck off the centerline like the original Loar-signed F5s?" to which I answered, "well, no, because the necks on the original Loar-signed F5s are on the centerline." I recall that he wasn't really satisfied with my answer, and he suggested that "maybe you've never really seen a real Loar-signed F5."
The topic of original F5 mandolins and H5 mandolas not having their neck on the centerline pops up every now and then in some of the chat sites, and I thought it might be interesting to address it here.
The F-model Gibson mandolins were influenced by the Florentine art style whose roots date back to 13th Century Italy. This art style reflects the curvatures, flowing lines, asymmetry, and depth of floral shapes. To this end, the F-model mandolins and H-model mandolas have bodies with highly pronounced curves, floral-like volutes, and wavy flowing lines. And, reflecting the shapes of most botanical forms, the bodies are also not symmetrical - the left half (bass bout) and right half (treble bout) are different shapes and sizes. Aside from the necessary flat surfaces on the face and back of the peghead and the playing surface of the fretboard, all other surfaces are curved or rounded.
So, by the mere fact that both sides of the instrument are not the same shape and size, the neck is not centered on the body, but that is a very different statement from the "neck is not on the centerline."
Looking at the back of the soundboard, where the neck attaches, the neck surely appears to be off center. However, because of how the body is shaped as it enters the scroll, it is actually the body that is not symmetrical which makes everything look lopsided.
Since the strings are straight by necessity, and run from the machine posts over the nut through the length of the neck to the bridge and then to the tailpiece, the center of these components comprise what is the instrument's centerline. So, yes, the neck is on the mechanical centerline of the instrument, but everything else around it is off center.
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Product Highlights
 · Completion Sets- If you are building, here's an easy way to get all the hardware you need at a great price to complete your mandolin or mandola. Our completion sets include: our heralded Gaboon ebony bridge, a set of Gotoh machines (16:1), sliding cover tailpiece, ebony end-pin, bone nut blank, bone corner point blanks (2), fretwire (#380), ¼" diameter MOP position dots (5), ebony filler mix, and black side position dots for your fretboard. These great parts are bundled so we can bring them to you at equally great savings (about $20.00 less than buying everything separately). We have Completion Sets in both nickel and gold finish for the F5, A5, F4 mandolins, and for the H5 and H4 mandolas.
 · Loar-Style F5 Mandolin Machines - We've been very excited about our exclusive Loar-style F5 mandolin machines. These machines will give your mandolin the look and feel of the tuners used on original Gibson Loar-signed F5 mandolins. Features includes:
- Original style engraved backstrap
- 13mm diameter mother-of-pearl buttons
- Original length tuning shafts
- Machined bushings that are eyelet size
- Black oxide slotted flat-head gear screws
- Slotted round-head button screws with mini-washers
- Slotted round-head backstrap wood screws
- 16:1 gear ratio (gears cut by Gotoh)
- Delrin thrust washer assembly on string posts (hidden inside peghead)
- Standard 29/32" post hole spacing
The gold-plated version is part #301-LG; the nickel-plated version is part #301-LN. These machines were $279.00 and they are now reduced to $249.00 plus P&H. Also fits the H5 mandola.
 · Peghead Templates - Having trouble getting your peghead shapes accurate? Our line of peghead templates are laser cut with great precision. The shapes and peghole locations were derived from original Gibson instruments (the F5 peghead template in the center of the photo is laying over the peghead of Lloyd Loar's personal F5 mandolin). These templates help you layout your pegheads and peghead veneers as well as provide accurate hole spacing and positioning for the geared machines. Our templates are made from luminescent green acrylic plastic so they can be easily located in your shop. We have a wide range of templates available and you can see them all in our online store.
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Luthier's Tip: Cutting the rosette channel
We're glad to see so many folks building F4 mandolins and H4 mandolas. These instruments feature a rosette around the soundhole that in addition to decorating the soundhole, provides a small amount of strength to the cross-grain area of the soundboard around the soundhole. The question that always pops up is "what's the best way to cut the rosette channel?" The channel is fairly easy to prepare and actually takes more patience than skill. 
Begin by positioning the rosette in the exact location you wish it to be, ensuring that it is centered on the soundhole. Next, secure it in place with two small "C" clamps; use small leather cauls between the clamps and the rosette to prevent damage to the rosette. The next step is to very carefully go around the inside and outside edges of the rosette with an X-Acto® knife fitted with a sharp #11 blade. This first pass of the blade is to create a perfect outline of the rosette on the instrument's soundboard. Be sure to hold the knife perfectly vertical so that the cutline is neither wider nor narrower than the rosette. As you near the clamps, add a clamp where you already cut the outline, and then remove the clamp that is in your way. Once the outline is cut all the way around the rosette, remove the clamps and the rosette, and very carefully cut the channel deeper, going about 1/16" into the soundboard. Be careful to stay within the outline-channel; the knife will have a tendency to follow the wood's grain, not the outline's channel, so you have to go slowly and hold the knife steady. With the outline cut, the next job is to remove the wood in the center with a small sharp chisel. Work to remove all the wood and to level the bottom of the channel. It's really a fairly simple task and if you do it carefully, the result will be a perfectly fitted rosette. If you would like more details on the process and to learn how to glue in the rosette, you can download a free instruction sheet (PDF document) from our website. The document for inlaying the rosette is the fourth one down from the top of the page. |
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Here's a not-to-miss offer: From now until April 15, 2011, you can purchase our