Weissenborn Copy Downunder

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 3 Dec 2007 6:33 pm

Hello everyone,

Here are a few pics on my progress so far with a weissenborn copy that I started building in October 2007. It will be made to the MIMF plan weissenborn plan and is a style one. I'm building with hand tools only!!

Woods used are Tasmanian Sassafrass for the back and sides

Here is a pic of the Sassafrass plates joined with the shapes cut out

The fingerboard and bridge are made from Tasmanian Myrtle

The headstock is Tassie Sassafrass with a Myrtle face

Sassafrass is not a common wood used in guitar building. The woods properties are similar to Mahogany. It is nice to work with and has a citrus like smell. I have no idea what it will sound like.

This is my first effort at building an acoustic instrument as I have built several solid body instruments. The project is ongoing and will take many months to complete as it is a weekend passion.

I just thought I would like to share my progress thus far with you all.

Next job is cutting soundhole and fitting a Tasmanian Myrtle rosette.

Cheers and thanks for looking

Alan

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 4 Dec 2007 7:37 am

Cool project Alan, I'm looking forward to following your progress

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 4 Dec 2007 5:18 pm

Excellent workmanship and the woods look great.

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 5 Dec 2007 4:30 am

Thanks Tom for your comment and encouragement.

Cheers

Alan

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 5 Dec 2007 9:03 am

Good luck, Alan. Please keep us updated with the progress. I've never seen sassafras wood used on a guitar before, so it will be interesting to see how well it works for you.

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 6 Dec 2007 5:16 am

Thanks MikeD for you kind remarks.

Thanks Brad. There have been a few guitars built from Sassafrass here in Oz. It is, however, not a very common alternative tonewood. The wood is highly prized by furniture makers. The tap tone is very lively and bright. It is great to work with and I believe, bends well also. I will keep you all posted with progress and post some sound samples later on.

Cheers

Alan

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 16 Dec 2007 3:28 am

Hey everyone,

This weekend I finished of cutting out the sound hole and inlayed the rosette. Rosette is very simple design as this is my first effort.

Cheers

Alan

Dave Jetson · Post by **Dave Jetson** » 16 Dec 2007 4:35 am

Great stuff. Australian woods are really a bit of a secret outside Australia, but I believe they work really well. I've heard nothing but good reports about the quality of Australian tonewoods, everybody seems to be very pleasantly surprised.

I'd love to get my hands on an Australian wood guitar, but my budget is closer to Chinese plywood than anything else, and I really don't have any woodworking skills of my own. So good luck with that, I hope to hear it when it's done.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 16 Dec 2007 11:24 am

Looking good Alan

Darrell Urbien · Post by **Darrell Urbien** » 16 Dec 2007 1:14 pm

Nice work,mate!

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 17 Dec 2007 4:16 am

G'day Dave,

Yep we are very lucky here in Australia to have so many types of wood that grow here naturally and are suitable as alternative tonewood. Not real sure how the Sassafrass will sound. Time will tell!!! I will certainly post a sound clip when it is finished. That may be sometime away however.

Thanks for your interest.

Cheers

Alan

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 22 Dec 2007 8:33 pm

Just a little more progress on the weissenborn copy. The sides are now thicknessed and profiled ready for bending. So now for the next challange, bending wood.

Also built the tail block

Thanks for looking.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends on the Steel Guitar Forum.

Cheers

Alan

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 23 Dec 2007 8:36 am

That Tasmanian Sassafras has a great looking long grain.
How are you planning to do the bending?

Dennis Coelho · Post by **Dennis Coelho** » 23 Dec 2007 8:48 am

Alan: Very nice work, indeed. I played a couple of acoustic guitars made by Maton last year when I was in Adelaide and the wood for the body looked similar to what you are using with a slight grey color after a natural finish. The guitars sounded quite good with a mahogany type resonance.

I also saw some very dark heavy wood that resembled rosewood that I think was called "Jarra." They were using it for flooring in a house but I thought it would make a wonderful tonewood, though perhaps with some of the same working problems that rosewood has.

The sassafras that grows in North America has a fine odor, and was the main flavor ingredient in rootbeer. But the wood is quite soft and does not have the strength for instrument use. The oldtimers often used it for shelving in cabinets that would store prepared food as the wood odor seemed to deflect insects.

Thanks for posting the photos.

Dennis

Dennis

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 24 Dec 2007 5:52 pm

G'day Dennis,

Thanks for your comments. Yes, Sassafrass is very similar to mahogany but with a closer grain. The instrument should provide good resonance. The wood is very light in weight but strong. If it sounds similar to mahogany I will be very happy. We will see when the instrument is finished.

Cheers

Alan

Dave Jetson · Post by **Dave Jetson** » 25 Dec 2007 6:11 am

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarrah

Has been used for guitars and drums. Nice wood.

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 3 Feb 2008 12:16 am

Finally the bending iron is fixed. This weekend I finished bending the sides for the weissenborn copy. It took sometime getting them right i can tell you. I am a patient man!!! I used the iron on 5, no problems. So the side bending job I was most concerned about turned out a success.

Cheers

Alan

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 3 Feb 2008 8:00 am

Eggs-cellunt! And, a man can never have too many clamps!

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 3 Feb 2008 10:58 am

Looking good

Chris Drew · Post by **Chris Drew** » 3 Feb 2008 12:20 pm

It's good to see your progress, Alan!

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 9 Feb 2008 9:20 pm

The linings, neck support and side supports where glued in this weekend. Here are a few pics for those of you who like to see how the guitar is comming along. Starting to look something like a weissenborn guitar copy now. I enjoyed watching the shape of the guitar taking place. All good fun!!!

Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Alan

Alan Hamley · Post by **Alan Hamley** » 24 May 2008 6:58 pm

Hi everyone,

A further progress update on the weissenborn copy.

Last weekend and this have been taken up finishing of scholloping, feathering and sanding the top and back braces, leveling and inleting the rim to accept the top and back. I had some fun and games wih the inleting of the braces. Anyway, it all fitted together and i'm happy with the final outcome.

WEIGHT DETAILS

Finished Top (braces schollped and feathered) 355 gram
Back Finished (braces schollped and feathered) 365 gram
Rim 435 gram
Fretboard 95 gram
Bridge 30 gram
Total 1280 gram (without machine heads)

Thanks all for looking

Cheers

Alan

Steve Hamill · Post by **Steve Hamill** » 24 May 2008 8:03 pm

That looks really nice Alan. I've been drooling over Daniel Brauchli's
Weissenborn style guitars lately. He uses a lot of those exotic woods
found down your way. I can't wait to see and hear the finished product.

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 25 May 2008 1:09 pm

Great work Alan! Almost there now!

Fred

Mitch Druckman · Post by **Mitch Druckman** » 25 May 2008 6:41 pm

Lookin' Good!

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