Couple of beginner questions...HELP!

[Tom West]

1. No
2. No
3. Most don't.

[Tom West]

Ken: Sorry but I don't have a website and no pictures,a bit of a computer incompetent here. Just a hobby builder who has been building off and on since the 70's. Figure I have the carpentry part of building a bit under control but love the magic of trying to twist a bit more tone from every new guitar. Am not ashamed to admit that there is lots more to learn in this territory. Nice to see you and thanks for asking. Take care.
Tom

[Ken Hundley]

I don't finish the inside either, I have a hard enough time making the outside look good. I sand to 320 gret, then steel wool it. Works quite well. I usually don't do anything to the fingerboards or bridges but use fretboard oil once a year. I did however help repair a friends beat up and bleached out Fender acoustic. I rubbed a little Howards Restore-A-Finish into the bridge and fingerboard. BEAUTIFUL! He's loved it ever since.

On the subject of ports, though, I am doing all sorts of interesting things on my guitars these days, though there is no telling how they will really turn out. I have two ports and no sound hole...one on the upper as shown above, and another inthe cutaway, though smaller. The idea of two is that those with a sound hole and a sound port sound awesome. Since I moved the hole to the side, I felt I was only getting half the benefit of the port, which was location of the opening. My uneducated opinion of ports is that they benefit from reduced pressure changes inside the guitar during vibration when you have an entrance and exit hole, so I felt I needed the second one.

This padauk was just strung up yesterday with a new bridge, though I am still working on the nut. The sound was incredibly rich and deep, though gentle, and the mids and trebles were crisp and clear. Action was abominable because it hasn't been set up at all, so strings buzzed across the oversized saddle and fretting was difficult. I think it will sound wonderful when completed....gimme another week or two, and I will record something.





This one of curly mango hasn't changed in about a year, but will probably be finished after christmas, but it is the original of the design I have been using. I ended up comitting to a few other builds before I could finish this one, and now have 6 of this design in process. One will be a 12er, though I haven't decided if it will be another padauk or macacuba. Both of those are early enough that I can add a brace and change the bridgeplate.



Its interesting....when you play it, you do get a stereo effect which is lovely to listen too...a very different dynamic than a normal guitar, though I am not sure it would record that way, nor reach the audience the same way. It might be unique to the player. Wonderful sustain and color onthe padauk guitar. The new owner will like it, though the finish job (third time) leaves something to be desired. Long story short, I really like the ports.

[ixamnis]

Finishing the interior to reduce moisture transfer makes a lot of sense but the results I know of are pretty discouraging....

I'm certainly no expert, but from what I've read, finishing the interior to reduce moisture transfer actually does not make a lot of sense. Moisture will get into finished wood, but at a slower rate than with unfinished wood. Furniture is finished inside and out, but the pieces of wood used in making furniture are much thicker than in musical instruments. Moisture still eventually penetrates into furniture.

With guitars, the moisture will still penetrate into the wood, and because of the very small thicknesses, it actually penetrates at "nearly" the same rate as with unfinished wood. Therefore, finishing the inside has little effect on moisture transfer. The best reason to finish the inside of a guitar is aesthetics. The counter is that it can make repairs or modifications more difficult.