Spruce/Tamarind Hauser Classical Guitar Kit
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:09 am
Hi, I recently strung up this Spruce/Tamarind Blues Creek Classical Guitar Kit based on the 37 Hauser, so I wanted to share it with you guys.
Sometime after I finished my first guitar, a Red Spruce/Cherry J-185, my father said in a family zoom chat that he was thinking of buying a classical guitar again after years of not playing. Of course, my mother said no! LOL. They didn't have the money to spend on getting a nice classical guitar. I was hankering to build another guitar after finishing my J-185, so I said, Dad, I'll build you one!
Of course, I shouldn't have run my mouth. I knew places like LMI offered classical guitar kits, but I wasn't ready to find out that all classical guitar kits were made with a Spanish Heel. As a person who just strung up his first guitar, I was not ready to take on a totally different method of building with totally different tools. I am an apartment dweller and my workspace is my closet. So I do not have the capacity to make molds, dishes, or any other tool. I totally rely on the expertise of kit suppliers and tool suppliers like Mr. Hall.
Given that I was in a bind after making a promise I couldn't keep, I called Mr. Hall at Blues Creek Guitars to ask if he could put together a classical guitar kit for me. The kicker was that the guitar would have a Bolt On neck rather than a Spanish Heel. The regular specs would be that of a normal classical guitar, with a 2 inch nut and 650mm scale length. I wasn't sure if Mr. Hall would make such a kit for me, since it was highly customized and required getting a custom neck. Thankfully, Mr. Hall was able to make a kit for me and given the high degree of customization, the price was more than fair.
The guitar I ordered had the following specs:
Plan: 37 Hauser
Top: Spruce
Back and Sides: Tamarind
Neck: Bolt On w/ Truss rod
Neck wood: Spanish Cedar
Nut: 2 inch
Scale Length: 650mm (25.59")
I asked for a figured wood for the B&S because I thought that if the wood looked really good, my parents would be duped into thinking that the guitar is better than it actually is, LOL. The Tamarind Mr. Hall provided me, as seen above, is stunning. The spruce Mr. Hall provided came in at much thinner than the plan, which was a HUGE BLESSING. The plan calls for 3mm at the thickest points, while Mr. Hall's came in at 2.4mm. I have heard that 3mm is usually overkill for normal pieces of spruce, so I am extremely grateful that Mr. Hall provided me with a much thinner piece.
I departed from the plans a little bit by adding a 15' dome to the back and 15' dome to the lower bout. I didn't tell Mr. Hall, because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have approved LOL. Thankfully, the geometry ended up working out, and I can get decent height off the top (around 10-11mm) and decent action at the 12th fret (4 and 3 mm).
Of course, similar to my first build, nothing went as planned and I made quite a few huge gaffs along the way. I did not glue on the bridge plate correctly so I cracked the top while removing the bridge plate. I also incorrectly glued the sides to the top so that one end of the lower transverse bars did not notch into the sides. I had to undo the glue there and reglue the top to the sides. I had myriad cosmetic errors, so even though the woods are beautiful the guitar is ugly. I also had the bridge slip while gluing, so it is misaligned by .5 mm or so. I also french polished the guitar, and it went as horrible as you might expect.
I am still fine tuning the setup, and I am realizing how important the setup of the nut and saddle can be. I have ordered a lot of 10 nuts and 10 saddles on ebay just to have something to practice with LOL.
Nonetheless, when I showcased the guitar to my brother and mother, they both said that it sounded really good. My mother said that she doesn't know about these things, but even to her it sounds good. My brother said that the guitar had a deep resonance, and it sounds as good as the guitars I listen to on youtube LOL. He even commented that the playability is really good. My Dad hasn't had a chance to play the guitar yet, but he also commented that the guitar sounds very good.
I have been enamored with the guitar, and to me it is probably the best sounding guitar I have ever heard. It has the intense, passionate Spanish sound on the basses while at the same time having singing and present trebles. The whole guitar sounds rich and warm but not muddy. The trebles are not too piercing but they are not muted either. The sustain and overtones really enhance the beauty of the sound. I couldn't have imagined a better guitar, and I really have to thank Mr. Hall for it.
I have been so enamored with the guitar that I have already thought up of specs I want for my next guitar, LOL. Unfortunately, I realized while I was building this guitar that I have very little time to spend on guitar building, so I don't know how realistic it is to order another kit. I'm also running out of excuses, although I am thinking of gifting a classical guitar to my brother LOL.
Thanks y'all for helping me with my first guitar and thanks Mr. Hall for providing me with a wonderful kit and always being there to help with any trouble I run into.
Sometime after I finished my first guitar, a Red Spruce/Cherry J-185, my father said in a family zoom chat that he was thinking of buying a classical guitar again after years of not playing. Of course, my mother said no! LOL. They didn't have the money to spend on getting a nice classical guitar. I was hankering to build another guitar after finishing my J-185, so I said, Dad, I'll build you one!
Of course, I shouldn't have run my mouth. I knew places like LMI offered classical guitar kits, but I wasn't ready to find out that all classical guitar kits were made with a Spanish Heel. As a person who just strung up his first guitar, I was not ready to take on a totally different method of building with totally different tools. I am an apartment dweller and my workspace is my closet. So I do not have the capacity to make molds, dishes, or any other tool. I totally rely on the expertise of kit suppliers and tool suppliers like Mr. Hall.
Given that I was in a bind after making a promise I couldn't keep, I called Mr. Hall at Blues Creek Guitars to ask if he could put together a classical guitar kit for me. The kicker was that the guitar would have a Bolt On neck rather than a Spanish Heel. The regular specs would be that of a normal classical guitar, with a 2 inch nut and 650mm scale length. I wasn't sure if Mr. Hall would make such a kit for me, since it was highly customized and required getting a custom neck. Thankfully, Mr. Hall was able to make a kit for me and given the high degree of customization, the price was more than fair.
The guitar I ordered had the following specs:
Plan: 37 Hauser
Top: Spruce
Back and Sides: Tamarind
Neck: Bolt On w/ Truss rod
Neck wood: Spanish Cedar
Nut: 2 inch
Scale Length: 650mm (25.59")
I asked for a figured wood for the B&S because I thought that if the wood looked really good, my parents would be duped into thinking that the guitar is better than it actually is, LOL. The Tamarind Mr. Hall provided me, as seen above, is stunning. The spruce Mr. Hall provided came in at much thinner than the plan, which was a HUGE BLESSING. The plan calls for 3mm at the thickest points, while Mr. Hall's came in at 2.4mm. I have heard that 3mm is usually overkill for normal pieces of spruce, so I am extremely grateful that Mr. Hall provided me with a much thinner piece.
I departed from the plans a little bit by adding a 15' dome to the back and 15' dome to the lower bout. I didn't tell Mr. Hall, because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have approved LOL. Thankfully, the geometry ended up working out, and I can get decent height off the top (around 10-11mm) and decent action at the 12th fret (4 and 3 mm).
Of course, similar to my first build, nothing went as planned and I made quite a few huge gaffs along the way. I did not glue on the bridge plate correctly so I cracked the top while removing the bridge plate. I also incorrectly glued the sides to the top so that one end of the lower transverse bars did not notch into the sides. I had to undo the glue there and reglue the top to the sides. I had myriad cosmetic errors, so even though the woods are beautiful the guitar is ugly. I also had the bridge slip while gluing, so it is misaligned by .5 mm or so. I also french polished the guitar, and it went as horrible as you might expect.
I am still fine tuning the setup, and I am realizing how important the setup of the nut and saddle can be. I have ordered a lot of 10 nuts and 10 saddles on ebay just to have something to practice with LOL.
Nonetheless, when I showcased the guitar to my brother and mother, they both said that it sounded really good. My mother said that she doesn't know about these things, but even to her it sounds good. My brother said that the guitar had a deep resonance, and it sounds as good as the guitars I listen to on youtube LOL. He even commented that the playability is really good. My Dad hasn't had a chance to play the guitar yet, but he also commented that the guitar sounds very good.
I have been enamored with the guitar, and to me it is probably the best sounding guitar I have ever heard. It has the intense, passionate Spanish sound on the basses while at the same time having singing and present trebles. The whole guitar sounds rich and warm but not muddy. The trebles are not too piercing but they are not muted either. The sustain and overtones really enhance the beauty of the sound. I couldn't have imagined a better guitar, and I really have to thank Mr. Hall for it.
I have been so enamored with the guitar that I have already thought up of specs I want for my next guitar, LOL. Unfortunately, I realized while I was building this guitar that I have very little time to spend on guitar building, so I don't know how realistic it is to order another kit. I'm also running out of excuses, although I am thinking of gifting a classical guitar to my brother LOL.
Thanks y'all for helping me with my first guitar and thanks Mr. Hall for providing me with a wonderful kit and always being there to help with any trouble I run into.