Thread: brazillian rosewood + ADIRONDACK kit on ebay

Nice kit. BTW the guy's a reputable luthier and luthier supplier, Ive dealt with him.

Most of the cost of that kit would be in the Brazilian RW and the top.

yeahh, he's got all sorts of automatic luthier machines.

if only i had the money..

Yes, the Fox bender is a handy jig to have but you have to justify cost against how much youre going to use it. The binding cutting jig is handy too but again you can cut binding using a laminate trimmer with a modified base. I've built a light bulb powered Fox bender but it doesn get much use. I'm old fashioned and like challenge so I bend on an electric iron.

yeah John hall is a helpful guy full of wisdom that he kindly shares on the american forums...
the quality of the things he sells would be top notch.

http://bluescreekguitars.com/

Yeah I bought one of John's Fox bending machines earlier in the year. It took a while to get everything happening (I started off ordering a custom unit he was going to make for me), but after a few months I eventually got what I needed. In the end he was painless to work with and was very helpful.

Great machine in the end. Expensive, but it beats hand bending (for me at least), and I figure after three uses so far it's more or less earned its place in the workshop.

Speaking of expenses, just got Stewmac's TrueChannel binding cutting jig the other day. After just one use today I'm in love. So completely effortless; in the space of about 5 minutes I had done an infinitely better job than my Dremel used to do in a frustrating hour or two. Gives me motivation to clean up the sides on my next two just so I can give it another run.

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Yes, the Fox bender is a handy jig to have but you have to justify cost against how much youre going to use it. The binding cutting jig is handy too but again you can cut binding using a laminate trimmer with a modified base. I've built a light bulb powered Fox bender but it doesn get much use. I'm old fashioned and like challenge so I bend on an electric iron.

hmm..
well i'm currently 15..hooked on guitar building now.. life expectency of an average male in australia as of 2005, is 80 years.. that means 65 years of use!!

though of course i can't afford it at the moment ;(

There's plans for building a fox bender in the Jim Williams book.

I don't see how John can send that kit to Oz though, unless he's got the CITES paperwork to go with it. I'd check before bidding.

Paul's right..check on CITES situation with BRW.

My Fox bender is based on William's book. Its powered by 2 100 watt and 1 x 150 watt bulbs. The bulbs are Edison screw. Makes sure you get ceramic bulb sockets...normal plastic ones will last about 30 seconds once the bulbs get turned on. Most herpatarium supply shops carry ceramic holders.

First , I have to say thank you for all your kind words. I am John Hall and I just found out about this forum. Building guitars can be alot of fun and if I can help in anyway by answering some questions let me know.
I think the best advice is to buy the best you can afford. Jim Williams book " The guitar makers manual " is a fine book. The only exception if the spanish heel . I like using neck blocks. IT makes for easier resetting of the neck.
If you do decide to build on I learned that here in the states 6 inch slats are standard and if you deviate from that you have the added expense of having things made custom. I suggest that if you do build a bender to keep it a 1/16 of and inch wider so you can make a smooth transition of bending patterns and heat blankets. Too tight and you run into problems.
I will try and pop in this forum from time to time.
Hvae fun gluing wood together and keep the strings on the outside
John