23in scale x 13in lower bout Archie

[Ball Peen]

This is a small archtop guitar, 23in scale 13in lower bout. I made up my own plans and arching patterens for this one. Originally it was to be a 5 string tenor CGDAE. I built a cbg tenor but I'm over tenors now.
If I want to play something in 5's, I have a mando and fiddle. The strech is just too much. So now I have an easy to play 6 string. On my list is a cbg Kala Bass. A few have been made over on Cigar Box Nation.
This is being set up using old guitar strings, 11- 50. They seem a reasonable guage. Still a lot of set up work ot do, I just had to get strings on and see what I have. Pretty happy with it.
I coloured my shellac brown to make it a few shades darker and stripped the head , tailpiece and pickguard. They will have matte oil like the f.b. The basic burst is old school hand stained on bare timber,
many coats of weak stain. I'm just learning this method.

[Baz1000]

Well done. What radius did you use on the fretboard. From the pics it looks less than the standard 12".

[Ball Peen]

Hi Barry, It's 12in radius. The camera sometimes distorts, like one pic shows the lower bouts looking slightly asymmetrical like a jazz bass, which I like.
I didn't list the materials before

top........Bunya
back and backstrap.......PNG Rosewood
sides....... Blackwood
neck.....Plantation Mahog.
fb, tailpiece, pickguard and head veneer.....False Sandlewood
nut, bridge and bindings.......Solomon Blackwood
Grover tuners, Kent Armstrong Humbucker and Schatten thumbwheel controls

[Baz1000]

Hi Barry, It's 12in radius. The camera sometimes distorts, like one pic shows the lower bouts looking slightly asymmetrical like a jazz bass, which I like.
I didn't list the materials before

top........Bunya
back and backstrap.......PNG Rosewood
sides....... Blackwood
neck.....Plantation Mahog.
fb, tailpiece, pickguard and head veneer.....False Sandlewood
nut, bridge and bindings.......Solomon Blackwood
Grover tuners, Kent Armstrong Humbucker and Schatten thumbwheel controls

Nice! Can I ask where you got the bunya from? I've always wanted to try it as a sounboard. What do you think of it, especially with the Blackwood combination?

[Hermit]

Looks good, Bill. and I love that subtle sunburst effect using tinted shellac. I'll have to try it sometime in the future.
Hopefully, too, sometime in the future I'll be able to build guitars similar to yours', instead of my basic CBG. That's why I went with the 6-string w/ truss rod, separate fingerboard etc - the experience.

[Ball Peen]

Barry,
Bunya from Mike Burless " Fiddle Backs fine Australian Timbers " , almost 20 years ago. 11 planks 38mm x 400 x 2.5m , almost all gone now.
Hermit,
I just built a cbg and have a cbg Kala U Bass planed. I want to dream up a " never was " brand for the body and headstock. I've been inspired by
some of the builders over on Cigar Box Nation.

[Hermit]

Barry,
Bunya from Mike Burless " Fiddle Backs fine Australian Timbers " , almost 20 years ago. 11 planks 38mm x 400 x 2.5m , almost all gone now.
Hermit,
I just built a cbg and have a cbg Kala U Bass planned. I want to dream up a " never was " brand for the body and headstock. I've been inspired by
some of the builders over on Cigar Box Nation.

I missed your CBG. I guess you mean this one: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f98/te...garbox-162525/

Just checked it out. Your experience with 'normal' guitars shows. I didn't have the courage to try a mortise and tenon neck joint yet. Maybe after another build or two. I'm adding soundboard braces like your's, though, I just decided.

I like this line: 'It's like a talking dog. You don't care what he says...he can talk!'
(Hope mine can talk - that's all that's worrying me at this stage.)

Looking forward to your Kala U Bass CBG, though personally I'll probably stick to the 6-string variety. Never was much good at bass playing.

There are some rippers on Cigar Box Nation. Partly inspired me to fire up and make my first.


Barry, if you know anyone in the Coffs area, there's plenty of Bunya pines there, up in the mountains, along with small mills, so the timber should be available. Where I used to live, Ulong in the mountains behind Coffs, they lined my driveway.
Lived in constant fear of being hit by a Bunya nut in windy weather.

[Ball Peen]

Hermit,
The bracing was way to small, the top strated to sag. The back came off and more substantial braces added.

[Hermit]

Hermit,
The bracing was way to small, the top strated to sag. The back came off and more substantial braces added.

Thanks for the tip, Bill. I'll do some more bracing research before I get that far. Wasn't going to brace at all, except a plate under the bridge, until I saw your's. Now I'm on the right track.

[Baz1000]

I missed your CBG. I guess you mean this one: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f98/te...garbox-162525/

Just checked it out. Your experience with 'normal' guitars shows. I didn't have the courage to try a mortise and tenon neck joint yet. Maybe after another build or two. I'm adding soundboard braces like your's, though, I just decided.

I like this line: 'It's like a talking dog. You don't care what he says...he can talk!'
(Hope mine can talk - that's all that's worrying me at this stage.)

Looking forward to your Kala U Bass CBG, though personally I'll probably stick to the 6-string variety. Never was much good at bass playing.

There are some rippers on Cigar Box Nation. Partly inspired me to fire up and make my first.


Barry, if you know anyone in the Coffs area, there's plenty of Bunya pines there, up in the mountains, along with small mills, so the timber should be available. Where I used to live, Ulong in the mountains behind Coffs, they lined my driveway.
Lived in constant fear of being hit by a Bunya nut in windy weather.

Thanks for that mate, I do know a couple of blokes up that way. I'm on it!!!

[Hermit]

Thanks for that mate, I do know a couple of blokes up that way. I'm on it!!!

Good one Barry. From the timber point of view, I wish I still lived up there. Moved away to Nowra about 8 years ago. Wasn't into woodworking then.
A lot of mills closed some years ago due to the logging restrictions, but not all of them.
Some lovely other timbers in that neighbourhood, too, including some really old fallen stuff that's still in the bush. ARC, Tallowood etc. Lots of plantations, as well.
Good luck.