Posted by Uncle John on September 24, 2011 at 6:06pm
The Squarona is an old Honduras mahogany box. It was a gift/trade from CBN friend Wes Carl. Approx. 90 years old and very nice. An heirloom ~ I hesitated for weeks before using it for a cbg. Tap tone was good, and the top was unusually thin.Goals: (Maybe at my skill level I should say wishes) a handsome relic with good tone and playability, don’t cut or screw up the top. Fretted. Probably keep it dark. A 3 string and DGB tuned, which for me is most versatile—I can play in any key with that tuning. Short and comfy scale: (56cm using the Stew Mac Fret calculator – about 22 inches.) Three (1.25 – or 3.3 cm) sound holes on the up side when played right handed.Materials: Walnut and oak neck. I thought all walnut might be too dark. I ‘stained’ the oak with a mixture of tea and tung oil. It did not darken as much as I hoped. 3 unmatched tuners ~ that’s what I like in a relic. Piezo.Problems: That thin top bowed under the saddle and string pressure and worse yet, the thin top wood split vertically for 5-6 inches on the bass side. Two dovetailed top corners came loose.I wished I had kept it for an heirloom box and not built with it. I took it apart and put in bracing and glued the split with a thin glued on piece beneath it. Glued the corners. Eventually, I made a larger than usual (walnut) saddle to spread out the pressure.Put it together and the string pressure made the upper top raise. Ended up gluing and screwing the top, failing on my goal to not mess with the topStrung it up: Tuned it DGB~ with low action. Result was okay, but not excellent. Redid it with a higher saddle – the larger surface area saddle mentioned earlier. Tuned GDG using the 5th, 4th and 3rd strings from a 6 string set. This is what this git wanted. Some like some tunings and don’t like others.Final Result after a rocky road ~ and putting it aside a time or two: I would rate it an 8 on a 10 point scale. Loud and woody un plugged. Easy action and good intonation. HOT plugged in. Turn down the gain and volume. Then it’s loud, warm and woody.Plan: Big smile. Keep it.
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Progess Report: That guitar is all tweaked and done. It's my best IVI guitar yet and was worth all the trouble (and whining). May make a video with it.
This looks aces John. The vintage box give the whole guitar that period look. I can imagine seeing an old photo from the 1920s of this being played.
Although I'm sorry to hear the trials and tribulations you went though during the building, it's nice that you have chosen to share your troubles with us. We all have much to teach each other by detailing a build in as much depth as this.
Comments
Thanks, Jerry. It is relegated to a shop git now, but it does get picked up and played.
a fine git.,.,
John,
Nice job! Now you have a real heirloom! (which has gotta be better than a hair loom).
This looks aces John. The vintage box give the whole guitar that period look. I can imagine seeing an old photo from the 1920s of this being played.
Although I'm sorry to hear the trials and tribulations you went though during the building, it's nice that you have chosen to share your troubles with us. We all have much to teach each other by detailing a build in as much depth as this.