Giltzow Guitars
  • HOME
    • Giltzow Guitar Owners
    • Guitar Models
    • Wood Sets Available
    • Contact Form
  • Guitars in Progress
    • Guitar for andrew
    • GL-OO Don F
    • OOG for Sunny Jim
  • Finished Guitars
    • 50th Guitar for Mark
    • Slope Sholdered Dread
    • Guitar for Rosie
    • Build for David Starr
    • Slope Shouldered Dred Build for Brian Baker
    • Curse of the Voo'doo Guitar
    • Timothy Giltzow GL-OO
    • Build for Ron V
    • Build for Eric Ellis
    • GL-00 For Mick
    • Parlor Guitar for Dave M
    • GL-00 for Ron V
    • Rocket Man
    • Koa GL-00
    • Guitar for Al
    • WCG for Vaughn
    • Guitar for Gracie
    • RV Ziricote JMG
  • News
  • LB-6
  • lyle
  • wood
  • Guitars for Sale
  • Repairs
    • Repair #6
  • Geared devices
    • Roman Sundial

I am building a GL-00 guitar for Don F. Don makes ukuleles and Cigar Box guitars. He will also be helping me with this build. He has chosen Australian Blackwood from Tasmania for the sides, back and top of this guitar. Neck will be South American Mahogany. Bindings, back strip, fret board, bridge and head plate will be Ebony. We will be creating custom inlays for the fret board and head plate.

About 12 years ago I bought several sets and flitch matched boards of Australian Blackwood from a dealer in Tasmania. The sets have spectacular flame figure. In the picture below, I have cut the sides and marked them for bending:

Picture
Picture

Thinning the sides to 0.085"

Picture

Bending with my Fox bender. Because this wood has so much figure it is necessary to treat the wood before bending. I spray the sides with 'Windex with ammonia D' and wait 24 hours before attempting the bend.

Picture

Bending went well. Both sides in the building form in the picture below:

Picture

Heel block and tail block installed

Picture

Installing kerfed lining. top and back will later be glued to the lining

Picture

Sanding 30' radius on back sides and kerfing

Picture

Gluing side reinforcement

Picture

Joining the sound board book matched pieces

Picture

The piece below (I call it the 'Hat') will be mated with the sound hole area of the top.

Picture

'Hat' (Maple) mated with the sound board

Picture

Sound hole cut and rosette with abalone ring, inlaid. The 'Hat' gives us a nice 'bound' look to the sound hole and provides extra strength

Picture

Using a smoothing plane to get the back pieces to mate

Picture

Back and sound board ready to be braced

Picture

Back center reinforcing strip with cut outs for back braces

Picture

Back braces contoured to 25' radius and glued to back

Picture

Back braces carved and sanded

Picture

Routing cavity for tail graft

Picture

Gluing back to sides

Picture

Back installed and trimmed

Picture

Sound board Marked for braces

Picture

X braces glued and being carved

Picture

Sound board braced

Picture

Sound Board mated with sides & back

Picture

Cutting binding channels back side

Picture

Binding channel on back is stopped short of Ebony center strip and finished by hand with a chisel. This is because a black/white/black purfling will be placed inside the binding and must meet up with a black/white/black purfling on the back center strip at a 45 degree angle.

Picture

Black/white/black purfling strip mated to back strip at 45 degrees

Picture

Top binding channels cut with an inside ledge for decorative abalone around the top

Picture

One side of top with Ebony binding, b/w/b purfling, abalone strip and a second b/w/b purfling glued

Picture

Top binding

Picture

Mahogany neck cut on a 12 degree angle for the neck splice

Picture

Peg head splice glued

Picture

Stacked heel glued to neck

Picture

Neck truss rod channel cut. Neck is ready for shaping

Picture

Initial neck fitting to body

Picture

Rough shaping heel end of neck

Picture

Cutting fret slots in fret board

Picture

Sanding 16" fret board radius

Picture

Rough cutting neck heel

Picture

Initial fitting of fret board to neck & body

Picture

Fret board inlays

Head stock veneer cut with palm & G logo

Picture

Veneer glued to neck

Picture

Slots cut, white purfling around head stock & gold MOP inlay

Picture

Lacquer finish sprayed

Picture
Picture

Installing side fret markers

Picture

Heel cap

Picture

Installing frets

Picture

Working on slot head ramps

Picture

Body sanded and buffed

Picture

Attaching neck to body

Picture

Locating bridge and scraping finish from bridge glue area

Picture

Gluing bridge

Picture

Preparing interior label and cutting a clear mylar pick guard

Picture
Picture

Fitting Camel bone bridge pins

Picture

Installing Waverly slot head tuning machines

Picture

Setting action at the nut

Picture

Finished guitar pictures by Jeanne Giltzow

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Don and guitar up on the Salmon river

Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly