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A. P. SHARPE
EDITOR OF "B.M.G."
(Revised Edition 1963)
Published by :
CLIFFORD ESSEX MUSIC C? L ro
20 EARLHAM STREET, CAMBRIDGE CIRCUS,
LONDON, W.C.2
Sole selling agents for U.S.A. and Canada:
MILLS MUSIC, INC., 1619, Broadway, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.
Copyright 1957, fcy
CLIFFORD ESSEX MUSIC CO. LTD
Revised Edition Copyright 1963
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, must
not be reproduced in any form (except by reviewers for
the public press) without written permission from the
publisher si ' . - '
Foreword
THE author wishes to acknowledge
the debt of gratitude he owes to
Marco Roccia in not only providing,
over the many years of their associa
tion, all the information contained in this
book but in carefully checking all he has
written therein.
MARCO ROCCIA, maker of the Clifford
Essex concert size Spanish guitar which is
used as a model in the following pages, is
an Englishman born of Italian parents. He
started his instrument-making apprenticeship
as a boy; first in his
father's workshops in
Cassino, Italy, and
later in Paris. He re
turned to the land
of his birth in 1927,
when he joined the
Clifford Essex Co.
and became one of
the craftsmen who
produced the many
thousands cf guitars
(of all kinds) that
bear this world-
famous name.
After demobilisa
tion in 1945, Marco
Roccia returned to
his position with the
Clifford Essex Co. and is now solely
responsible for all repair work to fretted
instruments entrusted to this Company. In
addition, he produces the "concert size"
Spanish guitars which, entirely hand made
by him, have been used as a basis for the
compilation of this book. The methods of
this craftsman luthier, too, have been used
as a guide although, in some cases, they
have had to be modified to meet the limita
tions of the amateur guitar maker.
Terence Usher, Tmtoc of the guitar at the
Royal Manchester Colege of Music, reci-
talist and broadcaster, composer and
A. P. Sharpe (left) discusses a point of guitar
making with Marco Roccia in the Clifford Essex
workshop.
arranger of works for the guitar, and author
of many articles on playing the guitar,
recently compiled a paper for The Galpin
Society in which he paid tribute to the genius
of Marco Roccia. He wrote : " Most of the
modern luthiers have been content to copy
the designs (fan strutting) of Torres, Enrique
Garcia, Ramirez and other earlier makers
whose designs are accepted as standard . . .
One British luthier, however- Marco Roccia
recommenced making guitars after the
second world war by casting aside all pre
conceived ideas ex
cept those of body
size and shape and,
calling upon his ex
perience in repairing
thousands of old
guitars by all the
world's makers,
began again on new
lines. The experi
ments included
double cruciform
and other unortho
dox barrings; bar
ring based on that
found beneath the
soundboards of early
square pianos; bar
rings without unifor
mity of structure placed empirically where
the soundbox was proved to be under stress
. . . and variations of wood thickness
of treble and bass sides of the belly and
sides."
Thus although some of the instructions in
this book may be found (to those acquainted
with the facts) to be at variance with "usual"
standards they are based on Marco Rocria's
vast experience in not only repairing old
instruments but on his own accumulated
knowledge gained from discovering where
some of these instruments "fell down" in
construction over the years.
Introduction
NEVER before in the history of the
Spanish guitar and the instrument
possesses a history that dates back to
the early fifteenth century* has the
instrument been as popular as it is today.
Literally thousands of people, from all walks
of life, have taken up the Spanish guitar
during the past few years and hundreds of
wood-working enthusiasts have attempted
(and continue to attempt) to "make a
guitar." Making a guitar is even a part of
the curriculum in many Secondary schools!
Although there have been dozens of books
published (over the years) on how to make
violins, never, to my knowledge, has a book
hitherto been published giving complete and
detailed instructions on how to make a
guitar.
This book has been compiled to remedy
this omission and it is hoped it will be found
of help to the many enthusiasts who wish to
make a guitar and who, I am sure, look for
ward to the satisfaction of playing on an
instrument made by their own hands.
It should be stressed that although making
a guitar, by following the instructions
given in this book, is an easy (comparatively
speaking) task to a man used to wood
working, to produce an instrument com
parable to the finest guitars extant and
here it might be mentioned that instruments
of the kind played by such world-famous
artists as Andres Segovia are valued at any
thing up to 1,000 is far from easy. Apart
from the expert selection of the various
woods used in its manufacture, the making
of a really outstanding guitar (outstanding in
craftsmanship and tonal qualities) is
generally due to the luthier's experience
gained, in most cases, over many years of
practical application in constructing count
less instruments.
Nevertheless, the amateur guitar maker-
even if he does not produce another " Stradi-
varius " will derive a lot of pleasure and
much satisfaction over the weeks (and
months) he devotes to making his master
piece take shape. If he is already a guitarist,
the satisfaction from playing a guitar made
by his own hands is immeasurable.
If the amateur guitar maker is not already
a guitarist, the production of a guitar will,
it is hoped, inspire him to become one.
I am only too well aware that, in many
cases there are several modus operandi in
the various stages of guitar construction
different luthiers preferring their own proved
methods but in this book I have been
guided by master luthier Marco Roccia who
has made (and continues to make) some of
the finest guitars ever produced in England
during the present century.
The would-be guitar maker is advised to
read through the following pages carefully
before he starts to make his first guitar
not only to become aware of the tools and
materials he will require, but to be com*
pletely conversant with all the work involved
and the various stages of its application.
The work necessary to make a guitar may
appear, at first sight, to be formidable but
many hundreds of amateur woodworkers
have made guitars, so it is not impossible
for the real enthusiast to do likewise.
" Make haste slowly " is a good maxim to
heed and by carefully following the instruc
tions in this book you too can " Make Your
Own Spanish Guitar."
A. P. SHARPE,
London, 1957.
* // you are interested in the history of the Spanish Guitar you would ftndAe, book " THE STORY OF THE
SPANISH GUITAR" by A. P. Sharpe (Clifford Essex, 15/-0 of interest. It Jpl^ complete history of the
instrument with biographies of its famous composers f personalities and pU^^A^d f in addition f contains
a special art supplement of full-page photographs of old and new guitar$]jjfnt and back view) with
details of construction and all relevant measurements. ' ' * '
A photograph of the Clifford Essex concert size
Spanish Guitar used as a model throughout this
book.
Making the Guitar
FIRST STEPS
The first consideration is the body size of
the guitar to be made. Although the guitar
is today more-or-less "standard" in body
size, different luthiers vary their measure
ments slightly. In this book the Clifford
Essex " concert size " guitar (pictured on the
preceding page) is used as a model.
Fig. 1 gives the body shape in template
form and this should be copied on to a large
sheet of fairly stout cardboard. As this
template is called into use several times, it
might be advisable to copy the shape on to
a thin sheet of zinc or aluminium or even
a sheet of plastic. It will then be easier to
transfer the shape to the actual woods to be
used Lter.
Each square shown in Fig. 1 represents
one inch.
On the large sheet of cardboard (metal or
plastic) rule off one-inch squares to cover an
area twenty inches long by eight inches wide.
As both halves of the guitar are identical,
only one half is shown.
The actual body of the guitar is con
structed inside a mould (see Fig. 2) and as
this is probably the most important part of
the luthier's (and amateur guitar maker's)
equipment, full details for making this
mould are given.
The mould can be constructed from solid
timber but for the amateur it might be found
more convenient to build it from six lamina
tions of " wood or three laminations of 1"
timber. If this is done, " cross " the grains
to give added strength to the mould.
Ordinary deal can be used provided it is
well-seasoned.
Reference to Fig. 2 will show that the
mould is made in two halves to make it easy
to remove the various parts of the guitar-
body at the appropriate times.
When cutting out the inside shape of the
mould, for which the guitar body template
is used as a marking medium, cut the mould
a fraction of an inch smaller in size so that
the mould can then be cleaned up with the
scraper and then glasspapered to the exact
size required.
Accuracy in making the mould is most
important, for on this piece of equipment de
pends the completed shape of the finished
guitar. Great care should be taken to ensure
that the " walls " of the mould are at perfect
right-angles to the flat surfaces and that the
top and bottom joins are perfect.
When an amateur makes a mould it some
times happens that a little too much wood
will be taken off in one place. This is not
. as serious as it may appear for such a mis-
11
\
Fig. 1. The template for marking out fee body shape. Each square represent V
finished mould
Fig 2. The mould in which the guitar is built Above: One half of the mould, showing how it may be
constructed from small pieces of timber. At right: Plan of the complete mould showing how the two
halves are placed together and held in position by two screwed-on end battens.
take can be corrected by either glueing in
pieces of strong brown paper, where too
much wood has been removed, or, if the mis-
.take is more serious, a thin piece of veneer
can be glued in; tapering it off at the ends
which are then glasspapered down.
It cannot be too strongly stressed that the
labour and time spent on producing a good
mould is not wasted. It is most important
that the finished mould should be perfect
the perfect guitar cannot be constructed on a
mould that is not one-hundred-per-cent.
perfect.
WOODS
On the opposite page is shown the various
woods advised for the main parts of the
guitar but it may be necessary for the ama
teur to compromise, as the ideal woods may
not always be obtainable. The important
thing is to choose the right kinds of wood,
i.e. hardwood for the back and sides; spruce
or pine for the face, etc.
Having prepared the mould to your com
plete satisfaction, the first job to be tackled
is the making of the sides of the guitar.
Two pieces of rosewood, walnut, maho
gany, maple or sycamore, each 3i" wide by
30" long and just over 3/32" thick, are
needed for making the sides of the guitar.
These pieces of wood should be planed per
fectly smooth on both sides without reducing
the material to less than 1/16" thick.
BEIVDIJVG IRON
To "shape" the sides before inserting
them into the mould it is necessary to use a
" bending iron " and details of construction
are shown in Fig. 3.
Although gas heating is advised (for this
can be more easily controlled) electric
heating can be used 1 kw. element being
sufficient. If electrical heating is used, care
should be taken to see that all
are properly earthed.
Fig. 3. Suggested construction and mounting of the bending iron. (The constructor may vary
details to suit his own purpose but it should be borne in mind that, in use, die brass tube
not iron, which will mark the wood will become hot so it should be reasonably isolated from
anything likely to be scorched).
WOOD REQUIRED
Sides: 2 pieces of rosewood, walnut, mahogany, maple or sycamore : 30" x 3-J" x ".
Linings: 2 pieces of spruce or pine: 30" x f" x f"; 2 pieces of spruce or sycamore: 30" x
r x &-.
Back: 2 pieces of rosewood, walnut, mahogany, maple or sycamore (the same wood as used fat
the sides): 20" x 7|" x ".
Face: 2 pieces of spruce or pine: 20" x 7J" x |".
Neck: 1 piece of hard rosewood, walnut or maple: 21" x 3" x 3".
Fingerboard: 1 piece of ebony, hard rosewood, or stained pearwood: l?i" x 2" x J".
In addition to the above, various pieces of spruce, ebony, etc., will be needed but these
requirements can be obtained as the need for them occur during the construction of the
guitar.
(The amateur guitar maker might find difficulty in purchasing the appropriate woods from normal
timber suppliers. The writer knows of several amateur guitar makers who have found suitable woods
in secondhand furniture shops by buying an old table or sideboard, etc. This possibility should not be
overlooked.)
SHAPING THE SIDES
One side of the guitar is first soaked in
water for 10 or 15 minutes and when the
bending iron is hot enough to almost scorch
a piece of wood placed against it, the side
(with the position of the waist having been
marked) is pressed against the tube and
Showing how the guitar side is bent over the
heated bending iron.
gentle pressure applied on each side. The
dampness of the wood and the heat coming
from the bending iron will cause the wood to
bend and the extent of the curve can be
regulated to conform to the shape of the
mould. (See photograph.)
The guitar mould should be on the bench
or table-top close to the bending iron so that
the resulting curve(s) can be frequently
checked in the mould.
It will be obvious that to make the curve
of the guitar "waist" the side is turned
over on the bending iron and pressure
applied in the opposite direction.
Whilst bending the sides, great care should
be taken not to scorch the wood, If the
bending iron is too hot it will leave scorch
marks on the sides being bent and whilst
that is not too important when bending the
sides for the upper and lower bouts of the
guitar, scorching of the wood when bending
for the waist will be difficult to remove.
pig 4 4 The two sides placed inside the mould and held in position by wooden "braces.** Protective blocks of
wood should be placed at each end of each brace to prevent the guitar sides from becoming marked.
10
It is possible for the amateur to bend the
wood too much. If this happens the bend
can be slightly straightened out by turning
the side over and lightly resting it on the
bending iron.
When both sides have been bent satis
factorily, they are placed inside the mould
and temporary braces fitted across at the
upper and lower bouts and across the waist
to keep them in position whilst they dry out.
(See Fig. 4.)
Fitting the bent sides into the mould.
It does not matter that the ends of the
sides overlap at the ends of the mould
these will be "trimmed" later.
When you are sure that the sides in the
mould are thoroughly dry at least twenty-
four hours should be allowed for this the
next thing is to mark the ends at top and
bottom of the mould and saw off square
across the width. These should then be cut
to allow for a small " V " shaped wedge of
maple or/ sycamore to be inserted. These
wedges should be the same thickness as the
sides and are driven home to prevent the
sides from springing away from the mould.
The bottom wedge is the more important
a? the top joint will later be cut away when
the neck of the guitar is fitted,
EAI> BLOCKS
The end and top blocks should next be
cut from a piece of straight-grained spruce
(see Fig. 5) and here it is important to see
that the grain of the top block runs verti
cally, to provide the greatest rigidity, and
the grain of the bottom block runs hori
zontally to give strength at the base.
nd Slocks.
Fig. 6. The top and bottom blocks fitted into position.
Curve
t
Fig. 5. Above: The top block. Below: The
bottom block. (Note direction of grain of wood.)
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These blocks, which are cut from the solid
slightly deeper than the height of the guitar
sides, are then shaped on one side to con
form to the curve of the mould; one for the
top and the other for the bottom. With the
guitar sides still held rigidly in position in
the mould by the braces (see Fig. 4) the
blocks are then glued and cramped into
position. (See Fig. 6 on previous page.)
(Although synthetic glue can be used in
making a guitar it is advised that best Scotch
or fish glue be used throughout and here it
might be mentioned that this takes from five
to eight hours to set hard, depending upon
its consistency.)
So.it>
Fig. 7. Showing how the length of spruce or pine
is shaped and then sawn almost through at inter
vals of about i". (Where the lining fits the inside
curves of the sides it may be necessary to cut
the slots closer than \" to allow the lining to
conform to the guitar shape.)
11
THE LININGS
The next step is to prepare the inside
linings, which are fitted to the bottom and
top edges of the sides. The purposes of
these linings is not only to give strength to
the sides but to increase the glueing area
when it comes to fitting the back and face of
the instrument.
The linings are of two kinds.
For the top edges of the guitar, i.e. where
the face of the instrument is later fitted, a
length of spruce or pine, f" by f" (or
slightly less) is cut to the shape shown in
Fig. 7 (a) and then sawn almost through at
about |" intervals (b) so that the length of
wood (not less than 30") can follow the
contours of the sides.
Fig. 8.
Some craftsmen prefer to make small
individual blocks (see Fig. 8) which are
gjued in all round the upper edge of the
sides. It will readily be seen that this
method is more laborious (both in pre
paring the small blocks and in fitting them)
but it does help to reduce the weight of
wood used and, in addition, allows the face
to vibrate more freely when the instrument
is played.
Whichever method it is decided to use,
once the strips of wood or small blocks are
prepared, the next process is to glue them in
position. The amateur guitar maker will
probably find that fairly large spring
clothes-pegs is the best means of holding the
strip or blocks in position as they are fitted
to the sides in the mould.
As the sides of the guitar can be lifted
slightly to project above the surface of the
mould it will be easy to clamp the clothes-
12
Lininc
Fig. 9. Fitting the top lining to the guitar sides.
pegs on to the strip or blocks. (See Fig.
9.)
TAPERING THE BODY
Before fitting the bottom lining, both
sides of the guitar at the upper bout should
be slightly tapered towards the top block.
This should be done by starting the taper
from the upper curve of the waist so that
the side view of the sides show a slight
curve as in Fig. 10. Be sure that the taper
on each side is exactly the same.
Spring -type c
qfaed lining in.
The bottom lining, Le. to which the back
of the guitar is later fitted, can be two
lengths of spruce or sycamore and these are
fitted to the sides in a similar manner as that
used for the top lining.
Although the outer edge of this lining
should be perfectly square to the edge of
the side, the top edge (the edge farthest
away from that which will later take the
back of the instrument) should be nicely
tapered off with chisel and fine glasspaper.
(See Fig. 11.)
r ace
S&yh I curve Wo. i $ t,
Fig. 10. Showing how the sides ar tapered at the upper bout (i.e. top-block end).
13
Szde
Fig. 11. Details of the bottom lining, showing
how it is tapered off after fitting.
When you are sure that both the top and
bottom finings are satisfactory, and well
glued into position, the next step is to see
that top and bottom surfaces of both the
top and bottom blocks are perfectly level
with the sides of the guitar.
Now go carefully over the work com
pleted so far and remove any surplus glue
with a small chisel, taking the greatest care
not to cut into any wood. It is very impor
tant that a perfectly smooth finish be
achieved on all inside work. Smooth sur
faces will not collect dust accumulated
dust inside a guitar can harbour damp which
will be detrimental to both instrument and
the tone it produces,
THE BACK
The next part of the instrument to be
made is the back. For this you need two
pieces of wood the same material as the
sides and these should be 20" long by about
11" wide and \" thick.
When purchasing this timber the guitar
maker can select a suitable piece of wood
the size he requires but at least -J-" more
than twice the thickness needed. (This \"
is to allow for the wastage in cutting the
timber into two pieces.) The timber mer
chant will cut the piece of timber down the
thickness on the circular saw and, when it is
" opened out," the grain in each half will
match.
These two pieces are then glued together
to form the two-piece back and care
should be taken to " marry " the grain at the
join. The " run " of the grain should be
towards the bottom of the guitar so if the
resulting board of wood is narrower at one
end, watch for this. (See Fig. 12.)
Some makers will prefer to "build up"
the back from three (or more) thin veneers.
If this is done the two outer layers should
both be " matched " for grain.
It should be mentioned that it has been
proved that a better tone is imparted to the
finished instrument by using a solid piece
of timber cut as described above.
A cabinet scraper is the best tool to use
for working the solid wood down to the re
quired thickness (or should one say "thin
ness"?). A scraper blade need only be a
piece of hard steel, about 1/16" thick, with
the scraping surface whetted perfectly
square on a fine oilstone. The other edge
of the scraper can be sharpened like the
cutting edge of a plane for rough scraping.
Fig. 12. The two pieces of wood for the back are
glued together (with the grain of the wood carefully
matched) and then the shape is marked out using
the motrid as a template.
14
Held as in the accompanying photograph,
it is possible to " shave " the wood as
desired. Be sure to keep the scraper sharp
at all times otherwise it will "tear" the
wood.
The outline of the back can be marked on
the prepared wood by removing the sides
from the mould and using the latter as a
template. When doing this, be sure that the
centre join in the back corresponds with the
centres of the top and bottom blocks, and
that the grain of the wood runs towards the
bottom of the instrument. (See Fig. 12.)
Having correctly marked out the outline
of the back, saw off the surplus wood to
about a J" margin all round the outside of
the line,
CROSS STRUTS
You now require three or four cross
struts for the back, each about f " deep and
about I" thick. These should be of the
straightest-grained spruce or pine.
The face of the struts (i.e. the surface
Fig. 13. The cross struts for the bade. The slight
curve at each end Is about &" from the straight.
fitted to the back of the guitar) must be
shaped at each end to a slight curve about
3/16" from the straight (see Fig. 13) and
great care should be taken to ensure that
each strut has a similar curve. The grain
of the struts should be from top to bottom
as shown in the diagram.
These cross struts are fitted to the back
thus:
One at a distance of 5" from the bottom
curve of the guitar; one at a distance of
4^-" from the top curve; and the final one
9J" from the bottom curve if three cross
struts are being fitted. If four cross
struts are being fitted, the top and bottom
struts are each placed 1" nearer to the top
and bottom curves of the guitar. One of the
remaining struts is fitted 3%" from th'e top
strut and the remaining strut 3J" from the
bottom strut.
COLUEmC* THE STRUTS
Glueing these struts into position is best
done by using a flat strip of wood about
3/16" thick by about 2" wide, placed under
the back of the guitar opposite where the
strut is being glued. The strip of wood
should be planed perfectly smooth and be
of even thickness throughout its length so
that it bends evenly.
Using this method it is possible to fix the
strut in position by using a small G cramp at
each end (see Fig. 14). When the cramps
are tightened the back of the guitar will
bend to conform to the curves of tlie strut
/Vole direction,
of j
Section a.1 A~f\
A
Curve,
15
Strut
Fig. 14. Showing how the cross struts are glued to the guitar back. (When the G cramps are tightened, the
guitar back will conform to the curve of the cross struts,).
When the glue is perfectly dry, these cross
struts are then shaped at the ends and along
the entire length as shown in Fig. 15 and
finally glasspapered perfectly smooth.
A central strut, from top block to bot-
SecZio-n a A- A.
torn block, is next fitted. This " seals '' the
centre join in the back and prevents any
possibility of it opening. This strut, which
will be in four (or five) sections depending
upon the number of cross struts used is
glued in between the cross struts and is
prepared from a piece of spruce or syca
more about 1" wide and not more than
about 1/16" high at its centre, the edges
being scraped down to a feather edge before
fitting. (See Fig. 16.)
Now clean up the work done by carefully
removing any surplus glue with a chisel and
finally glasspapering all the struts.
Fig. 16. Showing {he completed strutting of the
guitar back.
Fig. 15. When fitted to the back the cross struts are then shaped at the ends and over their entire length as
shown in this diagram,
16
FITTUVG THE BACK
Place the back on the mould and mark at
the sides of the guitar where the cross struts
come on the side linings. The struts them
selves are then cut off about 1/16" short of
the outline of the guitar as marked on the
back and small recesses cut into the lining
on each side of the guitar. Great care
should be taken to see that these recesses do
not enter the actual sides of the guitar. The
recesses should be in the lining strip only!
If this operation is correctly and success
fully carried out it should be possible to
place the back of the guitar on the sides
(which are, of course, still in the mould) so
that the back struts fall neatly and easily
into the recesses previously cut in the linings
to take them. If they do not, any little
fouling can be located by rubbing a piece
of coloured chalk over the end of the cross
struts and trying to fit the back to the sides
again. This will leave a small chalk mark
on the lining where the offending strut(s)
does not fall into the recess.
It is most important that the back of the
guitar should " fall into place " without any
forcing whatsoever. If this operation is
successfully completed the sides will hold
the back in position without strain on either
sides or back. It has been said that this
easy fitting of back to sides has a marked
effect on the tone that will emerge from the
finished guitar, for it has been found that a
guitar possesses a better tone when back
and sides fit together without forcing. It
probably has something to do with the wood
not being under stress at these points and
thus allows for freer vibration.
THE FACE OR Fit OAT
Now we start to work on the face (or
front) of the guitar. The ideal material is
radially-sawn silver spruce, or pine, of the
straightest and closest grain. This, like the
back, is made from two pieces of wood
joined together, with the narrowest (closest)
grain in the centre. The finished thickness
should not be more than 3/32" overall;
although the area on the treble side of the
guitar can be slightly thinner to make the
instrument " speak " better.
When the two pieces have been joined to
gether, the outline of the front is marked
out and then cut in the same way as
employed for the back. As you did
cutting out the back, leave about " margin
all round the outside of the outline of the
front.
At a point 5%" from the top of the
marked outline, and exactly on the centre
join, put a small dot. On the under face
side of the front, glue a small square of
hardwood (about \\" square \" thick).
This will later help to take the pressure of
the cutting tool. Then, with a pair of com
passes or dividers, scribe a circle 3-f" dia
meter with the centre exactly on the pre
viously-marked dot. This is to be the
finished size of the soundhole of the guitar.
Allowing a fraction of an inch for final
cleaning up, cut out this circle and here
different workers will have their own
methods. For the amateur guitar maker it
would be best to use a cutting tool or very
sharp pointed knife.
Clean up the edge of the cut-out hole to
the final size and then carefully inspect the
edge to see if at any point the grain of the
wood has been torn. Mark the least per
fect side of the wood to be the " inside."
It is usual to inlay round the soundhole
and for this work it will be necessary to use
a small cutting gauge. Working from inside
the soundhole, shallow cuts are made and
the wood removed from the resulting chan
nels with a narrow chisel. Great care must
be taken not to make the cuts too deep.
(Not more than half the thickness of the
wood is sufficient.)
The design and number of inlays can be
decided by the maker. Purfling of the type
used on violins can be purchased from most
crafts shops, in various colours, to form a
pleasing pattern. Here the individual's
aesthetic outlook can be exercised.
Most Spanish guitars have a simple circu
lar design of alternating black and white
woods, as shown in Fig. 17 (a, b and c) but
if the worker wishes he could copy one of
the more elaborate marquetry inlays such as
shown in Fig. 17 (d) or even produce a
design of his own.
When all the inlaying of the purfling has
been completed and time allowed for the
glue to dry, it is smoothed down to the
level of the face of the guitar with the
scraper and finished off with fine glass-
paper.
17
Fig. 17. Some suggested designs for inlays round
the soundhole. a. b. and c. use plain inlays of black
wood; d. can be built up of different coloured
woods.
r.XDERFACE STRUTS
The next job to undertake is the making
and fitting of the cross braces and struts to
the underface of the front. Full details are
given in Fig. 18.
It may be wondered why the face of the
guitar is made in (to the amateur guitar
maker) such a complex pattern. The simple
answer is in the high degree of flexibility
required. To be responsive over the wide
range of the guitar's compass, the face of
the instrument must be thin and being
thin, it cannot withstand the stress imposed
upon it by the strings. Thus arises the need
for cross-bars and struts as reinforcement
against string pull and for making sure that
the face vibrates as a whole unit. In addi
tion, of course, the struts give mechanical
strength to a naturally weak piece of wood
being fixed across the grain.
First, two main cross struts about \" wide
(as shown in the diagram) are cut from
straight-grained spruce or pine and these are
fitted in a similar manner to the struts fitted
to the back. Next, two pieces of spruce or
pine are fitted on each side of the soundhole
and another piece of similar material glued
between the soundhole and the top block.
The purpose of these is to take pressure at
these points and to prevent the splitting of
the front of the guitar.
Having successfully fitted these struts, we
now come to the " fan-strutting " under that
portion of the front where the bridge is
fitted.
Different luthiers have (and have had)
their own ideas of where these struts should
be positioned; their number; and how long
(and how thick) they should be. It is sugges
ted that about i" wide struts be used. In case
the amateur guitar maker wishes to experi
ment, Fig. 19 shows details of fan-strutting
by several past luthiers. We will proceed to
give details of the design evolved by Marco
Roccia.
The struts seven in number are of
varying length and density and if the face
of the guitar is to have a slight " arch " (and
it should be mentioned that many Spanish
guitars today are made without this arch,
18
r^/i from cross slrut*
A-AndJB-,
'/ &>ttcd line shows
fiosiiion ofiridy*.
Fig. 18. Details of the strutting of the guitar face.
19
Fig. 19. Diagrams of types of fan strutting used by famous
luthiers. a. Panormo (" in the Spanish style "). b. Martin.
c. Torres, d. Yacopi. e. Bouchet (the transverse bar is
glued in the centre only).
i.e. they have a perfectly flat face) the struts
will have to be slightly curved as shown in
Fig. 20. Each strut must have an identical
curve so that the face of the guitar becomes
evenly arched when they are glued in
position.
(It will be found easier for the amateur
guitar maker to build an instrument without
an arched front.)
Fig. 20. Diagram showing how each strut of the
fan strutting should be slightly curved at each end
if the guitar is to have an arched front
The centre upright strut should be 8"
long with not more than -J-" rise in the
centre, being tapered off in a long feather
edge to each end. The top of the strutting
should also be rounded off in its entire length.
Each strut is fitted to the face of the guitar
separately, being cramped from the sound-
hole and the bottom edge of the face.
(If you make a guitar with an " arched *'
front the slight curve on each of the struts
will, if fitted correctly, give a curve to the
front in two directions crosswise and
lengthwise.)
Too much time cannot be spent on
" finishing " this fan-strutting. Each should
have a long feather edge to each end and be
nicely tapered and rounded off down its
entire length. All struts should be free from
surplus glue and be glasspapered to a glass-
like finish.
20
FITTING TBUB FROIVT
When all this work has been completed
satisfactorily the next job is to cut the re
cesses ;n the top linings to take the two main
cross struts fitted to the face. Follow exactly
the same procedure as you did for the fitting
of the back.
At this point it will be wise to " recap."
to see what we have completed so far.
We have the sides to which we have top
and bottom linings, top and end blocks, fitted.
We have the back, complete with cross struts
in position and centre strut running down its
entire length. The face of the guitar is
finished, with soundhole cut out and purfling
inlays surrounding it; cross struts, streng
thening bars and fan-strutting in position.
Both back and front of the guitar fall neatly
and cleanly into position when placed on the
sides in the mould.
All work has been carefully cleaned up.
No surplus glue has been left and everything
is nicely glasspapered to a perfectly smooth
finish.
GLUEING BACK AND FRONT
Now we come to fixing the back and front
to the sides but before we can attempt this
we must " seal " the grain of the top and
bottom blocks. If these blocks are not
thoroughly "sealed," when we come to
glueing the back and front of the guitar into
position the end blocks will soak up the glue
like blotting-paper absorbing ink and our
work at these points will not grip.
Thoroughly " size " both end faces of the
two blocks with thin glue, going over them
two or three times (or even more, if neces
sary) at intervals after each coating has had
ample time to set hard. Sufficient coats of
glue must be applied to form a " seal " to
the pores of the wood and the job is only
thoroughly done when a layer of glue forms
on the surfaces of the blocks. When this
happens the hard coating is rasped off to
the actual level of the wood.
Before attempting to glue the back to the
sides, first carefully go round the surface of
the lining and edges of the sides with a
roughing tool taking care not to spoil the
level surface. (A fine hacksaw blade can
be used for this job.) Then, with a thin
glue, lightly brush the two surfaces to be
glued together the edge of the back
(keeping to a margin of about f " or %" from
the edge and covering the area on the back
to be glued) and the top surface of the lining
and the edge of the guitar sides.
When this thinly - applied glue is
thoroughly set, we can proceed to the actual
fitting of the back to the sides. For this
you will need a number of G cramps, large
enough to be fitted over the outer edges of
the mould, or the amateur guitar maker can
improvise by making a number of hard
wood clips as shown in Fig. 21.
These clips are made with the space be
tween the jaws about \" more than the
Fig. 21. Details of an improvised cramp (to
replace the more expensive G cramps) for use in
fitting the back and front of the guitar to the sides.
Below: Details of a wedge, two of which are used
in each cramp for "tightening" ft when in
position.
21
Fig. 22. The back of the guitar in position for cramping.
depth of the mould plus the thickness of the
guitar back.
In use the clips are placed in position and
then two previously-prepared wedges (as
shown in Fig. 21) are used to tighten them.
(See Fig. 22.)
As the glueing of the back to the sides is
quite a "major" operation it will be wise
to see that everything needed for the job is
at hand before starting it.
Your requirments will be: a pot of very
hot not-too-thick glue; a small clean glueing
brush; a thin steel knife blade (an old table
knife will do); two long-tongued G cramps
with an opening of 4" or more; and at
least two dozen of the prepared clips (men
tioned above) and four dozen of the small
wooden wedges.
You will also need a "glueing frame"
and this is illustrated in Fig. 23.
This can be cut from thick cardboard,
3-ply wood or even hardboard. The shape
of the guitar is marked on the material
(using the guitar mould as a template) and
then it is cut to shape by allowing about -J"
each side of the outline of the guitar.
Fig. 23. "Glueing Frame 59 for use when fixing
back and front of the guitar to the sides. This frame
is made from hard cardboard, 3-ply wood or
hardboard.
22
FITTING THE BACK
Everything readily to hand, we can pro
ceed to fit the back . . . with the sides still
in the mould. If the fitting of the back is
attempted with the sides out of the mould,
the finished guitar will surely be out of
shape.
First brush a thin coat of glue over the
surfaces of the blocks and all round the top
surface of the linings. Next place the back
in position, seeing that the cross struts fall
easily into place in the recesses cut in the
linings. Then, having previously wanned
over a gas flame the glueing frame, put this
on top of the back and fix two large G
cramps in position; one over each of the end
blocks.
Working from each of these clamps, pro
ceed round each side; placing a wood clip
in position as you go. Particular care
should be taken at the waist on each side.
The thin knife blade dipped in hot water
and slid between back and sides can be used
to revive the glue in any place.
The above operation should be done as
quickly as possible but without undue haste,
otherwise the glue will begin to set and be
come too hard to grip.
If the glued surfaces have been prepared
correctly it should not be necessary to add
any more glue.
Finally, when it is certain that the back
has been secured all round the sides and that
all the wedges holding the clips are tighty
take a clean rag and, after dipping it in hot
water and having wrung it out tightly, wipe
all round the inside joint of the back and
sides to remove any surplus glue squeezed
out by the cramping. If you have followed
the instructions carefully, very little surplus
glue should appear.
The completed assembly should then be
put on one side on a level surface for from
four to six hours (or more) to allow the glue
to set properly.
When the time comes, the face of the
guitar is fitted in a similar manner to the
back and when this operation has been
finished, and time allowed for the glue to
set, the body can be removed from the
mould and surplus wood overhanging the
sides can be trimmed off with a chisel or
very sharp knife; care being taken to keep
the finished edges of both back and face in
perfect line with the sides of the instrument.
THE NECK
The body of the guitar can now be laid
aside and we start to make the neck of the
instrument.
For this you will need a piece of hard
rosewood, walnut or maple (or other suit-
w///////r///s//&//w
Fig. 24 (a), Details of the guitar neck, cot from a solid piece of timber.
cut au>a
23
Head spliced on.
Heel baill
up ?o 3 '.
Fig. 24 (b). Using timber " built up " to give the required bulk at the heel and slant at head.
Fig. 25. The laminated neck. The laminations should
be so used that the grains of the insets are in diametrical
opposition to each other.
able wood), 21" long, 3" wide and at least
3" deep.
It is best to carve the complete neck from
one piece of timber but this, as will be seen,
results in a lot of waste. First-class luthiers
always cut a neck from the solid timber but
the cheaper-made guitars often have a
built-up neck, from three or more pieces.
Both methods are shown in Fig. 24 (a and b).
An additional refinement is to splice the
entire length of the neck. This not only
gives added strength (preventing any subse
quent warping or twisting of the neck) but
also gives an additional "finish" if con
trasting woods are used. (See Fig. 25.)
Once the rough shape of the neck has
been cut out (or built up) the next step is
to shape it roughly with a drawknife or
rasp. (Refer to Fig. 24 (a) for the measure
ments of the finished neck and allow about
J" margin over these measurements.)
The head of the neck is cut to its finished
shape (see Fig. 26) and faced with ebony
(or rosewood). The sides of the head
having been finished "square," the holes
for the machine-head rollers are drilled out.
(It is impossible to give measurements for
this operation. The guitar maker will have
to be guided by the machine-heads he has
purchased. The only measurement that can
be given is that the holes to take the rollers
should be about 1/16" to \" more in depth
than the length of the rollers.)
These holes should be drilled at right
angles to the sides of the head of the neck.
Next mark out the roller dots on the face
of the head and these are best cut by first
drilling several holes slightly smaller in dia-
24
Fig. 26. Details of the guitar head.
meter than the width of the roller slots,
finishing off the slots with a sharp chisel or
fretsaw. The "walls" of the slots should
be at right angles to the face of the head.
The head can, of course, be shaped to any
pattern fancied every luthier has his own
particular idea about the shape of his guitar
head, just as violin makers choose their own
particular scroll for their instruments but
an important point to watch is that when
the strings are eventually fitted they should
not foul each other on their way to the
machine-head rollers. In other words, each
string should go to its own particular roller
and, in so doing, be clear of its neighbouring
string(s).
THE FINGERBOARD
After the face of the neck has been planed
perfectly level, the next step is to prepare
the fingerboard which will later be glued on
to the neck. This is best made of ebony
but the amateur guitar maker may have to
compromise with a hard rosewood or walnut
or, as is used on some of the cheaper
imported guitars, black-stained pearwood.
The finished fingerboard will be 17%"
long by " thick; 2|" wide at one end and
about 2" wide at the other. Care should
be taken in preparing both sides of the
ebony (taking great pains to see that the
fingerboard is perfectly straight throughout
its entire length) and, when this is done,
mark a centre pencil line down the better
side.
Now we come to the marking of the fret
positions and a lot depends upon this
operation, for if it is not done correctly the
finished guitar will not play in tune.
Great care must be taken over this work.
It would be wise to first mark the fret
positions on a narrow strip of zinc or
aluminium and, when this is completed, the
markings can be transferred to the centre
pencil line on the fingerboard with a fine-
pointed scribing tool.
THE FRETS
There are several methods of deciding the
positions for the frets but the simplest, for
the amateur guitar maker is what is known
as the 17.835 rule.
In this, one takes the instrument's scale
length (in our case, 25" the distance from
nut to bridge) and, having marked this dis
tance on our strip of zinc or aluminium it
is divided by 17.835, which gives the posi
tion of the first fret the fret nearest to the
nut. Then the distance from the first fret
to the bridge is again divided by 17.835
and this gives the position of the second
fret. Then the distance from the second fret
to the bridge is again divided by 17.835
and this gives the position of the third fret;
and so on until all the fret positions are
marked.
As a check, the twelfth fret should be
exactly halfway between nut and bridge, and
the seventh fret two-thirds of the distance
from nut to 12th fret.
^ When measuring scale length we take, the
distance from the inner edge of the nut (i.e.
the side of the nut nearer the fingerboard) to
the inner edge of the bridge saddle (i.e. the
edge nearer the soundhole).
Having transferred our markings cor
rectly to the centre line on the fingerboard,
we can now return to the neck of the guitar.
Marking the inner edge of the nut in its
correct position on the neck, we use the zinc
markings of the fret positions to find where
the twelfth fret will be. (This should be
12 13/16" (i.e. half of our scale length of
25f ".) This is the point where the neck will
join the body of the guitar.
Prepare a dovetail at the end of the neck,
tapering to the base (see Fig. 27) and cut
the corresponding tapered slot in the top
block of the body. This dovetail joint
should allow the neck to fall slightly (i.e. the
neck at the nut should be slightly (about |")
below the level of the guitar face) and
constant checking should be done with a
straightedge to ensure that this " set " of the
arm is correct.
The " set " of the neck can be checked as
follows:
of neck.
zZ J/oZ cuf in
block.
Fig. 27.- The dovetail at the end of the neck
(above) and the corresponding dovetail slot in the
top block of the guitar body.
26
Place a f " high flat piece of wood on the
face of the guitar where the bridge will even
tually be fitted this position can be ascer
tained by measuring the distance from nut
to where the neck joins the body and
marking this same distance (from where the
neck joins the body) on the face of the
guitar.
Another small piece of wood f " high
placed where the nut will be fitted will give
the second point for testing. Hold the
straightedge or a taut piece of string between
these two pieces of wood and the clearance
above where the neck joins the body should
not more than f ". When the fingerboard
is finally fitted to the neck it will give a final
string clearance at the twelfth fret of about J".
The dovetail groove in the top block and
the dovetail on the end of the neck are
chiselled away, little by little, until the cor
rect set of the neck is secured.
During this operation, constantly check that
the centre line of the neck follows the centre
join of the guitar face.
The neck should be bedded down to
within a little more than f" of the back of
the guitar, to allow for a piece of ebony to
be glued on to "finish" the base of the heel.
When you are certain that (a) you have a
good dovetail joint; (b) the centre of the
neck follows the centre join of the guitar
face; (c) that the " set " of the neck gives
the correct string clearance where the neck
joins the body you can then put the neck
on one side and proceed to the fitting of the
banding and purfling to the front and back
edges of the guitar body.
FITTING THE BAJVDOG
The fitting of banding and purfling to the
front and back edges of the guitar body is
an operation for which you need a cutting
gauge first set to J". With this tool, cut
away the edge of the front of the guitar to
a rebate (see Fig. 28). This rebate should
be about the thickness of the sides of the
guitar not more.
When this rebate has been made true with
a small chisel and cleaned up, a band of
sycamore or other hard wood of contrasting
colour to the sides of the guitar is fixed in
with glue.
It might be found easier to bend this
banding into shape first on the bending
iron.
When it is fitted to the guitar it can be
kept in position whilst the glue is setting by
binding tape or soft string across and right
round the body of the instrument.
Two lengths of banding will be re-
z<*e.
cal
line.
icn fo be.
j&ce <xf 2b fandzxj
cat oul fir jhtrflixg.
Fig. 28. Details of the method of fitting the banding and purfling to the front and back edges of the guitar.
RxrflLrtj inse
*cr*f>*<Z Jcaen. &
level of face <*nc(.
27
quired and the work of fitting should be
done from the sides of the dovetail slot cut
in the top block to the end of the instru
ment, where a neat join is made.
It is not advisable to use plastic banding
on a Spanish guitar.
Proceed to band the back of the guitar in
a similar manner.
It adds a nice appearance to the front of
the instrument if a band or two of purfling
is inserted inside the banding on the face
and below it on the sides. This purfling
which can be two or more bands of con
trasting woods as shown at (a) and (b) in
Fig. 29 is inset to about one third of the
thickness of the face and sides.
purfling should be scraped down to the level
of the face and sides and finally smoothed
off with fine glasspaper. The corner of the
banding can then be neatly rounded with
fine glasspaper.
GLIEEYG THE FIAGERBOARD
We can now glue the fingerboard to the
neck, having first successfully glued the lat
ter into the body.
Here it might be mentioned that the fret
slots are cut after the fingerboard is fitted to
the neck. If they were cut before fitting the
fingerboard the slots in the wood would
cause it to buckle and make it difficult for
glueing.
The fingerboard not only covers the face
of the neck but extends over the front of
the guitar up to the top arc of the soundhole
so, before attempting to glue the fingerboard
in position, mark that part of the guitar front
that will be covered and roughen it slightly.
Well warm both sides of the fingerboard
before glueing it (using very strong glue for
this work) and, when it has been placed in
position on the neck (making certain that
o.l A- A.
Fig. 29. Showing how a band or two of black
purfHng (which adds to the appearance of the
guitar) can be fitted inside the banding on the face
and below it on the sides.
Before attempting to fit this purfling the
banding must be finished off square with
side and face to enable the cutting gauge or
scratcher to have a true guide.
PURFEIXG
Set the cutting tool to exactly the same
width as the purfling it is proposed to in
lay and go round the edge of the guitar; cut
ting a neat channel in the face just inside the
banding. Do the same with the sides,
cutting the neat channel just below the
banding.
Brush some thin glue into the channel
(seeing that it covers the bottom and the two
walls) and then gently press the purfling in
with the blade of the table-knife slightly
heated over a gas flame. If the channels
have been cut correctly, only gentle pressure
will be needed to " bed down " the purfling.
Section oJC-
After the glue has had time to set, the Fig. 36. Diagram giving details of the guitar neck.
28
the marked twelfth fret comes exactly
where the neck joins the body of the guitar),
hold it in position with several G cramps
throughout its length. By using a piece of
leather or wood, the same width as the
fingerboard, over its entire length, cramp
marks will be avoided.
Inside the guitar, under the overlapping
part of the fingerboard, use another piece
of wood to enable another G cramp to be
used to hold this part of the fingerboard in
position whilst the glue is setting.
When the glue is set the shape of the
neck can be finished off. with rasp and glass
paper. Details are given in Fig. 30.
CUTTEVCJ THE FRET SLOTS
Now we come to the actual cutting of the
slots to take the fretwire.
These slots must be at right angles to the
centre line of the fingerboard.
Making sure you are cutting at right
angles to the centre line, cut the slots on the
previously marked positions, using a small
fine-toothed " Gents " saw and cutting about
1/1 6" deep.
Fretwire is supplied in " T " section and,
if you have a choice, choose nickel-silver
wire rather than brass. Before attempting
to fit the fretwire it will be necessary to ser
rate the upright of the " T." This can be
done by gently tapping it, with the edge of
an old file or the chisel-end of a small ham
mer, with the wire held against some hard
surface an old-fashioned flat iron with its
handle gripped in a vice will be found to be
ideal. Care should be taken with this
operation just enough pressure being given
to the blows to burr the edge of the upright
of the wire. If the fretwire is hit too hard
the "playing surface" will lose its even
contour.
Most luthiers run a little thin glue or
painter's knotting along the upright of the
wire before inserting it into the fret slot.
This does not, in any way, make the wire
"hold" better but it can prevent any pos
sible vibration of the fret when the instru
ment comes to be played.
It might be found easier to cut the fret-
wire into the required lengths before inser
ting it in the slots. If you proceed in this
manner, cut the lengths of wire a fraction
of an inch longer than needed and lay the
lengths out in order on a piece of wood
placed on the bench beside you as you pre
pare them. The luthier uses a long length
of wire, and after tapping one fret in posi
tion, files it off at the required length.
FITTING THE FKETS
When fitting the fretwire, first run the
glue or knotting along the upright and then
tap it home with a small hammer; taking
great care to see that the blows are evenly
distributed along the entire length of the
wire. If you err in this respect you will find
the wire will have a tendency to buckle at
the ends.
When all the frets have been successfully
fitted, the ends are first filed flush with the
fingerboard (taking care not to take off
wood from the sides of the fingerboard) and
then carefully rounded off with a small flat
file, held in a lengthwise direction, so that
each fret end is finished off at the same
angle. (See Fig. 31.)
evicts ,
Fig. 31. After all the frets have been fitted the
ends of each fret are rounded off.
Now check the fretting by placing a steel
straightedge along the fingerboard. If any
one fret is higher than its immediate neigh
bour it should be bedded down by gently
tapping it with the hammer. If any faults
in fretting cannot be corrected in this way,
Checking the fretting.
29
take a large flat file, lay it on the surface
of the frets and pass it from end to end of
the fingerboard. If this takes off any appre
ciable amount of metal from any fret (or
frets), these particular frets should be
rounded off with fine emery cloth to restore
their correct contour.
A final finish can be given to the whole
fingerboard by rubbing all the frets from
end to end of the fingerboard with fine
emery cloth placed over a small block of
wood.
Where the ebony fingerboard overlaps
the soundhole of the guitar, cut this away to
the arc of the soundhole. If preferred, the
end of the fingerboard can be bevelled off
with fine glasspaper.
To complete the fingerboard, fit small
ivory dots in the upper edge (Le. the bass-
string side) midway between the 4th and 5th
frets; midway between the 6th and 7th
frets; and midway between the 8th and 9th
frets. These are a guide to the " positions "
when playing the guitar. (See Fig. 32.)
Frets.
Small ivory dot.
Fig. 32. Small ivory dots are inserted in the upper edge
of the fingerboard between the 4th and 5th frets; the 6th
and 7th frets; and the 8th and 9th frets. These act as
position guides when playing the guitar.
FITTING THE MACHINE HEADS
You are now ready to fit the machine
heads.
Various types of machine heads can be
purchased, and having bought the best you
can afford with bone (or plastic) rollers
you may find they have inside rivets slightly
protruding from the plates holding the
rollers. These will have to be countersunk
into the wood so that the machines fit flush
to the sides of the head.
The machine heads should fall easily
into position without any forcing of the
rollers into their holes. The rollers should
settle into the centre spine of the head to a
depth of about 1/16" or |". If they are
too short a shaving from the outside edges
of the head can remedy this.
Do not screw on the machine heads yet.
The bridge and nut having been made
(full details are given in Figs. 33 and 34) we
are now ready to polish the guitar, but
before this is started the whole instrument
should have a final cleaning up, and for this
you will need various grades of glasspaper
ranging from Fine \\ to Fine 0.
Glasspaper all the darker wood first
(wiping away the resultant dust as you go
along) for if you, say, clean the face of the
guitar first you will find that dust from the
darker wood will (however careful you may
be) have stained the face and then you will
have that job to do over again.
POLISHING
Before the bridge is fitted it is necessary
to varnish or French polish the whole of the
instrument except the face of the finger
board !
Before starting to polish the instrument,
lightly mark the correct position for the
bridge on the face of the guitar and glue a
piece of thin paper over the area to be
occupied by the bridge. (When the polish is
hard, this piece of paper is stripped off and
the bridge glued on. Temporary internal
struts or stays are placed inside the guitar
under the bridge so that the necessary pres
sure can be applied whilst the glue is setting).
Although the amateur guitar maker is
unlikely to produce the high gloss "piano
finish " of the skilled french-polisher, with a
little patient practice he can produce excel
lent results. It might be advisable to start
by using an odd piece of wood to practice
on. When fairly proficient, the actual
guitar can be polished.
It might be desirable to stain the wood
of the back and sides of the guitar and if
this is to be done the appropriate stain
(obtainable from hardware shops) should be
added to the filler.
"Filler" can also be purchased from
hardware shops but thinned down * Ala-
bastine" may be used.
The surface to be polished must be abso
lutely smooth.
Rub the filler into the wood with a clean
rag, working across the grain, and when the
filler is perfectly dry, rub down the surface
with fine glasspaper; working this time
with the grain.
Finally, rub the surface with a hard pad
of cotton material on which has been
dropped a little linseed oil. The guitar is
now ready for the actual polishing.
Bottles of french polish can be purchased
from appropriate shops and the guitar
maker should see that he purchases clear
polish.
For the operation of polishing you will
need some cotton-wool and a few pieces
(about 9" square) of clean white cotton or
thin linen.
Pour a little of the french polish on to a
piece of cotton-wool and wrap this in one
of the squares of cotton or linen twisting
the surplus cotton to give a hold on what
is called the polisher's "rubber." Holding
the rubber between thumb and first two
fingers, go over the whole surface to be
polished with overlapping strokes, using
fairly light pressure. Keep the circular
motion moving all the time and be sure you
are covering every portion of the surface
being polished.
This process should be repeated three or
four times, re-charging the rubber with
polish as necessary.
It is important that the amount of polish
used each time becomes less and less with
subsequent coats and the pressure on the
rubber gradually increased. It is also im
portant that the rubber is moving all the
time it is on the guitar surface. If the rub
ber is inclined to "stick" in use, apply a
spot of linseed oil to the surface of it.
Once the whole surfaces to be polished
have been given one "coat," put the rubber
away in an airtight tin for future use.
Allow the polish to harden overnight and
then rub it down with flour-grade glass-
paper following the grain of the wood all
the time.
Two or three further applications of polish
can be applied at intervals, using the same
procedure as described above.
When all this work has been completed
the final and critical operation known in
the trade as " spiriting-off " has to be done.
For this you need a new rubber and, instead
of polish, you apply a few drops of methy
lated spirit to the cotton-wool.
Zeva.fi on
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Section al 3-3.
Direction
siring holes
Section.
<* C-C.
g. 33. Details of the guitar bridge (made of rosewood or ebony) and its ivory saddle. N.B. The bridge saddle
is NOT slotted for fte strings.
31
Apply the rubber with light, even strokes
first of all going over the guitar's surface
with large figure-of-eight motions and then
from end to end of the grain. It is impor
tant that the whole polished surface be
covered in this latter operation.
If you apply too much pressure in the
spiri ting-off you will undo all the work you
have put into the polishing. If it is done
properly, the instrument will acquire a finish
of which you will be proud.
The polishing of the instrument should be
done with the greatest of care for careful
polishing will not only enhance the
appearance of the instrument but successful
" sealing " of the woods will add to the tone
of the guitar.
POSITION OF BRIDGE
When polishing has been completed to the
maker's satisfaction, the bridge and nut can
be glued into position and here I give a tip
which, to my knowledge, has never before
appeared in print.
-z'lt-
JJ IL
Sfrina
'
34. The nut made from ivory, (a) The con
ventional nut (b) The new Essex-Roccia nut
Before fitting the nut, cut away from the
top of the fingerboard (reducing the distance
to the first fret) a width of wood equivalent
to the clear height of the nut. As the height
of the nut above the fingerboard is -fa" the
first-fret-to-nut distance will be reduced by
*".
A long technical reason could be given for
this slight modification in scale length but,
in brief, the reason is to compensate for the
displacement of the sounding length of the
strings when stopped by the left-hand fingers.
Checking the string " action " for height of bridge
saddle.
The bridge is glued into position as
previously described great care being taken
to ensure that it does not move while being
cramped into position.
Before stringing the guitar the final job is
to fit an end knob.
A hole is drilled into the bottom block
through the end (see Fig. 35). The end
knob is usually turned from a piece of ebony
and one can be purchasd for a few shillings.
Fig. 35. The ebony end knob, fitted to the base
of the guitar.
if the amateur guitar maker does not possess
a lathe.
The purpose of the end knob is to prevent
damage to the guitar at the base of the
instrument and for attaching a sling, if the
guitarist wishes to play standing.
It should be emphasised that the end knob
is not glued in; die hole in the end block
being made so that the knob can be pushed
home tight
32
Having fitted the machine heads, we are
now ready to fit strings to the guitar and
gut and silk-covered, or nylon and nylon-
covered, strings should only be used on the
Spanish guitar. Never fit plain wire or
wire-covered strings!
How the strings are fitted to bridge and
machine head is shown in Fig. 36.
a..
free end cf
Direct-ion of
Zurniny
Fig. 36. The method of fixing the strings. Above: How the strings are affixed to the bridge. Below: How they
are attached to the machine-head rollers.
Whether you study the guitar as a solo instrument or as an accompaniment to the voice,
it is wise to produce the best results of which the instrument is capable. The guitar is
probably the most satisfying musical instrument ever conceived by man it responds perfectly
to the player's mood, being pensive or cheerful at will and, as such, is worthy of serious study.
Printed literature (tutors, books of studies, solos, duets, etc.) abound and no student of the
instrument need ever be short of worthwhile music to play no matter what degree of ability
he has reached. The Clifford Essex Co. will be pleased to send you a folder of leaflets relating
to the Spanish Guitar in which will be found details of tutors, albums, solos and accessories.
It is free on request.
Printed in Great Britain by Lowe & Brydone (Printers) Ltd., London, N.W.10
112596
