greenscoe
Well-known member
Here we have 2 tenors, the first conventional tenors that I have made since August 2018. Both are made from recycled materials. One is in sapele, the other sapele with a mahogany soundboard. They have a rosette, head strip, purfling/binding in walnut and maple
The sapele came from a mantle piece, the mahogany was found in my attic, left by a previous owner more than 30 yrs ago. Both have a strip down the back because the timber wasn’t wide enough for a 2 piece back: I chose not to use a contrasting wood for this and the end grafts.
Normally I build one instrument at a time but recently I have been building instruments in parallel. The squarer box is from my original mould, the rounder one from my current mould. They were built in January and have been finished to a high gloss using Tru oil. This has required many coats, much patience ( which I lack ) and time to harden before polishing. This is a task I hate, but for a hobby maker, shellac or Tru oil seem to me to be the only choices for a decent finish.
The necks/fretboards started life in China, the necks have loose/floating tenon and bolt. I have used a zero fret for the first time on both. I have also used Der Jung machine heads for the fist time, which appear to be superior to Grovers. The ukes are strung with Seagur line with low G.
I took no photos during the builds, as these follow all my previous constructional elements: laminated linings, upper transverse brace tied to neck block, and my own system of modified fan bracing.
I am happy with the appearance of both instruments but prefer my newer more rounded soundbox (sapele/mahogany). I am also pleased with the rosettes/head decoration. Inlay work isn’t for me: this is as much bling as I can do!
Soundwise, both are similar, they are loud, mellow and have lots of sustain. The mahogany soundboard perhaps sounds better (sweeter) but maybe I am just “listening with my eyes”.
The sapele came from a mantle piece, the mahogany was found in my attic, left by a previous owner more than 30 yrs ago. Both have a strip down the back because the timber wasn’t wide enough for a 2 piece back: I chose not to use a contrasting wood for this and the end grafts.
Normally I build one instrument at a time but recently I have been building instruments in parallel. The squarer box is from my original mould, the rounder one from my current mould. They were built in January and have been finished to a high gloss using Tru oil. This has required many coats, much patience ( which I lack ) and time to harden before polishing. This is a task I hate, but for a hobby maker, shellac or Tru oil seem to me to be the only choices for a decent finish.
The necks/fretboards started life in China, the necks have loose/floating tenon and bolt. I have used a zero fret for the first time on both. I have also used Der Jung machine heads for the fist time, which appear to be superior to Grovers. The ukes are strung with Seagur line with low G.
I took no photos during the builds, as these follow all my previous constructional elements: laminated linings, upper transverse brace tied to neck block, and my own system of modified fan bracing.
I am happy with the appearance of both instruments but prefer my newer more rounded soundbox (sapele/mahogany). I am also pleased with the rosettes/head decoration. Inlay work isn’t for me: this is as much bling as I can do!
Soundwise, both are similar, they are loud, mellow and have lots of sustain. The mahogany soundboard perhaps sounds better (sweeter) but maybe I am just “listening with my eyes”.