Topic: Fraulini Guitars

[GhostRider]

Hey:

If UB and Slack were seen in a public place with those shirts on and UB spouting "hubba, hubba", they probably would have been arrested.

Alex

[thumbstyle]

I made some changes to the website over the weekend - the inventory page includes some new guitars and prices...? worth a look.

Frankie's been busy, too! That's an extremely nice web site, Frank. Good content, great look.

The guitar porn ain't bad, neither!

Dave

[frankie]

Frankie's been busy, too! That's an extremely nice web site, Frank. Good content, great look.

Thanks - I'm kinda remedial at actual web design, but as we find out from the space program - anything will fly if you throw it hard enough...

The guitar porn ain't bad, neither!

Heh - they sound better than they look!

[Cambio]

Here are some pictures of the Larson Bros. copy that I just finished.? Will Bremmer of Spruce Tree Music, in Madison WI, commisioned me to build it and lent me his 1929 Stahl Style 6 for the job.? Using the Stahl and some of the Larson's old Patent drawings, I made a set of plans and built the guitar.
The Larsons were exceptionally innovative builders and were far ahead of their time.? They were some of the first builders to make guitars that were intended to use heavier gauge steel strings.? They held patents for X bracing patterns and laminated bracing, dating back to 1904.? They regularly built their tops and backs "under pressure" by radiusing their braces.? With a goal of finishing one instrument a day, over a span of 50-60 years, the two brothers (Carl and August) turned out an estimated 12,000 instruments.? A staggering amount, especially considering that they did all the work by hand.

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[Slack]

Really beautiful Todd.  Love the purfling/bindings and the bound soundhole really adds a classy touch.

They regularly built their tops and backs "under pressure" by radiusing their braces.

Did you build the top and back 'under pressure'?  Isn't the technique to use straight braces which are forced/glued to the top, using a radiused dish? eg the straight braces are 'sprung' by the curvature of the dish? 

X-braced, yes? How's it sound?

Cheers,
slack

[uncle bud]

Boy, that's one beautiful guitar, Todd. Great Godawmighty!

What size is it?

[Cambio]

Thanks for the compliments fellas.  I forgot the vital statistics.  Adirondack top, Indian rosewood back and sides, bound ebony fretboard and bridge, 25.5" scale, 15" in the lower bout 1 7/8" at the nut.
The top and back are radiused.  In order to get the radius, I plane the radius into the braces.  If you push the spruce into the radius, using a radius dish and clamps or go bars, it will return to a flat plane once it is removed from the dish and clamping pressure.   My friend Sylvan Wells uses the elastic nature of spruce to cut the radius into his braces using a table saw.  All you luthier geeks should check out this link:
http://www.wellsguitars.com/Articles/Curve_Braces_Article.htm

And yes I really did step outside of my realm on this on and X brace it.  Nevertheless, it sounds and plays great, a little more graceful and elegant than what I normally shoot for.

[Slack]

All you luthier geeks should check out this link:
http://www.wellsguitars.com/Articles/Curve_Braces_Article.htm

Very clever jig - will ahve to try it.  I curently cut the radius in my braces with a router jig -- whcih can get a little hairy at times.

OK, for us luthier geeks.  ... you're going to have to explain how the radiusing technique on the Stahl is different from the Stellas you make??

Thanks!
slack

[waxwing]

Really does look beautiful, Todd. No reason not to branch out a little if it brings in more business. Still a specialty item, eh?

So didn't the Larson's also have a design with a steel rod thru the guitar, neck block  to end pin? Did you see any patents for that? The way you have yours balanced on its end looks like there is no end pin?

As an old table saw jockey, I would have one small improvement on that jig. Rather than using the fence as your guide, I would mount a hardwood strip to the bottom of the board and use the groove in the table as a guide, like a normal shuttle jig. If you mount it to the board and then run the board thru to cut the edge, you know exactly where your cut will be, every time, no fence adjusting needed. I might also recommend a more ergonomic push handle, but that's personal preference. Man, I am still itchin' to get my table saw set up in the garage, but the landlord hasn't cleared his stuff out yet. Oh, well, it's his only fault so far.

All for now.
John C.

[Cambio]

OK, for us luthier geeks.? ... you're going to have to explain how the radiusing technique on the Stahl is different from the Stellas you make??

No difference. ?In my opinion that's one of the cool things about Stellas, they'd put a radiused back on their cheapest guitar. ?It might seem like a rather minute detail, but their is a tremendous amount of work and headscratching involved. ?I like to think that it has acoustic advantages.
In layman's terms, the radiused back translates into a sort of bowed or bowl shaped back, where the deepest point of the back is in it's center. ?On most guitars the deepest point is at the end block and the narrowest point is at the neck block so the sides are tapered. ?They may have a radius built into the braces resulting in a side to side radius, to account for changes in humidity, but the radius isn't built into the shapeof the sides as they are in the Stellas and the Larson's.

So didn't the Larson's also have a design with a steel rod thru the guitar, neck block? to end pin? Did you see any patents for that?

They did use steel rods that ran through the guitars, and they probably did have patents for them, but I didn't see them. ?Like I said, they were extremely innovative and way ahead of their time. ?They made some fascinating instruments.

[Buzz]

Say, Todd, those are really beautiful guitars! Nice work, indeed. Very impressive.

Thought I would pass along to you how much I love playing the parlor guitar I bought from you a few months ago. It plays so well! Light and quick, easy on the fingers, great sound. HAve it in Open G lately, playing my entire G repertoire! All 4 tunes! And am learning a new Clifford Gibson tune John Miller taught us at PT.

It is a pleasure playing it. Thanks again. Now, when I win the lottery, I will get one of those Indian Rosewood "Esmereldas" (sp?)--she is so pretty. 
Miller

[cakewalk]

Hey Everyone

I know Fraulini guitars have been discussed on this site with the builder Todd posting some nice photos. I am wondering if anyone on this site has one of his guitars? "Can I get a witness?"
Are there any apt to be at PT in 'o6?

Based on looks I am ready to order one, but how do they sound, feel etc?

Brian

[frankie]

I think they sound and feel great, although I have a pretty biased opinion.  If you've played older guitars like O.S. Stellas or Regals or Lyon & Healys, you'll have a pretty good idea of the feel & sound he's going for.  The necks are quite substantial by modern standards - both wider and thicker than your typical MartinTaylorGibson construction.  I'd describe it as a pleasant handful, but I'm sure not everyone would agree.  He's a good guy to work with and will do his best to accomodate you - if you haven't contacted him to see what your options are, you might consider doing so.  He only gets busier as time goes on...

[Blue Poodle]

Todd is working on a guitar for me in his current batch.  Communication and progress updates from him have been very regular, he does a great job in keeping me informed about everything.  As to the dimensions of the neck, he will build to a custom neck profile, no problem.  The experience so far has been great.

Before placing an order, I played one of Todd's guitars and I was very impressed with the workmanship.  And he really does capture quite a bit of what the old Stellas were about.

[cmr]

Frankie

if you ordered a guitar from Todd, you have lots of choices on the neck width and shape.  Its a pleasure to work with Todd.
Cheers, Charlie