Antique Banjo

Banjo 1. The rim and head are in the background. The jig is to the right. I'm working on the ring in the foreground.

This banjo was purchased in 1896 by the current owner’s grandfather. It is handmade and homemade, though that is all that is known of its origins.

When I received it for repair, it was without a head, bridge, tension ring, hold-down hooks, or strings. The neck was warped, rendering the instrument unplayable.

Repairs were mainly cosmetic, as the banjo would be used only for historic display.

The hooks, head, bridge, and strings were readily available, but the appropriate tension ring was not. I handmade a tension ring by first using a lathe to turn a forming jig of the correct size and then laminating the ring using Hard Maple veneer and epoxy.

The ring was then ready to be beveled (to properly engage the hooks), painted, and the banjo re-assembled.

This is one of those pieces that are a rare pleasure to repair because of its history (known and unknown). Every element that my hand touches has a story. There are few things I enjoy more than imagining what those stories might be.

Banjo 2. The ring on the rim of the banjo’s head.

Shop Renewel

Slowly but surely, the shop is taking shape. First, a "before" picture:

And the after pictures:

Organization is the primary objective at this point, though partially finished, sheet-rocked walls are certainly a plus!

Pictures

New dust collector, hand-build and assembled:

Wide shot of LL Guitars shop/storage:

Construction in the LL Studio

I have been working on my shop for the last month or two. I installed the 2 HP cyclone dust collector in the small room behind the garage. That took a week or more, since I only work about 2 hours in the 90 degree heat. I limited myself to installing one section a day. Before that, I insulated the walls and put up drywall in the small room. Sloooooow process.

After I got the main parts of the dust collector up, I hoisted the motor/fan up with a block and tackle and eased it into position. Then I re-installed all the parts I had taken off the motor/fan to lighten it. I have a piece of an old undershirt that I use for a sweatband, and I look like an old hippie in my cut off shorts and holey tee shirt and sweat band.

But wait! There's more! My next step was to make a stand for the exhaust filter, which is about 5' high and about 14" in diameter. After that, I installed the 5" ducting from the fan to the filter. Then I started the 6" trunk line that runs the length of the shop to the collector intake. Three 90 degree els, one 45 degree el, two 4" y's off the main, and about 16' of the 6" spiral seam pipe. Then I screwed or riveted the joints together, and ductaped the joints to make them air-tight. Now I sound like a plumber, right?

I have finished the 4" down tube and blast gate for the duplicating router. You can see the duplicating router on the blog. I still have to install down tubes for the thickness sander, the bandsaw, and the table saw. After the main trunk, the electricians came in and wired up the dust collector and the additional outlets needed. This last week I tore out part of the partition between the small room and the shop area, so that I don't have to use the overhead door all of the time. Yesterday I sized the panels for three 4' long wall cabinets. I will install them after I insulate and sheetrock the walls. I am hoping to finish it all before the colder weather, so I can spend the winter working on GUITARS, insted of construction.

I have enough Mahogany for at least six backs/sides, left over from furniture days. I also have a beautiful piece of Wenge, a very dark tropical hardwood. I plan to use it for the back and sides of an archtop. I only have six Spruce archtop sets, but I should have plenty to keep me busy if I get the shop squared away.

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This blog and its contents are property of luthier Paul Lloret of LL Guitars (pronounced “Double L Guitars”). For more information on Paul Lloret and his guitars, contact LL Guitars.

Keren's guitar

This acoustic arch-top was custom-made by Paul Lloret

The second acoustic arch-top I made was finished around 2001. It began as a project to utilize Mahogany left over from furniture making, and some quarter-sawn Spruce I got from a lumber yard I worked for in the early 80s. It quickly became something of an experiment. Most arch-top bodies are from 16” to 18” across the lower bout; this (and future LL arch-tops) is about 14” across. Most bodies are 21” long; mine are 19”. I’m still refining dimensions to make them more responsive and louder. This one is now in the possession of another granddaughter, Keren.

Specs:

• Top: Red Spruce
• Back, Sides, Neck: Honduras Mahogany
• Fretboard, Bridge, Tailpiece: East Indian Rosewood
• Fishman Undersaddle transducer (ie: Matrix I w/preamp)
• Saddle and Nut: Corean©
• Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer

(Click on any photo for a larger image.)

Keren says:

I don't "play" guitar, and this one doesn't intimidate me. It's the kind of guitar that makes me want to pick it up. It's bubbly! Kinda' fits my personality. It has a light quality. It almost feels like I'm playing a really really nice ukulele. It's like the beach, or a sunny day somewhere, and I'm eating a big bowl of blueberries while I'm playing. I love it!

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This guitar was custom-made by luthier Paul Lloret of LL Guitars (pronounced “Double L Guitars”). For more information on Paul Lloret and his guitars, contact LL Guitars.

Steve's guitar

This acoustic arch-top guitar was custom-made by Paul Lloret.

I started this guitar in 2003 for a friend of mine. When I was 75% done I dropped and broke the neck, so had to start a new one. Then I found that the elaborate "Bird" soundholes I had originally planned (that looked amazing) would not work. The thin webs between the holes split at 5 or 6 places. So the one he finally got was completely new.

Specs:

• Soudboard: Red Spruce
• Back, Sides, Neck: Honduras Mahogany
• Fretboard, Bridge, Tailpiece, Peghead veneers: Ebony
• Inlays: Green Abalone Mother-of-Pearl
• Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer

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This guitar was custom-made by luthier Paul Lloret of LL Guitars (pronounced “Double L Guitars”). For more information on Paul Lloret and his guitars, contact LL Guitars.

Duplicating Router

A lot of my work at LL Guitars these days involves creations above and beyond the guitars themselves. In 2000, I began work on a duplicating router for arched plates. I have been refining the original concept since then.

The first guitar built with the use of this machine was the 2007 Hollowbody Electric. At the time, I only had a pattern for the outside of the plates, so I had to complete the inside of the plates by hand.

(T to B: pattern for inside, and the roughed out plate)

Time at this machine (to complete a plate) is currently about two hours. That includes a lot of stopping, starting, and careful checking. Even at two hours, though, the amount of time saved when completing an arched plate is astronomical, compared with using a hand-roughed technique! I eventually anticipate being able to save even more time on each plate, as I continue to fine-tune the details.

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This machine was custom-made by luthier Paul Lloret of LL Guitars (pronounced “Double L Guitars”). For more information on Paul Lloret and his guitars, contact LL Guitars.