Category Archives: Parlor guitar P02

P02 Parlor Build

Following the successful build of my first parlor guitar I decided to build a second one (P02) for myself with a few design tweaks based on lessons learned from the first one.

The main changes were to:

  • Make the body 12mm shorter,  15mm wider at the waist, 5mm narrower at the bottom bout and 15mm wider at  the upper bout
  • Increase the head angle to 10degrees to give a greater string break at the nut
  • Reduce the number of frets from 19 to 18
  • Create a new neck dovetail template with lightly more acute angle
  • Use unslotted bridge pins

Build process

Some of the key elements of the build process are captured here:

Dimensions:

Scale length 635mm
Total frets 18
Fret# at body 12
Body length 497mm
Upper bout 265mm
Waist 215mm
Lower bout 345mm
Total length 997mm
Rib depth 82-100mm
Sound hole dia 98mm
Sound hole centre from heel 153.7mm
Fingerboard width at nut 46mm
Fingerboard width at 12th fret 55.4mm
String width at bridge 54mm
Fingerboard radius 16″
Neck thickness at nut 21mm
Neck thickness at heel 25mm
Top radius 25 ‘
Back radius 15′
Top thickness 1.9-2.2mm
Back thickness 2.5mm nominal
Sides thickness 2.2mm
All-up weight 1.93kg

Woods:

Top Alpine spruce
Back and sides Indian rosewood
Neck Mahogany with centre maple splice
Fingerboard Ebony
Linings Mahogany (laminated)
End blocks Mahogany
Top bracing (X style) Spruce
Back bracing Mahogany
Cross banding Mahogany
Bridge Ebony. Ebony pins with abalone dots

Decorations:

Sound hole Abalone ring
Purfling bw+Abalone+wb
Banding Maple
Back centre strip Maple bounded by abalone & purfling
Neck centre strip Maple bounded by 0.6mm black
Fingerboard dots Abalone
Headstock Ebony facing with inlaid crossbow
Pick guard Tortoise shell pattern

Fittings:

Tuners Gotoh 510  18:1
Nut & saddle Bone
Pickup Fishman thinline under-saddle PRO- AG1-125
Strings D’Addario   XT 56-13

Drawings

Please find below pdfs of the key design drawings:

Parlor P02 body template

Parlor P02 fingerboard template

Parlor P02 Headstock

Parlor P02 purfling

Parlor P02 rosette

Parlor P02 sideview