Phenolic ~ Luthiery Laboratories

Phenolic

Phenolic - good for fixtures, templates, nuts, saddles, maybe even fretboards?

from Wikipedia:

Phenol formaldehyde resins (PF) or phenolic resins are synthetic polymers obtained by the reaction of phenol or substituted phenol with formaldehyde. Used as the basis for Bakelite, PFs were the first commercial synthetic resins (plastics). They have been widely used for the production of molded products including billiard balls, laboratory countertops, and as coatings and adhesives. They were at one time the primary material used for the production of circuit boards but have been largely replaced with epoxy resins and fiberglass cloth, as with fire-resistant FR-4 circuit board materials.

McMaster-Carr

Woods etc

Here at Luthiery Labs, we're only interested in woods that are reasonably priced and locally available.

Wood Notes:

Since the gubment made rosewood illegal, ** despite the fact that there is no real definition of what rosewood is, alternative fretboard woods are going to become more mainstream in loothery. Bubinga is also illegal now, but that's no great loss.

** For a while, no longer

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Templates & Jigs

These are guides that you can buy or make yourself to accurately and easily make tricky cuts and routs.

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January 3, 2020

Headless Bridge, Part 2

January 3, 2020

Well, I ordered up one of these headless bridges for about $60 shipped, and after three weeks, here it is:

As you can see, I disassembled one of the gear mechanisms. The one-piece gear and spool appear to be solid brass, held in the bracket with a c-clip. The gears actually work surprisingly well, smooth, with just a little slop that would disappear under string tension. Everything is also lubricated, which I did not expect from China. I am surprised, the quality of materials and design of this unit is much better than I expected. You can see how the knobs pull out on the shafts for easier adjustment.

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