This year’s Rowan berries are the brightest and most plentiful I can remember. Folklore says this is a sign of a hard winter to come.

Over the last week I’ve been reminded about the importance of oiling ebony fingerboards.

Ebony is a very dry wood which can readily absorb moisture from (and lose moisture to) the atmosphere. When this happens the ebony can expand or shrink more than the neck wood and thus bend it back or pull it forward. Much as a bi-metal strip bends at different temperatures.

The problem can be solved by oiling the fingerboard. This gives it a water resistant layer which inhibits the take-up or loss of moisture.

For many years I used lemon oil for this, but the latest acid-catalyst lacquer is not resistant to it, as were earlier versions.

If you were lucky enough to obtain a bottle of Squirroil (the manufacturers of which seem to have disappeared), this is ideal. Otherwise I use walnut oil, a light oil which penetrates the ebony to some extent. I would also expect proprietory brands of guitar fingerboard oil to be effective.

Rosewood contains more oil, so should not be as likely to suffer this problem. Not that oiling rosewood fingerboards can do any harm.

This issue re-surfaced a week or so ago when a guitarist in the south of France called and said that after over a year of a completely stable neck, it had pulled back to the point of serious string buzz. This was just after the start of a period of heavy rain and humidity.

While adjusting the truss rod solved his problem, another change in atmospheric humidity would almost certainly require him to reverse this adjustment. Proofing the fingerboard on a regular basis should be a better long term solution.

My 14 fret Dreadnought is now lacquered and strung. I’ll leave it a few days to settle before fitting its Highlander pickup and setting the action.

It is a little wider than the standard Dreadnought, and has the same body length as my 12 fret model. Most 14 fret Dreadnoughts bodies are a little shorter than 12 fret bodies.

Alongside is a Martin Simpson model body with side re-inforcement strips glued and clamped in place.

These are the first citterns I’ve built for a couple of years, ready for David and the spray booth. They’ll be there for around a month, after which making and fitting the bridge, fitting the tailpiece and stringing up will take another week or so.

My apologies to those who’ve been waiting so long, but I’m making good progress. The next two citterns/octave mandolins are now also under construction.

When I’ve made inroads into my existing orders I plan to re-open my mandolin family order book.

Here you see the distinctive sweep of the sides into the heel. This was a technique I developed when first building Appalachian dulcimers in the early 1970s and carried over into my cittern designs. This system has undergone three major revisions, the last in 2004.

After so long concentrating on flat-top guitars, I’ve returned to arch-top instruments with renewed enthusiasm.

Last weekend I visited Martin Simpson and saw and heard the African Blackwood New World guitar he collected just a week or so ago. He used it (along with both MS Models) at his Queen Elizabeth Hall gig in London last Thursday.

Here is Martin trying to remember how to finger C major in standard tuning.

The African Blackwood sides on this Douglas fir topped New World guitar were a little too short.
So I fitted a panel (also of African Blackwood) at the tail, edged with maple and black/red/black purfling to match the rest of the trim.

At the moment I have four instruments under construction, an unusually large number for my shop. Two are New World guitars (one with a Douglas Fir soundboard, the other standard Italian spruce) and two are citterns, one four course and one five course.

And Angie, yes, the four course cittern is yours.

Citterns under construction.

After a long period building only guitars, I’m now working on citterns again. I hope to have two ready for spraying in the next few weeks. I’ll post pictures soon.

Double-decker guitar.

I’m also working on my first dreadnaught in several years, and my first ever 14 fret dreadnaught.

Here it is ready for its fingerboard, after which I’ll shape the neck, camber and fret the fingerboard, make the bridge, and shape it to the soundboard.

After final sanding it will go to David for lacquering.

The African Blackwood New World model (see News item 13 Feb 09) has now beem finished and strung for several weeks. It sounds excellent, and makes an interesting variation on the rosewood NW sound. I like both very much .

It’s been admired by everyone who’s played it and will be going to Martin Simpson to join his two MS models and his Model 1.

Highland pipes in Hexhamshire

Highland piper Duncan McGillivray called recently on his way to play at a wedding in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He checked his pipes before setting off, not impressing the dog but greatly interesting cattle in the field behind.

Duncan is a champion piper known to many in the folk world as the piper with an early line-up of the Battlefield band.

Here is the neck, shaped and with the fingerboard levelled and cambered. and position markers inlaid. I checked the fret slot depths before fitting the frets.

Next I’ll make the bridge and shape it to fit the curve of the soundboard, then I’ll scrape down the sealing lacquer and final sand the whole guitar before giving it to David to lacquer.

Spring is finally on its way; here is morning sunshine in Slaley Forest, some leaves out and more to come.