Dear Patients!

I have now returned to the fold after my brief sojourn in warmer climes to ease my old bones! I now feel much refreshed and ready to attend once again to your pleas for assistance.

Let me begin with our dear friend Mr Barden...

Indeed, Mr Barden, you have done well buying the girders for the neck and sides. However, I would personally recommend that you reserve the side girders for the internal bracing of the guitar. You do not say whether it is a resonator guitar you are constructing but I shall assume it is. Therefore, for the resonator you will need a suitable tuned and shaped disk and, for this, I recommend purchasing the largest Chinese gong that you can find (perhaps something like Mr Rank's old gong as used in the old picture house cinematographs). For the front, back and sides I would recommend high alloy austenitic grade stainless plate of perhaps 10mm thickness to ASTM standard S32654. You have wisely already procured the necessary arc welding equipment. String gauges are, of course, a matter of personal preference, and there have been many threads here at the 'Cat on this subject. To start with, you may wish to try steel rope of gauges 5mm (high E) to 20mm (low E). THis may be available from you local ships' chandler. Conventional machine tuners such as Schallers and Grovers may not be up to the job but I have found with this type of instrument that reconditioned ratchet gears from rescue vehicles may provide good service.

This will be a heavy guitar to play standing up unless you are Big Mick and I suggest you play it in the seated lap style. A piece of mild steel bar of approximately 30mm diameter should serve as a good slide and I would recommend a steel plectrum of about 5mm gauge.

Good luck in your venture and remember to furnish us with photographs of the finished product. I am quite convinced it will be marvellous and will cut through an average session admirably!

Yours most sincerely,

Dr. Guitar