Another simple but very effective tool, this conical sander puts a perfect chamfer on the inside (and outside if you wish) of the soundhole.

Just use a few strips of adhesive sandpaper (I use 220 grit) and chuck it in a drill at low speed. A liddle goes a long way!

Minimun diameter 85mm, max 105mm.

Also with nostalgia inducing top pattern :)

An updated take on a Frank Ford's idea, the Roto-sander allows you to clean up inside instruments... from the outside!

No more squeezing your forearm through the soundhole or fumbling around with strange sanding blocks.

Stick your favourite sandpaper to the sanding puck, place it inside the instrument and mate it with the outside driver.

Glide the driver over the outside of the instrument while turning the shaft with a hand drill (no need for crazy speeds) and the puck will neatly sand on the opposite side of the board.

And for the nostalgic of bygone times... you can get the puck with a patterned top for silly inside the guitar photos and videos.

If you want the silly version, write it on the order notes!

The UnTangler is a specialized rotary tool attachment, used to clean up the remainder of the fret tang, after it has been clipped away with a nipper. 

It is designed to leave a very slight hollow grind, so the fret overhang can sit perfeclty on the fretboard binding. And it can also be setup to pre-bevel the top of the frets as well!

Below you can also find a short video by Ken Parker that demonstrates the advantages of the hollow grind, which he does freehand and upside down.

This pro version is made out of stainless steel for ultimate durability. The Fret ramp is polished and the height adjustment allows a fine control.

It fits any Dremel compatible rotary tool, to be used with a cutoff wheel.

Pre-order now to be included in the next production batch.

At this time (february '25) I expect the first batch to be ready by mid April.

UPDATE: thanks to streamlined production I was able to save significantly, and I am passing the savings on to you!

Price is 150 € 120€ plus shipping and handling. If purchasing from within the EU, offline payment/wire transfer is the preferred payment, thanks!

If your country is not listed in the checkout process, shoot me an email: info@maxmonte.com

The magnificent Muriel Anderson takes a beautiful cedar and koa Thames for a spin on the TNAG - Carter Vintage couch.

Check out the listing on their site

Here is a very special guitar... I had this beautiful sinker redwood top that was given to me by a dear friend, and I wanted to pair it with something as visually stunning, so I went with "non black" Ebony. In a way, both these woods are reclaimed: the redwood sat on the bottom of a river for many years before it was turned into a soundboard. And this kind of ebony has been discarded for many years, since only the black lumber was deemed desirable.

As for the inlay theme, I prompted my daughter Elsa to come up with some "scribbles" that had elements of african, north and south american inscriptions. I really like the way it turned out.

And it sounds good! The redwood has a surprising attack for such a soft wood, while the ebony does not dampen the sound as it might tend to do. The voice is powerful and articulated, with plenty of harmonics and a good separation, perfect for fingerstyle.

Specs

Top: Sinker Redwood

Back and sides: African Ebony

Fingerboard: 25.5'' scale, 46mm nut, compound radius, African Ebony

Neck: Mahogany, with two way trussrod and graphite reinforcments

Bridge: pinless, African Ebony

Koa binding. Koa and resin inlays

Satin finish

Contact me for more info

If you don't know him, and you should, Craig runs CR Guitars and has an outstanding selection of the finest instruments. It is clear he knows what he is doing!

A few months ago I was lucky to squeeze in a visit to his shop and got to know personally. I was blown away by the caliber of guitars at hand. And I was even more impressed that he liked the Thames I had with me... so much so that it is now listed on his website!

If you are in the market for an OM sized guitar with some understated flare and great tone... check it out.

Here is a link to the listing.

A short demo of a Roe, the sound that comes out of this small guitar is incredible!

Thank you to the team @ TNAG