The Leadbelly 12-string Reproduction

I had been interested in making a copy of Leadbelly's 12 string for a while but had seen and heard so much conflicting information about the guitar that I wasn't absolutely sure about all of its measurements and nuances. In a conversation with guitar repair guru Dan Erlewine, Dan mentioned that he had worked on Leadbelly's guitar and that he had made a set of plans while he had it in his shop. Dan was generous enough to share the plans with me for this project. I also used an Auditorium sized Stella (the six string version of Leadbelly's guitar) from my collection, to fill in any information which the plans lacked.

The top of the guitar is 40 year old German spruce which came from the shop of Master lute builder Robert Lundberg. The back, sides and neck are seasoned Honduran mahogany, the fingerboard and bridge are ebony. The mosaic purfling is an exact reproduction of that used on Leadbelly's guitar.

I hand made the tailpiece, which is a reproduction of an old style Stella 12 string tailpiece, with posts for loop and holes for ball end strings. It is nickel plated brass. I'm especially proud of the tailpiece, as it represents about five years of work, chasing leads, getting an education on metal work, collaborating with friends and family (most importantly my father, Fred Cambio), and the severing of one tendon. A note to all aspiring metal workers; When using a drill press on flat stock metal, be sure that your material is clamped to the table!!!

The tuners are custom made in Italy and are of the absolute finest quality. You can search the world over and you will not find a better tuning machine.

I'm very happy with the way this model turned out and I'm anxious to hear how it sounds after it's been played and has had the chance to open up. My only regret is that I won't be the one to do the playing.