Archive for June, 2008

Guitar 0408 – Found some better Paua

June 14, 2008

Went to the GAL exhibit in Tacoma with Carl. We spent about an hour perusing the exhibits, which included luthiers and suppliers. Stew Mac and LMI were there along with a bunch of tonewood suppliers. If I was looking for particular woods that I wanted to hold and select, this would have been perfect. But, in the end, the only purchase I made was for some nicer paua for the rosette for the koa parlor.

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I met Charles Fox and Denise Fox, who will host the guitar building seminar I attend next week. Seems they’ve had a last minute cancellation (anyone out there want to attend? See my ASL link for more info). Saw Rob Girdis, and a whole range of instruments from the simple to the ornate, from questionable quality to exceptional quality.

Guitar 0508 – I think I’ll build a cutaway

June 11, 2008

I’ve been conversing by email back and forth with Michael, the bloke who found my blog through Google and wanted me to build him an OM-15 (Martin) copy.  A recent email from him got me to thinking that what he really wanted was to build guitars himself.  I suggested that fact, and he responded today.

“Hello again Stephen

My apologies for not getting  in touch with you sooner via email or phone…I had some business travel last week, and a full weekend with the extended family.

I wanted to thank you for this note, it really got me thinking a lot about what I really want. You are on the money with your assessment about my desire to potentially build a guitar myself.  My interest in custom guitar building has always been a passion of mine, but always from the outside looking in. I love wood, and I love art and I love music.  You made me really consider WHY I want a custom guitar. And when I really think about it, it isn’t the fact that I NEED a custom instrument for my playing. An off the rack model is more than sufficient for my talents. It is because I want to be involved in the process of creation. I want to have something that I had a hand in designing.

So when I thought about this, and spoke with my father, and my wife, they both urged me to give it a try on my own. So I am going to give it a go, and try to build a kit myself. I am sorry that this means I won’t be commissioning one from you. You have been a true inspiration, and I feel very lucky to have stumbled on your weblog. I want to thank you for your time and for your offer of help…I may very well take you up on that in the near future.

Stephen, I really want to thank you for inspiring me to take the plunge. It may turn out to be a disaster, but at least I will have tried! I am sorry that I won’t be ordering a guitar from you at this time. Who knows what the future holds however.”

So, keep your eyes posted for new guitarbuilding weblogs spawned by (as Little Richard would say) ME!

But, even though I’ve lost a customer, maybe I’ve gained a student.  And, it gives me room to think about what guitar 0508 should be.  After building a few and thinking about what I need for my own collection, I think about a cutaway, a dobro, and my own parlor as options.  I’ve still got months of work ahead finishing up 2, 3, and 4, so don’t need to box myself in with a decision just yet. 

Guitar 0408 – The components have arrived

June 10, 2008

Got my shipment today from LMI.  The backordered koa came through and I was real excited to see the components.  First, I laid out everything from in the box, sort of a still life presentation.

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The Koa back wood is nicely figured and I can see the shimmer in the grain that will come out strong once lacquered.

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The next shot is of the koa sides and you can see the purfling (which I had bent) sitting in with the sides and the ebony binding.

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Finally, I’m jazzed about using mahogany as top material.  Still haven’t decided if I’m going to apply any stain.

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The plans are straightforward and through a double check of components, I nailed everything I wanted.  With this guitar, I’m going to use the guitar work surface as referenced in Cumpiano instead of a mold.  Another diversion to help see what’s the best method for me.

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Guitar 0308 – Neck is trimmed, ready to join

June 10, 2008

Carl returned the maple neck to me, nicely squared up and trimmed down the middle, ready to join with a rosewood blank.

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A digression – Spruce tops for mandolin

June 10, 2008

A colleague who has done some mandolin building has passed on to me a couple of book matched spruce hunks, ready for joining and carving.  I will use these as my experimental patients to try my new hand at archtop carving.  When?  Not soon, too much other stuff going on.

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Guitar 0308 – I’ve Sent the Neck to the Doctor

June 5, 2008

After doing the cutout of the maple neck blank from the maple log, I needed to cut it down the middle to insert the rosewood trim (acutally a fretboard blank) to create the trilaminate neck maple/rosewood/maple.  I want this cut to be dead on accurate and clean.  My bandsaw won’t do.

I plopped it in the very capable hands of my friend Carl, who has a top quality table saw where he can accurately square up the sides and run a clean full cut dead center.  Thanks Dr. Carl.  He’ll return it next Monday when we (Carl, Larry and I) get together for our weekly music session.

Guitar 0508 – From Blog to Execution

June 3, 2008

I started this blog as a means to document my progress through the guitar building projects which were mostly self initiated.  I somewhat knew that by putting myself out there in  the “sphere” that I would get some  hits from interested parties in my venture into building.  I did reach out to friends and family to seek their interest in commissioning projects, but I never suspected that total strangers would find an affinity to what I was producing and seek to use me as their vehicle for building the guitar they dreamed of (OK, I dangled my participle).

I had a very interesting inquiry from a person who found my blog through a search for guitar builders.  He liked something about what he read and saw in the photos which lead to questions about building a guitar of a detailed specificity which led me to believe he knew what he wanted and that there might be a fit between my ventures and his needs.

With a certain amount of amazement on my part, and a confirmation from my wife that this was not just some spam of the blog, I exchanged emails, and found that his desire to procure a particular type of guitar, and my ability to fulfill that need were coming together.

This is a moment in my building journey where I will hopefully look back at someday and say, “Yeah, there  was this guy who got one of my guitars just for the cost of materials.”  And, hopefully, he will turn to his friends and say, “I have one of the first sMg guitars ever produced!”  But that’s a skosh bit of egomania.

So, Mike, I look forward to our opportunity to build your dream guitar, that Mahogany OM, so much like the Martin OM-15.  And I also look forward to the day when you come back and tell me it’s the guitar you were looking for all this time.

Guitar 0208 – It’s Headstock

June 3, 2008

No, it’s not Woodstock, it’s Headstock.  Free music, people gathered for love and music and everything is OK.  Whoops, headstock.  I have successfully removed the headstock veneer on number 2 and replaced with my sMg headstock logo, and I couldn’t be more proud.  Every guitar from now on will be branded with the new logo/inlay.  I’m like a new father.

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Guitar 0208 – Out with the old, in with the new

June 2, 2008

Off goes the old headstcock veneer (generic ebony no frills) and on goes the new SMG logo headstock veneer.  I used the old “put an iron on the guitar” method which I have employed before to remove a fretboard/neck from an old Stella that needed a neck reset.  Iron on a cloth on the headstock, far enough away from the fretboard to avoid it coming loose.  About 35 minutes total heating time on high, and it came off nicely.  Did have some issues with the maple veneer getting annihilated and a small gouge in the mahogany headstock, but not something I can’t fill and hide.  Decided to glue on the new headstock plate without a veneer sandwich piece.  The original was a wee bit thick for the tuning machines, which is resolved without taking any stock off  the mahogany headstock.  Glued it up, clamped it up and it will sit overnight.

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Headstock Inlay – Beautiful

June 2, 2008

Finally….Gurian Instruments, after two months, has delivered my custom made inlay and headstock veneer. There was a rush charge on the invoice?????? They took it off. The work is beautiful and I’m ready to rush to the workshop, chisel off the ebony headplate on guitar number 2 and glue on my new stuff!

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