Some Recent Instruments

  Here's some of the last instruments to come off the bench here.  First up is a 14 fret Orchestra Model (OM) built in standard Martin fashion as far as shape, and bracing goes.  I built one OM before this back when I was at Roberto Venn, but in general I've wanted to stay away from building Martin style guitars.  Partly because I'm usually attracted to a different sound and aesthetic, and partly because there's enough people out there building Martin inspired creations.  But my friend and great songwriter Louis Ledford approached me with an interesting commission.  He had a really nice guitar case..  and wanted me to build the guitar to fit it.  The details on how and why he had just this case and not the guitar were fuzzy, but we brought it down to the shop, measured it up, and sure enough it was built to fit an OM.  So after a bit of research and settling on wood selection and details, we came out with this.

Louis chose the headstock shape based on a really cool old European guitar he has.  The four leaf clover was also his idea, and is suitable as this is my 13th guitar.

   It's got Walnut back and sides, a Cedar top, Ebony fretboard and bridge, Maple bindings, and Mahogany for the neck.  The sound is awesome!  Resonant, and loud, but still retaining a lot of warmth.  It's a very balanced, sweet tone that collaborates very well with Louis' mellow raspy voice.  You can check him out here..  www.louisledford.com

  Next up is an X-braced L-1 made for great musician, and my good friend, Reeb Willms.  This one has Mahogany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, and Rosewood fingerboard, bridge, and bindings.

With the dark sunburst and the inlay style, it is reminiscent of the old Gibson Nick Lucas.  The middle of the rosette is curly Koa.  Reeb sings and plays with Foghorn Stringband, and you can find more about them here..  www.foghornstringband.com

  Finally the most recent build here is this all mahogany mandolinetto.

  Based on the century old Vernon, this little buddy boasts a more modern style with a curly maple bound fingerboard and matching pickguard.  The fret position inlays are also maple.  It carries a lot of volume, and packs a warm, woody punch.  I sat playing this for a good hour after stringing it up, and found it very versatile with a good range of tones available.  The fingerboard and bridge are Oregon Black Walnut originally felled and milled by Doc at Doc's Banjos.

The Archtop Completed

Here's some photos of the recently finished archtop guitar.

  This has been quite the project having never built a carved top instrument before.  I am very happy with the final result.  It is such a different beast from the flat tops I usually build, so it was a joyful, somewhat mind-blowing experience to play those first few notes.  I continued to play for a long time, relishing the sound and feel of this guitar. 

  I am fortunate to live in the same town as the excellent musician John Miller, and I invited him to the shop to check out the newly stringed instrument.  If you are unfamiliar, John is an accomplished guitar player who plays a wide range of musical styles from country blues to Latin jazz, all with a comfortable authority.  You should check out his website here..  http://www.johnmillerguitar.com/   Here is some of what John had to say.
 
   "It already knows it is a musical instrument, not something that is always a given for a brand new, practically un-played guitar.  In a relatively brief amount of time, I tried to put it through its paces, and it rose to every challenge I could think of, sounding clean and warm whether played in Carter-style, thumb lead, Western Swing closed chords, Bossa Nova and chord melody, and Country Blues. 
  The guitar's sound is unusual in a couple of ways for an arch-top.  Many or most of them that I have played have a pronounced, spikey attack, but such a rapid decay that notes practically seem to suck themselves into silence at the back end.  This guitar has a lovely, natural sustain--not excessive or swimmy, but just singing.  A lot of arch-tops don't particularly care for open strings in chord voicings, they kind of crap out, but this one works just fine for complex partially open voicings, as are used in Bossa Nova on occasion.  Its voice is really clear up and down the neck, even including single string lines played on the E, A , and D strings in the neighborhood of the tenth--twelfth fret, an area where most guitars get really woofy.
  Appointments are plain but handsome.  The sunburst is a beauty.  Pretty maple binding and a really nice hand-carved rosewood tailpiece.  The neck contour is a rounded V, very comfortable and with a nice amount of mass.
  This is an exceptionally fine guitar, but for a brand new guitar and a first-time effort at building an arch-top, I would say it is spectacular--and it is only going to get better as it is played more."

  Here are a few more photos of some of the process.

 Hand drawn label and my favorite plane.

Wood bindings all bent and ready for gluing.  

Scraping the re-curve on the back.

Taped off and ready for stain.

Getting polished.

At rest in the parlor.