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Post by Rhapsody on Nov 8, 2008 9:23:38 GMT -5
Whoa. Fascinating artistry, Glen! What a gift you have!
Henry is just a puddin'! I hope he has your talent, and appreciates the apprenticeship he is able to enjoy because he is your son.
Your new "project" looks enormous. (camera angle?) I'm impressed that the outside of a guitar never boings itself out of shape back to a straight piece of wood.
Thanks for sharing!!
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Nov 8, 2008 16:53:09 GMT -5
Your new "project" looks enormous. (camera angle?) Thank you! We are trying to turn Henry into a termite. He seems to be picking up on it quite well. This is a big box. It is a jumbo. And the body is wedge shaped. The camera angle is looking at the thinner side, and the body gets deeper as it gets further away from the camera and closer to Henry. Glen
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Nov 30, 2008 6:06:25 GMT -5
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Post by folkstrum on Nov 30, 2008 7:13:49 GMT -5
Nice rosette, Glen. I like how you have the grain-lines laid out...I'm assuming some abalone in the middle ring? What's the wood? Looks like walnut...which I am figuring it likely is, as that will be the B/S woods! D'OH!! BTW--is that Mayville "sister guitar" still with you? I was curious as to its "sale status"-(No, I'm not GAS-sing; well actually I am but can't really act on it). Just wondering if you built that on "spec" or as a commission. Sorry. Hope I'm not being nosy!
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Nov 30, 2008 7:30:16 GMT -5
Rosewood ring with a ring of gold abalone in it. I was going to do walnut but we are doing rosewood fingerboard and bridge. So we were going to match that. Our friend Josh thought it was walnut too. And he was standing there looking at it in real life. The Mayville sister is in CA. I gave it to John as a loner while we are building his guitar so he would have something to play while he waits. Not a bad guitar for a loner. Glen
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Post by rebelrouser on Nov 30, 2008 13:57:55 GMT -5
Rosewood ring with a ring of gold abalone in it. I was going to do walnut but we are doing rosewood fingerboard and bridge. So we were going to match that. Our friend Josh thought it was walnut too. And he was standing there looking at it in real life. The Mayville sister is in CA. I gave it to John as a loner while we are building his guitar so he would have something to play while he waits. Not a bad guitar for a loner. Glen Hi Glen, I like the looks of your guitar-in-progress. Thanks for keeping us guitarzaniacs in the build process! rebelrouser
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Dec 3, 2008 8:22:14 GMT -5
Thanks rebelrouser! Were doing to best that we can with what we have to work with. We put on some kerfing. And started on the bracing. Now let me explain that bracing pattern. Because we are sailing into uncharted waters here, I have to start somewhere and this is it. We are building an organic scale guitar. Some call it multi scale. I have never done one before in acoustic. How are you suppose to brace the top for one? I don't know. I have to try something. If it doesn't work out I can, A. Throw it in the back of a closet behind a couple of old Gibsons and forget about it. B. Put a new top on it braced differently. C. Put a pickup in it and sell it to a punk band. This is just a prototype. Or maybe it will end up being the best sounding 000 12 fret of all time. That's the one I'm shooting for. Remember Ya'll saw it here on the wharf first. Stick around and see what I'm going to do with the back. That really ought to shake up the gods of traditional lutherie. Glen
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Post by folkstrum on Dec 3, 2008 9:11:02 GMT -5
Hi Glen-verrrry interesting! Could you explain what an Organic Scale guitar would be? Is it a matter of frets-to-body, or is "scale" also being used in terms of tempered? Also, I notice (as of now anyway) there's no scalloping on the braces. I know Martin D's don't scallop--well, some like D-35's do (correct?) but 28's and 18's don't? I don't own a Martin, but always wanted to. Thing is, I already have 2 really nice guitars, and I'm not playing enough to justify a 3rd (well, I HAVE a 3rd-a laminate Epiphone dread; pretty "dull" sounding!). Anyway, I love the look of Walnut. If I was a millionaire, I'd like a really nice Walnut B/S guitar, and a Martin, and then Cocobolo---gawd that is a gorgeous wood, although I understand it can be a real BEAR to bend, sand, whatever. "Crackobolo."
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Dec 3, 2008 22:34:44 GMT -5
Hi Norm, Organic scale guitar would be the same as a multi scale guitar or a fan fret guitar. The term fan fret is trademarked by Novax I do believe. So we shouldn't use that. Multi scale is becoming more popular because fan fret is trademarked. So to be even different yet, we are now calling it organic. ;D We are using a 25" scale length for the high E and 25 3/4" scale length for the low E. The perpendicular fret is the 8th. We haven't scalloped the braces yet because we haven't carved the braces yet. ;D I do the scalloping last. I have a system. I make my braces a certain width and height that have given me good results in the past. I taper the sides to not so secret dimensions. The tops of the braces get dented and marked up from the go-bar sticks when they get glued on. Those marks and dents all get carved off and sanded off when I do my mystical, magical tap tuning of the top. Here is what she looks like now. Right now the top is very heavy. Right now if you put it on a box and strung it up it would sound very, not so good. As we carve the braces down it will get lighter and lighter and bring us into the realm of the mystical, magical art of tap tuning. Right now if you put a tuning fork on the bridge plate, the top will not ring like a bell. It will have a quiet warbley sound like a heart beat monitor. As you carve the braces down the warbley sound smooths out and the top gets louder. Eventually it sounds like the heart beat monitor is on flat-line with the volume turned up. By taking more material off of one side or the other, you can balance the bass and treble side as you go. Eventually you get to a point where the top is very responsive, it's loud, and the signal from the fork is clean clear and straight. Then you have to make an executive decision. Do we take more off to try and make it more responsive and louder, or leave it like it is? Once you go to far the volume drops. Once that happens you end up with a guitar that does not have as much punch, drive, volume and projection that you hoped for. You don't have to do that very many times to find out that, that's a bad idea. After you do a couple of them, some turn out good and some don't, it doesn't take long to figure out what "the sound" is that you are looking for. You can hear it a mile away. You can hear the same thing by tapping on it. I use a fork because a string vibrates and a fork vibrates. And it seems to be working. And there it is. The mystical, magical art of tap tuning. Of course tap tuning is only one of 800 things that you can do, or not do, to a guitar to change the voice of it. Glen
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Post by Rhapsody on Dec 3, 2008 22:50:21 GMT -5
Glen, you have the patience of a saint, my dear.
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Post by folkstrum on Dec 3, 2008 22:50:30 GMT -5
I absolutely LOVE all this info, Glen. I know "Rebelrouser" does too. 8 years ago I knew nothing about luthery. A couple of visits to the 13thfret and AGF set off the bells and whistles. Now? I can't get enough of it. My idea of a fun week would be to be a fly on the wall of your workshop, and see first-hand what you do, how you do it, and why. I know the kind of care Kevin Gallagher put into building my Omega MJ. But I really know only a fraction of it. He posted about tap-tuning, using "fairy dust" and graphite, and the "Chaldni" (sp?) methods. To be able to have your ears and brain "tuned" to hear the potential sound of a guitar before she's all glued up...well, that is a real gift. I know about the "fan fret" guitars--I think Michael Bashkin builds them as well. I'm not sure I could get beyond the aesthetics, but then again--ya never know. They do look a little different. Does that kind of a build yield an real plus in tone, or overtones...or is that more a function of "the box?" Whenever you have the time to share some of this here, I hope you will. Building a guitar is just something I find infinitely fascinating, and something I know I wouldn't have the skill or patience for. Keep up the good work!
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Dec 3, 2008 23:15:04 GMT -5
I know about the "fan fret" guitars--I think Michael Bashkin builds them as well. I'm not sure I could get beyond the aesthetics, but then again--ya never know. They do look a little different. Does that kind of a build yield an real plus in tone, or overtones...or is that more a function of "the box?" ( Won't know for sure until we string one up. The theory is sound though. The only organic that I have done so far is an electric. I liked it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IeNmnzP64wGlen
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Dec 5, 2008 14:04:26 GMT -5
We got to work on the back a little bit. Nothing to fancy. Sanded it down to a flexibility that has given us good results in the past. Gluing on the seam strip and headed for the braces. Glen
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Post by folkstrum on Dec 5, 2008 14:36:40 GMT -5
So, how much ya gonna want for this baby, eh? I think "Rhapsody" may be willing to venture into the hand-built market. Or Not.
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Dec 5, 2008 17:27:58 GMT -5
Actually I was thinking of putting it on e-bay. Really! You should be able to get her pretty cheap on there. Notching the seam strip for the back braces. If your going to screw one up I guess it should be the one that you can't see from the sound hole? The long story is that we radius the bottom of the braces by sanding them in the hollow radius form. And then we glue them on using the same radius form and the go-bar sticks. That gives the nice arch to the back that we all love so much. In my spare time I have been workin on the sides. I'll get to pics of those later. I have to go feed Henry. Glen
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