The sides are bent, and the first of 4 sections is installed. In keeping with the style I am emulating, the radius of the bend is looser on this cutaway:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/SBAIC17/cutawayside.jpg

Because I want to help promote the SBAIC event, I am going to start a new thread in the Custom Shop centric to my involvement in the show, and I am going to complete the documentation of this guitar there. Of course my working life is considerably richer that the show stuff alone, so I will keep this thread going too and will field any general questions here. The new thread is HERE.

3 D's Video
 

My friends at Peghead Nation made a video presentation of the three dreads I made last winter. And here it is for your pleasure.

I am pretty sure it is possible to imbed this video, but it seems to be beyond me at the moment.

Nice job on the video Bruce, you always seem so very calm and real....all the guitars were interesting, I do believe I found the last one to be most interesting and the first had the most clarity to me. Hard to know on a video of course. Hopefully I will have one in my hand to try out at Woodstock...

The guitar you liked is the so-called "AGF" dread. You are an AGF mainstay at this point, Tom, so I feel pretty good about you favoring it. Each of the 3 guitars sounds very much as I intended it to, to my ear.

Aside from content, credit mostly goes to Teja Gerkin of PHN for instigating the session and doing the editing and production. He said "tell me about these guitars" and I spoke. It was one take. Basically, I know this stuff backwards and forwards, as I should at this point in my life.

PegHead Nation got to know each other when they were much of the staff of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. They are idealistic, dedicated, and totally married to our roots music world; they completely deserve any support we can give them. They are three, Scott Nygard you saw playing my guitars in the video, and Dan Gable looks after business as well as having a local band I enjoy called "Minus Mary". I have known Teja (pronounced like "Stay up" without the S or the P) the longest as before AGM he worked the counter in my local music store, Tall Toad Music.

I really enjoyed the video, though it reinforced my prejudice for mahogany. Not saying it sounds better, just saying I like the sound better. Which is a comfort: I'll never have to save up more money for Brazilian, or worry about the legality of any of the rosewoods.

Very much enjoyed the video Bruce, along with your Vimeo channel. I could listen to stuff like this all day.

Cheers.

Glenn.

Interesting to see that two of them are East Indian Rosewood guitars, given some of your past comments on EIR.

I am glad you noticed! Not only am I luke warm regarding EIR, but also have to admit to thinking of the Sitka I chose to use for these two guitars as a second string choice. So, why would I do this? Two main reasons: First, this is what Martin uses for their mainstream D28, and it was my intention to directly compare my 28 with theirs; a relatively level playing field. These two guitars represent a fairly conservative rendition (the ivoroid bound "UMGF" dread) and then a progressive version (Cocobolo sapwood bound "AGF" dread), a guitar that uses my evolved thinking though still traditionally grounded.

The second reason I chose to use EIR and Sitka is more philosophical. It is precisely because I have been critical of them that I used them. While neither wood is what I consider to be the best choice for achieving the tone I most favor, as a "master" builder I believe that I can get better than acceptable results from just about any combination of appropriate materials, and this was a chance to test myself on the one hand, and also take myself a little less seriously. A little humility can be a very good thing.

By the way, I think this is the first time I have referred to myself as a Master in a public place. When I was in Canada for the recent Vancouver Guitar Festival, I stayed with my mentor, Michael Dunn. He is (and always was) the closest thing to a master guitar maker I know of, and we had adjacent workbenches when I started out in my early 20's. We have stayed in touch throughout our lives and become closer as time has passed. During this last visit, Michael twice introduced me to people in his inner circle as a Master luthier. I asked him whether or not this was just him being polite, and he let me know that it was entirely intentional. Thus I have been anointed.

New Start
 

Today I joined the plates for my next build. This will be a second guitar for Vic Manuel, the man who was Eric Schoenberg's right hand before James Hipps, the current shop manager. Vic is a decent player/singer/songwriter, and everyone who rubs against him loves him, I believe. I am honored to be building him another.

I have been building mostly high end stuff lately, but I do make more modest guitars, and this will be one such. My standard Italian spruce over Honduras Mahogany, a Martinesque 000 with no bells and whistles whatsoever. It should be as good as any other guitar I've made, possibly better.

This is the last of 30 "E" grade Rivolta Italian Spruce tops Eric and I bought together in 2002. The end of an era!
http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/top1.jpg

Joined back:
http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/back1.jpg

Sanded flat and templates cut:
http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/plates.jpg

My Sexauer mahogany mini D is the first thing I'd have my wife carry out of the house if there were a fire -

If I ever have to replace it, Tad, there's every chance I could do even better today.

The "Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration" has made a new promotional banner which has a certain appeal to me for some reason:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/SBAICbanner.jpg

Everything looks more elegant with a black background.

Post SBAIC/17
 

It is Monday afternoon and I got back from the Santa Barbara Show last night at 9:50 after a 6 1/2 hour drive including dropping off my assistant Tad Laird at his Berkeley CA home. SBAIC was a very class act show and is unlikely to receive anything but the highest praise from anyone who attended. Smoothly run, adequately attended, and pretty much opulent so far as the venue is concerned, Tad and I had people at our table and playing my guitars about 2/3 of the time the show was open! At 1 pm on the final day, yesterday, I drew a ticket from the raffle barrel on my table and gave away a brand new 00 guitar I had made to one of show attendees, LA resident Billie Jo Walsh. I have reason to believe that it is her husband who put her up to it, but Billie Jo herself certainly sounded excited on the phone.

My deep felt thanks to Kevin Gillies, the show's creator, and his crew for a job well done. Bravo!

Both the giveaway and the Mod-D are shipped and should arrive at their respective homes by Friday.

I am going to look after some deferred housekeeping and then get back to work on Vic Manuel's mahogany 000.

After several years of spotty booking following twenty years of a 2 year wait list, I am once again seeing the phone ring, it fact it is ringing as much as it ever has. My wait list is almost back up to a year (next window available is Julyish), and if this goes much further I will raise my base prices for the first time in 9 years. When I take an order I do guarantee both the build window and the price structure. You know what I'm saying: if you're thinking about it, you should not put it off too long.

B J Walsh owns the Walnut 00.
 

The FT-00-WRX I gave away is safely in the hands of Billie Jo Walsh, and I have a picture of her with the guitar to share with you all. Billie Jo and her husband both play, and it seems a better home would have been unlikely.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP16/265SB/BJWalsh.jpg

How cool is that! So super to see it go to a great home. Tim

So good to see it go to a good home, Congrats Billie Jo!
Several years ago I gave away a $9000+ motorcycle in a promotion at my shop in a drawing. The guy who won it actually got upset because I would not give him $9000 in cash back for it. He said he did not need a motorcycle that big and fast. We ended up exchanging it for different motorcycle. The guy then gave us a bad review when he got the survey from the manufacturer because he felt we should have given him the cash back. All over a free ticket.

Your giveaway ended up so much better, Glad for you and good of you to do this Bruce.
Travis

I did have people at the show ask me if I was was going to give the cash equivalent! This made me think about it, and I suppose there is an amount I would have given for the guitar, but it is NOT the amount I' d have sold it for.

I did prepare myself to have someone want a better guitar than the prize, which I do have, and I would have given my standard trade in deal: I will give full purchase value in trade up to an instrument of 150% the price if the trade in is as new condition. . . of course the actual purchase price in this case is $0 (I'd do better than that!).

Billie Jo seems an ideal winner to me.

Today we had an NCAL meeting hosted by LMI in Windsor. A very interesting meeting for me as we saw lots of jigs and fixtures I had not looked closely at, and had a behind the scenes tour of their manufacturing side.

Also, they showed off some alternative tone woods they're presenting to the community. I bought a set of flamed Indian Laurel. I've heard of it before, but had not seen it. Very pretty stuff, AND it is dark enough to appeal to the rosewood fans. Also again, not very expensive!

One of the disadvantages of living in a nearly perfect climate for lutherie is that I do not have humidity control equipment. Thus I am in my third week of being unable to do any meaningful work as it is unusually hot and humid here in Petaluma this summer. Not complaining actually, the dampness in Texas and in Florida is much worse.

I have been doing some work on my "Woodlocker", though it is merely a few steps on a long journey as far as I can see. Still, here are some pictures of the Indian Laurel I just acquired, and also of an OM sized tortoise set of the "Tree" I got a couple of months ago in the Ukulele deal.

Indian Laurel:
http://mojoluthier.com/lutepics/Wood...ianLaurel1.jpg

The Tree:
http://mojoluthier.com/lutepics/Woodlocker/Tree2a.jpg

Tweaked the contrast for this:
http://mojoluthier.com/lutepics/Woodlocker/tree2c.jpg

Humidity is back into the normal range here in Petaluma, and I am back at the bench. I am working in earnest on a 000-18ish guitar for Vic Manuel, whom some of you may remember as the Aussie who was Eric Schoenberg's right hand man before James Hipps, who currently holds that position. Vic had me make a similar guitar for him at that time, but is seems that some semi-violent instant entropy overtook it. It still works, I think, so it will be most interesting to hear how today's version compares to yesterdays.

Here is where the project is today:

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/peone.jpg

Good to see you back at it, thought you might have decided to put your feet up for a while. Your using Indian Laurel jogged my memory. I had a set of wood but forgot what kind it was, now I remember.

Just looking at the top I was wondering of your V styled popsicle brace. I can't remember (recurring theme in my life) if you ever commented why you deviated from the traditional straight brace.

I too have no idea whether or not I have explained my thinking on the popcicle brace. There is a well known repair person on the UMGF who appears to be making his living removing it from Martin guitars. I think it plays a very important role in guitar balance, particularly in helping eliminate local resonance nodes. Also, I find it useful when clamping on the neck as a sort of caul. I have never thought of it as a foil to mitigate top cracks beside the fingerboard, as most observers seem to. The upper transverse brace and the sides ought to be enough for that, if it is actually an issue. I think the source of that common crack lies in another direction altogether, and I have taken other steps to deal with that.

coming along. The back will go on in a few minutes . . .

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/kerfing.jpg

I have built a number of more "interesting" guitar this last year or two, but this "roots" guitar is going very well, and really will be as good as anything else I make for considerably less moolah. I find great beauty in this simplicity; very close to Martin's style 18.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/closed1.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/closed2.jpg

Any particular reason for using tantalones for the top and conventional ribbon kerfing for the back ?

OtrHnd
If you look back through my pics you will see that I work w/o molds and build to a line on the top. The sides are placed and the fixed by the Tentalones (I call them Peone), one block at a time. This allows me to forgo complex calculations forming the side shape to fit the MANY different shapes I build and gives me a great fit to the top. I can ONLY then form the side shape to receive the back and am able to put in and shape the kerfed linings in the more conventional way.

This is a familiar sequence to anyone who builds in the Spanish style.

I like looking at the "fancy" guitars, but there is something about a well made, unadorned guitar that is beautiful in itself.

The box is bound and taken to 180 grit, so it's on to the neck. Pretty nice mahogany IMO, and I am delighted to notice I have several more sister sets.

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/bound1.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/bound2b.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com/LP17/Vic/bound3.jpg

I now see that I am no longer tuned into pop culture AT ALL. I had some guys come into the shop who play in a band, wanting to look at my guitars. They called in advance (always a good idea) and so were expected. When I mentioned to my daughter that they were coming she seemed to lose the power of speech. I had to forbid her to crash the meeting and she ended up calling in the middle of it anyway. She wanted tickets to the bands show tomorrow in Sacramento where she lives. Nice guys that they are she got them, too. Even nicer, for me, they left with a couple of my guitars saying they'd be back for more before too long. More pleasant people they could hardly be, too. I do like their band name, which is "Imagine Dragons".

Turns out I sold Ben McKee, the bassist, his first double bass about 12 or 15 years ago and gave a pretty good deal too as his friends had made a collection to buy it for him and it was his mother who actually did the deal intending to surprise him. I have always been a bit of a soft touch for a good story. Comes around/goes around, we old hippies used to say. Now he has my Pear 0 which I WAS going to bring to Woodstock.