Kostal Guitars Project and build Thread - Page 3

lizzard · #31 02-07-2016, 09:03 AM

please ignore, deleted.

jkostal · #32 02-07-2016, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taxman

By the way, did you heard about the "Holy Grail Guitarshow" in Berlin? As a german guy, this is the only opportunity to see and get in touch with all the american (and other) great guitars and the luthier behind. Are there any thougts on visit this show in the future?

I recently filled out my application for this show, and we shall see what happens. I have applied every year, but given that it is primarily a Europen Builder show, there have only been 2-3 US builders at the show each year. I will let you know what I find out, but I hope to get to Berlin soon.

rogthefrog · #33 02-07-2016, 03:49 PM

Jason: are you planning on making one guitar at a time, or will you do all the backs together, all the sides together, etc? I'm curious whether you think either method will result in a closer match between the finished products.

jkostal · #34 02-07-2016, 04:46 PM

Roger,

I will build all four guitars simultaneously... all of the backs will be joined at the same time, rims built together, etc. That is how I normally build as it saves a lot of time on tool setup, prep, etc. My shop is set up to be able to work on 4 guitars at the same time. I usually start with 4 guitars at the same time, as the process up until the voicing of the guitar is pretty much the same for every guitar. There are differences in how I thickness sand something, how I splay the braces for a particular model to achieve results, etc, but those changes are made at the time of execution, and happen rather quickly. When it comes time to voice the guitar, that usually takes me a few days of chiseling, listening, evaluating, etc, and at that point I go from working on a few at a time to just focusing on that one guitar. As the boxes come together, I then try to finish one guitar, ship it to my finisher, and then focus on the next guitar. This insures that the guitars don't all arrive at the finisher at the same time, nor do they come back to me at the same time, which makes for a better work flow. This process will be pretty much the same way and will maintain a certain consistency between the work. That is part of the delayed start right now is that I have to have everything else off of my bench so that I can focus on these builds. I have four guitars that are in the final stages of getting ready to head to finish over the next two weeks. I will get them out the door, and begin this build in earnest.

I will most likely start to bend sides, join backs, etc in my free time right now, as I am not using that space in my shop, so there is no reason to not get started, but my attention is on these other guitars until they go out the door. In the next few days I will post some pictures of the back and side sets, and start to show some pictures of my methods and techniques as we progress. If there is anything anyone wants to see, let me know and I will do my best to photograph it. I will admit that I am sometimes bad about taking pictures as I get in the zone, and keep moving forward and then realize I forgot to photograph something. Knowing ahead of time what people would like to see will make a difference.

rogthefrog · #35 02-07-2016, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkostal

Roger,

I will build all four guitars simultaneously... all of the backs will be joined at the same time, rims built together, etc. That is how I normally build as it saves a lot of time on tool setup, prep, etc. My shop is set up to be able to work on 4 guitars at the same time. I usually start with 4 guitars at the same time, as the process up until the voicing of the guitar is pretty much the same for every guitar. There are differences in how I thickness sand something, how I splay the braces for a particular model to achieve results, etc, but those changes are made at the time of execution, and happen rather quickly. When it comes time to voice the guitar, that usually takes me a few days of chiseling, listening, evaluating, etc, and at that point I go from working on a few at a time to just focusing on that one guitar. As the boxes come together, I then try to finish one guitar, ship it to my finisher, and then focus on the next guitar. This insures that the guitars don't all arrive at the finisher at the same time, nor do they come back to me at the same time, which makes for a better work flow. This process will be pretty much the same way and will maintain a certain consistency between the work. That is part of the delayed start right now is that I have to have everything else off of my bench so that I can focus on these builds. I have four guitars that are in the final stages of getting ready to head to finish over the next two weeks. I will get them out the door, and begin this build in earnest.

I will most likely start to bend sides, join backs, etc in my free time right now, as I am not using that space in my shop, so there is no reason to not get started, but my attention is on these other guitars until they go out the door. In the next few days I will post some pictures of the back and side sets, and start to show some pictures of my methods and techniques as we progress. If there is anything anyone wants to see, let me know and I will do my best to photograph it. I will admit that I am sometimes bad about taking pictures as I get in the zone, and keep moving forward and then realize I forgot to photograph something. Knowing ahead of time what people would like to see will make a difference.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

As far as what we'd like to see, I'd say... everything.

For me personally, I'd like to see pictures of top and back bracing (rough and voiced), rosette making, binding, and misc inlay/overlay (headstock, end graft, etc). I understand if some of this is proprietary and can't be shared. Thanks in advance!

JamesO · #36 02-07-2016, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkostal

If there is anything anyone wants to see, let me know and I will do my best to photograph it. I will admit that I am sometimes bad about taking pictures as I get in the zone, and keep moving forward and then realize I forgot to photograph something. Knowing ahead of time what people would like to see will make a difference.

I'd like to see you play these bad boys.

ChuckS · #37 02-08-2016, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkostal

Hello everyone,

This is my first personal build thread on the AGF, and while I am a little worried about the amount of time I will spend on the computer in the weeks ahead, I really wanted to document a project that will be starting soon and share it with all of you to the best of my ability.
...[snip]...
At the end of this build, my intention is to have a musician play all four guitars in a controlled environment: same songs, same recording setup, etc in order to identify the nuances between the guitars. I will record this session with HD video and studio quality sound and share it with everyone.
...[snip]...
Jason Kostal

Hi Jason,
Great project! Glad you are taking it on.

I'm looking forward to how you document your 4 builds, but I also got curious about your intent to record them. You might want to consider starting a thread in the AGF Record subforum about this. This forum has some great players who have also put a high level of attention on their recording methods and gear. Something that may be unique about your recording needs, I assume, would be a desire to not necessarily get the best musical performance and best recorded song, but to get the most accurate recording of the voices and ranges of capability of your guitars. Maybe you could get some suggestions on 'accurate/neutral' gear, recording spaces, recording setups, or resources for assistance. If you end up using a number of mics, maybe you could make available the raw tracks and let individuals evaluate at that level (let them listen to mono tracks as well as mix to their own tastes).

jkostal · #38 02-08-2016, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Hi Jason,
Great project! Glad you are taking it on.

I'm looking forward to how you document your 4 builds, but I also got curious about your intent to record them. You might want to consider starting a thread in the AGF Record subforum about this. This forum has some great players who have also put a high level of attention on their recording methods and gear. Something that may be unique about your recording needs, I assume, would be a desire to not necessarily get the best musical performance and best recorded song, but to get the most accurate recording of the voices and ranges of capability of your guitars. Maybe you could get some suggestions on 'accurate/neutral' gear, recording spaces, recording setups, or resources for assistance. If you end up using a number of mics, maybe you could make available the raw tracks and let individuals evaluate at that level (let them listen to mono tracks as well as mix to their own tastes).

Chuck,

Those are great points and I will definitely try to spread the word on here. I am not a recording guru by any stretch of the imagination. I have been doing house concerts at my place for a while, and with each one I get a little better as I have started to record them and video them using HD cameras, but in all honesty, I would be the weak link in that equation. I think my plan, as it stands now, is to take this to an actual studio, where the equipment and experience is already there, and we can create a "neutral" setting and record the guitars. You are correct in that the song itself does not matter as much as the consistency of the player and the recordings. I think we can create a neutral recording pretty simply by creating a setup and letting it stand for all 4 guitars. To me the biggest part of the equation is the musician, who has to be able to play all four guitars as consistently as possible. There are a lot of key aspects of the end of the build that I still have to work through. Thankfully I have a bit of time, but your ideas and recommendations definitely resonate. Thanks for sharing.

Nemoman · #39 02-08-2016, 12:04 PM

Jason--very cool thread and an awesome project! I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing how all 4 guitars come out. I would just add that as a guitar player that primarily uses a plectrum when I play, it would be good to have recordings that incorporate flatpicking and strumming so that one could hear how each of the 4 guitars respond to that. So perhaps you record a song primarily fingerpicking and one that utilizes flatpicking--hopefully that doesn't complicate things too much or add to the consistency difficulties.

Thanks for taking this on and sharing it with us!

jkostal · #40 02-08-2016, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemoman

I would just add that as a guitar player that primarily uses a plectrum when I play, it would be good to have recordings that incorporate flatpicking and strumming so that one could hear how each of the 4 guitars respond to that. So perhaps you record a song primarily fingerpicking and one that utilizes flatpicking

Great point and a pretty simple request to make happen! Consider it done!

Mark Hatcher · #41 02-08-2016, 01:10 PM

What a great opportunity, congratulations! I'll follow along with great interest

Mark

yoni · #42 02-08-2016, 01:14 PM

Over under on how many threads this actually takes to see completed builds as pretty much everyone will be checking every update. Myself included. This one is going to be exciting and enticing.

gfc · #43 02-08-2016, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Jason--very cool thread and an awesome project! I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing how all 4 guitars come out. I would just add that as a guitar player that primarily uses a plectrum when I play, it would be good to have recordings that incorporate flatpicking and strumming so that one could hear how each of the 4 guitars respond to that. So perhaps you record a song primarily fingerpicking and one that utilizes flatpicking--hopefully that doesn't complicate things too much or add to the consistency difficulties.

Thanks for taking this on and sharing it with us!

Good point - in the interests of accuracy if you are having the set compared using Michael Watts superb playing can we do another a/b with a more regular player!!!

gerberguitars · #44 02-08-2016, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesO

I'd like to see you play these bad boys.

I second this motion! I've heard enough about your gifted playing, but never had the pleasure of hearing you bring them to life. How about a video or two of the builder playing the guitars?

jkostal · #45 02-08-2016, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesO

I'd like to see you play these bad boys.

Ha Ha! I will see what I can do for you guys. There are a couple of reasons that I don't really play guitar much anymore and I might as well share those thoughts with you now.

I have played guitar for about 35 years now. For most of my life it was truly one of the most important and enjoyable aspects of my life. It brought me joy, helped me communicate my feelings when words didn't really seem to work, and in some cases, it grounded me and centered me during the more difficult times in my life. It still does all of these things, but during this 35 year span it came in the form of both listening as well as playing and performing.

When I started to dedicate my life to lutherie, I realized that most of my 3-4 hours per night of practice time was being spent practicing guitar building and refining my skills in that area. I had found something new and exciting for me, and really jumped in with both feet. I have told the story numerous times, and I am honestly not exaggerating at all...when I first started out, I was teaching at Roberto-Venn and had my own shop as well. I wanted to get better, and spent 40-50 hours per week at the school teaching, and an additional 40-60 hours per week at my shop refining my craft. I worked 7 days per week, and usually averaged about 16-18 hour days, often sleeping at my shop for 2-3 hours and then starting all over again. This just didn't leave a lot of time for enjoyment...guitar playing or any other hobbies that I had at the time. As the years progressed, I continued this work schedule, as most of my overseas clients can attest to! I have had quite a few phone conversations at 3 AM because I was in my shop working and they decided to call me on the phone to see how I was doing. I love what I do, and I truly enjoyed working like this. I also felt like the nighttime was the most quiet and relaxing for me and I seemed to get a lot more done.

An added bonus to building guitars is that I started to get them into the hands of some truly gifted musicians, and a side effect that I had not anticipated was born...I found out that I enjoyed listening to someone else play a beautiful piece on one of my guitars far more than I ever enjoyed playing or performing myself. I have been fortunate enough to hear my guitars in the hands of some of the finest musicians in the world, and every single time I am at a loss for words, and experience something completely intangible, yet very real to me. I cherish these moments, and almost feel like when I pick up a guitar these days I don't do it the justice that these players do. I know that many of you can relate to that. I also love the expression I get from someone that is not necessarily a world class player, but plays one of my guitars for the first time and experiences something new and special in them. That moment stays with me, and I think about these moments in time quite often.

The other main reason that I don't record myself playing my guitars is that I feel like, in the past, I have seen some of those videos made by other people turn into discussions about playing style, technique, etc, and it starts to detract from the instrument itself, and our evaluation of it. I want to sit in the passenger seat along with all of you and hear what you hear instead of being in the drivers seat taking the reigns.

I still love the guitar more than any instrument in the world, and I love the amazing collection that I have been able to acquire over the years. It is a part of who I am and a foundational part of what makes me tick.

I will see if I can do some practicing between now and then and maybe do a recording or two, but just thought that I would share my thoughts on this since it is something that I get asked about a lot.

Thanks for the vote of confidence and I will see what I can do!