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  #46  
Old 11-25-2013, 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Nemoman View Post
Steve--this really looks to be an incredible guitar--love the woods, the detailing, and the soundports. I enjoyed seeing your stuff at Healdsburg and always enjoy your build threads here on the AGF. Thanks for sharing your work!
Thanks for your kind words, Nemo. I wish you could come over to my shop and try this new guitar out, because SHE'S DONE! First strings went on last night about 7PM. See below for details.
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  #47  
Old 11-25-2013, 12:49 PM
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So pretty!
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  #48  
Old 11-25-2013, 01:21 PM
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Okay then: This new Performance Florentine is officially off the runway and airborne! I just about jumped out of my skin when I played the first G chord.
Some good things are going on around here. So I'm going to bore you with a little back-story.

One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make since moving away from Seattle and resettling in Birmingham is getting used to working alone. In Seattle, our shop was on a busy street in a commercial district on the West fringe of the University District; so there were ALWAYS people dropping by, looking in, and hanging out. Plus, I always had at least two shop mates sharing the space. It was busy, crowded, and noisy, just the way I liked it. Our shop was a social hub among local musicians and artists, for the whole thirteen years we were there.

Now, working in my Dad's shop in a quiet suburban neighborhood outside of Birmingham, I'm living more like a hermit, working alone, with virtually no social interaction. It DOES get lonesome, and I've really missed having other people to bounce ideas off of, and mix it up with.

Until recently, that is. Since luthiers are as rare as unicorns in Alabama, I guess word got out that there actually was one-- me-- and that got some people curious. In particular, two guys who are members of my Mom's church, who are both guitar players, and both very interested in learning about the mysterious arcana of guitar making. We'll keep it on a first name basis. That's Chip, on the left, with the guitar, and Tim, on the right.



Tim is playing one of my first-gen EP Performance guitars (and really diggin' it, I might add)...



Chip and Tim came over to observe and participate in the birthing process of this new guitar, this past Saturday afternoon. That's the new guitar, on the workbench, in the top photo. We had hoped to get all the way to stringing up, but the process got slowed down by all the discussion and Q & A during the final steps. So, rather than rush it, we decided to spend a little quality time listening to Chip play some tunes. He's an awesome player, well versed in several styles, as the guitar has been a lifelong passion of his. Here's another shot of Chip playing the Argentine EP Venetian, which is the Maple guitar's sister:



These two Performance guitars that Chip is playing are looking for good homes. For more info on that, go here: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=317955
The story continues in the next post...
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  #49  
Old 11-25-2013, 01:53 PM
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In the short time since we first met, I already consider Tim and Chip to be old friends, newly met. We are planning some ambitious projects already. Tim is going to be getting an "unserviced" guitar kit from Luthier's Mercantile, with which he will make into his own, first, self-made guitar. An "unserviced" kit is one that is basically just a stack of wood, with all the necessary parts, roughly dimensioned and ready to work. You have to bend the sides, and do a lot of the joinery and other detailed woodworking; so it's a very deeply involved process. Tim will be coming over to do the steps that require specialized jigs and tools. We'll make a body mold and bending form, and take it from there. I'll be coaching him all the way through the process; and we anticipate that Tim's first build will be a great success, resulting in a great, high-end guitar. How thrilling is that!

Chip may get into building too, and he also has a couple guitars that have some issues that need to be fixed. So we'll be doing some repair and setup practicums too, using his guitars as teaching tools.

And-- this is REALLY cool-- Chip has a family heirloom guitar, an 1860's NEW YORK MARTIN, a genuine Civil War era guitar, built by CF Martin the First, which Chip intends to have restored to its original glory.
I am certainly NOT going to do that work. This is more the purview of someone like TJ Thompson, or someone else who knows how to do the careful work of restoring such a priceless treasure. This guitar has been in Chip's family since it was first sold, around a century and a half ago. He'll be bringing it over here for show 'n tell, in its original "coffin" case, sometime after Thanksgiving. I'll shoot some photos, and maybe a video to post here on the AGF. Stay tuned!

So-- I just wanted to introduce my new friends, Chip and Tim. I've always wanted to teach what I know about guitar lutherie, and they have wanted to learn about it. I think we'll have a good synergy going.
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Old 11-25-2013, 02:32 PM
SJ VanSandt SJ VanSandt is offline
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Steve, thanks for sharing the story about your new friends, complete with great pictures! I'm really pleased that you are finding some things to fill the void left by leaving your home in the NW.

And your new guitar looks awesome laying there on the workbench - looking forward to some fancier photos!
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  #51  
Old 11-25-2013, 02:34 PM
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Now, back to the new guitar. Yesterday, we were going to reconvene and finish up the nut, saddle, tuner installation work, and string up; but Tim and Chip both had a lot to do, so they couldn't make it over to the shop. Since we'll be doing a lot more exploration and collaboration later on, I forged ahead and got this baby launched. Here's the 'before' photo...



... and here's the 'after' photo, at about 7 PM last night:





My first impressions, after I got it tuned up: WOW. BIG sound! Like a grand piano. Rings like a temple bell. Wooooo!
This morning, it was even better. Something amazing happens in the first few hours of a new guitar's life. Once it wakes up and discovers what it is, a special kind of magic happens. This guitar has all of that. It feels so alive. It kind of surprised me-- probably because it's been awhile since I built a Performance model-- my biggest guitar-- and this thing has a LOT of power and projection. I feel very good about this, because two of the main NEW features of this guitar appear to have worked very well-- the new tri-ports on the lower bout hip give the guitar a very present, clear, airy sound; and the new thirteen-frets-to-body, instead of the usual fourteen fret design, seems to impart a new level of depth to the tone, almost a twelve-fret vibe. The bass is fat, and very focused, the mids are loud and clear, and the trebles have a crystalline ring and nice overtones developing. This all bodes well for the future, as this guitar opens up and develops its voice and character.

Another gratifying observation is, the Red Gum back seems to add some nice character to the sound. I really feel the back respond when I pluck a string or play a chord. First time using this wood, and it gets a big thumbs-up.

I hope I can get some quality sound clips of this guitar, because it's something special. I'll ask Chip if he can help with that...

Now, I really have to get back to work on my new website, which is about halfway to completion. I'll be taking frequent breaks to play this new guitar. Probably won't get much done today.

Man, I tell ya, this just NEVER gets old!

Thanks for looking!
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  #52  
Old 11-25-2013, 02:51 PM
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Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt View Post
Steve, thanks for sharing the story about your new friends, complete with great pictures! I'm really pleased that you are finding some things to fill the void left by leaving your home in the NW.

And your new guitar looks awesome laying there on the workbench - looking forward to some fancier photos!
Thank you! I'm going to let the guitar settle in for a few days, and then get the setup and final detailing tweaked to a high degree of fine. Then I'll shoot a comprehensive round of glamor photos. I definitely want this guitar prominently featured on my new website.

The Ameritage case is going to be here about mid-December. Then, I am planning to send this guitar to the dealer.
I should have mentioned-- My business plan is moving in a new direction. I plan to be reserving at least a third of my guitar output to place with three different high-end guitar shops. This is one of those guitars. I have been thinking about this for a long time. When I build guitars on spec, like for the Healdsburg shows, I get to control every aspect of the design, and try out new features, and keep evolving the designs. I love building guitars on commission, but I also love making them on MY dime, because I'm the client, and just like all of you guys, I have an unquenchable case of GAS too. This way, I get to indulge my jones for a new guitar on a more frequent basis, y'know...

Once I get the final detailing done, and she's played in a bit, I will offer this guitar for private sale at a discount, here on the Forum, for a short while. If there are no takers here after a week or so, off she goes...
Send me a PM if you're curious. Cheers!
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  #53  
Old 11-25-2013, 05:30 PM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Great thread Steve. Looking forward to hearing more about your happenings as time goes on.

Nice work, nice designs. I've enjoyed reading your friendly posts.

Keep up your great work.

Kevin.
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  #54  
Old 11-25-2013, 07:30 PM
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Great thread Steve. Looking forward to hearing more about your happenings as time goes on.

Nice work, nice designs. I've enjoyed reading your friendly posts.

Keep up your great work.

Kevin.
Thanks so much, Kevin. Coming from a guy with such outrageously prodigious skills as you, that really means a lot. I was looking at your new thread on the neck inlays, and trying to think what to say, but I couldn't come up with the superlatives to describe my awe. Seeing your work in person at the Healdsburg in August, I, I, ummm.... see, I'm at a loss for words again.
I see you as a member of the same pantheon as people like Fred Carlson and William Eaton. Totally original and visionary. You cast a lo-o-o-ng shadow, my friend.
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Old 12-14-2013, 05:15 PM
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For the last couple of weeks, I've been immersed up to my chin in my new website project. Last night, I completed the last page of it. Now I'm busy proof-reading all the text and testing the hyperlinks. It's almost ready to fly; but one of the last things I wanted to include in the new site was a round of glamor photos of this new Performance Florentine. I'm extremely happy with the way this guitar turned out.
I like to name some of my guitars. Because of the swirly figure of the Red Gum back and sides, I'm calling this one "Jupiter".
Here are some photos I shot this afternoon:









I'm thrilled with the way this guitar has already opened up. It has a huge sound. Even though Carpathian spruce tops take some time to develop their full sonic potential, this one is already developing some richness and complexity in the tone. I get lost in the simplest things, like a fingerpicked Em, Am, B7 figure. I think a new song might come of it.

One of the most exciting things I found about this guitar is the amazing range of dynamics it puts out. With the thirteen-frets-to-body design, the bridge moves south on the soundboard a little-- right to the “sweet spot”. The effect of this is, if you pick or strum up near the fingerboard terminus, the tone is fat, round, and mellow. The closer you move down toward the bridge, the crisper and more focused the sound becomes. It goes a long way. Play softly, and the guitar delivers you a bouquet of flowers. Play hard, and it stirs up a windstorm.
And another thing-- The Tri-ports on the lower bout hip lend an amazingly deep presence of sound to the player.
I guess you can tell I’m over the moon about this new guitar.



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Old 12-15-2013, 01:51 AM
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Steve, your mention of the differences of living/working in Birmingham vs Seattle caught my attention.

Have passed your old corner shop many times but never stopped in, too bad for me but I wasn't into guitars them. Like you said a lot of stuff going on in that part of town, must be light years different working out of a home now.

Looks like your work hasn't suffered in the move, some really fantastic builds you've shown us the past few months.

Looks like you are making some adjustment to the isolation of working alone . Sometime people think they want to work alone and it maybe right for them. But other times it happens to us not by 1st choice and that's had to deal with. One of the trouble with guys I think is we try to be stoic and not admit certain things to our determent. From your posts it looks like as word gets around that your are making some new connections, but with the sheer beauty of your guitars it would be hard to not get someones attention.

Your marketing plan to build some spec guitars seems like a good one. I would think that with your knowledge of materials and the best or maybe better combinations of them would result in just about the same selections that a custom build would arrive at. Seems like a true custom build has to have a lot of direction from the builder to steer the customer in the best direction to make it successful. So a potential custom order might be filled with a spec build or maybe a spec with some custom minor details.

After reading/viewing this forum for about a year now I think I have figured what just about every builders, either full time, part time(wanting to step up) or anything in between true marking plan is. The real plan is to make a guitar that looks so fantastic, sounds so great, and almost plays itself that some one will just have to have it no matter what, do what ever it takes to get it at some point. Sometimes you have to wonder if it's right to put such temptations in front of mere mortals.

Bruce,
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Old 12-15-2013, 03:41 PM
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Steve, this is a beauty. Love the name Jupiter! Looks incredible as is becoming your habit. Nice job
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  #58  
Old 12-15-2013, 07:13 PM
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Steve, that is one seriously stunning guitar. Just gorgeous!
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  #59  
Old 12-21-2013, 03:47 AM
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Steve, congratulations on "Jupiter", it has turned out fantastic!!

I can't wait to see the next creation emerge from your stash of Red Gum.

Glad to hear you're getting less lonely in your new (old) surroundings. Your new neighbors are most fortunate!!
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  #60  
Old 12-21-2013, 02:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BEJ View Post
Steve, your mention of the differences of living/working in Birmingham vs Seattle caught my attention.

Have passed your old corner shop many times but never stopped in, too bad for me but I wasn't into guitars them. Like you said a lot of stuff going on in that part of town, must be light years different working out of a home now.

Looks like your work hasn't suffered in the move, some really fantastic builds you've shown us the past few months.

Looks like you are making some adjustment to the isolation of working alone . Sometime people think they want to work alone and it maybe right for them. But other times it happens to us not by 1st choice and that's had to deal with. One of the trouble with guys I think is we try to be stoic and not admit certain things to our determent. From your posts it looks like as word gets around that your are making some new connections, but with the sheer beauty of your guitars it would be hard to not get someones attention.

Your marketing plan to build some spec guitars seems like a good one. I would think that with your knowledge of materials and the best or maybe better combinations of them would result in just about the same selections that a custom build would arrive at. Seems like a true custom build has to have a lot of direction from the builder to steer the customer in the best direction to make it successful. So a potential custom order might be filled with a spec build or maybe a spec with some custom minor details.

After reading/viewing this forum for about a year now I think I have figured what just about every builders, either full time, part time(wanting to step up) or anything in between true marking plan is. The real plan is to make a guitar that looks so fantastic, sounds so great, and almost plays itself that some one will just have to have it no matter what, do what ever it takes to get it at some point. Sometimes you have to wonder if it's right to put such temptations in front of mere mortals.

Bruce,
Hi, Bruce,
Sorry it took so long to reply-- I've been so busy, driving myself insane trying to get my new website launched.
I appreciate your kind words, and I wish I had met you while still in Seattle. But nice to meet you here on the forum. That's one thing about working alone-- I'm never really isolated, since I've got a lot of friends here on the AGF, some of them nearby, and some of them from the other side of the planet. That's a thing of inestimable value. This is a world community we've got here!

As for the custom vs. spec thing, I love doing builds both ways. Some of my most successful design advances have been at the behest of some very canny and discerning custom build clients. And then, when I am the "art director", I try to come up with something that will have a lot of appeal to the audience who goes for the postmodern guitar, and I love the freedom to indulge my own whimsey. Either way, the prime directive is to produce great guitars.

My first project of 2014 is going to making two prototypes of a brand new model-- The Athena Crossover, a hybrid nylon string. One is for John H., who I built a Consort for earlier this year; the other one, I will either keep for myself or consign to a dealer. This is going to be an ALL-IN project. Stay tuned for the upcoming Athena Project thread.
Again, thanks for your thoughtful comments, Bruce! Be well...
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