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  #1  
Old 12-22-2017, 04:37 PM
smasters smasters is offline
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Default New Build: Deep-bodied OM - Swannell Guitars (UK)

Hello!

I’m new round these parts but have gratefully lurked in the past!

I’m having an instrument made by Jamie Swannell of Swannell Guitars (UK) and I thought it would be fun to record the progress of what I think will be a pretty special instrument.

Jamie and I went to university together where we occasionally beer-jammed on guitar and talked nonsense about British Folk. We sort of got on with our separate lives for several years and then crossed paths again when I started performing solo fingerstyle acoustic guitar and discovered that he was making guitars full-time. He brought a couple of guitars along to a gig I did in Cambridge and I (along with Don Alder/Dan LaVoie) got to sample them. I was a big fan and straightaway, rather cheekily, asked if I might borrow one for some recording. He obliged and since then I’ve played a number of the guitars he’s made. I ended up moving to roughly the same neck of the woods recently and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to commission a build.

I had a pretty specific idea of what I was after - a comfortable body shape with decent bass response, smooth trebles and a fairly light build - a dynamically responsive top. I also like the idea of using fairly well-established tone woods but of relatively local (to the U.K.) origin. I know that the rosewood and mahoganies of the world are in limited supply and while I enjoy them greatly, conversations with Jamie (and playing some non-tropical instruments made by him) reassured me that tone has a lot more to do with the build of the instrument, than purely the timber choice.

Anyhow, we settled on a deep-bodied OM, with German Alpine Spruce top, English Walnut (from France) back and sides, 3,500 year-old Bog Oak (buried, discovered by a farmer tilling fields near Cambridge, UK) fingerboard and binding, a Yew neck (famously used for English long-bows) and Cedar bracing. All Non-Tropical woods, all of European origin.

I’m pretty excited and thought I’d share some pics of the early stages...

If it’s of interest, I’ll share further pics of the progress!

Here’s the Yew for the neck:


And some further early progress pics:




[IMG][IMG][/IMG][/IMG]



Last edited by smasters; 12-22-2017 at 05:32 PM. Reason: pics
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Old 12-22-2017, 04:48 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Good for you! Thanks for sharing.

Yew was also a commonly used wood for lute staves. It's very nice to work with.
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Old 12-22-2017, 05:05 PM
phavriluk phavriluk is offline
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Default no pictures

Pictures didn't work for me.
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Old 12-22-2017, 05:33 PM
smasters smasters is offline
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I didn’t know that about lutes....

Pics now working! ��

Last edited by Kerbie; 12-23-2017 at 05:14 AM. Reason: Removed masked profanity
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Old 12-22-2017, 06:34 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Love that rosette! Amazing. ..
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Old 12-23-2017, 03:48 AM
smasters smasters is offline
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Yeah, I think it will look great once it’s finished/lacquered. The walnut of the rosette will look stunning. That was all Jamie’s doing; I didn’t realise that the rosette is often a sort of statement of aesthetic intent, or signing the ‘canvas’ (not to sound too pretentious!) It has been a fascinating learning experience for me so far, as a player and certainly not a builder!
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Old 12-24-2017, 11:28 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Keep those pictures coming!

I love that rosette. Work of art!
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Old 12-24-2017, 06:45 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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Early days but already showing signs of being a fabulous build.
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Old 12-25-2017, 07:05 AM
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Bill Kraus Bill Kraus is offline
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Nice photos, this should be an interesting guitar. I can't wait to see it take shape.
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Old 12-25-2017, 08:53 AM
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The potential for an interesting thread...I like the rosette design and the use of locally (relatively) sourced woods. Walnut is a favourite of mine - both as a tonewood (used in one of my McIlroys) and a few standing in the garden...

BTW are the recordings you did on one of Jamie’s guitars accessible?
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Old 12-28-2017, 03:03 AM
smasters smasters is offline
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I have a McIlroy too - a spruce/rosewood. Beautiful instrument. I think Dermot said somewhere that walnut was his tonewood of choice.

Of course! Here are a couple of recordings with one of Jamie’s OMs. I’m pretty sure it was European Spruce and Ovangkol on this guitar.

https://soundcloud.com/stuartmasters...ur-eyes-part-1
https://youtu.be/zSM-N3rRjnE

And here’s a fan-fret OM Mod, with Spruce/Cherry:
https://youtu.be/VO3ZvfD0q88
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Old 12-28-2017, 03:22 AM
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RodB RodB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smasters View Post
.........
And here’s a fan-fret OM Mod, with Spruce/Cherry:
https://youtu.be/VO3ZvfD0q88
Thanks for the response (really like the sound on this one - you and the guitar)
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  #13  
Old 12-28-2017, 04:18 AM
UKPhil UKPhil is offline
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Lovely looking guitar and from a builder I was unaware of here in the UK. Excellent videos too - great playing Stuart. Thanks for posting
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  #14  
Old 01-01-2018, 08:10 AM
smasters smasters is offline
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Many thanks, Phil and Rod!
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Old 01-15-2018, 02:16 PM
smasters smasters is offline
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Hmmmm, does anyone know how I can move this thread to the Custom Shop forum, please? I guess that may be a better place for it. I know - such a newbie!
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