Premium Guitar Magazine
 

I got a 2 page spread in the upcoming July '18 Premier Guitar magazine. It is part of a larger article on luthiers in different areas of the country. I even got a plug in for AGF!

https://www.premierguitar.com/articl...-region?page=2

Premier Guitar is the most popular guitar magazine out there with over a million monthly readers so I'm very happy to get the exposure and am complimented by who else is in the article. Good timing too, as I am preparing for my first time exhibiting at the upcoming Woodstock show.

Hey Mark,

Congrats on the article. Great looking stuff in this thread and in the article. I especially like the throated soundport. I had a similar concept many years ago, although it only made it into sketches and I never seemed to get the time to make it materialize. Either way your implementation so much more elegant, and I love the thought of the inspiration coming from the snail. (Mine was from the Nautilus.)

Nice work.

Congratulations, Mark, it's terrific that you were one of the highlighted builders! And I agree with your explanation of the importance of photography; we eat with our eyes, and your guitars are a feast.

Congrats Mark, really nice article and you certainly had some beautiful builds to highlight as well. Again, the professional grade photos were there to help again!

Nice article Mark! That gets you even more "on the map" than you already were :up:.

Great stuff, congratulations!

Thanks John, Yeah, that shape just works. Our hearing is totally dependent on the snail shaped cochlea inside our ears. Seems significant in a coincidental sort of way :)



Thanks mikealpine!


Thanks Tom!


Thanks Woody!

Very nice article, Mark, congratulations!
And the pics aren't too shabby either. As I think about that, the excellent photographs probably help hone the eye, and end up making you a more careful craftsman? I mean you're looking at your own work with a critical, not a forgiving eye...more like a consumer perhaps? Anyway, lovely as always.

Steve

Terrific article Mark. You build beautiful instruments and it’s nice to see this.

Thanks for commenting Steve. Yes, taking pictures is definitely part of my build process. It makes me stop and actually look at what I am doing. A lot of my creative ideas come from behind the lens. Photography has always been an interest of mine, I guess I'm a visual thinker. I just came across this photo when I got my first 35mm camera maybe 40 years ago:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1744/...1c9a632f_o.jpg


Thanks Haasome!

Hey, nice camera. Who's the kid holding it? :D

SK

Back to that guitar
 

OK back to business, I've thinned the top and am starting to do the braces. That starts at the X brace. I use an interlocking sash joint wherever braces cross. There is a lot of fiddley miter work involved but, it eliminates the knuckles. This lowers needless weight in normally overly stiff spots:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1760/...86d7da17_c.jpg


The first round of braces going on include the X brace, the transverse brace, and the bridge plate:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1755/...eb8952e3_b.jpg

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

Those amazing Hatcher photos lured me in....2 guitars later and no regrets at all. He is a master maker.

Beautiful as always Mark, loving the colour combination of this latest build.

Can I ask how you go about making colour selections when it comes to binding, bridge/fretboard and rosette selections?
Sometimes I see you go for high contrasting colours, or other times, very closely coloured timbers. Is this just a case by case decision, or planned in advance?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Sorry Mark, but I have another question!
Did you have any feedback on the black strings you used on your Olivewood build??
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4386/...a179d643_h.jpg

Hi Zandit75,

I like these Black Diamond strings. The volume is good and there is reduced finger noise. Personally, I tend to prefer bright almost chimey strings like fresh D’Addario PB strings. These are not that. Charlie Chronopoulos who does my sound samples, loved these strings and felt this was the most balanced and versatile guitar he’s heard of mine.
So in short, good quality, volume, and more round tone similar to nickel strings.
I have a set of DR Black Beauties coming that I will try on this guitar and decide from there which set will be on the guitar going to the Woodstock show.

Mark

Thanks ukejon! We had some fun builds. I'm working on plans for an all Koa version of your Josie Mahogany multi-scale


It's a case by case decision. I do like to contrast the binding because guitars have such nice shape and lines and the contrast highlights that. Usually, the contrast is in tone or color but sometimes a very different figure does the trick. Rosettes on the other hand are typically easy to contrast so I'll sometimes purposely not contrast it because it's an unexpected look. Sometimes, a low contrast rosette on a dark top gives a really nice earthy look too.
Overall, I think when your trimming with woods (as opposed to shell etc.) usually it's best to keep the number of different species down to the minimum. Less is more--sometimes. Sometimes more is more.
Hard to make rules and if you do it's hard not to break them! :)

M

Thank you very much Mark, this kind of insight is most appreciated!
I really like the look of those Black Diamond strings, they seem to add another dimension to the overall look without looking like every other set of strings out there.

I'm glad we have a similar thought process regarding sometimes less is more, and sometimes more is more!! Taking each decision as it comes, not overplanning everything too much ahead of time.

Thanks again!

Hatcher's Studio 2018
 

I've started bending sides and getting everything together for them. I like these initial stages of putting a guitar together because it all goes comparably quickly in the beginning. That's the thing about building a guitar, you start out fast and then it goes slower and slower as you close in on finishing it. Also, because of all the accumulating time you're investing the consequences of messing up become greater and greater.

Here is a side being bent:



https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1756/...eb610e26_c.jpg



While that's going on I've started sorting out the trim wood. Here I am cutting a sequence of binding strips:



https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1755/...aff1e16f_c.jpg



The advantage of cutting you own binding strips is you know the colors will match and because you've cut them in sequence, you can book match them when they are installed. This shows up particularly back where the binding strips meet up at the end graft. The grain lines will mate up nicely this way. A miniscule detail I know but, why not?



https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1755/...81b0b65d_c.jpg



More to come!

Mark

Here's a picture to show the silking on this Engelmann top:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1802/...0c57eb5e_c.jpg

Here's a mess of clamps holding the heel block and cutaway together while the glue dries:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1790/...1ebc9ac4_c.jpg

Thanks for viewing!

Arm Bevel
 

Here's a picture of the arm bevel getting set up:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1769/...ee01250f_c.jpg

Pretty side wood, isn't it? This is just the dry wood. This is really pop when the finish hits!

M

I’ll say. Sides are gorgeous. Really going to have some depth.

Calendar Swimsuit Guitars...
 

I was checking the old link to Mr. Hatcher's posts last night to see the beauty that is up FS right now...

Then I was sucked in to years worth of posts! Danger!!! Haha

What a mind boggling bevy of beauties Mark has pictured in his ongoing build posts.

I am flabbergasted at all the different varieties and how impossibly well they each are perfect in their uniqueness...

I especially liked the maple/cocobolo as I am expecting my new John Kinnaird in similar looking woods, with double bevels, a port, and a lot of bells and whistles!

Carry on in great health and spirits! And may your herds increase!!!

Paul

Thanks for commenting!


Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, Maple trimmed in Cocobolo has a great look and Maple has a place in most anyone's collection. I'm sure John is making you a great sounding guitar! Congratulations.

Mark


Mark

The real danger is this entire section on the forum, having said that, you can easily get sucked in reading through Mark's threads. If I can get my own build anywhere within just 10% near this kind of beauty, I'll be very happy!!!

Thanks Zandit75! I’m glad you are taking the time to read through my musings and I hope you find them helpful.

Mark

Kerfing
 

Here is a picture of the kerfing being clamped. I've taken a lot of these pictures over the years so this shot is an effort to be different. An ode to clamps if you will :);

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1774/...3cb5db56_c.jpg

Thanks for following along!
Mark

Back Kerf
 

I got the back part of the side set all cleaned up and the kerfing on today:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1800/...4845b69f_c.jpg

There were a few other things to do also like adding some support for a future sound port using a couple additional laminates on the upper bout.
We'll have the body closed up next week.


Thanks for viewing!
Mark

Most definitely Mark. I've only been on this forum for about 3yrs but the small amount of information that I've been able to pick up from master luthiers like yourself is invaluable!!

Some years ago I designed a new location for the neck strap button on cutaway guitars. Having it recessed a bit into the body keeps it out of the way, yet still easily accessible and very secure. This was a trick I learned from the improved deck rigging designs on modern kayaks;

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/...2ae607b4_c.jpg

It's a little extra work but, it's included with a cutaway. In order to set up I select a block of whatever wood the binding is going to be and laminate the purfling lines on the one side I won't be able to get to later. This is then cut through the sides into the heel block. Now there will be the wood to cut into to create the facet and properly anchor the strap button:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1766/...a0f6f25b_c.jpg

So there you have it!
Mark

Update on Maple Josie
 

Lust a quick update on the quilted Maple small jumbo Josie Model. Here's a quick peek with the first gloss coat on:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1836/...cddc6aa0_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1792/...73b913f4_b.jpg

Should have finish completed in maybe two weeks!

M