Fay Guitars -- Roadtrip & General Update
 

It's been a while since I've posted a thread about my work in the Custom Shop. I had intended to do a Roadtrip Guitar in early 2020 but I've been busy and had higher priority tasks on my build schedule. Last year was a strange year and not just because of COVID. It was also a year of transition for me as I moved away from outsourcing my finish work to bringing that process in-house. This involved a tremendous amount of experimentation with different finishes and techniques. I just recently overhauled my website and added a lot of new information. If you're interested in reading my thoughts on guitar finishes, I've done a brief write up and the FAQ page also has a lot of good information that may be useful - much of it is general and not restricted to only my guitars.

http://fayguitars.com

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Lastly, I have a guitar I'm currently working on for the Roadtrip and expect to have it ready in August or thereabout. I've created a webpage with information - so if you are interested in participating, visit the link below. Even if you have already expressed interest, please check out the page and let me know if you still want to participate:

http://fayguitars.com/Guitars/roadtrip.html

Best Regards,
Simon

What a wealth of info on that FAQ page, Simon! The available guitar looks k-i-l-l-e-r.

I put new strings on my Model One this weekend... yum!

The roadtrip guitar is a terrific idea for those who want to have the pleasure of spending some time with your instruments.

I really want to try one of these guitars. The roadshow instrument is a great idea.

Another road trip guitar is a great opportunity for us. I've sent you an e-mail. Thanks Simon!

Thanks for the insights on finishing. I use nitro and shellac, but I'm not opposed to trying new finish materials and I always enjoy another luthier's perspective.

Bobby

Hi Bobby,
Honestly, if you'r'e setup for nitro and you do a good job with it - I'd probably stick with it. The big negatives to nitro are the long-term deterioration and yellowing and also the cold-checking. The urethane solves those problems but is more challenging to apply and gives you greater scratch resistance but is not as repairable. If urethane were repairable like nitro it would be the perfect guitar finish. But if you ever decide to try it -- give me a call and I'll walk you through my process.

My Tiger Myrtle Fay is a fantastic inspiring guitar. It’s on my never sell list. Simon deserves a much higher profile.

I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway: I presume that the Roadtrip Guitar is only available to US customers? I have a long-term plan to complement my Claxton with a more modern style guitar, and I've been impressed by everything I've heard and read about your work. :) Unfortunately, trying out interesting guitars isn't easy when you live in Northern Europe...

Hi cbjanne,
At the moment, the Roadtrip Guitar is intended just for North America.

However, if enough people in a specific region want to try out the guitar -- I may consider sending it internationally. I can take advantage of the FedEx Great Rates program which drastically reduces shipping costs. I recently sent a couple of guitars to China ($1050 3-Day Priority shipping only cost $125).

Just to clarify, the Roadtrip participants are responsible for the shipping costs.

Hooray!
 

Hooray and Huzzah! This will be a fun thing.

I assume each party will pay shipping in ONE direction???

Certainly worth it to get to check out a Fay!

Sweet

Paul

Yes, everybody is responsible for just getting it to the next person on the list. For folks that don't have to pay anything at all, I'll try and maybe collect $10 or so from them and give that to the folks that get hit with a bigger shipping charge.

Simon...

Large congrats regarding the stellar work on your new in-house finish process, and the new, highly informative website.

As with all of your work, these updates (and finish-process upgrades) are simply a reflection on who you are; the best of the best.

I’m also glad to see this current Road Trip guitar idea come to fruition.

Keep on keepin’ on...