Dehradun Build - 7/16/19 new photos at bottom of page 2
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New Dehradun Build - new photos added
Some of you may have heard the wonderful story of the Dehradun Guitar Company in Dehradun India. Here's a brief sketch for those who haven’t (if there are errors in the telling they are my own). Dehradun is a town in northern India near the borders of Nepal and Tibet. Dave and Mel Murray went there to do development work. Dave began working in a safe house with Tibetan refugees. The men he was working with found out he was a luthier and asked if he would teach them to build a guitar. He agreed and the experience was a success. They were hungry to learn more so Dave continued the process and eventually trained them to be first rate luthiers. It became clear that the dignity of creative work was just what these displaced and marginalized men needed and so Dehradun Guitar Company was born. They now build world class instruments and their success has served as the basis for deep healing, meaning and belonging. They have become, in their own right, amazing craftsmen. Men who were once refugees have become a brotherhood of gifted luthiers. I first was introduced to their story on the Dream Guitars website. I was intrigued by what Dave had done and based on the positive comments I read on DG I bought a Dehradun from Tristan off AGF. I was skeptical but willing to take the chance because I was so moved by the story. So here’s what happened. I have attended three major guitar festivals and have had the privilege to play amazing guitars from some of the best luthiers on the planet and was amazed to find that, to my ear, nothing I had played beat the Dehradun. I was so impressed I decided to commission a new one with custom options and spent months ironing out the details with Dave and the Dehradun team. They were patient with my many machinations and constant questions. Meanwhile, the guitar I purchased on AGF developed a small problem with the neck so I contacted Dave to see what could be done. Although I had not purchased it from Dehradun he graciously agreed to meet me on his Christmas vacation when he was back in the US and fix the issue AT NO CHARGE. While he had my guitar he loaned me his personal guitar which was my guitars twin (see attached photo). They are both offset sound-hole designs with elevated fingerboards and a tail piece rather than the traditional bridge setup. I loved mine but his was simply the most responsive wood I've ever held in my hands. The bloom, overtones and sustain on the first one were shocking but the second one was markedly better. I mentioned the difference to Dave and to my amazement he said "well keep whichever one you want." Now that is customer service. Clearly I kept the second one. After being patient with all my deliberations Dave gave the design for my new build to the team and they were finally able to start it about a week ago. Below is a picture of the guitar I already own with a note about the design ideas. The following photos are of the new build in process. The new build will be similar in design philosophy to the one I already own. Hope you enjoy them - I sure am. I am very blessed to be a small part of what's happening at Dehradun. Jim Here are three CAD mock-ups Dave did for the new build Attachment 23218 Here you can clearly see the sound hold design and tail piece with the pass through bridge. The bridge has been redesigned and will look more like a regular Dehradun bridge which I much prefer. Attachment 23219 Attachment 23220 These two angled shots show and newly designed bevel which is much narrower and at a more optimal angle for comfort than most bevels. Attachment 23218 Attachment 23051 Here's the guitar I already have. You can see the tail piece which relieves all the pull on the top and allows the bridge to float. The strings put downward pressure on the bridge. Since the top is much looser it is much freer to move. The top is very silky Engelmann and the back and sides are Wenge. Attachment 23052 I designed a bi-level head-stock which they had never done before but were willing to try. Here's Dave's rendition on CAD Attachment 23053 This is a redesigned bridge. I wanted something closer to the regular Dehradun bridge they do on center hole guitars. I didn't realize how much engineering went into the bridge. Dave said - it's all about form following function and there's a lot of function the bridge is responsible for. Here's his CAD image. Attachment 23054 Here is the back - which is South Indian Rosewood which has been aged over 30 years. Attachment 23055 I love the darker streaking down the middle. Attachment 23056 The top is aged redwood. |
wow! How exciting! Dehraduns are great guitars - I'll be following along with this. Congrats :):):)
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I'm also super curious to see what options you chose and see this guitar come together!
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Dehradun Custom appointments
He TK,
I'm excited about it. It will have a new style minnie bevel. It also has radial bracing for the top. The big deal of course is the pass-over bridge and offset sound hole which makes the tone so very special. It also has a carbon rod in the neck and two in the sound box that supply the support from the tail piece to the neck block making the body very stable. The top should never warp and the neck should never need a reset. The only other appointment will be a celtic cross on the fretboard. I'll post more photos when I get them. |
I have played a few dehradun guitars and they were nice sounding guitars with one cedar/north Indian rosewood one that I played being one of the better cedar guitars that I recall having played (admittedly I have played relatively few cedar steel strings compared to spruce top ones). Dave Murray's motivation for starting up the shop in India is a testament to his Noble intentions and motivations and every guitar that is ordered from them is an investment in the community itself. On top of that this guitar displays many innovative ideas that will surely set this guitar apart.
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I agree Gitarro,
Dave's work is absolutely inspiring. The innovations are wonderful as well. He really knows his craft and is a really great guy to boot. I got to meet his wife as well. She has done the same kind of project Dave has done but with textiles. Really doing some kingdom stuff there. Dave's innovations are truly incredible. This project is a bit of an experiment - with my permission - but if the guitar I have is any indication this build should be tonely amazing. All the best, Jim |
Dehradun Update - new photos.
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So here are some new photos fresh from Dehradun. The guys there are very excited about the build being on AGF - I think this is the second time they've had one on. I just found out Tristan did one previously.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums Attachment 23210 A side shot after the kirfing has been glued on. Attachment 23211 A shot from above shows the wider kirfing where the mini bevel will be. The back braces have been glued on and are now ready to be shape The back has been cut out. The florentine cutout will come soon. I love Indian Rosewood and especially like the darker streak down the middle. I also love the reddish purple that this one is going to show. |
Dave's approach to the new build in his search for maximum tone
I want to share some interesting insights from Dave regarding his process in this design. It's very exciting to me.
" I had written (copied in below) about taking previous learnings from this design and bracing the soundboard to lean toward more midrange articulation. In your AGF thread, you mentioned radial bracing. Instead of radial or lattice bracing, I landed on a unifying, well-advanced X brace (advanced meaning the joint is higher up into the upper bout than on traditional designs). It has a very specific carve profile, and specific tonebar lengths and angles and bridge plate layout, to maximize the advantage of the relaxed soundboard while also emphasizing the frequencies I feel we need to bring back into the mix. I do love the way your radial sounds - but I also think we can do even better with this design. I’m planning to employ this design on all future offset builds. Design work like this can be surprising. I wasn’t trying to force a specific bracing pattern; instead, I was just paying attention to everything this guitar has already taught us and discerning where it was telling us to go. Sorry if that sounds a bit artsy-fartsy but that’s the process. I wouldn’t have anticipated that an X brace would make its way back into the design but there’s a reason it has been used successfully for over a century - it’s simply the most efficient way to unify the monopole - which contributes power and projection to the bass - without making the plate over-stiff." |
That looks to be a beauty. Nice aesthetic touches and the EIR is visually striking as well.
Best, Jayne |
Dehradun
Thanks Jayne,
I'm very excited about it. And their story is amazing. Thanks for checking in. more photos to come in the next few days. |
Are there any dealers of this maker in the larger cities in India? I am in India for a week and would love to check it out.
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Quote:
I don't know but I will ask and get back to you. |
Dehradun dealers in India
The guys at Dehradun are excited to have this thread up and get some exposure in the US. When I asked for a reply to Johnny Boys questions they responded:
"Hi Jim, This is great! Yes, we do have dealers in Mumbai and Bangalore. I would be happy to help the person out- you can ask them to mail me directly at [email protected]. Sayan" |
New Photos as of 6/14/2019
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Here are some new photos of the Dehradun as it progresses
Attachment 23641 Braces being glued to the top Attachment 23643 Rahul shapes the braces. Attachment 23644 The Trance pickup has been installed. The base port with it's deep sides is clearly seen. The carbon fiber rod between the neck block and the heal will eliminate any tension on the top allowing it to mover freely and will avoid the need for a neck reset in the future. Attachment 23645 Each guitar is signed on the inside of the top by the team. For custom builds the customer is added as well. I feel honored. There's a lot of love that goes into each build. Attachment 23646 I love this photo of the team. Each team member contributes their expertise to the process. The guys names from left to right in the picture- Vishal, Babloo, Tsewang, Shubham, Arjun, TP, Rahul and Ajay. The top will be glued on today. The following photo shows the side sound port being glued onto the side. This is actually a base port in the lower bout. I always thought the sound ports were simply intended for the enhanced experience of the player, however, Dave explained to me that any change in the openings to the body effect the volume and movement of air so a sound port requires modifications in the size of the hole on the top to get the right proportions. NEW PHOTOS as of 6/14 Attachment 23765 The top has been glued on, the sound hole been cut out and Shubham is gluing the green abalone binding onto it. Attachment 23766 The binding on the sound hole is complete. Attachment 23767 Shubham is sqauring up the sides and soon the minnie bevel will be carved out. |
Beautiful!
I love the signatures on the soundboard as well. What a great story and it was great to be part of it. Interesting you went X-brace instead of "mongrel kasha" (that's #1) or lattice (#2). I'm sure Dave and the team will produce an singular, stellar guitar no matter how it's braced. TK |
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