With permission from Jason Kostal, this was shared on his Facebook page today:
Part of what I value most about this journey that I am on is not the guitars that I have built, or will build, but rather the incredible people that I have met along the way. A few years ago, luthier Karan Singh came from India to spend some time with me in my shop... learning about how I do things and growing in his own way as a builder. Shortly after he returned home, I was able to introduce Karan to a very dear friend of mine, Grammy award winning guitarist Amrit Sond. Amrit wanted to commission a guitar that paid tribute and homage to his beautiful mother and Karan was not only the right fit for this endeavor... but he created a truly beautiful guitar for Amrit that met his needs in every way.
Amrit wanted to do something to say "Thank you" for the introduction, and today, this beautiful, handmade mallet arrived in the mail from Blue Spruce Toolworks. I have been using Dave Jeske's chisels for years and his tools are truly some of the finest in the world. This mallet is in the same class, and I cannot wait to use it in my own journey... each time allowing myself to think of the very special friendships that I have with both Karan and Amrit and remembering how truly blessed I am to have people like them in my life.
The backdrop is a beautiful set of "The Tree" being made into an MDW for a client of mine, and while the mallet was not used in any way on this rare wood, it was the perfect backdrop... commensurate with the quality of the tool itself, the artisan that made it, and the two incredible artists that collaborated to order it for me. "Thank you" does not even begin to share my sentiments right now!
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