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  #16  
Old 09-29-2020, 11:00 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by handers View Post
I like short scale for fingerstyle stuff because of lower string tension. My Froggy H12c has 25'1" scale, 12 fret, 1-7/8" nut, 2-1/4" string distance at saddle. It's the most wonderful fingerstyle guitar and Michael Millard says, in jest, it's the only classical guitar he's ever built.

I've always wanted to play a Franklin but never come across one. I hope your is everything you wish for.

hans
Thanks Hans! I'm really stoked. Glad you love your Froggy 12 fret. About 25 years ago I had a Martin 00-21ny...thinking it was about it a '63. I really liked it. But the tone was very unique..surprisingly deep for a small body. But I really needed 14 frets and it sorta dictated what I could play. And that 1 7/8" fretboard....yeah...felt like a classical guitar! Too much for my stubby fingers! But I totally get the 12 fret vibe!
Cheers.
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  #17  
Old 09-30-2020, 11:53 AM
stuartb stuartb is offline
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Congrats.

My franklin has incredible dynamics, and it's such a pleasure to play. I'm just getting the action adjusted modestly right now and miss it dearly.

I would be trusting to Nick on the impact of a short scale. I don't think I'd expect sweeter or warmer (how do you improve upon perfection) - but I'd want to know that the brilliance of his signature tonality can be achieved without any sacrifice if he did build a short scale guitar. Builders generally know where their sweet spots are, and what they can achieve, and I tend to trust them. He's been building for a long time.

I have a 14 fret - OM and would not change a thing. It's a delightful guitar. Light, with impressive and startling dynamics. I've had many people comment on the sweetness and engulfing tone they hear.

Look forward to seeing the end result.

Stuart
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  #18  
Old 09-30-2020, 07:35 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Originally Posted by stuartb View Post
Congrats.



My franklin has incredible dynamics, and it's such a pleasure to play. I'm just getting the action adjusted modestly right now and miss it dearly.



I would be trusting to Nick on the impact of a short scale. I don't think I'd expect sweeter or warmer (how do you improve upon perfection) - but I'd want to know that the brilliance of his signature tonality can be achieved without any sacrifice if he did build a short scale guitar. Builders generally know where their sweet spots are, and what they can achieve, and I tend to trust them. He's been building for a long time.



I have a 14 fret - OM and would not change a thing. It's a delightful guitar. Light, with impressive and startling dynamics. I've had many people comment on the sweetness and engulfing tone they hear.



Look forward to seeing the end result.



Stuart


How do you improve on perfection! Exactly!
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  #19  
Old 09-30-2020, 09:56 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by stuartb View Post
Congrats.

My franklin has incredible dynamics, and it's such a pleasure to play. I'm just getting the action adjusted modestly right now and miss it dearly.

I would be trusting to Nick on the impact of a short scale. I don't think I'd expect sweeter or warmer (how do you improve upon perfection) - but I'd want to know that the brilliance of his signature tonality can be achieved without any sacrifice if he did build a short scale guitar. Builders generally know where their sweet spots are, and what they can achieve, and I tend to trust them. He's been building for a long time.

I have a 14 fret - OM and would not change a thing. It's a delightful guitar. Light, with impressive and startling dynamics. I've had many people comment on the sweetness and engulfing tone they hear.

Look forward to seeing the end result.

Stuart
Thanks Stuart. Your points are very succinct and I love hearing about how impressed you and others are with your Franklin. This is my lifetime guitar and even though there's always a bit of trepidation or second guessing with a custom build, It's reassuring to hear so much positive feedback from others.

I talked to Nick last night about scale and how it affects his tonality. He didn't try to dissuade me from it, but I gathered that he feels it's less than ideal for the OM. Generally, he says you lose some of the power or drive in the bass. And that, to my ears is one of the defining qualities of the OM. It tends to have a full but clean bass. So shortening the scale would affect the overall balance to some degree.

Kudos to Nick, he said he knew he put that shorter scale idea in my head when he saw me grimacing on a couple chords and suggested it. And I told him that the one of his I did play with 12's plays easier than my Collings with 11's. He said , "Well...I usually spend about 13 hours just on the action. Sold...standard 25.4 scale it is!
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  #20  
Old 10-01-2020, 06:15 AM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Originally Posted by 4mykey View Post
Thanks Stuart. Your points are very succinct and I love hearing about how impressed you and others are with your Franklin. This is my lifetime guitar and even though there's always a bit of trepidation or second guessing with a custom build, It's reassuring to hear so much positive feedback from others.

I talked to Nick last night about scale and how it affects his tonality. He didn't try to dissuade me from it, but I gathered that he feels it's less than ideal for the OM. Generally, he says you lose some of the power or drive in the bass. And that, to my ears is one of the defining qualities of the OM. It tends to have a full but clean bass. So shortening the scale would affect the overall balance to some degree.

Kudos to Nick, he said he knew he put that shorter scale idea in my head when he saw me grimacing on a couple chords and suggested it. And I told him that the one of his I did play with 12's plays easier than my Collings with 11's. He said , "Well...I usually spend about 13 hours just on the action. Sold...standard 25.4 scale it is!
I don't know how Nick does it, but the playability of his guitars is truly amazing: my long scale Franklin was actually easier than my short scale Collings, and I had slightly lighter strings on the Collings.
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  #21  
Old 10-01-2020, 04:58 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
I don't know how Nick does it, but the playability of his guitars is truly amazing: my long scale Franklin was actually easier than my short scale Collings, and I had slightly lighter strings on the Collings.
Agreed. His BRW OM I played a year or two ago blew my mind. It was like butter in my hands...so easy with 12's. I'm actually pretty fond of my Collings. Had several people compliment me on it's tone...even John Renbourn wanted it. Funny side note: It was only about 6 months old at the time, and I gave John the specs for the guitar. He said "I don't want another guitar...I want THAT one!" He even jokingly said, "So how about a year's supply of malt whiskey for that guitar?" Lol.

But my point was that even though I love my Collings, it's always felt somewhat unforgiving intonation wise. It doesn't seem to allow for much inaccuracy when fretting. And cause I've had it for 22 years... I'm used to it. But when I play Nick's guitars... well...night and day in terms of ease of playability. Anyone else found Collings to be a little picky about intonation?
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  #22  
Old 10-03-2020, 04:41 AM
massimo massimo is offline
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I too had asked Nick about short scale on the OM, and he clearly was not too enthusiastic...I ended up with a normal scale. Although I prefer shorter scale, I must say that guitar does play effortlessly

Quote:
Originally Posted by 4mykey View Post
Thanks Stuart. Your points are very succinct and I love hearing about how impressed you and others are with your Franklin. This is my lifetime guitar and even though there's always a bit of trepidation or second guessing with a custom build, It's reassuring to hear so much positive feedback from others.

I talked to Nick last night about scale and how it affects his tonality. He didn't try to dissuade me from it, but I gathered that he feels it's less than ideal for the OM. Generally, he says you lose some of the power or drive in the bass. And that, to my ears is one of the defining qualities of the OM. It tends to have a full but clean bass. So shortening the scale would affect the overall balance to some degree.

Kudos to Nick, he said he knew he put that shorter scale idea in my head when he saw me grimacing on a couple chords and suggested it. And I told him that the one of his I did play with 12's plays easier than my Collings with 11's. He said , "Well...I usually spend about 13 hours just on the action. Sold...standard 25.4 scale it is!
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  #23  
Old 10-08-2020, 05:10 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Originally Posted by blindboyjimi View Post
I sold one of my 3 Franklin OMs to a person right here. It was my daily player guitar for a long time and boy do I miss it. I think that since I have 2 others so similar, I’d love to have Nick build me a 16” lower bout 12 or 14 fret....Maybe maple, or a more fundamental wood. I can’t wait to follow along.
I was talking to Nick this evening and, among other topics, I asked him if he built other models besides the three listed on his website. He told me he does, and he has drawings for what is basically a 16" OM. If you are interested, you should drop him a line! Ask him about Pink Ivory...

Last edited by mhw48; 10-08-2020 at 05:29 PM.
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  #24  
Old 02-13-2021, 07:25 AM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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You must be getting closer to a start time for your Franklin OM; any updates?
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  #25  
Old 02-14-2021, 10:49 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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You must be getting closer to a start time for your Franklin OM; any updates?
Actually yes! Nick started on it a couple weeks ago. He got the top sanded down, sent out for "cnc-ing" for the rosette, got it back and says it looks beautiful. No pics yet. I'm assuming he's also been working on bending the sides in the interim. And I also ordered my Hoffee case. Red exterior with twist latches and green lining. I'll post pics as soon as I get more updates from Nick.

How are you liking your Franklin as it breaks in? Been dying to know!
Cheers.
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  #26  
Old 02-15-2021, 06:48 AM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Originally Posted by 4mykey View Post
Actually yes! Nick started on it a couple weeks ago. He got the top sanded down, sent out for "cnc-ing" for the rosette, got it back and says it looks beautiful. No pics yet. I'm assuming he's also been working on bending the sides in the interim. And I also ordered my Hoffee case. Red exterior with twist latches and green lining. I'll post pics as soon as I get more updates from Nick.

How are you liking your Franklin as it breaks in? Been dying to know!
Cheers.
That's exciting news! I can't wait to see some photos. I really love my Franklin. The guitar has really beautiful clarity and sustain, balance of bass and trebles, and good note separation. Before he sent it to me Nick told me the guitar had a "metallic" sound, adding "But that's good!" It doesn't sound metallic to me, I think what Nick was referring to is that it has a bell-like quality: it rings like a piano, and the notes kind of sparkle with overtones, but it is definitely wood! Of course, a lot of the sound is due to Nick's magic. I have to polish up my chops, improve my recording set up, and post some sound clips. I was thinking of learning Dave Bromberg's "I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning" as an homage to Nick's 5pm to 5am work day when he's working that magic...

Last edited by mhw48; 02-15-2021 at 06:57 AM.
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  #27  
Old 02-15-2021, 10:02 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
That's exciting news! I can't wait to see some photos. I really love my Franklin. The guitar has really beautiful clarity and sustain, balance of bass and trebles, and good note separation. Before he sent it to me Nick told me the guitar had a "metallic" sound, adding "But that's good!" It doesn't sound metallic to me, I think what Nick was referring to is that it has a bell-like quality: it rings like a piano, and the notes kind of sparkle with overtones, but it is definitely wood! Of course, a lot of the sound is due to Nick's magic. I have to polish up my chops, improve my recording set up, and post some sound clips. I was thinking of learning Dave Bromberg's "I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning" as an homage to Nick's 5pm to 5am work day when he's working that magic...
That's a great tune! It'd be fun to play! I don't consider myself a blues player by any stretch....but I've been having a blast lately with Renbourn's "I Know My Babe."

Yup...I get it about your guitar and the "Franklin" tone. There's something so unique about his instruments. Like a blend of vintage Martin resonance with the modern balance between strings, tonality, etc. It's sublime. And overtones....I love that. Especially when you play on the unwound strings in the upper registers.... and you hear the overtones and that reverb. I live for that sonority. Glad you're so happy with your guitar! It's a beautiful instrument!
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  #28  
Old 02-15-2021, 10:30 PM
Ukulele_Eddie Ukulele_Eddie is offline
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Congrats. Very nice that you've gone "all-in" with the BRW and what sounds like a special top, too. Look forward to following along!
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  #29  
Old 02-28-2021, 11:19 AM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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I talked to Nick the other day and thought I'd share a few updates.

The top is sanded down and the rosette done...herringbone...and is ready for bracing. He commented that it's a good thing I told him I usually play with 11's instead of 12's because that will affect how he braces it. I didn't ask the specifics about what he does differently, but generally he adjusts things to make the top more responsive to lighter gauge strings.

Also, the sides are bent and formed.... still no pics yet. But neither am I pressing him for them. I'd rather he focus on building it!

And lastly, the coolest part of our discussion. We talked about neck radii. Which we all know is a very personal thing. I told him I really like the neck on my Collings, but occasionally it feels a tad bulky, but it's generally very comfortable. And on my '96 Taylor 612c, it's a bit thin with that "faster" neck Taylor was kinda known for at the time. Still very playable, but just less than ideal for me. Nick says, "Tell you what then. When I'm ready to start carving the neck, you can hang out and give me feedback so I can refine it to your preferences as I'm carving it." Blew me away that he offered to do that! Fortunately I live about 100 miles from his shop and I told him just give me a day's notice so I can get off work. I'm stoked!!!
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  #30  
Old 02-28-2021, 11:44 AM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Originally Posted by 4mykey View Post
And lastly, the coolest part of our discussion. We talked about neck radii. Which we all know is a very personal thing. I told him I really like the neck on my Collings, but occasionally it feels a tad bulky, but it's generally very comfortable. And on my '96 Taylor 612c, it's a bit thin with that "faster" neck Taylor was kinda known for at the time. Still very playable, but just less than ideal for me. Nick says, "Tell you what then. When I'm ready to start carving the neck, you can hang out and give me feedback so I can refine it to your preferences as I'm carving it." Blew me away that he offered to do that! Fortunately I live about 100 miles from his shop and I told him just give me a day's notice so I can get off work. I'm stoked!!!
That is really cool, you are lucky to be close enough to do that, and lucky that Nick would make the suggestion. Of course, since he works from 5pm to 5am it might be a late night!
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