Morgan Kelsey Myrtle/German Spruce build for Artisan 2023

[morgankelsey]

Originally Posted by Carpinteria

Beautiful fit and design. Your woodworking skills are impressive! Dave

Thanks very much, Dave!


This guitar is getting closer to done, here is the "right before I put the bridge on" pic:



There will be a demo of this guitar, I've been working on my "percussive guitar" chops and have an arrangement I'll record before the show - probably pretty close to the show at this point as it needs some acclimating once the strings are on, and then the final setup.

The other guitar I'm bringing to Artisan is a little further along than this one. It has Wenge back and sides, Sitka top, Honduran mahogany neck, African blackwood binding and fingerboard, and lacewood purfling. It is also a 15-inch 12-fretter but a slightly different body shape:



The beautiful honey color of the top comes from exposing it to UV for a couple of weeks before starting to finish it. This one doesn't have drums, it's just a guitar. The back and sides are Uralkyd varnish, and I French polished the top. It is sounding really great already, I'm pretty excited about this one.

Speaking of French polishing, the great state of Massachusetts recently decriminalized grain alcohol!. I guess when they legalized weed a bunch of winos picketed the state capitol demanding their jello-shots. No more sweaty drives across state lines with a trunk full of spirits for this luthier!

[srick]

Morgan - I used to use Graves Grain in my dental practice. It was great for cleaning optics and porcelain veneers prior to cementation - no residue and ‘relatively safe’ for ingestion.

And it makes for a wonderful shellac.

I always wondered if I ever had been audited, if the agent would question the receipts to “Crazy Bruce’s Liquors.”

[morgankelsey]

Originally Posted by srick

Morgan - I used to use Graves Grain in my dental practice. It was great for cleaning optics and porcelain veneers prior to cementation - no residue and ‘relatively safe’ for ingestion.

And it makes for a wonderful shellac.

I always wondered if I ever had been audited, if the agent would question the receipts to “Crazy Bruce’s Liquors.”

Haha! Well, whatever you have to do to get through the day... between that and the Nitrous Oxide I don't think I would have made a very good dentist.

[morgankelsey]

Here are some of the build pics for the Wenge guitar.

Sides and plates ready for assembly:



Here is the rosette getting put together. The kumiko parts are lacewood, the background is some sort of plantus:



Here it is inlaid into the top. I didn't fill this one with resin because I really like the 3d aspect:



This makes french polish really the only viable solution for finishing the top, which is fine with me! Here is the whole rosette under some naptha to give a preview of how it will look under finish:



I also did a kumiko end graft following the same theme:



Ready to be inlaid into the tail:



Then I have the shop cat breathe on it, and it magically sinks into the body:



I did fill this one with resin next, as I wanted to varnish the rest of the body. Here it is under finish and shined up:

[srick]

Originally Posted by morgankelsey

Haha! Well, whatever you have to do to get through the day... between that and the Nitrous Oxide I don't think I would have made a very good dentist.

Morgan, there are a lot of similarities to luthing and woodworking. You need to understand materials, the limitations of natural materials, and especially, how things fail.

You have to always strive to be better, knowing that perfection doesn’t exist. And it takes years before you can say, “I’m pretty good.”

And one more: you can talk about techniques, tall tales, and difficult customers\patients for hours to another luthier\dentist. But no one else really understands or cares!

And actually, in retirement, I’m learning how to repair guitars. I’m not ready to do a build yet… I know what that involves, and while doable, I’m not ready to make the investment in the equipment. Maybe a kit with pre-bent sides.

PS - love the inlay! Simple, yet elegant. Actually, not so simple, but still elegant.

[morgankelsey]

Originally Posted by srick

Morgan, there are a lot of similarities to luthing and woodworking. You need to understand materials, the limitations of natural materials, and especially, how things fail.

You have to always strive to be better, knowing that perfection doesn’t exist. And it takes years before you can say, “I’m pretty good.”

And one more: you can talk about techniques, tall tales, and difficult customers\patients for hours to another luthier\dentist. But no one else really understands or cares!

And actually, in retirement, I’m learning how to repair guitars. I’m not ready to do a build yet… I know what that involves, and while doable, I’m not ready to make the investment in the equipment. Maybe a kit with pre-bent sides.

PS - love the inlay! Simple, yet elegant. Actually, not so simple, but still elegant.

Thanks, srick, it does sound pretty similar. I'm sure you've found, and will continue to find, that the dexterity you acquired through dentistry will carry over well to woodworking and luthiery.

We are in neighboring states, I live just west of Greenfield on rt 2 if you are ever up this way and would like a shop tour!

[srick]

Thank you for the invite! Actually, I knew your Dad many years ago when I wrote several articles for FWW (in the 1980s). Anyone from that era would have known me as the ‘moisture meter’ guy. The article generated ‘buzz’ for years, and more than one interesting anecdote. Woodworking is a love that I am returning to, but I love the scale of luthiery and the numerous problems that need to be solved in each repair or build. BTW, if Dad is still with us, please send my regards!

And if we should meet sometime, ask me about my Paul Roman anecdote, also entitled, “Why I got serious about being a dentist.”

[morgankelsey]

Originally Posted by srick

Thank you for the invite! Actually, I knew your Dad many years ago when I wrote several articles for FWW (in the 1980s). Anyone from that era would have known me as the ‘moisture meter’ guy. The article generated ‘buzz’ for years, and more than one interesting anecdote. Woodworking is a love that I am returning to, but I love the scale of luthiery and the numerous problems that need to be solved in each repair or build. BTW, if Dad is still with us, please send my regards!

And if we should meet sometime, ask me about my Paul Roman anecdote, also entitled, “Why I got serious about being a dentist.”

Ah yes, we've discussed this before! I did mention it to my father and he remembers you well. I wonder how many other dentists Paul created....

[morgankelsey]

Here is a demo of the tongue drum guitar, headphones recommended! Bonus points to anyone who can name that tune...

[srick]

Originally Posted by morgankelsey

Ah yes, we've discussed this before! I did mention it to my father and he remembers you well. I wonder how many other dentists Paul created....

Thank you for that Morgan - those were magical times in the world of woodworking and lutherie. There were a ton of twenty and thirty year olds roaming New England, living the hippie life, and finding there was a market for their craftsmanship.

And as much as Paul turned me into a real dentist, I know the backstory on how and why he started FWW. Life is really funny - every once in awhile you are pushed into making a decision you’re uncomfortable with and somehow, it all works out.

Again, hope to run into you in the not too distant future. I will not be at Artisan, but I may give you a shout and stop by the shop. It would be a pleasure to meet.

Best,

Rick