HATCHER Build: GAS Strikes Again; or, The Dangerous Allure of Cocobolo

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

My vote is for the coco.

Me too. I like the matched FB and bridge and end pin. Yes I do...

Cool project

Loving this

Paul

[Erithon]

Thank you all for your input. This is a choice between two good options, and that only makes it less clear-cut.

I've settled on Cocobolo for both the bridge and the end plug. At first I was inclined toward the Ebony: I do like the way the Ebony picks up on the bevel and rosette, especially when viewed from the bevel angle. But overall I think the Cocobolo is the way to go:

• the Ebony is so dark that it dominates the front of the guitar, putting too much visual weight on that one feature
• the Cocobolo gives the guitar a warmer, integrated aesthetic while the Ebony makes the colors of the Cocobolo segments in the rosette appear more abrupt
• the Cocobolo has a rich texture the Ebony does not
• it continues the theme of the B&S, headstock overlays, tuner buttons, fretboard, end graft, and rosette and bevel inlays

In the case of the plug, the Ebony gets lost while the Cocobolo provides more visual interest--though again, I like how the Ebony provides a central focus for the binding and end graft border.

[Erithon]

I've posted numerous images of the soundports from the back and sides, but here's a picture of the ports with the finish on the soundboard. The neck isn't joined yet (the bridge needs to be cut first), but in Mark's words "I had the neck on for a test fit and was gloating at how nice those ports look."

I'd say he's right to gloat!

[Erithon]

Before we started this build I told Mark that if he had any new ideas he wanted to try out, I'd welcome them. Well, in mid-March he returned from a meeting of the Granite State Luthiers very excited about a procedure for installing the saddle. In Mark's words:

"An issue with saddle height is that if you raise or lower a saddle it will slightly change the intonation. The higher the saddle the further back, away from the nut the string breakpoint over the saddle should be to keep it intonated. A way to fix that is to install the saddle with a 9 degree tilt backward so it self compensates if the height is changed. Plus, it makes it harder for the bridge to crack out in front of the saddle."

Alan Carruth had introduced the concept at the March meeting, but, as some of you know, there are a few luthiers who already angle their saddles 8 or 9 degrees. I know about this from Michael Bashkin's guitars so without hesitation I told Mark to experiment away. He posted some pictures of the jig he designed in the Hatcher's Studio '19 thread (post 208) so I won't duplicate the technical side of things here. But I will share pictures of the bridge since this is the first of his guitars to feature an angled saddle.

Here is the roughed out bridge (such lovely figuring!) with a maple mockup saddle:

You can see the saddle sits at a slight angle.

And now the bridge is on the guitar:

[ruby50]

I am not understanding this 8-9° cant to the saddle maintaining intonation. If it were perpendicular to the bridge and the top, the strings would maintain their length if it got taller or shorter. What does the break angle have to do with intonation?

Thanks

Ed

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by ruby50

I am not understanding this 8-9° cant to the saddle maintaining intonation. If it were perpendicular to the bridge and the top, the strings would maintain their length if it got taller or shorter. What does the break angle have to do with intonation?

Thanks

Ed

When the string height is raised it needs to be deflected more to get down to the fret. This causes the fretted note to be sharper and sharper the higher the string is off the fretboard. This is why the string needs to be intonated again to accommodate that.
Of course, there are many other things that come into play, like string gauge and on and on.

"What does the break angle have to do with intonation?"
The point that the string clears the saddle on the nut side determines the length of the played string. I wasn't talking about the break angle which is the angle the string takes going over the saddle.

[ruby50]

Thanks Mark - of course it does. Doh!

Ed

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by ruby50

Thanks Mark - of course it does. Doh!

Ed

Don’t mention it Ed. I should have been clearer from the start.

Mark

[Erithon]

With the bridge on, the next step was to select bridge pins. We considered Ebony with MOP (the original pins), Ebony without MOP, Cocobolo, and Water Buffalo Horn.


Here's how they look against a cutoff from the Cocobolo bridge blank:


I felt either the Ebony (no MOP) or Water Buffalo Horn looked best, and Mark has long expressed a preference for the Water Buffalo Horn pins on this guitar so Water Buffalo Horn it is.

Here they are with the bridge slotted and strings on:

[Erithon]

Given the Water Buffalo Horn bridge pins, Mark felt that a Water Buffalo Horn end pin might be nice. He selected one with appropriate character in the form of mild streaking:

[Erithon]

Dear Reader,
The time has come to conclude our tale. My rebuilt Hatcher arrived last week and GAS is once more in abatement. At this time I'd like to share my initial impressions and reflect on my experience working with Mark, but first some pictures:



Tone

The timbre is exactly what I was seeking. Not only did Mark achieve the tonal goals we had in mind, but the Greta is even more responsive than I had hoped. Having spent most of a week with the guitar, I feel I can offer some remarks which maintain a critical distance. The bass response is rich, but still balanced. The overall guitar has a warm, focused voice. It is a very sensitive instrument that adapts to changes in my right hand placement and technique. It's not an especially forgiving instrument, and that's a good thing: it picks up every nuance; while this guitar won't let you get away with sloppy playing, it will express every little detail you articulate. I especially love the fat mids that sing forth when I pluck the notes from the 7th to 15th frets on the A string. It sounds surprisingly good in both drop D and DADGAD (I haven't tried anything lower yet). I mean, this is a short scale instrument, but it feels like there is more tension than my standard scale OM. I like it because it responds that much better to left hand tapping and dropped tunings.

Ergonomics

How I love the satin finish! It's completely transformed my tactile experience of the guitar. Left hand movement is smoother and just feels better. I've had satin necks before so I knew what to expect, but this is the best improvement I could have asked for short of having an entirely new neck carved to my specifications.

The remaining ergonomics are unchanged: arm bevel, cutaway, etc. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out how unique the Greta body shape is: the lower bout is 15-1/2" and the waist is 8-3/4". That wide lower bout, coupled with the 4-5/8" depth, certainly contributes to the rich bass presence I mentioned above. At the same time, the waist is perhaps the tightest I have ever encountered on an instrument with this size lower bout, creating a very comfortable playing experience when over the right knee (in the classical position, the waist functions in a similar way but the bigger lower bout is more noticeable.)

Fit and Finish

The bridge is mind-blowing. The warmth of the brown Cocobolo looks great from far away while the figure adds such lovely texture up close. And the black horn pins look great: they both pick up on the dark striations in the bridge and add a little more black to the center of the guitar, tying together the rosette, arm bevel, and binding. Plus this is the first Hatcher guitar to feature an angled saddle.

The soundports are working and truly something to behold in person. As is the purfled triangle. These are some of the little details that set Mark's work apart.



The French Polished top is something special as well. Not everyone could apply it so uniformly! Plus it really helps keep the weight down and optimizes the resonating potential of the well aged Cedar soundboard.

Process

Mark is a delight to work with, folks. I would not hesitate to collaborate with him again. He was extremely receptive to my requests, but knew when to push back. Time and time again he went above and beyond the call of duty, both in executing the build and the time he devoted to me. Guitars fascinate me and I like to know the specs, yes, but also the reasons behind the choices a luthier makes. Mark is always straight-forward with a lack of hyperbole in his answer. In my eyes it gives him greater credibility, and I'm inclined to trust his judgement since he isn't given to grandiose, unsubstantiated claims. His opinions are based upon experience. He communicates those elements which he's learned really matter and acknowledges the point where art overtakes science.

I also appreciate his considered approach to every decision and operation: my impressions of his design philosophy first formed during my November visit to his shop and they have been further affirmed in our electronic conversations as he's patiently answered all my questions. He recognizes there are numerous methods to building a guitar, but he knows why he does it his way. I have confidence in Mark's abilities because he brings an intentionality to all his practices. The success of this build further evinces that. I now understand the difference between buying a used bespoke guitar and having one made for me by a builder who both knows what they are doing and how I play. Thank you, Mark.

[Guitars44me]

Very Lovley axe, and Mr. Hatcher has been so informative in his explanations of what he has done.

I am sure you are STOKED!

Have fun and enjoy her in fine health and spirits!!!

And a most appreciative Memorial Day to all...

Paul

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

Very Lovley axe, and Mr. Hatcher has been so informative in his explanations of what he has done.

I am sure you are STOKED!

Thanks, Paul - I sure am!

[Mark Hatcher]

Thanks for the review and kind words Erithon! It was great working with you. I always liked how that guitar looked and it is now a true fingerstyle instrument. It is certainly a testament to how much of a difference a soundboard can make.

Mark