Sexauer '18 (chapter 2) - Page 14

TomB'sox · #**196** 07-25-2018, 06:28 PM

And on another note, isn't that classical the sister wood to one of your current builds?

Bruce Sexauer · #**197** 07-25-2018, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

And on another note, isn't that classical the sister wood to one of your current builds?

I knew I'd seen that stuff somewhere else!

TomB'sox · #**198** 07-25-2018, 08:30 PM

Hey, did he like the surprise dragons????

Bruce Sexauer · #**199** 07-25-2018, 09:10 PM

I had considered writing the Chinese pictograms for Imagine Dragons on the fingerboard, but didn't. Coincidentally, Ben had the same figures on the hat he is wearing in the photos, so that might have been a bigger hit yet.

Photojeep · #**200** 07-26-2018, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I see no reason for braces on the sides of a guitar, and at least one good reason not to have them. If they are glued on, the long grain of the brace is 90 degrees to the long grain of the sides, and any changes in humidity will create stresses which can (and do) lead to cracked sides and/or loose braces. What you are looking at is polyfiber ribbon HHG'd to the sides with the goal of keeping a crack from running the length of the sides, should a crack occur.

Thank you sir! I didn't think they were braces as they looked far too thin. I now understand why you do what you've done.

Thank you again for taking the time,
PJ

Bruce Sexauer · #**201** 07-30-2018, 07:56 PM

I have said that I planned to ride my Ducati Multistrada up to Vancouver next week with the "Tree" 00 riding pillion . . . well that plan has changed a bit. Laurelyn's job hunting has not born fruit that will ripen in the next couple of weeks, and so she has asked me to take her along. That means I might as well take a couple more guitars since I will be driving my car. We will leave next Tuesday, a week from tomorrow, and take three days if we go up the coast, which is my preferred route. The show, VIGF, is the 10th and 11th of August, and we will likely arrive Thursday late or Friday early.

We will stay with Michael Dunn, my earliest influence and whom I do enjoy embarrassing by referring to him publicly as my mentor. I am actually the first of a long line of people he has influenced to pursue Lutherie, and the Vancouver show is going to present him with an industry award at this event. In fact, I am going to present it to him. Further, I am spending this week doing a bit of sculptural work which may end up being the presentation. We'll see.

In other news, Laurelyn has applied her 4th coat, and I have applied my 5th coat of oil varnish to our instruments of the moment. I am finding it a bit challenging to communicate the varnishing process, as Laurelyn has no actual experience, and I have never tried to hands-on teach it. If I had it to start over (and one day I may) I'd have started teaching her to spray and adjust the gun using scraps right from the first day. Then by the time the guitar was prepped, a month later, she'd have had a grip. Yes, it's that hard!!! Still, it's coming out quite acceptably, so far, and should get better as she'll have twice the experience when we're done, being only halfway at this point..

Bruce Sexauer · #**202** 08-01-2018, 04:31 PM

I just received one of my ten year old guitars in partial trade for the OM artifact I have had around here for a while. The trade in is the MadRose 00 that Scott had on the market for way too long here, you probably know the one. This is the third time I've owned this guitar, and I am glad to have it again. It is a truly wonderful example of my work, and plays and sounds as good as the day after I finished it. Its several owners have taken great care of it too. It is hard for me to understand why Scott had it on the market for so long at such a great price. My price will be somewhat higher, though still far from what I'd charge to replicate it. Not that I could replicate it, I haven't seen such a nice set of MadRose offered for sale in many years, and I don't have any wood to compare with it in my woodlocker.

phavriluk · #**203** 08-02-2018, 08:19 AM

This one picture is worth a lot more than a thousand words. Ingenious, simple, dirt cheap. And just in time for the my current project.

And I never even considered it till I saw the picture and gave myself a (figurative) dope slap.

THANKS!

Bruce Sexauer · #**204** 08-03-2018, 07:43 PM

For any who may be considering my work, I will honor my current price structure for commissions initiated before my coming price increase immediately following the Vancouver International Guitar festival 8/11-12. You'd save yourself around $4k.

Bruce Sexauer · #**205** 08-05-2018, 06:13 PM

I am cleaning guitars today for the trip to Vancouver, for which Laurelyn and I will depart early on Tuesday morning. Currently, I think I will be bringing the Tree 00 (of course), the Pernambuco L00 I made in 2015, and the Flamenco Mullato made in 2016. Also, since Laurelyn's Mahogany L00 has now got all its varnish on and is not yet sold, and since she is coming along on the adventure, we will likely bring it along as well. It occurs to me that I/we have been building a lot of 00 sized guitars lately, that's 4 out of 4!.

SJ VanSandt · #**206** 08-05-2018, 07:26 PM

that beauty is bound to sell! I hope you both have great success and a wonderful time.

Bruce Sexauer · #**207** 08-05-2018, 09:49 PM

Thank you for your wishes. The medullary display in the mahogany is quite good, I notice. I didn’t look all that hard at the 2nd photo till just now.

virob · #**208** 08-06-2018, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I am cleaning guitars today for the trip to Vancouver, for which Laurelyn and I will depart early on Tuesday morning. Currently, I think I will be bringing the Tree 00 (of course), the Pernambuco L00 I made in 2015, .......

Now you are starting to make me regret not attending the Vancouver show. I will be out of town on a canoeing trip, but I would have really liked the chance to see/hear/play a pernambuco guitar. Good luck at the show!

Guitars44me · #**209** 08-06-2018, 09:22 AM

Have a ton of fun, and sell them all!!!

Lovley that Laurelyn can go too. What a nice way to go!!!

Cheers

Paul

Bruce Sexauer · #**210** 08-19-2018, 05:42 PM

I returned from Vancouver on Wednesday evening after a 2 day blitz down the Oregon coast. It's several hours longer than i5, but both Laurelyn and I like to drive, so we put in a 9 1/2 hour day of driving followed by an 11 hour day of driving. If that doesn't sound brutal enough, know that the driver's seat was stuck all the way back on it's track. The dealer fixed it upon our return. Turns out one should check for stray water bottles before running the seat all the way back.

We ended up taking only 2 guitars due to being unwilling to lose the others (my Pernambuco L00 and Laurelyn's 00 which has some rosewood in it) to over-zealous federal agents. In reality, the border was a breeze both ways and nobody seemed interested in our guitar cases. Classic "better safe than sorry".

The show was less well attended than I remember last years show being, though in every other way it did seem utterly superior. I have not seen the official stats, but the grapevine says 6 guitars were sold as opposed to 30 in 2017. I sold one last year, but none this year. My biggest surprise was that the Flamenco Mulatta I brought got at least twice the attention that the Tree L00 did. Cool as that is, in a way, it is a shame as the L00 is surely one of the very best sounding guitars ever to come off my bench. Each individual note has serious juice in it, and the chords are beyond words. You'd have to hear it, and few took advantage of the opportunity. It is embarrassingly expensive and a steal at the same time.

Laurelyn is planning to finish her guitar (and I will complete the Limba) in the first week of September.