#46
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Thank you everyone for you replies and kind words! So pleased you have enjoyed following this build.
Hanter, in regard to your question - 'Rory if I may ask, what braces were used for the top and back? What was the thought process behind the bracing material in order to yield the tone you & Martin had in mind?' I have started using Adirondack braces recently because of its high strength to weight ratio. For years I used Sitka and will continue to. Tonally I don't think there is a huge difference between the two. The key is to remove the right amount of material to allow the soundboard to vibrate freely while maintaining the strength to withstand the pull of the strings. There are so many factors when considering tone, however one area I look at carefully is the typography or physical shape of a top. By changing this I can increase or decrease separation, change the attack and feel of an instrument. Amazing that this one change can do this and then there is all the other variables... could write a book on it. Hope this helps. Time to show you all the final results I think. All the very best, Rory |
#47
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The final instalment.
Hi Everyone,
It’s been a wonderful journey sharing this build with you and firstly I’d like to say thank you for all of your interest and support! Martin now has his new Tirga Mhor and I’m happy to say that he is delighted. The guitar was in the spray room for a month while coats of Melamine AC2 cured. There are 9 coats that are applied and between each 3 the guitar is flattened off so that only the grain is filled. This technique of filling with lacquer is time consuming however the results are stunning. Because you are looking into the depth of the grain it makes the wood look 3D which of course it is. Once the grain is filled then the top coats, or hot coats as I call them, go on. These are left to cure and then the flattening and polishing starts. You wouldn’t be talking out of turn to say that finishing is a 3rd of the work in guitar making. Once the neck is on the guitar is ready for its bridge. I used 100% FSC ABW for this. Absolutely beautiful wood to look at, very difficult to carve however. The first guitar with an ABW bridge was our man Mr Bowersox’s Tirga Mhor. To my ear it is more lively than Ebony and certainly worth the work. MS_ABW Bridge 01.jpg MS_ABW Bridge 02.jpg MS_ABW Bridge 03.jpg MS_ABW Bridge 04.jpg Final assembly is always an exciting day. The first notes that come from a guitar is, as you can imagine, a very special moment. The guitar jumped to life and the volume was, frankly, mad. Everything was there from day one, it had to settle because it still thought is was a tree, but I was happy. Most importantly for this guitar was the balance across all the registers. Martin plays everywhere on the neck so highs had to be equal to lows everywhere, “No where to hide” as he describes it. Here are the final pictures taken by my great friend Sean Dooley. MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 01.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 02.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 03.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 04.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 05.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 06.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 07.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 08.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 09.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 10.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 11.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 12.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 13.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 14.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 15.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 16.jpg MS_Taran Guitars Martin Simpson Tirga Mhor 17.jpg The guitar arrived with Martin, a lot of excited phone calls followed and I could relax! 20200911_070744__9110093.jpg This week Martin sent over a video for you all. I think it not only shows you the guitar and his thoughts, it also demonstrates how Martin and I work together. There aren’t long complicated discussions splitting hairs over tone, but more what you see and hear, listening and exploring. Long may it continue! Thank you Martin! Well, I’m going to sign off now. Thank you for following this thread, it has meant a huge amount to me to be able to share my process with you. All the very best, Rory For more UK guitar making please do check out my great friend Rosie Heydenrych of Turnstone Guitars. She also has the pleasure of working with Martin and has a build thread currently here on the AGF. I, for one, am very excited to see and hear the results! Last edited by TaranGuitars; 10-25-2020 at 11:29 AM. |
#48
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Holy cow Rory. That is incredible and I have to say, I think you left Mr. Simpson speechless! I get the feeling that is hard to do haha! Congrats seems to be so insufficient here, but I think Martin summed it up much better than I could with his short and sweet replies!
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PS. I love guitars! |
#49
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I've had the privilege of playing this guitar and my response to it is well summed up by the comment at the end of the video where Mr Simpson gives the little head shake...
I played two guitars that day, this one and one in sinker redwood and claro walnut. When Rory asked my opinion, all I could say was that the redwood guitar was the perfect presentation of the exact sound I thought I wanted from my guitar...but the Spruce/blackwood guitar just wouldn't let me leave it alone. The redwood guitar was the best guitar I was able to imagine, but this one was a guitar beyond the realms of my imagination! It is amazing. Rory describes the volume as mad, and he's not wrong. This guitar will pin you to the wall from 50 feet away. I'm sure Martin Simpson will enjoy exploring what it's capable of. Great job Rory, hope you're enjoying the feeling of a job well done.
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Martin |
#50
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Forgot to comment on the looks! I totally love the looks of this guitar. The touches of colour are subtle but vibrant and look really elegant. The pictures, amazing as they are, don't really do it justice.
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Martin |
#51
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Rory
Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Getting to see/hear Martin enjoying it was the perfect ending to the story. Absolutely stunning in workmanship AND tone!
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Treenewt |
#52
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Rory,
I'm having a really hard time imagining a more stunning guitar that captures everything from looks to tone to design to wood choices all in one package...there's not a single aspect of this guitar I'm not absolutely crazy about. You can just hear how playable and responsive it is. The only negative thing this video has done is make me hate this COVID situation even more thinking we could have hung out in TX back in March. Ugh. Would really love to work together on a guitar in the future. Thanks so much for sharing this. Dustin
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com |
#53
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What a magnificent instrument!
Rory, thanks so much for sharing your process and insight with this build. The video says it all with Martin's beautiful playing showing all this guitar can deliver. I truly hope to meet you and play one of your beautiful guitars someday!
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2013 Stehr Auditorium (Carpathian/Myrtle) 2015 Stehr Auditorium (Adi/BRW) 2020 Baranik Meridian (Blue Spruce/Manchinga) 2020 Wilborn Arum (Tunnel 14/Coco) 2021 Kinnaird Graybeard (BC Cedar/Bog Oak) 2022 Kinnaird CS Student Build (Adi/Padauk) 2023 Kinnaird FS (Italian/Koa) |
#54
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Rory, that is one sweet looking guitar; I'd love to have played it, but alas.
You don't have to look long at those pics of the finished product to understand why I think Rory is the Richard Reynoso of the steel-string world (i.e. crazy attention to detail that results in a fit-and-finish that is crisper than the crispiest crisp from the crisp factory). I am waiting patiently on your build list... Cheers, Steve |
#55
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The elegance of this guitar both in aesthetics and tone is breathtaking. Congratulations to all in this project.
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Doerr Trinity 12 Fret 00 (Lutz/Maple) Edwinson Zephyr 13 Fret 00 (Adi/Coco) Froggy Bottom H-12 (Adi/EIR) Kostal 12 Fret OMC (German Spruce/Koa) Rainsong APSE 12 Fret (Carbon Fiber) Taylor 812ce-N 12 fret (Sitka/EIR Nylon) |
#56
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#57
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#58
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Food for thought here on a certain build. Talk soon. All the very best, R Quote:
Again, thank you to everyone! Its a great journey to be on. More soon. All the very best Rory www.taranguitars.com |