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Old 09-19-2015, 10:20 PM
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Default S. Kinnaird Parlor for TAMCO UK

While the finish is curing on Tom's guitar, we thought you might enjoy seeing something else we're working on. Trevor very much liked our little P-1 model at the Memphis show, and ordered one for his shop in Brighton.
Here is the guitar we took:



It was patterned after my Grandad's guitar:




Only, Trevor didn't want all the gingerbread. Something a bit plainer, less ornate.
The one thing he did stipulate was white oak for the back/sides.
Like the original:



And like the version we brought to the show:




We are delighted to have this opportunity, as well as the chance to work with more of this timber. It makes a marvelous guitar; it works easily; is readily available; and, when well-quartered, it can be drop dead gorgeous.

Stay tuned,

Steve
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Old 09-20-2015, 03:01 AM
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Beautiful White Oak Steve...
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Old 09-20-2015, 04:43 AM
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Steve, Fantastic looking guitar. I look forward to seeing the build photos. Hurry up and post some!
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Old 09-20-2015, 06:24 AM
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Bob, glad you like it--thanks.
Michael, I appreciate the kind word, and I'll see if "post haste" can kick in.
But first a few words about inspiration:
To me it is an interesting subject--what inspires an artist, or craftsman, or yes even a luthier.
Perhaps a walk in the woods:



Which everyone knows what that sight inspired:




Or maybe a walk on the beach:



Which sight was inspiring to at least one luthier:




For others, it was a chance look up:




We saw this ceiling on a trip to the UK a couple years back. On Trevor's recommendation we traveled west, which course took us through Winchester. If you hike down the river southward, you'll come to the Hospital of St. Cross. It is the first charitable institution in Britain. There you'll find and old (Norman...I believe) church, and this is one of the vaulted ceilings. Not content with an architectural masterpiece, they felt this needed further decoration. Someone--bless him--painted an attractive pattern even on the ribs. That caught my eye, and I wondered if that could work as a purfling pattern?
So to the sketch pad we went:



You can see that my doodling was itself inspiring to Ryan's daughter, who made her own contribution. Anyway, the rib pattern was broken into its parts, and then arranged into a repeating pattern something like this:



And that ^ will be the design scheme for this little parlor.

Thanks for following along,

Steve
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Old 09-20-2015, 06:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
Bob, glad you like it--thanks.
Michael, I appreciate the kind word, and I'll see if "post haste" can kick in.
But first a few words about inspiration:
To me it is an interesting subject--what inspires an artist, or craftsman, or yes even a luthier.
Perhaps a walk in the woods:



Which everyone knows what that sight inspired:




Or maybe a walk on the beach:



Which sight was inspiring to at least one luthier:




For others, it was a chance look up:




We saw this ceiling on a trip to the UK a couple years back. On Trevor's recommendation we traveled west, which course took us through Winchester. If you hike down the river southward, you'll come to the Hospital of St. Cross. It is the first charitable institution in Britain. There you'll find and old (Norman...I believe) church, and this is one of the vaulted ceilings. Not content with an architectural masterpiece, they felt this needed further decoration. Someone--bless him--painted an attractive pattern even on the ribs. That caught my eye, and I wondered if that could work as a purfling pattern?
So to the sketch pad we went:



You can see that my doodling was itself inspiring to Ryan's daughter, who made her own contribution. Anyway, the rib pattern was broken into its parts, and then arranged into a repeating pattern something like this:



And that ^ will be the design scheme for this little parlor.

Thanks for following along,

Steve
Nice pattern, looking forward to this guitar build.
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Old 09-20-2015, 07:31 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
While the finish is curing on Tom's guitar, we thought you might enjoy seeing something else we're working on. Trevor very much liked our little P-1 model at the Memphis show, and ordered one for his shop in Brighton.
Here is the guitar we took:


And like the version we brought to the show:




We are delighted to have this opportunity, as well as the chance to work with more of this timber. It makes a marvelous guitar; it works easily; is readily available; and, when well-quartered, it can be drop dead gorgeous.

Stay tuned,

Steve
OK, I guess I am on board with this thanks to the qualifier that you started the post with hahaha . I love this story of inspiration from the fiddle neck ferns to the English Church. Thanks for a little glimpse into the world of design. We took our first over seas trip 3 years ago and went to Italy. Started in Florence. Talk about awe inspiring. If I knew what to do with the inspiration that was felt after that, who knows what I would have turned out. I ended up with a lot of pictures at least. Your end result of inspiration looks great! The guitar should turn out wonderfully as I know there was a lot of positive feedback on the sound when it was played in Memphis.

Thanks for the new build thread to watch and have fun with the build. Don't forget the extra pore filler!!!!! You may be sorry for what you have brought upon yourself
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Last edited by TomB'sox; 09-20-2015 at 07:37 AM.
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Old 09-20-2015, 01:25 PM
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Tom, welcome aboard. You would not want us to get rusty while the finish is applied, would you?

The above sample of purfling was assembled, and the idea run by Trevor.
Actually, we gave him the option of running the bands horizontally, as on the vault ribs, or diagonally, as on our Memphis parlor. He chose a diagonal slant, thus the mock up pictured. Now to build that stuff:

First, some planks are assembled with the desired pattern.
We chose natural, muted colors as much as possible. Maple, Bloodwood, Padauk, Degame (Lemonwood), and then some green and yellow veneers.
Here are the sticks ready to cut:







The small miter box gets quite a workout on a guitar like this.

Steve
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Old 09-20-2015, 02:31 PM
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Steve, I stand in awe, not just of your incredible craft skill, but the eloquence with which you describe your sources of inspiration. That's what ART is all about- making tangible our interpretations of the beauty and wonder that surround us, and make up this world.

We seem to be having an early autumn here in the deep south. As I was walking up the driveway this morning to fetch the newspaper, I saw hundreds of extravagantly colored leaves lying on the ground. I picked one up, and was just stunned by the complex tracery of the veins, and the opulence of the color...
And I started thinking, how can I make a rosette that looks like that...?
I'll be following this thread eagerly. You guys are on your way to ANOTHER masterpiece!
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Old 09-20-2015, 02:41 PM
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With the decision taken re. design, layout begins.
As with our Memphis guitar, we chose an Engelmann top.



First cuts establish where the "St. Cross" pattern will be assembled:



Pull out the Teflon strips, and start laying in the tiles:




Thanks for watching,

Steve
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Old 09-20-2015, 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by theEdwinson View Post
Steve, I stand in awe, not just of your incredible craft skill, but the eloquence with which you describe your sources of inspiration. That's what ART is all about- making tangible our interpretations of the beauty and wonder that surround us, and make up this world.

We seem to be having an early autumn here in the deep south. As I was walking up the driveway this morning to fetch the newspaper, I saw hundreds of extravagantly colored leaves lying on the ground. I picked one up, and was just stunned by the complex tracery of the veins, and the opulence of the color...
And I started thinking, how can I make a rosette that looks like that...?
I'll be following this thread eagerly. You guys are on your way to ANOTHER masterpiece!

Steve...posting at the same time. Thank you for your generous and encouraging support! And yes, your experience seems quite familiar. But: ceilings are easier than leaves!

Steve
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Old 09-20-2015, 03:21 PM
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Looks really good so far...I really like what you did with the 6 o'clock position. Really makes a perfect transition!!!

So do you glue each piece in as you lay them to the top and the edges to each other? Probably an obvious question so forgive my ignorance.
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Old 09-20-2015, 06:43 PM
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Steve, I really enjoyed playing this little guitar in Memphis! Someday I will likely bite the bullet for a parlor size guitar, and I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone who might do a better job on it than you guys.

Beautiful!
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Old 09-20-2015, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by TomB'sox View Post
Looks really good so far...I really like what you did with the 6 o'clock position. Really makes a perfect transition!!!

So do you glue each piece in as you lay them to the top and the edges to each other? Probably an obvious question so forgive my ignorance.
Thanks Tom! Let me put up another pic of the rosette which shows the 6 o'clock treatment. This is how my Grandfather's rosette was done. Reverse the slant on either side to meet at the centerline. Sort of like looking at the ribs ascending to the top of the ceiling. Sort of.....



As to assembly, we put in a few tiles at a time, then tap them home, then brush on a thin water-based glue over that section. Add a few more tiles, repeat. These were difficult to keep tight and force into round, because wider than 1/16". More like .095-.100"

And next with the sound hole cut out:




Thanks again,

Steve
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Old 09-20-2015, 08:47 PM
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Originally Posted by invguy921 View Post
Steve, I really enjoyed playing this little guitar in Memphis! Someday I will likely bite the bullet for a parlor size guitar, and I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone who might do a better job on it than you guys.

Beautiful!
Thanks so much, Mike! We would be honored to add to that impressive collection you've got. Just be looking for inspiration. You never know what might suggest your next rosette.

Steve
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Old 09-21-2015, 02:56 PM
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I love that rosette. You really managed to keep some of the vibe of that ceiling.
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