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  #211  
Old 06-22-2014, 07:22 AM
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CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
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Congrats on the patent. Really cool design.
  #212  
Old 06-23-2014, 08:53 AM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Originally Posted by matthewpartrick View Post
Congrats on the patent. Really cool design.
Thanks matthewpatrick.

I am going to be using this patent bridge on two new acoustic models that I'll be starting on shortly...couple weeks maybe.

These will be very nice guitars. I've been averaging designs and sizes and I've decided on some very modern high tech specs in a subtle package. Both unsold. High tech in the bridge design, but I want to design the guitars so there is very little player adjustment from what they are already most likely used to.

I hope you will stick around and follow the build threads along with many others.

talk soon.

Kevin.
  #213  
Old 07-03-2014, 09:07 PM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Wanted to get some comments or thoughts on this south american brown wood. I know many don't like the sapwood. Tell ya what, I like it...(love it).

I have these pieces sitting here. I might use one on my OM build coming up.

This first piece is not book match glued up yet, so the join isn't matched. When I do book match it, it will match up great.



These two pics are the same, one was snapped inside and the other is out in natural light. This is the piece I might use for the OM build heading to Woodstock this Oct.





These next two pics are of south american brown wood and its joined. I really like this personally. Might save this for a 20th Anniversary guitar that I'm planning now. 2016 will be twenty years for me. The chalk mark is close to my proposed OM shape coming up.



Looks like two people about to engage in a kiss.



I see lots of Ziricote with sap, cocobolo etc. I like the look of these. These are very unique pieces, one of a kind. I'm looking forward to using each one

Thoughts. Opinions. Comments. Be kind. I know many of you won't like any of the three pieces, but that is whats great about choice. Some do, some don't.

Kevin.
  #214  
Old 07-03-2014, 09:30 PM
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Forgetting whether or not I or others like the aesthetics of these sets, what is your view regarding their stability and resilency to cracking of these slab cut (stump wood?) with sapwood over the long-term vs. a quartersawn set?
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  #215  
Old 07-03-2014, 09:50 PM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7 View Post
Forgetting whether or not I or others like the aesthetics of these sets, what is your view regarding their stability and resilency to cracking of these slab cut (stump wood?) with sapwood over the long-term vs. a quartersawn set?
iim7V7IM7... without hesitation - I love and use straight grained quartersawn sets. Its just fun to break out the "toys" once in a while and look at them, then put them back and think about them some more. I've had these around my shop for about five/six years. Each set is dry, no warping, no cracking. Not even a hint of it. I've even kept these a little dryer than the norm. I bought these with little to no expectation of using them, so they stay stickered. But, in that time, they've sort of won me over. They are beautiful imo.
  #216  
Old 07-04-2014, 07:00 AM
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Originally Posted by KevinLPederson View Post
iim7V7IM7... without hesitation - I love and use straight grained quartersawn sets. Its just fun to break out the "toys" once in a while and look at them, then put them back and think about them some more. I've had these around my shop for about five/six years. Each set is dry, no warping, no cracking. Not even a hint of it. I've even kept these a little dryer than the norm. I bought these with little to no expectation of using them, so they stay stickered. But, in that time, they've sort of won me over. They are beautiful imo.
Aesthetically, they are indeed beautiful examples of nature (very much a rorschach test).

But for myself, I don't think that I would want an acoustic flat top constructed with the 1st or last sets (others mileage may differ). The middle two stump wood sets, while not exactly my "cup of tea" look more usable to me. Sap wood doesn't scare me in moderation on its own, but when together with a slab cut stump wood, I personally would not choose them no matter how aesthetically attracted I was.

As a player/customer, I focus on: 1) acoustic properties; 2) mechanical stability and then 3) aesthetics. One thing to consider, is that while they have been stable in your shop even under somewhat arid conditions, they are not under tension or compression and are free to expand or contract (e.g. Not glued within a mechanical system of woods of differing expansion coefficients). In situ, within the structure of a guitar the set is not free but is constrained is it not?

Thanks for sharing the sets and asking the question.

My $.02
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  #217  
Old 07-04-2014, 07:37 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7 View Post
Aesthetically, they are indeed beautiful examples of nature (very much a rorschach test).

But for myself, I don't think that I would want an acoustic flat top constructed with the 1st or last sets (others mileage may differ). The middle two stump wood sets, while not exactly my "cup of tea" look more usable to me. Sap wood doesn't scare me in moderation on its own, but when together with a slab cut stump wood, I personally would not choose them no matter how aesthetically attracted I was.

As a player/customer, I focus on: 1) acoustic properties; 2) mechanical stability and then 3) aesthetics. One thing to consider, is that while they have been stable in your shop even under somewhat arid conditions, they are not under tension or compression and are free to expand or contract (e.g. Not glued within a mechanical system of woods of differing expansion coefficients). In situ, within the structure of a guitar the set is not free but is constrained is it not?

Thanks for sharing the sets and asking the question.

My $.02
I have found that you do need to be more careful with highly figured woods but, being careful certainly reduces the chances of issues. The first thing, as Kevin mentioned, was to look for indicators that the wood is going to be trouble. If you aren't seeing any cracking on the open edges of the back plates, that is a good sign. Seasoning the wood is a great help as well. As wood becomes more seasoned it reacts to temp and humidity changes less and less. The very construction of a guitar back in some ways allows for woods expansion and shrinkage by have a slight dome so the wood has somewhere to go and help relieve tension. Finally, having all of the wood end grain secure helps eliminate crack starter points.
So yes, highly figured wood may be somewhat more likely to crack but it would be a shame to pass up a beautiful guitar that when taken care of lasts 40 years with no issues, because of undue concern.

Mark
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Last edited by Mark Hatcher; 07-04-2014 at 08:57 AM.
  #218  
Old 07-04-2014, 09:15 AM
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I love the highly figured woods as well. What do you think about laminating the back and sides.
  #219  
Old 07-05-2014, 08:14 AM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7 View Post
Aesthetically, they are indeed beautiful examples of nature (very much a rorschach test).

But for myself, I don't think that I would want an acoustic flat top constructed with the 1st or last sets (others mileage may differ). The middle two stump wood sets, while not exactly my "cup of tea" look more usable to me. Sap wood doesn't scare me in moderation on its own, but when together with a slab cut stump wood, I personally would not choose them no matter how aesthetically attracted I was.

As a player/customer, I focus on: 1) acoustic properties; 2) mechanical stability and then 3) aesthetics. One thing to consider, is that while they have been stable in your shop even under somewhat arid conditions, they are not under tension or compression and are free to expand or contract (e.g. Not glued within a mechanical system of woods of differing expansion coefficients). In situ, within the structure of a guitar the set is not free but is constrained is it not?

Thanks for sharing the sets and asking the question.

My $.02
iim7V7IM7 - thanks for you $.02. As a custom builder I certainly would be happy to work withing the parameters you desired as a player/customer. If you came to me and said "quartersawn straight grained", I'd have no problem working on that.
  #220  
Old 07-05-2014, 08:22 AM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher View Post
I have found that you do need to be more careful with highly figured woods but, being careful certainly reduces the chances of issues. The first thing, as Kevin mentioned, was to look for indicators that the wood is going to be trouble. If you aren't seeing any cracking on the open edges of the back plates, that is a good sign. Seasoning the wood is a great help as well. As wood becomes more seasoned it reacts to temp and humidity changes less and less. The very construction of a guitar back in some ways allows for woods expansion and shrinkage by have a slight dome so the wood has somewhere to go and help relieve tension. Finally, having all of the wood end grain secure helps eliminate crack starter points.
So yes, highly figured wood may be somewhat more likely to crack but it would be a shame to pass up a beautiful guitar that when taken care of lasts 40 years with no issues, because of undue concern.

Mark
Yes Mark, someone will get a very nice guitar with these woods. Very unique.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KingCavalier View Post
I love the highly figured woods as well. What do you think about laminating the back and sides.
Many people use highly figured woods/laminations. For me, the "test" is how the guitar sounds and plays in the right persons hands.

Kevin.
  #221  
Old 07-05-2014, 08:39 AM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Here is a neck detail I sent out on a guitar this past week. This is a madagascar rosewood neck laminated with maple/rosewood accents. I added the dove for the customer...was his request. All the accents on the neck detail are all about .009" (if I remember right).

  #222  
Old 07-05-2014, 09:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinLPederson View Post
Here is a neck detail I sent out on a guitar this past week. This is a madagascar rosewood neck laminated with maple/rosewood accents. I added the dove for the customer...was his request. All the accents on the neck detail are all about .009" (if I remember right).

Wow...that's nice, Kevin.
Love the natural shapes there.

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  #223  
Old 07-06-2014, 06:09 AM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Wow...that's nice, Kevin.
Love the natural shapes there.

Steve

Thanks Steve, it looks really cool in person too. Looking forward to seeing your stuff at Memphis. Until then, I hope you do well.

Kevin.
  #224  
Old 07-15-2014, 04:10 PM
KevinLPederson KevinLPederson is offline
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Here is some feedback I got this past week from the gal who contacted me to pay off her husbands balance - how AWESOME of a wife is this?? I wanted to share this because most wives would probably not be supportive of a purchase like this Anyway, they got the guitar and she sent me this email.

Kevin,
It's here! Wow, there are really no words to capture the amazing workmanship of this guitar. I am not a musician, in fact I can't even carry a tune, but I do appreciate beautifully designed pieces of art, and this guitar is nothing if it's not just that! I am beyond impressed at the details in this guitar. You did such an incredible job and Vance is over the moon. I just can't get over the details in the feathers, and the swan in the back (I'm sure there's a technical term for that

Thanks SO much Kevin. You are a true artist and few people have dedication to such workmanship in these times. Great job!

God Bless!
Emilee

They got this guitar.










I'm almost ready to throw up this OM thread. Italian Spruce top/Brazilian Rosewood etc...its going to be super nice.

Kevin.
  #225  
Old 07-16-2014, 08:40 AM
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Kevin, what a nice note! And the guitar is beautiful!! Your attention to detail is astounding.

Regarding the sapwood sets, I like them. Maybe I'm just trusting, but if you showed me those and told me they'd make a great guitar that wouldn't develop structural issues, I'd believe that. I feel, if I am willing to spend/invest that much on an instrument and have chosen you (for all of the reasons one would make such a choice), I would have faith in your choice of woods; if they'd be an issue, you wouldn't show them to me. I'd also hope you'll be around long enough to handle any issues if they do arise. I like "interesting" woods, which is part of the reason I am such a fan of the custom section of the forum, and elected to have a guitar made rather than purchase something off the shelf.
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