#31
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Man - I just LOVE Franks posts - pure, reasonable, and practical. But I am definitely in the too afraid to just do it camp (at least with guitars - no such problems with many other endeavors). Reading this kind of encouragement is just the kick in the rear needed. But I am also in the "bite the bullet and get or make the right tool" camp -
Whats frustrating is that this kind of approach is great in the "Build and Repair" area, but in the general forum, if you make even the tiniest mistake, however accidental or minor, too many guitar owners (not sure how many are really players) will vilify you and expect to be given a brand new guitar plus damages and other compensation. Oh well - we're just not particularly reasonable animals -
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More than a few Santa Cruz’s, a few Sexauers, a Patterson, a Larrivee, a Cumpiano, and a Klepper!! |
#32
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Groucho was right.
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#33
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#34
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I've been a Marxist for quite a long time: Groucho, not Karl.
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#35
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He would undoubtedly have been the wit, the wag, the funny man of the AGF if it had been around in his day. |
#36
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I think Frank had something more specific in mind.
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#37
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Yep - I see Groucho saying, "You'll never be successful at anything for which you have too much respect" as simple statement of the wisdom that we all are familiar with when we hear about brain surgeons not wanting to work on family members. The fear of negative outcome can paralyze the effort to do good solid work.
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#38
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I've been curious to see what effect Graph Tech TUSQ has on tone, so I bought two saddle blanks (for two guitars) and one nut blank, for my first nut experiment. Just to recap, the question posed by this thread of mine was simply, "Is there a cheaper way for me to experiment - rather than buying $80 to $130 worth of specialized files?" I do want to learn to make my own nuts, but am not in a position to spend that kind of money on files (the discussion moved beyond my question). So we're all basically on the same page. Beers for everyone...on me. John Arnold Thanks for the further details on your razor saw blades. Either I'll buy the version with the handle, and separate blade from handle - or I'll find the bare blades. This seems like the best way for me to make the initial kerf and to set the initial depth. I think this method will let me take it very slowly...maybe the full two weeks, per Louie's scenario. Charles HA! I've been that kind of Marxist for a long time myself. Himself turned loose on any online forum would have people falling off their chairs. And he'd certainly keep the moderators busy. Murray / Murrmac123 I read a serious book about Groucho Marx years ago and don't recall any mention of him playing guitar. That's fascinating, and it doesn't surprise me now that you mention it. tadol Good point about the different perspectives belonging to guitar makers, guitar players and guitar owners: The makers are like guys who engineer racing cars, and maybe like the guys who work as the pit crew. For them, form follows function. First it has to work right, and THEN, if we can swing it, we'll make everything look decent.I've been a player for more than three decades. My one-and-only guitar just happened to turn into a unique (and possibly collectible) instrument along the way, and I've become very protective of it - not because I'm a collector by any means, but because I have great appreciation for that guitar and how unique it is. I'd be hard pressed to ever replace it. So I've been straddling the line between player and collector for years, and only now have ventured into this amazing realm of real Luthiery, where Theory and Practice meet head-to-head - and if they don't meet squarely, a fine guitar can be reduced to just a "wooden object". Finances being what they are, I can't afford to create any unexpected "wooden objects" right now. I much appreciate you fellows letting me in here and contributing to these discussions. It's truly a privilege. |
#39
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Someone told me a parable recently that goes something like this:So yeah, I get it. Thanks. |
#40
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Was it just a dream or did I really see a bit of film with Groucho playing guitar to a girl in a punt? And didn't the guitar end up in the water?
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#41
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He played a classic 16" L-5, but the guitar that went in the drink was a stunt instrument - visible here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lCPmaq960E |
#42
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That's the clip. Nice to see him play some of the shortcut chords we use today too. Watching it again he throws the guitar out of shot, and although you hear a splash you see no ripples.
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#43
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Frank Ford wrote:
"I've been at this 45 years nonstop full time, and I make mistakes - LOTS of mistakes. Mistakes are fun - they're what it's all about - the journey after all. ." I've always said that: Apprentices make mistakes, but don't know it, Journeymen make mistakes, and hide them, Masters make mistakes, but they're part of their style. At some point I hope that a preponderance on my mistakes will be stylistic; until then I'm working on better ways to hide them. Nut and saddle work is ideal territory if you can't abide mistakes. Just put the old nut and saddle aside, work on the replacements, and use whichever ones come out the best. It may take a few tries to make improvements over the originals, but in the meantime all you're out is the time and minimal materials. |
#44
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#45
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1. I agree that you shouldn't be afraid of doing it yourself. The only real penalty is if you make the cut too deep, in which case you use some baking soda and CA glue to fill the slot and have another go at it. 2. I made my first nut files by taking saber saw blades and grinding them to the appropriate thicknesses. They worked, but left the bottom of the slot flat rather than rounded. After I while, I was making enough varieties of instruments, which required more than a simple set of six standard thicknesses, that I broke down and bought a set of proper files, and haven't regretted it. It was money well spent. 3. I've written up how I slot nuts using feeler gauges and a continuity tester on my website: http://midtown.net/dragonwing/nutcase.htm BTW, Mark Twain played the guitar, too. I think he and Groucho would have gotten along just fine.
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Yamaha FG-411-12 String Oscar Teller 7119 classical (built in 1967) and a bunch of guitars and mandolins I've made ... OM, OO, acoustic bass, cittern, octave mandolin, mandola, etc. ... some of which I've kept. |