Klein & Kauffman 426 - Build Thread

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by dcn

This is really cool, Dan. I've never seen one of these guitars in person, really looking forward to following along.

This brings up an interesting question, will this be ready for B.I.G. in Sept., if so would you even think about bringing it?

[Norsepicker]

Just curious, a builder named Jason Harshbarger built in the Klein style and actually collaborated with Klein and Kaufman on guitar sold on the Dream Guitar site. He was initially an accomplished mandolin maker and I managed to acquire one of his mandolins, and on the basis of the excellence of that instrument bought a used Orenda, an guitar he called his most innovative and one that has a lot of features in common with the guitar pictured here. His website has been dormant for some time and I just wondered if anyone knows what he's up to. I love the guitar, especially for playing Piedmont blues and I'e be very interested to know what he's doing now.

[nootis]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

Interesting designs.
The basic design of the top bracing reminds me of Falcate Bracing as far as the placement of the braces. They are obviously not curved, but follow similar pathways. Trevor Gore's scientific approach has yielded a similar design.

Thanks for commenting. I've seen Trevor's designs and they have indeed influenced many and they do share some fan-ness design with Klein and Kauffman. However, I'm thinking things will depart from the norm when I receive the next update from Steve assuming the "flying" brace is next.

Originally Posted by dcn

This is really cool, Dan. I've never seen one of these guitars in person, really looking forward to following along.

I'm glad you're following Diogo. We're just getting started!

I would love to hear you play it some day.

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

This brings up an interesting question, will this be ready for B.I.G. in Sept., if so would you even think about bringing it?

I would have to believe that it will be ready in a few months. I just found out that I will be traveling abroad and getting back to town hopefully the day before your shindig. I'm still planning on making it, but I also wanted to bring my student-built Kinnaird and thought about bringing my Aboudib just because it is spectacular and it will help support Michel. I could be coerced into bringing this guitar instead, but either way I'd only carry one on the plane and the other I'd have to ship. I don't think I want to ship two though. I suppose I could, but if I brought too many, my wife might just make me move in with you! We'll see how it goes when the time comes.

Originally Posted by Norsepicker

Just curious, a builder named Jason Harshbarger built in the Klein style and actually collaborated with Klein and Kaufman on guitar sold on the Dream Guitar site. He was initially an accomplished mandolin maker and I managed to acquire one of his mandolins, and on the basis of the excellence of that instrument bought a used Orenda, an guitar he called his most innovative and one that has a lot of features in common with the guitar pictured here. His website has been dormant for some time and I just wondered if anyone knows what he's up to. I love the guitar, especially for playing Piedmont blues and I'e be very interested to know what he's doing now.

Hmm. Interesting. I'll try to remember to ask Steve if he knows and report back. Thanks for following.

[j. Kinnaird]

this is already an interesting build. I am anxious to see the details of the door construction on the end of the guitar.

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

this is already an interesting build. I am anxious to see the details of the door construction on the end of the guitar.

Funny, John. I thought of you as soon as I saw that access door!
Sure would make fine tuning and pickup installs a LOT easier.

This axe is very interesting indeed

Paul

[soundman48]

You'll love this guitar (as I'm sure you know). My very first handmade guitar was a Klein M43. I first learned about Steve Klein from an article in Frets magazine. That was back a few decades ago ... in '96. My M43 had the access door in the bottom as well.

[LFL Steve]

I've been a fan of Steve Klein's designs for years. A few guitar shows ago I met Steve Kaufman and got to play a few of these guitars. Magnificent instruments. Looking forward to more on this thread.

[John Osthoff]

Thanks for posting this build thread. I have been a fan of Klein/Kaufman for many many years. These guy think outside of the box so to speak. It is really cool to follow on the process.

[nootis]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

this is already an interesting build. I am anxious to see the details of the door construction on the end of the guitar.

Thanks for chiming in John. After some updates starting last week, I have not been a very good custodian to my own build thread, but alas I have some to start sharing. Stay tuned...

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

Funny, John. I thought of you as soon as I saw that access door!
Sure would make fine tuning and pickup installs a LOT easier.

This axe is very interesting indeed

Paul

It is super interesting, and I am enjoying the process. Thanks Paul!

Originally Posted by soundman48

You'll love this guitar (as I'm sure you know). My very first handmade guitar was a Klein M43. I first learned about Steve Klein from an article in Frets magazine. That was back a few decades ago ... in '96. My M43 had the access door in the bottom as well.

Thanks for your comment Soundman48. Feel free to post a picture of your guitar if you're inclined to do so.

Originally Posted by LFL Steve

I've been a fan of Steve Klein's designs for years. A few guitar shows ago I met Steve Kaufman and got to play a few of these guitars. Magnificent instruments. Looking forward to more on this thread.

Thanks for commenting and adding your name to the list of Steve's!

Originally Posted by John Osthoff

Thanks for posting this build thread. I have been a fan of Klein/Kaufman for many many years. These guy think outside of the box so to speak. It is really cool to follow on the process.

Nice to have you along John. They certainly think outside of the box all the while working within the box!

So as I mentioned, while it was quiet for a couple of weeks, Steve has sent me more than a few updates starting last week. I've been too busy to try to digest and translate what I am seeing and being told, until now.

Finishing up the "treble boundary" in the go-bar.



The next few pictures are the creation of the "wishbone" that will be used to support the neck and anchored to the body. Steve first begins with the raw material: the wood core is already glued and consists of 5 layers of bent veneers. They will then be laminated with carbon fiber on both top and bottom surfaces. The raw carbon, called "tow", comes in a roll. It is made up of individual tiny carbon strands held together with fine cross threads... super thin I imagine, for Steve tells me that six layers of this stuff gets bonded to the wood using epoxy.



Here it is all sandwiched together in a vacuum clamp where atmospheric pressures forces everything to conform to an internal mold.



Once fully cured, the sandwich is cut into individual servings...



Lastly, the wishbone is refined and installed against the neck block and the inner rims. This design is stable and solid as a rock. I've seen similar ideas using this same concept from the likes of Tim McKnight, John Kinnaird and Ben Wilborn. No offence to those brilliant luthiers, the Klein design is certainly one of the most thought out and well-executed neck support systems I've ever seen. Again, rock solid in order to rock! You can also see the side port support here as well.



I have some more to update you all, but time is money, and I don't have much of either right now! I'll update again tomorrow morning. Thanks for checking in.

[TomB'sox]

Everything about this is unique and different. Don't know how any of it plays into the sound, but it sure looks cool!

[nootis]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Everything about this is unique and different. Don't know how any of it plays into the sound, but it sure looks cool!

It does look cool. As you very well know, just like any builder, it's the sum of all the parts put together that make the magic of the best guitars. As we move along, I'm gaining some of the theory that went into the original Klein design, and it's fascinating. However, the end result will still be a guitar.

As Steve moves along, he's installed the kerfing along the top and bottom of the guitar rims...



Here you can see the neck block being supported by the carbon fiber wing slices forming the wishbone/neckblock system. Barely visible on the underside of the support are 3 holes for the bolts that bolt in the back of the neck. The rectangular slot near the back side of the guitar will receive the buttress that you will later see as part of the back bracing system. Just above the slot is the hole for the strap pin, and the larger hole nearest the top will bolt to the heel of the neck. As you will see in the next update, the heel in a Klein-Kauffman guitar is relatively small. Only room for 1 bolt!



Here is a look at the layered veneer that makes up the door frame for the access panel. Also notice the arc on the bass side of the wishbone... This is to accommodate the longer bass bar brace that is on the top.



One last look at the final rim assembly. So clean!



More to come soon.

[cigarfan]

Dan, this is looking really sharp. If you imagine this last picture as a flyover at 10,000 feet, it looks like a major highway system under construction. Cool! Love the pics. Please keep 'em coming!

[nootis]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Dan, this is looking really sharp. If you imagine this last picture as a flyover at 10,000 feet, it looks like a major highway system under construction. Cool! Love the pics. Please keep 'em coming!

Thanks Dennis. I like the 10,000 foot perspective. Now that we've flipped it over on it's top, still hovering at 10,000, the overbridge system turns into an underbridge system and the flying brace is installed and anchored to the sides.

This next picture gives you a good view of how the Kasha inspired radial fan bracing functions. Steve explained this best to me, so I'll simply qoute him... "If you look closely, you can just make out the outline of the bridge. The primary motion of the bridge is in line with the string path; that is, the string waves sort of pull/release on the bridge causing a rocking motion. So that transverse brace across the bridge center is a fulcrum point and also stabilizes the top across the grain. You can also see how the fans relate to the bridge patch. They're positioned and graded to be responsive to the spectrum of signals coming through the bridge itself. That curved brace we call the treble boundary. It divides the top into areas of differing frequency response, kind of like the soundboard of a grand piano."



Here are some other views as we are hovering down for a landing.







The latter two photos show the flying brace in more detail. There is an inherently weak spot at the edge of the soundhole where the strings want to collapse the top downward. The flying brace supports this area by transferring the force to the sides and anchored at the waist (the strongest point). You can also see the holes for the treble and bass sides: These are the end points for the first and sixth string. The black line on the transverse brace is carbon fiber.

You can see (especially in that first photo) how the "roundness" of the belly is created with the carbon fiber wishbone that connects to the neck block. While music is invisible, you can still feel it, and looking at these images, I can imagine the transfer of musical energy in both sound and vibration running throughout the sum of these parts. I have read that many classical guitar builders start their builds with the neck as the focal point and the body is built to accommodate it. While he's not necessarily building the neck first, Steve has certainly built a body bracing system that seems to be taking advantage of the energy that the neck brings. So it appears. These are my own thoughts and opinions, but for some reason, this system seems to make a lot of sense in my mind's eye. The system alone is mind-blowing, but the execution is equally mind-blowing. So back to the "roundness" I alluded to: The circular construction seems to be purposefully constructed and this concept continues on the back.

[TomB'sox]

With every new post I become more and more confused and equally more and more intrigued.

[cigarfan]

For me that last picture conjures an image of an alien craft getting ready to launch.