Anyone like Waterfalls? **NGD photos added** John Kinnaird Bubinga Build

[invguy921]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

She's home!

Have FUN Mike

Way to go John

Cheers

Paul

Yes sir brother Paul...and you know what this feels like...and can probably guess what it sounds like. John's cantilevered neck design brings another dimension to some already amazing tone. Articulate, resonant, and it has some 'growl factor"...oh yeah!! Your #4 isn't far behind!!

Originally Posted by Halcyon/Tinker

Love the detail in the back of the neck like that, that's really cool...

Thank you. John surprised me with that very cool design and I too love it.

Originally Posted by Godfather

Scarey gorgeous! I so look forward to hearing sound clips.
I hope you enjoy this beauty for a long, long time.

You ought to hold this thing...of course that probably won't happen because this one isn't going out of the house. Point is, I agree it is scary gorgeous and in person...all I can say is WOWOWOWOW!! Stunning sound....even across the strings, rich low end and articulate and delightful trebles and mids...you can make this one "growl" really easy...sound clip to follow when time permits!

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Well ain't that a thing. You could get seasick looking at the back grain! Wonderful guitar, congrats!

Yeh buddy...well put... 'ain't that a thing' !! When you get this turned back side up, the waves are very deep and clear...3D stuff that, yes reminds me of my first and last ocean fishing trip I took a number of years ago...it was a trip I won't forget and wish i could forget...a belly bomber ha!!

[TEK]

"Thanks Doug! Ya know, I thought about that and wondered if someone might think it is going on the block anytime soon. The answer is my plan is to absolutely keep this one. Honestly, I bought and sold SOOO many guitars, I'm ready to settle into one for a long time. "


Seriously though, Enjoy your beautiful new guitar Mike! It looks great.
Travis

[invguy921]

Originally Posted by TEK

"Thanks Doug! Ya know, I thought about that and wondered if someone might think it is going on the block anytime soon. The answer is my plan is to absolutely keep this one. Honestly, I bought and sold SOOO many guitars, I'm ready to settle into one for a long time. "


Seriously though, Enjoy your beautiful new guitar Mike! It looks great.
Travis

Travis, Thank you. Your response is likely one many people who know me will have...Mike, did you say "keep" a guitar???? Yeah whatever Once you play it, you'll understand

My golf clubs are out and ready, and the guitar needs you to play it. Let's get together soon!

[j. Kinnaird]

Thanks for your kind comments everyone.
Mike, I am really glad you like the sound. I thought it was nice but a little consensual validation is also nice.
Travis, i understand where you are coming from. Time will tell.🤔

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

Thanks for your kind comments everyone.
Mike, I am really glad you like the sound. I thought it was nice but a little consensual validation is also nice.
Travis, i understand where you are coming from. Time will tell.🤔

Again, fantastic workmanship...Such a great Beauty..I am totally in awe of that Bubinga. Can't wait to hear it from the sound described.
two questions:
1. It looks like you have inlaid bubinga into your ebony bridge pins?
2. This is something I have always wondered about the smiley face Bridge pin set design. I would think that the break angle on the saddle is much less on the middle strings(4th&3rd) Which might provide more sustain for those strings.
so is done to:
A. Is this done to Bring out Sustain and or midrange of those two strings-bringing Rosewood overtones with Mahogany midrange bump..or something like that?
B. Or is something else going on to compensate for the difference in break angle for those two strings under the bridge?
C. Or something else entirely?

[TEK]

Originally Posted by invguy921

Travis, Thank you. Your response is likely one many people who know me will have...Mike, did you say "keep" a guitar???? Yeah whatever Once you play it, you'll understand

My golf clubs are out and ready, and the guitar needs you to play it. Let's get together soon!

Sounds like a plan Mike.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by invguy921

Yeh buddy...well put... 'ain't that a thing' !! When you get this turned back side up, the waves are very deep and clear...3D stuff that, yes reminds me of my first and last ocean fishing trip I took a number of years ago...it was a trip I won't forget and wish i could forget...a belly bomber ha!!

As someone that spends a lot of time on the water ocean fishing I had to adjust to seasickness, but I've had some bad days early on Once again, congrats on a beauty of a guitar! So many little details that add up to a winner!

[j. Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Again, fantastic workmanship...Such a great Beauty..I am totally in awe of that Bubinga. Can't wait to hear it from the sound described.
two questions:
1. It looks like you have inlaid bubinga into your ebony bridge pins?
2. This is something I have always wondered about the smiley face Bridge pin set design. I would think that the break angle on the saddle is much less on the middle strings(4th&3rd) Which might provide more sustain for those strings.
so is done to:
A. Is this done to Bring out Sustain and or midrange of those two strings-bringing Rosewood overtones with Mahogany midrange bump..or something like that?
B. Or is something else going on to compensate for the difference in break angle for those two strings under the bridge?
C. Or something else entirely?

Break angle is pretty important on guitars with a floating bridge, a tailpiece and string tension holding the bridge against the top. Like an arch top guitar, fiddle, chello etc. Then the more break angle the more downward force on the bridge. Vibrating strings pump the bridge up and down and a larger break angle increases the mechanical advantage of the strings to motivate the top.
On this guitar with no tail piece, where the strings anchor into the bridge, the vibrating strings cause rocking motion on the bridge. The saddle becomes the lever arm of that rocker. The taller the saddle, the greater the mechanical advantage and incidentally the greater the break angle. But, this increased break angle is irrelevant. The bridge and saddle would work just as well if there were no break angle and the strings somehow fastened directly to the top of the saddle. Since that is hard to design most flattop bridges fasten the strings elsewhere. All that is required is enough of an angle to keep the string in contact with saddle with sufficient downward force to prevent buzzing (which aint much angle)
Since break angle is not very critical in this kind of bridge, stylistic concerns dictate bridge pin placement. Mike wanted the pins to follow the curve of the back of the bridge.
Choice C.

[j. Kinnaird]

Sorry, I got so carried away answering your second question that I forgot the first. I did inlay a reddish wood in those pins. I actually think, but won't swear to it that I inlayed padouk. You know, just grabbed a scrap laying around the shop that looked right. Could have been by bubinga but I'm thinking padouk. But thanks for noticing.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

Sorry, I got so carried away answering your second question that I forgot the first. I did inlay a reddish wood in those pins. I actually think, but won't swear to it that I inlayed padouk. You know, just grabbed a scrap laying around the shop that looked right. Could have been by bubinga but I'm thinking padouk. But thanks for noticing.

That inlay looks fantastic..would love to see a close up of it. While I am not a luthier...one of the fun things that I do is inlaying into Bridge Pins like yourself. Always a challenge to get the center perfectly lined up even with a jig & vise...And Then of course..with a smaller inlay...on a hard rounded surface of bone...if you do not drill the correct pressure & speed, you will get drill bit wander.
Anyway....it looks fantastic and those little touches add up to the overall beauty.

[j. Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

That inlay looks fantastic..would love to see a close up of it. While I am not a luthier...one of the fun things that I do is inlaying into Bridge Pins like yourself. Always a challenge to get the center perfectly lined up even with a jig & vise...And Then of course..with a smaller inlay...on a hard rounded surface of bone...if you do not drill the correct pressure & speed, you will get drill bit wander.
Anyway....it looks fantastic and those little touches add up to the overall beauty.

What you do sounds really interesting and i would love to see some of your work.
I clamp a little block of wood into a vice on the drill press table, then drill a small hole in that wood and then replace the drill bit with a tapered reamer to make a pocket for the pin. I never move the block of wood so when i replace the reamer with a drill bit for the inlay and put the pin in that wood block its perfectly lined up. I dont believe i could ever line that up any other way and my hat is off to those who can. I have never tried bone but i bet bit wander is a real challenge.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

What you do sounds really interesting and i would love to see some of your work.
I clamp a little block of wood into a vice on the drill press table, then drill a small hole in that wood and then replace the drill bit with a tapered reamer to make a pocket for the pin. I never move the block of wood so when i replace the reamer with a drill bit for the inlay and put the pin in that wood block its perfectly lined up. I dont believe i could ever line that up any other way and my hat is off to those who can. I have never tried bone but i bet bit wander is a real challenge.

I never intended to go to the level of doing what I have. It came as an experiment first...and then just kept on going.. Experimentation going to infinity practically. haha. I got a little cheap...and never bought a reamer for the exact 3 degree tapper. And there in lies part of the problem with my drilling process. however...I do the exact same thing...drill a hole in a piece of wood, held in a vise, and then do not move the wood and place the Bridge pin in it. However...then you will have wobble..as there is no tapper. So unfortunately, that means I still have to manual minor adjustments to get it drilling center wise. My four way vise does allow pretty critical movements.(silly me for not investing in a 3 degree reamer..always meant to)
I was a custom Knife maker for many years, retired now, but keep my website up for fun.
http://www.victorsmithknives.com/
And that is where I learned the art of drilling holes. I have given all of my super fancy inlays bridge pins away..multi pins like in my knives. So no fancy pins here...Just copper tubes and Copper tube over solid brass.
Through all of my experiments...I only inlay a very small copper tube. You can see some of them in this picture with bone and Black Horn pins(however now I inlay even smaller tube). Of course any of the pins shown with ab or pearl are stock bought. They are not as beautiful as your Paduak pins. However I am doing them for sonic reasons(please don't come down on me to hard for doing so..we all have a path that we follow for various reasons=ha ha).
Anyway...I truly admire your guitar builds...stunning. And greatly appreciate all the fine explanation you have offered.
* If I had a do-over in life..it would be to be come an acoustic guitar builder. While I have had my share of reasonable accomplishments in life...I can think of nothing more rewarding than producing an instrument with golden tones. Music..and the quest for that perfect tone keeps us all young.

[j. Kinnaird]

That is really beautiful stuff. Im certainly impressed.
Do you still make the occasional knife?

[j. Kinnaird]

Can you be persuDed to sell tuner knobs and pins?

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

Can you be persuDed to sell tuner knobs and pins?

You are way to kind...I am just a hole driller for stock pins..ha ha...I just take stock pins and drill holes in them and add my little tubes. And The way I do it takes way to much time. I use a special Knife epoxy to bond copper-brass in the tubes. Unfortunately..this takes clamping and 24 hours to dry. I overcut the tube and then sand down... ..must go slowly even with soft copper and brass as to not heat up the epoxy to much and cut into the bone. And then to the buffer.Way to much time for a simple set up like I have. And quite frankly...this method is only good for the first two strings. Not sure they are beneficial to the rest.
Some of Tuner knobs are from Charis...beautiful work he does. He sells them online for a most reasonable price and if you have not seen them yet...He does inlay into his tuner buttons...fantastic.
https://www.charisacoustic.com/repla...tuner-buttons/