Sexauer/'14

[Bruce Sexauer]

The black stuff is the same kind of oak as the brown stuff.

I have been playing the Limba for a few days and find it to be a very pleasant guitar. Someone said it is tonally interchangeable with mahogany, but based on a sample of one, it seems to have a character of its own. Very pleasant.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Here's some browner brownwood. I wonder if I'll ever get to use it? I am one of those who put more than a little of my retirement in this direction, and imagined it a pretty safe investment. They say to invest in what you know, and to hold onto it, but there are other factors that are less predictable. I'll probably just build with it for my own amusement. Someday.

[fountainhead]

Yowza! That is some breathtaking wood sir!

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by fountainhead

Yowza! That is some breathtaking wood sir!

It is easy to imagine an absolutely world class guitar when handling wood like this set. The entire process of making the guitar is enhanced by the feeling these expectations generate. I hope somebody steps up to the plate to share the experience with me.

[Hierophant]

Just wonderful!

[Bruce Sexauer]

My "tweener" build is progressing steadily, and ought to see a closed box by the weekend:

[MBE]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Here's some browner brownwood. I wonder if I'll ever get to use it? I am one of those who put more than a little of my retirement in this direction, and imagined it a pretty safe investment. They say to invest in what you know, and to hold onto it, but there are other factors that are less predictable. I'll probably just build with it for my own amusement. Someday.

That is some of the nicest and browniest brownwood I have seen in quite some time.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I have here in the shop my guitar number 51! This is one of the fist guitars I made when I restarted my life as a full time luthier, right around the time I met Eric Schoenberg but before he had much influence on my career.

I made his guitar for a fellow whose life made some unfortunate turns that left him homeless and eventually killed him about 3 months ago. The guitar passed into the hands of a common friend of ours who has asked me to resurrect it. I got it yesterday, and have already glued the cracked sides up in 2 stages, and made sure that the paint overspray it is covered in can be got off w/o also removing the finish. The guitar apparently spent some time in a storage facility in Florida, which is a hair raising idea to me.

I don't have any other work I did in this era, not many photos from this pre-digital time, so it took my by surprise how conceptually similar the guitar is is to what I am doing today. It is the only Goncalo Alves guitar I've made.

It is OMish, what I call an FT-15:


I still use this headstock design with small modifications. The "S" in Sexauer (an enhanced version of my actual signature) is the basis of the one that became my logo:


Split most of the way around one side. This is what the ribbons I use today are intended to prevent. The back, the top, and all of the bracing appear to have survived beautifully.

[JDatlen]

That's so cool to see one of your early works. Must be like seeing an old friend huh Bruce?! One wonders how it got paint over spray all over it.

[Nort]

Wow! Bruce that has to be incredible to have that guitar back in your hands,

I hope you'll continue to share photographs as you resurrect it to playing condition, it would be great if you would record something with it when you're finished, that we could listen to.

Just curious, where in the tonal spectrum for comparison would the
Goncalvo Alves fall?

Any particular reason why this was the only guitar with that wood?

[Bruce Sexauer]

I look forward myself to hearing this guitar when it has recovered enough of its former glory to be played. I will at least let you know what I hear.

Tomorrow I set out for the Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival, and I have for 13 years previously. I will have some fiddles and basses along as well as a handful of my guitars, and will participate in the "Luthier's Pavilion", an event within the event, organized by peer Michael Lewis who lives and works near there. In addition to instruments for sale, many of the dozen or more luthiers involved will also offer set up and repair services. If you are in the area, it is a rare opportunity which you might avail yourself of. And then there is the Bluegrass festival!!!

[clinchriver]

Very cool seeing some of your earlier work

[Bruce Sexauer]

The Bluegrass festival was very slow, both business-wise and in attendance. Up until 2007 it was killer, and made a difference in my bottom line year after year, but recovery seems to be excruciatingly slow. The cost of moving those big RVs around is formidable, but tent camping is still pretty healthy.

It's a lot of work for me to clean and pack 4 string basses, 5 guitars, 11 fiddles, a mandolin and a Uke, plus display stuff, and then come back to the shop and put it away again. A four day festival ends up being 8 or 9 days of lost work, so I have to question my wisdom tilting at this particular windmill. (Un)Fortunately, there is music and many friends of long standing that I don't see anywhere else, so I'll probably do it again next year.

I got back to "the work" just yesterday, and put the binding/purfling on the Baritone Uke I'm making. Here's the cutaway bit going on:

[John How]

Bruce, you can always just throw the tent on the bike and go up for the music...

[kirkham13]

Yes I'd leave the basses behind as well... Sounds like fun.