AGF Outstanding Volunteer Service Award

[cotten]

My new McKnight is probably just about finished, with only Tim's last few steps remaining. Not much to report, picture wise, until the Healdsburg Festival unveiling. Unless you'd like me to go backwards into the development stage and show the sides being bent or sawdust being swept up...

But then, some things are worth the wait, ya know?

cotten

[Mary]

Wehec's McGit is complete and is finally sittin' pretty.

Kirk's McGit is sitting under a ToneRite at this very moment.

Yesterday, Tim was working on BBWW's beautiful McGit.

Billy Boy has been showing his McGit build on his own thread which... build wise ...will resemble Cotten's guitar.

BUT ...

Cotten's guitar has a few more days to go before it is ready to go under the ToneRite. We are keeping him posted on a regular basis. You haven't seen many pictures as Cotten is a very humble gentleman who is wonderfully blessed by each of you who gave this gift from your hearts.

As with all McKnight guitars the customer owns his/her pictures. I don't even have copies of any of his picture to share with you.

However, I will encourage his luthier to share pictures of the final product so you can view your gift to Cotten.

[Tim McKnight]

FYI: All of our HB guitars are getting close but still have a ways to go. Cotten's guitar still needs tuners installed, bridge pins fit, holes slotted, saddle cut & compensated, nut cut, hemispherical frets installed and final set up tweaks. The hemi fret ends are quite labor intensive and are really slowing the process down. I can do a "regular fret job in about an hour but the hemi treatment takes me a full 8 hours minimum ;( However. its worth the extra effort IMO.

[cotten]

I'm excited about Tim's taking the extra time, effort and expense to add those hemispherical fret ends. I didn't even know such a thing was possible until he told me a while back! I'll let him explain the advantages, but it seems that it will make for an even smoother playing experience, an "extra" that we are not likely to see any time soon from mass produced guitars.

When Tim told me about this option, I looked around a bit to see what was involved. I don't know if this is the exact process he uses, but if it is, I can see why it takes so much longer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0anGJYV7gA A small, incremental improvement in the way a guitar plays, perhaps, but then it is the "little" things that, when multiplied together, make all the difference!

cotten

[cotten]

Here are a couple of pictures of Tim's hemispherical fret ends, taken from another AGF thread. (The odd string spacing was due to a mounted ToneRite.)

[riorider]

Wow. There's a new aspect I didn't know about!

I'd be surprised if some of these guys with CNC machines don't adapt some kind of Dremel stone bit with a jig to make this less manually intensive!

Nice pics of those frets...

Phil

[Tim McKnight]

I just watched the video that Cotten posted a link to and that is basically the same manual process that I use except I buff my frets with a bench mounted powered buffer instead of buffing them by hand. It shaves a few seconds off the time but its basically 20 - 30 minutes per fret and 98% of that time is all manual labor. The video was only 9.5 minutes long but I can assure you there was a lot of editing and elapsed time unaccounted for.

Yes, it would be very cool if someone could come up with a process for the CNC. Its likely they will at some point but it would still involve measuring each fret's length and plugging that number into the CNC software.

The "argued" benefit is there may be a slight bit more real estate on the surface of each hemi-fret compared to if the builder normally uses a rather flat bevel on their "normal" fret end treatment. Regardless of who wins that argument the ends of the frets just look classier IMO. Another benefit is as the fret board shrinks over time its very unlikely the frets will ever protrude beyond the edge, requiring a fret end dressing due to the fact that the hemi-frets are inset about .015" from each edge of the FB.

[SuperB23]

This is the first time I had looked at this thread in a few months!! It looks beautiful John and Tim. I'm excited for you John and I'm looking forward to healdsburg!!

Bobby

[riorider]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Yes, it would be very cool if someone could come up with a process for the CNC. Its likely they will at some point but it would still involve measuring each fret's length and plugging that number into the CNC software.

Since the fret wire is the same gauge (at least, on a given guitar) I wonder if some cutting tool with a round cut off edge would at least speed up the filing on one end? I'm full of ideas that most likely have no actual benefit, or which may be totally unworkable!

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

The "argued" benefit is there may be a slight bit more real estate on the surface of each hemi-fret compared to if the builder normally uses a rather flat bevel on their "normal" fret end treatment. Regardless of who wins that argument the ends of the frets just look classier IMO.

I think they look great, too - at least from the closeup shots!

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Another benefit is as the fret board shrinks over time its very unlikely the frets will ever protrude beyond the edge, requiring a fret end dressing due to the fact that the hemi-frets are inset about .015" from each edge of the FB.

That is a clear benefit!

Thanks for the comments Tim!

Phil

[Mary]

These frets take two days while the typical frets took a little over two hours.

With these frets he cuts, he clips, he trims, he files, he rounds, he buffs, he installs, then buffs again.

Wanna know the BIG advantage on my end?

No more conversations draining the energy from your luthier and visa verse. Conversations like the following are "typical" with the typical frets.
Want verification? Check with Kurt!

Tim: "OK. Mary, check the frets."

Mary: "Nope, not smooth enough." (He files a bit)

Tim: "That's fine." (Still, he files a bit more)

Mary: "Tim, do this one over again." (He files a bit)

Tim: "There's nothings wrong with that one now." (Yet, he files a bit more)

Mary: "Again. here." (Tim growls and files a bit more.)

Tim: "There. That's good."

Mary: "I can't pass this one. There's a tiny nitch here. Feel this." (He sands a little) "Honey, don't be mad, but this one isn't gonna get it for me either. Feel it here."

Tim: "WHUT?????" (Giving that look and sighing loudly as he sands a bit more on that one spot.)

Mary: (examining lower fret edges) Oh, man, sorry, but I can't take this one. Can you feel this roughness?"

I explained that I do dishes. He dry sands so my hands feel what his hands miss.

However, conversations with each of the Healdsburg guitars with these hem frets goes more like this:

Tim: "Mary, fret time."

Mary: (Sliding my hand up and down each frets forward and backwards) "Whoa. Wow. Not bad at all. These are nice. To bad they take so blasted long, but I am impressed."

I walk away with a smile and wonders of why we never tried these before!

I have gladly taken twice (3 X's) the pictures for the customer to show this is all hand done. Well, except for that first buffing. I show that, too. I am thrilled to walk away with a smile now after I do the recheck.

Not once has he had to go over the fret ends. From your luthier's wife's perspective ... (sigh) they have made shop life much easier on us.

Maybe he needs to dig up someone who can come up with a file on a CNC machine so it will save time.

Whatever Tim says is good about them I'm OK with. I'm just here to tell you they look terrific AND they make peace in the McShop.

[cotten]

Teamwork! You two are made for each other!

cotten

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by Mary

Want verification? Check with Kurt!

As I am making a pilgrimage to Greater Metropolitan Morral a week from tomorrow, and as I diplomatically do not wish to get in between Tim and Mary when it comes to their work habits, I will refrain as much as possible on commentary, aside from noting that, in particular, Mary's dialogue is spot-on throughout. What you don't get is Tim's non-verbal communication, as follows:

Originally Posted by Mary

Tim: "There's nothings wrong with that one now." (Yet, he files a bit more)

Tim wants to be done with it all, knows he really isn't done with it all, realizes Mary is correct, and so continues his work even as it declares he "finished." Here, however, we would eventually see Tim backing away from the work bench, likely holding a sharp tool which the observant bystander might perceive as being pointed slightly toward Mary, as if subconsciously warning her not to say another bloody word.

Originally Posted by Mary

Mary: "Again. here." (Tim growls and files a bit more.)

Tim's growl emerges from deep within and is more of a pre-volcanic rumble than a growl, often combined with an only-slightly-impatient scowl and a hint of seeming powerlessness. It's my favorite "Tim" look, with a somewhat-exasperated, the light-in-my-eyes-is-waning expression, for it's likely Tim has been working on this single, miniscule detail for hours on end already with Mary looking over his shoulder the entire time, offering her seemingly-unceasing commentary.

Originally Posted by Mary

Tim: "WHUT?????" (Giving that look and sighing loudly as he sands a bit more on that one spot.)

A favorite "Tim" statement, by my accord, always offered with a quizzical, putty-dead faced expression. Picture Scooby-Doo, if you will. I've also noted this look and statement occasionally on the golf course on that extremely rare occasion when Tim's drive veers deep into the fescue for unbeknownst reasons.

As to the "Mary" comments:

Originally Posted by Mary

Mary: (examining lower fret edges) Oh, man, sorry, but I can't take this one. Can you feel this roughness?"

Please refer to my "unceasing commentary" remark above; I am certain at this point your imagination can fill in the visual blanks.

And Cotten, you're right: It's teamwork. These two offer a marvelous balance. If there's a rub, it's that they're both perfectionists: They neither one will let go of a guitar-build element unless they are completely satisfied they've done the best job possible. Tim and Mary are detail-oriented, but in a complementary fashion -- and thus the verbal and non-verbal interaction. That's why those of us fortunate enough to own a McKnight guitar receive such a spectacular gift. I only wish that more AGF people could have a chance to meet and visit with these two, because on top of being a marvelous guitar-building team, Tim and Mary have a marriage bond that I admire deeply, one rooted in their faith. I admire that deeply, more deeply than the guitars they build.

I'll look forward to seeing your guitar (again -- and from a safe distance!) and the other Healdsburg guitars next week...

[cotten]

I am thrilled to be able to share these pictures of the progress being made! Here, the bridge is being drilled.



And giving each pin the proper hole size.



Each hole is prepared for its own string size.

[cotten]

Preparing to work on the frets.



After the fret ends are readied, the frets are tapped into place.



And glued.

[cotten]

It's tuner time!