Hatcher's Studio 2022

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by mikealpine

That build for Dustin sounds like it is going to be very special! How far are you from Burlington?

Thanks mikealpine, I’m about 45 minutes from Burlington and the airport there.

m

[theEdwinson]

I'm sure everyone here knows all about that feeling of having accomplished something great. You know, like you fall in love with the guitar, and you practice and practice, you work through the pain, you devote your heart and soul to it... And then suddenly, one day, you're sitting on a park bench playing a tune, and some people gather around to listen... And they clap when you finish the tune with a nice little flourish, and they thank you and put some dollar bills in your hat, even though you weren't officially busking... And you suddenly realize that, hey, you've gotten pretty good at playing the guitar! How proud you feel, that you stuck with it, and the rewards are now flowing to you. What a great feeling!

And then you see someone like Calum Graham, or Dustin Furlow, or Karlijn Langendijk, or Luca Stricagnoli, absolutely SLAYING on their guitar with supernatural skill and astonishingly musical verve that just about makes your heart jump out of your mouth!
And you think, "I could live twenty more lifetimes and not get that good"...

Well, that's the way I feel when I look at the work of some other luthiers that I admire and respect. People like our friend Mr. Hatcher, for instance.
I love the craft of lutherie almost more than anything else; and I'm almost into my 23rd year of making guitars. I've worked through the pain, I've made my fingers bleed sometimes, I've invested my heart and soul into it, I've given it my all... And loved every minute... And yeah, I think I've gotten pretty good at making guitars.

But then, I tune in to the Forum here, and take a look at what Mark is doing, and I'm served a slice of humble pie that's bigger than my head! I think could live twenty more lifetimes and not get that good! He's an alchemist! I wonder, is he even human.

But the most wonderful thing about all this is, just like the experience of watching and hearing someone play a guitar in such a way that you experience a thrill of beauty and amazement that washes over you like a tsunami, I look at Mark's guitars, and come away NOT frustrated, NOT making bitter wine out of sour grapes, but celebrating the gift of inspiration he's bestowed upon me.

Thanks for being alive on Earth, and doing what you do, Mark.

[mikealpine]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

Thanks mikealpine, I’m about 45 minutes from Burlington and the airport there.

m

Headed to Plattsburgh in a few weeks. Unfortunately it’ll be too short a trip to visit Burlington, but I will get there at some point.

The guitars you are building are really stunning, Mark.

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by theEdwinson

I'm sure everyone here knows all about that feeling of having accomplished something great. You know, like you fall in love with the guitar, and you practice and practice, you work through the pain, you devote your heart and soul to it... And then suddenly, one day, you're sitting on a park bench playing a tune, and some people gather around to listen... And they clap when you finish the tune with a nice little flourish, and they thank you and put some dollar bills in your hat, even though you weren't officially busking... And you suddenly realize that, hey, you've gotten pretty good at playing the guitar! How proud you feel, that you stuck with it, and the rewards are now flowing to you. What a great feeling!

And then you see someone like Calum Graham, or Dustin Furlow, or Karlijn Langendijk, or Luca Stricagnoli, absolutely SLAYING on their guitar with supernatural skill and astonishingly musical verve that just about makes your heart jump out of your mouth!
And you think, "I could live twenty more lifetimes and not get that good"...

Well, that's the way I feel when I look at the work of some other luthiers that I admire and respect. People like our friend Mr. Hatcher, for instance.
I love the craft of lutherie almost more than anything else; and I'm almost into my 23rd year of making guitars. I've worked through the pain, I've made my fingers bleed sometimes, I've invested my heart and soul into it, I've given it my all... And loved every minute... And yeah, I think I've gotten pretty good at making guitars.

But then, I tune in to the Forum here, and take a look at what Mark is doing, and I'm served a slice of humble pie that's bigger than my head! I think could live twenty more lifetimes and not get that good! He's an alchemist! I wonder, is he even human.

But the most wonderful thing about all this is, just like the experience of watching and hearing someone play a guitar in such a way that you experience a thrill of beauty and amazement that washes over you like a tsunami, I look at Mark's guitars, and come away NOT frustrated, NOT making bitter wine out of sour grapes, but celebrating the gift of inspiration he's bestowed upon me.

Thanks for being alive on Earth, and doing what you do, Mark.

Wow. Now that's the sort of compliment it would take me twenty lifetimes to compose. Well said, Steve

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by theEdwinson

I'm sure everyone here knows all about that feeling of having accomplished something great. You know, like you fall in love with the guitar, and you practice and practice, you work through the pain, you devote your heart and soul to it... And then suddenly, one day, you're sitting on a park bench playing a tune, and some people gather around to listen... And they clap when you finish the tune with a nice little flourish, and they thank you and put some dollar bills in your hat, even though you weren't officially busking... And you suddenly realize that, hey, you've gotten pretty good at playing the guitar! How proud you feel, that you stuck with it, and the rewards are now flowing to you. What a great feeling!

And then you see someone like Calum Graham, or Dustin Furlow, or Karlijn Langendijk, or Luca Stricagnoli, absolutely SLAYING on their guitar with supernatural skill and astonishingly musical verve that just about makes your heart jump out of your mouth!
And you think, "I could live twenty more lifetimes and not get that good"...

Well, that's the way I feel when I look at the work of some other luthiers that I admire and respect. People like our friend Mr. Hatcher, for instance.
I love the craft of lutherie almost more than anything else; and I'm almost into my 23rd year of making guitars. I've worked through the pain, I've made my fingers bleed sometimes, I've invested my heart and soul into it, I've given it my all... And loved every minute... And yeah, I think I've gotten pretty good at making guitars.

But then, I tune in to the Forum here, and take a look at what Mark is doing, and I'm served a slice of humble pie that's bigger than my head! I think could live twenty more lifetimes and not get that good! He's an alchemist! I wonder, is he even human.

But the most wonderful thing about all this is, just like the experience of watching and hearing someone play a guitar in such a way that you experience a thrill of beauty and amazement that washes over you like a tsunami, I look at Mark's guitars, and come away NOT frustrated, NOT making bitter wine out of sour grapes, but celebrating the gift of inspiration he's bestowed upon me.

Thanks for being alive on Earth, and doing what you do, Mark.

Originally Posted by Erithon

Wow. Now that's the sort of compliment it would take me twenty lifetimes to compose. Well said, Steve

Thanks for that Steve! It’s my pleasure to get to do the work I do. We put so much of ourselves into the guitars we make that other’s work naturally appears unfamiliar. The world of steel string guitars is still wide open and we are very free to express ourselves and if we’re fortunate we are rewarded with being able to make a living doing what we love!

Originally Posted by mikealpine

Headed to Plattsburgh in a few weeks. Unfortunately it’ll be too short a trip to visit Burlington, but I will get there at some point.

The guitars you are building are really stunning, Mark.

Thanks Mike, I’ll be here!

[Mark Hatcher]

I did the final set up on this Piña parlor. Figured necks take a little longer to settle. I cut and set up the final nut and saddle and am very happy with the overall look, particularly with the headstock:



The Bocote fretboard and truss rod cover and the nut combine for a real meaty look:



The saddle is all ready to go with a low set up as requested:



Dustin Furlow was up to my studio for a few days to spec out his upcoming build and he did a few sound samples for this guitar which I’ll put up when he has them together.

Thanks for following this build!

m

[j. Kinnaird]

That headstock looks great for sure.

[Lonzo]

Very nice ! .. the new tuners also .. by looks at least, also the design of the shaft (?) that winds the strings makes so much sense to keep the windings together and not meandering along the axis ..

..and I am looking forward to Mr. Furlowe‘s take on the sound of this baby.. (and his playing of course)
..if he ever comes to Bavaria I offer its baked maple older sister for a spin ... more matured and with a spruce top. Such a marvel ;o)

[TomB'sox]

Looks great, Jeff is gonna love it I am sure. Dustin will do it justice, of that I am sure also.

[canuck7]

Stunning pics! Excited to see this beauty in person!! Really like the nut and saddle of mammoth ivory…what a work of art…!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

That headstock looks great for sure.

Thanks John!

Originally Posted by Lonzo

Very nice ! .. the new tuners also .. by looks at least, also the design of the shaft (?) that winds the strings makes so much sense to keep the windings together and not meandering along the axis ..

..and I am looking forward to Mr. Furlowe‘s take on the sound of this baby.. (and his playing of course)
..if he ever comes to Bavaria I offer its baked maple older sister for a spin ... more matured and with a spruce top. Such a marvel ;o)

Thanks Lonzo, I can tell you those Schellers are not just good looks! They are smooth as can be but, the real surprise is when you reverse the direction of the button when tuning there is no waiting for the tuner to engage.

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Looks great, Jeff is gonna love it I am sure. Dustin will do it justice, of that I am sure also.

It's a pleasure to hear Dustin playing my guitars. If I do say so myself!

Originally Posted by canuck7

Stunning pics! Excited to see this beauty in person!! Really like the nut and saddle of mammoth ivory…what a work of art…!

It came together really well and plays wonderfully. We made a nice guitar.

m

[Dustinfurlow]

This one really recalibrated my mind to what a guitar this size is capable of, fantastic work Mark and I'm super glad I got the chance to play it before it shipped out. I'll have those videos sent over shortly. Here's some shots from behind my lens
Thanks again for you and Karen's warm hospitality, I'm already craving that Vermont breakfast skillet again, gonna be a long 3-4 months until the next visit!

[paulvdb]

My Oh My - this is one of those guitars that you could spend the whole day just looking at.. So many awesome details!! Even the case matches the guitar.

Everything in that headstock is perfect for the overall slightly darker vibe of this guitar - gold looks awesome in this setting. Everything on this guitar celebrates the variety of timbers still available to luthiers - who needs an ebony fingerboard when you have this instead?.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

That headstock looks great for sure.

I think it might have a familiar aspect to it for you.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Dustinfurlow

This one really recalibrated my mind to what a guitar this size is capable of, fantastic work Mark and I'm super glad I got the chance to play it before it shipped out. I'll have those videos sent over shortly. Here's some shots from behind my lens
Thanks again for you and Karen's warm hospitality, I'm already craving that Vermont breakfast skillet again, gonna be a long 3-4 months until the next visit!

It was our pleasure to have you up! I look forward to starting up on your new guitar!

Originally Posted by paulvdb

My Oh My - this is one of those guitars that you could spend the whole day just looking at.. So many awesome details!! Even the case matches the guitar.

Everything in that headstock is perfect for the overall slightly darker vibe of this guitar - gold looks awesome in this setting. Everything on this guitar celebrates the variety of timbers still available to luthiers - who needs an ebony fingerboard when you have this instead?.

Thanks paulvdb! That Bocote does make a great looking fretboard doesn’t it? Thank you for your kind comments.

m