#16
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Build - week 1
Week one was all about getting the boards joined and to thickness. I believe that Rory starts off by getting the back built up to allow it to adjust to the radius that he builds with before joining it to the rest of the guitar. He was particularly pleased with the grain match at the end graft for the sides.
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Martin |
#17
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great to see the story unfold, and good choice of tonewoods. That EIR is insane. Keep the pics coming!
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#18
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Beautiful set!
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Martin 000-1 Santa Cruz FS Beneteau CS Kostal Jumbo Taran Tirga Mhor Gerber RL15.5 |
#19
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Wow, you got to play TWO of Martin Simpson's guitars, what a treat! I've heard he likes high action and a stiffer set-up due to his strong hands. What did you think?
I'm sure the instrument coming to you will be beyond incredible. Cheers! |
#20
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GREAT thread. Rory's guitars have always had fabulous trebles, which is a characteristic of that type of design. The bottom-end, as you've found out, can be a bit "taught" though (which suits hard playing in sessions). Ultimately, that was one of the issues that caused me to abandon Sobells. My eureka moment was playing one of Rory's type II Mhors a couple of years ago, where those amazing trebles were indeed coupled with a full bottom end; a Holy Grail guitar.
That guitar was Malaysian blackwood but I think IRW is a great choice for your instrument. IMHO it's ignored far too often by those of us who, having a custom-build, aim for something more unusual and "exotic" (I'm guilty as charged). The IRW that Rory and luthiers like him have access to is of superb quality. Quote:
The most noticeable feature was that the neck was wide (46mm at the nut, and wide all the way up) and with a very shallow depth - a "shredders" acoustic! It was extremely comfortable if you play with your thumb 'round the back. I don't know if that's still his current practice. Cheers, Steve |
#21
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The neck is noticeably wide and really forced me to go back to my classical technique with thumb right behind the neck. I've gone for a slightly narrower nut (45mm) because I found it sometimes caught on one knuckle and I don't care to be forced to be that picky about technique. Quote:
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Martin |
#22
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Week 2
Week 2 saw more progress with the back preparation and bracing completed. The fretboard also started to take shape - I loved how the grain showed up once it had been prepared. And the sides were bent as well.
IMG_0161.jpeg IMG_0208.jpeg IMG_0222.jpeg One thing that I've loved about the development of Rory's aesthetic in the last couple of years has been his use of colour. We've had all sorts of references from "Kingfisher Blue", "Violet backed Starling" (check out Scallywag's thread if you've not seen this one!), and seafoam green as a hint to the future. I tried to top the lot because I can define my favourite colour by wavelength (it's 488nm for anyone interested). Most of my career has been spent playing with lasers, and I especially like the green and blue ones. Some of the veneers that Rory has used for decoration have a vibrancy that remind me of these laser colours. Coupling this with the fact that my dad and I have always bonded over rugby where our team plays in green and blue made it was easy to identify what I wanted in the colour palette. Photos came in this week to show what had been chosen, and I think Rory nailed it. I'm really excited to see how this looks against the dark EIR. 488 and 532nm lasers.jpg Blue for outside.jpeg
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Martin |
#23
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This thread’s a treat even for those of us not getting a guitar at the end of it : )
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#24
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Thanks for following along. I love seeing the build threads here. There are so many incredible builders and so many ways to solve the puzzles. I always enjoy the ones with the back story most so felt like I should share mine.
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Martin |
#25
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Week 3
Week 3 was all about the sides. The Tirga Mohr model uses a multi-layer sandwich for the sides with the outer wood matching the back (EIR in this case) a fully kerfed middle lining and I think two inner veneers. Rory then usually colours the inner veneer in keeping with the colour palette used in the external detailing. In this case we decided to use a deeper blue inside and I think sumptuous is a good word to describe it. In the pictures you can also see the layered neck block with the variety of grain directions involved and the support for the Laskin bevel.
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Martin Last edited by MThomson; 06-04-2021 at 06:23 AM. |
#26
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Losing track of the weeks - side update and neck preparation
Following a short break, Rory got in touch to ask me if I'd be prepared for him to try an experiment on my guitar adding a similar lining for the back as he does for the top. His theory is that this gives a hard surface for the top, and now back, to vibrate against allowing them to be more active. As ever, I was happy to be guided by him. The result is that the sides now look finished in a way that they didn't before. While this is only aesthetic, I'm certainly happy with the way things are progressing.
IMG_20210608_104800.jpg After this, it was onto preparation for the neck. I love the cleanliness of the join and how you start to see how the colour subtly adds to the detailing. And of course, the first look at the sand faded burr elm that completely blows my mind. Apologies for the sideways pictures - I can't figure out how to correct them. IMG_0580.jpg IMG_0453.jpg IMG_0454.jpg IMG_0455.jpg IMG_0581.jpg IMG_0475.jpg
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Martin |
#27
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Looking great! I love the deeper color, it'll better have the desired effect when peering into the soundport IMO. What is the neck material? Mahogany, or something different?
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Martin 000-1 Santa Cruz FS Beneteau CS Kostal Jumbo Taran Tirga Mhor Gerber RL15.5 |
#28
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Thanks for the reminder. I forgot the neck was TBD when I started this story! The neck is Santos mahogany - same as yours. Possibly even from the same length of wood. I got to see it at Taran Guitars and the grain is so tight and even. Rory decided that the slightly heavier wood would add a bit more power and definition, thereby getting the best of the EIR. I just nodded along.
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Martin |
#29
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Ha I did a lot of that as well! I'm looking for what he thinks is a great example of a Taran with this one, not what I think is a great guitar based only on what I've played over the years. I'll admit, I'm envious that you were able to visit the shop, and that you'll be able to pick it up from Rory and co directly. Perhaps I'll make the trip when the time is right.
Anyways, this guitar is looking wonderful!
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Martin 000-1 Santa Cruz FS Beneteau CS Kostal Jumbo Taran Tirga Mhor Gerber RL15.5 |
#30
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Martin |