Hatcher Studio '23

[cigarfan]

Truly amazing work on everyone's part. Gorgeous tuner engraving! Wow.

Congrats to Mark, Max, Lonzo and the talented young lady at Scheller!

[doodahdoug]

Mark, this Tree Mahogany powerhouse you built for Lonzo was already in my top 3 favorite guitars from your workshop. Now, after the addition of Custom Scheller engraved tuning machines, it moves to my #1 spot. It was interesting to read about the collaborative efforts with Max Spohn to execute this makeover without shipping it back to the States. It looks like Max pulled it off perfectly.

Like Lonzo, I wondered whether the excellent Scheller tuning machines you now offer might be a replacement for the open back Schertler tuning machines on my Alpine Spruce - The Fiddleback Mahogany Josey. I assume that Schellers would not be a direct replacement for the Schertlers either though.

Congratulations on this beautiful upgrade to an already outstanding guitar!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by rule18

Wow, that's really something. Such detailed work and a beautiful outcome.

They do beautiful work at Scheller. The tuners are not all looks though. Both the gear and string posts run on ball bearings which makes them very smooth and eliminates slop

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Wow--what a successful collaboration!

Kudos to all involved!

Thanks Nemoman. An important part of going with Scheller is I can collaborate with them. They are not a factory tuner maker.

Lonzo and I have made a number of guitars and I certainly have enjoyed our collaborations. Then there's Max, he's a great builder. I think everyone can win when individual luthiers from different countries can partner up. There are opportunities there I'd like to explore.

Originally Posted by canuck7

Truly beautiful tuners…Mark, you turned me on to Schellers and I had to put them on my K Yairi instead of Gotohs….

Glad you are trying them out. I'm sure you were not disappointed!

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Truly amazing work on everyone's part. Gorgeous tuner engraving! Wow.

Congrats to Mark, Max, Lonzo and the talented young lady at Scheller!

Thanks cigarfan!

Originally Posted by doodahdoug

Mark, this Tree Mahogany powerhouse you built for Lonzo was already in my top 3 favorite guitars from your workshop. Now, after the addition of Custom Scheller engraved tuning machines, it moves to my #1 spot. It was interesting to read about the collaborative efforts with Max Spohn to execute this makeover without shipping it back to the States. It looks like Max pulled it off perfectly.

Like Lonzo, I wondered whether the excellent Scheller tuning machines you now offer might be a replacement for the open back Schertler tuning machines on my Alpine Spruce - The Fiddleback Mahogany Josey. I assume that Schellers would not be a direct replacement for the Schertlers either though.

Congratulations on this beautiful upgrade to an already outstanding guitar!

Thanks doodahdoug! No, they wouldn't be a direct replacement but, if you stick with single tuners with the oval bases I don't thing it would be too much trouble to convert. I tried comparing them in my shop and they measure pretty closely. I think the hold down screw holes might need to be filled and redrilled but the Scheller oval base would cove that up.

[Mark Hatcher]

The Alpine Italian Spruce on Torrified Hard Maple Greta grand auditorium I've been making now has part of the finish on. The neck, back and sides have finish. From here I will be French polishing the top. I'll also be able to install the frets and make the nut:





I've got the Scheller tuners with horn buttons installed:



M

[Lonzo]

Thanks you all for your kind words and enthusiasm! ...all I can add besides being very happy about the result of this exercise in all respects (looks, function, precision of those tuners) ... is that my biggest THANKS ! goes out to Max who was willing to go on this endeavour with me and put the icing on the cake with a lot of thought, skillfulness, consideration and heartblood.
Doing this to the caliber of guitar in question caused quite some headache.. what if something goes wrong ? .. so I dared asking Max if he was interested in it and to my great relief he accepted! At least I was entering this with the best help I could think of in my reach (~ 3 h drive).
I am lucky to have met Max in person and to visit his new shop in famous Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where he treated me to not only his woodstack (I had my 1st proper “tapping wood” experience there with all the different woods... and boy, even I hear huge differences!) but also to 2 of his own guitars he had in the shop at that time... besides 2 or 3 in different stages of the building process.. highly interesting for a wood lover like me & certainly worth it big time !
I also consulted Mark before to get his opinion on whether the headstock would be strong enough to take the bigger diameter drillings of the Schellers (easy), whether they would fit without getting into each others way at the top (it turned out yes, but it was close ;o) - I also wanted Marks consent so as to it still staying ‚his‘ guitar and he was fully supportive and very engaged. A big Thanks for that as well!
Last - the guys at Scheller and the lady that does the engravings for them (Nina @stankus.arts) were very cooperative and provided many improvements and adaptations based on Max‘s and my requests... luckily a very successful combination altogether, after all I still have that wonderful guitar, just even better now.
Truly an out-customized one of a kind piece of musical art !

Thanks again to all that contributed and made it!
Best regards, Lonzo

PS.. I apparently wrote this in parallel to Mark writing about the wonderful maple �� Greta... sorry, didnot inted to distract from that! ...can‘t wait for sound samples of this, it being a bigger sister to my Piña!

[ukejon]

Maple Greta! Oh, that will sound nice.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Lonzo

Thanks you all for your kind words and enthusiasm! ...all I can add besides being very happy about the result of this exercise in all respects (looks, function, precision of those tuners) ... is that my biggest THANKS ! goes out to Max who was willing to go on this endeavour with me and put the icing on the cake with a lot of thought, skillfulness, consideration and heartblood.
Doing this to the caliber of guitar in question caused quite some headache.. what if something goes wrong ? .. so I dared asking Max if he was interested in it and to my great relief he accepted! At least I was entering this with the best help I could think of in my reach (~ 3 h drive).
I am lucky to have met Max in person and to visit his new shop in famous Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where he treated me to not only his woodstack (I had my 1st proper “tapping wood” experience there with all the different woods... and boy, even I hear huge differences!) but also to 2 of his own guitars he had in the shop at that time... besides 2 or 3 in dufferent stages of the building process.. highly interesting for a wood lover like me & certainly worth it big time !
I also consulted Mark before to get his opinion on whether the headstock would be strong enough to take the bigger diameter drillings of the Schellers (easy), whether they would fit without getting into each others way at the top (it turned out yes, but it was close ;o) - I also wanted Marks consent so as to it still staying ‚his‘ guitar and he was fully supportive and very engaged. A big Thanks for that as well!
Last - the guys at Scheller and the lady that does the engravings for them (Nina @stankus.arts) were very cooperative and provided many improvements and adaptations based on Max‘s and my requests... luckily a very successful combination altogether, after all I still have that wonderful guitar, just even better now.
Truly an out-customized one of a kind piece of musical art !

Thanks again to all that contributed and made it!
Best regards, Lonzo

PS.. I apparently wrote this in parallel to Mark writing about the wonderful maple �� Greta... sorry, didnot inted to distract from that! ...can‘t wait for sound samples of this, it being a bigger sister to my Piña!

Well said Lonzo! I found this exercise very inspiring. The work Scheller can do opens many opportunities!

Originally Posted by ukejon

Maple Greta! Oh, that will sound nice.

Thanks ukejon. This torrified Hard Maple is working out quite well for me. I have been very happy with the results I'm getting.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

The Alpine Italian Spruce on Torrified Hard Maple Greta grand auditorium I've been making now has part of the finish on. The neck, back and sides have finish. From here I will be French polishing the top. I'll also be able to install the frets and make the nut:

So organic looking; wonderful!

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

The Alpine Italian Spruce on Torrified Hard Maple Greta grand auditorium I've been making now has part of the finish on. The neck, back and sides have finish. From here I will be French polishing the top. I'll also be able to install the frets and make the nut:

I've got the Scheller tuners with horn buttons installed:



M

It is interesting how we all have different tastes to me these tuners are really vary classy.. I guess I am a form follows function and simple elegance kinda guy
Plus I am into black hardware

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

So organic looking; wonderful!

Thanks ChuckS, I agree. I like the color and I think it goes great with the Macassar Ebony. The shellac for the top will be unbleached so it will be adding to the organic overall look.

Originally Posted by KevWind

It is interesting how we all have different tastes to me these tuners are really vary classy.. I guess I am a form follows function and simple elegance kinda guy
Plus I am into black hardware

Thanks KevWind, You’re certainly not the only one who likes black hardware. I agree there is a classic look to it. Scheller offers all black hardware or you can pick and choose brass elements like we did for the ball bearing pinion brackets and bronze gear. For the buttons you can choose black buffalo horn or Black Ebony. They also have an antique black finish available. There is a lot of offerings to choose from.

m

[Mark Hatcher]

I start french polishing the top of this Greta GA:



I am using an unbleached shellac so we'll see it darken up some as we go. It already is showing after the first session.

The Jasper gemstones in the rosette are coming to life already with just a little shellac:



What I like about using a natural material is, unlike perfect little man-made clones, the closer you look the more there there is to see:




Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[Nemoman]

That's gorgeous, Mark!

Nature really provides an incredible palette, and you've really brought these materials together into a beautiful composition!

[Treenewt]

That rosette is a work of art Mark. Absolutely beautiful!

[Dustinfurlow]

Sorry to hijack the thread everyone but I am LOVING this guitar! Holy sh**!!!

Thank you Mark for making this by far the most enjoyable and responsive build I've ever had land here at the studio...the tone and harmonics are outright insane. Bajeezus!

Will have a few studio clips of this little Brazilian bird in the next episode of “My Favorite Luthiers” on my YouTube channel in the near future - as well as several others I had the pleasure of playing while visiting the shop in Vermont. Can't wait to visit again, if Mark can put up with me drooling all over the ole' wood stash.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

That's gorgeous, Mark!

Nature really provides an incredible palette, and you've really brought these materials together into a beautiful composition!

Thanks Nemoman!

Originally Posted by Treenewt

That rosette is a work of art Mark. Absolutely beautiful!

Thanks Treenewt!