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  #31  
Old 03-01-2021, 05:45 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
That is really cool, you are lucky to be close enough to do that, and lucky that Nick would make the suggestion. Of course, since he works from 5pm to 5am it might be a late night!
Lol! Yeah... that might happen. But it'd be worth it!
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  #32  
Old 03-01-2021, 07:11 PM
soma5 soma5 is offline
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I would love to work with Nick to build a new guitar! Congratulations. I have an old Franklin OM, koa and Engelmann. I will say without any hesitation that Nick is one of the premier luthiers on the planet at this time. My guitar sings. There is no other way to put it.

I bet my hands are smaller than yours, but an OM with the standard scale is a special kind of guitar. There's a certain punch that it is capable of that it is harder to find with a short-scale guitar.

I am envious of your new guitar, but it comes from a place of owning a Franklin, and from playing several Franklins. What a great experience!

This is so very cool.
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  #33  
Old 03-02-2021, 06:25 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by soma5 View Post
I would love to work with Nick to build a new guitar! Congratulations. I have an old Franklin OM, koa and Engelmann. I will say without any hesitation that Nick is one of the premier luthiers on the planet at this time. My guitar sings. There is no other way to put it.

I bet my hands are smaller than yours, but an OM with the standard scale is a special kind of guitar. There's a certain punch that it is capable of that it is harder to find with a short-scale guitar.

I am envious of your new guitar, but it comes from a place of owning a Franklin, and from playing several Franklins. What a great experience!

This is so very cool.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your guitar. I totally agree that Nick is a brilliant luthier. His instruments have such a unique tone, which has changed a bit over the years. But they all still have that Kukich vibe...hard to describe. Superbly balanced with the sweetest trebles and rich resonance. And the playability is insane. I was floored by how little effort it took to fret his guitars. So glad you love your Koa. I bet it does just sing!
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  #34  
Old 03-06-2021, 10:42 AM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Received several pics of the build process from Nick the last couple days. Thought I'd share for your viewing enjoyment.

The top: Rosette, Gluing the bracing






Binding for the sides being glued:


The back: Before gluing with center strip, gluing and glued with routing for inlay



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  #35  
Old 03-06-2021, 12:40 PM
Nemoman Nemoman is offline
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Looks like a beautiful start to your build!
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  #36  
Old 03-06-2021, 03:54 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Wow, beautiful rosewood! What have you decided on for the bindings?
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  #37  
Old 03-06-2021, 04:23 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
Wow, beautiful rosewood! What have you decided on for the bindings?
Probably maple per Nick's suggestion. Not sure about the purfling. Honestly, I'm really not dictating too much aesthetically. There's too many subtle choices for me to deal with. Lol. So I told Nick I'm not into flashy and showy inlays and all that. I just want it to look simple but elegant. The rosette was his idea which I really like because it looks like the wood in the herringbone is slightly darker than the top which adds a subtle contrast. I also decided to have no fingerboard markers. I like just the plain black ebony look. Though I'm thinking some subtle macassar ebony might be nice. Hmmm...
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  #38  
Old 03-06-2021, 05:22 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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This is what I ended up with on my jumbo -- Figured maple bindings and then just simple black/white purflings (or "filets", as Nick calls them). Simple is good!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_0613.jpg (41.5 KB, 211 views)
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  #39  
Old 03-06-2021, 06:32 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
This is what I ended up with on my jumbo -- Figured maple bindings and then just simple black/white purflings (or "filets", as Nick calls them). Simple is good!
That looks great! Almost looks like a Birdseye maple. Really nice. I wanted the backstrip like yours because it looks so awesome, but there was an upcharge for it. And I couldn't justify the cost just for that. Nick said he does a really nice subtle double sided zipper back that he thought I'd like.
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  #40  
Old 03-06-2021, 08:35 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
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Originally Posted by 4mykey View Post
That looks great! Almost looks like a Birdseye maple. Really nice. I wanted the backstrip like yours because it looks so awesome, but there was an upcharge for it. And I couldn't justify the cost just for that. Nick said he does a really nice subtle double sided zipper back that he thought I'd like.
The double-sided zipper sounds really nice, I'm curious to see a photo of it -- and am looking forward to seeing your OM come together!
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  #41  
Old 03-06-2021, 08:51 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Top braces are carved and working on the back bracing. He says he's hoping to have the main box glued together tonight.



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  #42  
Old 03-07-2021, 03:43 PM
stuartb stuartb is offline
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I'm glad that your guitar is now moving through the build process. I have had a wonderful time playing my franklin om lately. I primarily play it in Standard or Drop D tuning. I think you ended up with a standard length right - at 25.4 - As recall you were considering a slightly shorter version.

The wood looks like it's going to have a great deal of character - and I know it will be such a pleasure for you to get to know its voice, whether treble or base, when it arrives!

all the best,

Stuart
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  #43  
Old 03-07-2021, 08:14 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Originally Posted by stuartb View Post
I'm glad that your guitar is now moving through the build process. I have had a wonderful time playing my franklin om lately. I primarily play it in Standard or Drop D tuning. I think you ended up with a standard length right - at 25.4 - As recall you were considering a slightly shorter version.

The wood looks like it's going to have a great deal of character - and I know it will be such a pleasure for you to get to know its voice, whether treble or base, when it arrives!

all the best,

Stuart
Yes I did go with standard 25.4" scale. What woods are your OM? So happy you love it. I'm getting really anxious!!!!

I'm really curious how it's gonna sound since Nick is building it for lighter strings. I did tell him that I really hate that thin really bright sound you get from the unwound strings on lots of guitars. I like a bit of warmth and depth in the treble range. I love it when you finger notes in the upper registers on the treble strings and you get that nice lingering reverb. We'll see how this one sounds. Cheers.
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  #44  
Old 03-08-2021, 12:14 PM
stuartb stuartb is offline
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My guitar has braz back and sides and an adirondack top. It also opened up (changed / matured), over the 5 - 7 months after I received it. The base grew more pronounced over this period and tonal properties changed. I was really happy with the way the tone(s) evolved.

I do find that words fall short as it relates to the description of sounds and its safer to say that I like the sound of Nick's trebles, they sound almost etherial, very lovely, and his base is pronounced and well balanced against the trebles.

It's one of those guitars where playing a simple melody provides a real sense of appreciation for the player because of the beauty and clarity of the individual notes. I feel very lucky to have one of Nick's guitars.

Stuart
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  #45  
Old 03-15-2021, 03:50 PM
4mykey 4mykey is offline
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Latest updates:

Yesterday I visited Nick's shop so he could shape the neck. He agreed that my Collings felt a tad thick. So he started cutting and filing it down until he got it to an approximate depth and curvature. I think I'm really gonna like it. It's got a very soft "v" which I'm not used to. But it felt really good and comfortable. I really appreciate Nick taking the time to work with me on it!

Anyways... here's some pics from yesterday. Note that the sides look a little funny because he had wiped it with naphtha to bring out the grain as it'll more closely look when finished, but it was already drying by the time I got the shots.








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