#1
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"Allow myself to introduce...myself" My first post and build.
Greetings, holla, caio tutti!
"So what if I don't know what Armageddon means, it's not the end of the world!" Apologies. A shot at redemption for the title. On with it. Continuing on with the introduction, this is beginning to sound like a Monty Python bit. My name is Anthony Lattanze. I've been operating a repair shop in Bridgeport, PA for a few years now. I'll speed through some of the tiresome history of a man. I'm a fourth generation carpenter that went to college to study jazz and audio engineering/physics. I gave it a go in the performing arts, saw the writing on the wall and fell back into what I did best...eating potato chips. NO! I mean getting my hands dirty. Carpentry. Music. Simple addition. Fast forward. For the last three years now I've been sharing my shop with the great Bill Comins of Comins guitars. Although he would shudder hearing the word, He truly is a "master" at the archtop. The relationship is a good one. We are of the same ilk, of course all luthiers are, but it runs far deeper. We have similar tastes and opinions on almost every subject, except the consumption of meat. The point is, the shop atmosphere is a healthy one filled with laughter. Serendipitous we should meet. The arrangement has proved to be beneficial for both of us. I've built a nice shop space large enough to seduce him out of his last shop. After 30+years of working alone, I think the company is what Bill enjoys most and having a protege to pass on his knowledge I think also invigorates him. I, of course, benefit from what appears to be this ever lasting fountain of knowledge. Well, in that metaphor its more like an ever lasting drip from the faucet. Bill is a great instructor and much like a kung fu sensei, he has a way of leading me into certain corridors to see if I open the right door. I've surprised him, I'm sure, in my initiative in tracking down those doors. For example: His secrets in the arching of a D'Angelico vs. a violin vs. Gibson arching vs. Benedetto etc... Closely guarded, as he recounts the years he spent studying them, he wasn't just going to give them up! But he told me where to start. I'd study, come back to him with a question. He'd tell me where to look next. I'd study, come back to him with a question. And on it goes. I'm now at the point where I'm drawing and carving my own arches in CAD and building my first custom arch tops. A good teacher indeed. I began to build some flat tops with him as well. I decided to start by building four guitars side by side, so that I could practice the processes in succession. I spoke to the generous Bruce Sexauer this week and he kindly suggested that I move away from that practice and build one at a time to completion. I've played two of his guitars owned by Bob B. and I can't get them out of my head. So I will indeed take any advice from him with whatever the opposite of a grain of salt is. I'll take his advice with a submarine. Regarding this early batch of four Every step I started with guitar 1, then guitar 2, guitar 3, guitar 4 before moving to the next step. You can predict which guitars came out better. By the time I got to the spray booth, only guitar 3 and 4 made the trek. No one knows what ever happened to guitar 1 & 2. Some say they haunt these very... As of now, guitar 3 & 4 are guitars 1 & 2. Right, if you are following along. Here is Guitar 1 in the spray booth. I'm spraying Nitro. More photos to come. A one piece mahogany neck w/ dart volute Mahogany back and sides Carpathian spruce top IRW FB and bridge IRW end graft line and heel cap Boltaron binding Tuxedo Finish (Black top, white guard) Guitar 2 Rick Hearne of Hearne Hardwoods handed me a small board of Guatemalan or Nicaraguan rosewood when I visited with Bill. It wasn't big enough for a two-piece and there were some flaws in the wood but I thought what the hell it's free and useable for an early guitar. Actually, I'm starting to like it now and it inspired the rest of the guitar. One piece mahogany neck w/ dart volute Top is Carpathian Spruce The Rosette is a maple burl with the three-piece back wood accents. Maple Burl Endgraft Maple binding Ebony FB, Bridge, and headplate Maple and ebony block inlays Dyed Maple "fertility" inlay on headstock with MOP egg and copper water sprout Maple heel cap with copper and RW inlay. I will try and snap a few more pics tomorrow of the faceplates and such. I'm going to get to pore filling next. In a world of social media, I am reluctant to post anything. But I've been reading a lot of the threads on this forum and see a nice little community. I've learned from some of the sharing here. I guess it was time I dipped in. Anthony Lattanze PS As I post this, I am reading the rules to the forum. Is this kosher? I technically haven't sold any guitars yet. Last edited by AnthonyLattanze; 07-29-2017 at 08:03 PM. |
#2
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Well, as soon as you sell one you must pay your 100 bucks (or whatever it is). I like the solution to the flaws in the wood on the back - very handsome. Best of luck with your endeavors - though I don't see how you could get much luckier than having the shop-mate you have.
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Hatcher Woodsman, Collings 0002H, Stella Grand Concert |
#3
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Welcome Anthony...
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#4
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Welcome Anthony ... your work looks wonderful!
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David Wren |
#5
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Quote:
Thanks! Yes, very lucky to have Bill around. |
#6
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Thank you Dave. As does yours! |
#7
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Thanks for the welcome. After downloading the AGF iPad app I have decided to become a sponsor. It is an inviting platform.
Today was a beautiful Sunday outside Philadelphia, PA. I managed to steal away to eat some pizza outdoors with Bill and his family but most of the day was spent detailing, sanding, spraying, and pore filling. I managed to snap a few. |
#8
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Welcome, Anthony! We're glad to have you... and thank you for your support.
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#9
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Well even though your 3 and 4 are really your 1 and 2 they look good enough to be your 20 and 30.
Not that I'm qualified to give advice but, and this does actually come from studies of learning, I would suggest anyone who is just starting off to basically rush through their first 10-15 guitars. Abandoning your 1st and 2nd is exactly what I am talking about. Studies show that people become better at what they do when they learn from doing and making mistakes and moving on rather than for example spending painstaking amounts of time on perfecting one task before moving to the next. So anyway nice looking work, I hope they sound as good as they look |
#10
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Quote:
Thanks for the words of encouragement! I'm anxious to play them. Some clarification: I've been repairing guitars full time for a couple of years and have had to make a lot of the components for other makers' guitars. (Ex. new bridges, fretboards, bridge pads, braces, re-shaped necks, refinished guitars, made new headstock veneers, back straps, inlays, etc...). Perhaps this gave me a head start. Mostly, the benefit I saw gained, and the losses of the discarded guitars, had to do with either aesthetics or in creating new tooling. As you correctly say, lessons leaned. In truth, I have no doubt the discarded guitars would make for great sounding and playing instruments. I am, however, unwilling to make a first impression with them. I may re-visit the discarded guitars one day, though not anytime soon. I have moved on to a pair of 13 fret 00-esque guitars and there's a 17" arch top that's on the rack collecting shop dust. As I type this, August 1, my first born is due in two weeks. It's a boy, and the discards might serve as guitars for him one day. Maybe one to play, maybe one to finish building. Update: Yesterday I did a 2nd round of pore-filling. I've had to catch up on repairs today and will do the same tomorrow. Thursday looks like I'll get back to it and get some lacquer on. |
#11
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Got some black and clear on 1 today and some pore fill on 2. |
#12
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A new addition.
My first born, Felix, arrived Monday. It's hard to put into words, the feeling. At the risk of sounding trite, "life-changing" is a good summation. My wife and I have been settling in, mostly staring at the little nugget, but I was able to peel away and get to Bills for a spray session. Felix and I |
#13
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Beautiful! ...but he's gonna need a smaller guitar than that.
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Congratulations, Anthony...fatherhood "IS" life-changing, and so very much worth the change. Enjoy every sleep-deprived moment with Felix...because in the blink of an eye, he will be eleven years old and about to start 6th grade. ❤️❤️❤️
Joel
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‘17 Two Hands Guitar Co. 000/Concert, Sitka/Brazilian Imbuia ‘17 Two Hands Guitar Co. 0000/Auditorium, Sitka/Indonesian RW ‘93 Taylor 712 (I spent 20 years trying to convince the owner to sell me this guitar) ‘95 Taylor Limited Edition GAWS (I traded my Gibson J-200 for this guitar in ‘95) TWO HANDS GUITARS |
#15
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Everyone that meets him remarks on how long his fingers are...[emoji450][emoji3] |