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  #16  
Old 03-22-2023, 09:54 AM
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Thanks for all the replies. I'm amazed that so many of you either have a comma series guitar or on the list to get one. As we all know, B.I.G. and Ben go hand in hand. Perhaps every attendee will eventually have one?

Oh and Ryan, don't worry about where it will hang. I have a little more room now. Not because I got rid of anything, but because I recently bought one of these for my Guitarmidor....

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  #17  
Old 03-22-2023, 10:58 AM
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My Nautilus was the one Ben brought to BIG2. I pre-purchased it, he shipped it to me so that I could play it for a couple of days and then I brought it to him to play and let everyone else play. I think that he got numerous orders from it.
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Old 03-22-2023, 02:54 PM
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That was very generous of you, Jeff! Thank you.
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  #19  
Old 03-25-2023, 11:03 AM
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Congrats Dan! Gorgeous set of BRW. I'm sure in Ben's hands this will be an incredible instrument. Hope to see you at B.I.G. IV!
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  #20  
Old 03-29-2023, 12:03 PM
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Thanks for doing the thread, Dan. I'll do my best to provide some interesting pictures.

The B.I.G. shows have been so amazing for me. Both because they have helped me so much in getting the Comma Series established, but also because they have given Frog and Toad such a prominent place, and a chance to get heard by many sympathetic ears. This is all in addition to the plain old fun in hanging out with a group of fellow guitar-obsessed/afflicted people in the most homey and friendly of venues. Tom and Kathy put on quite a 'palooza. I fear I have probably reached the saturation point with the attendees, but of course I will be there with a new offering this September. Thank you Tom Bowersox!

This will be such a fun instrument to make. First of all, it is great to build an instrument for a fellow Nevadan, and one with whom I share a previously unrealized common past, to boot. I love it when a client can come to the shop and we can really dig deep into the wood stacks, get a great feel for what is expected and what is possible, and get to know one another a bit. There is an element of intimacy and friendship building in the client/builder relationship when you order a handmade guitar- something that imbues the instrument with a personality and personal meaning that just can't be found with an anonymous purchase. It's one of my favorite elements of my job. Second is the wood! This is a very sweet set of BRW with a grain pattern and color palette that is reminiscent of the old days- in other words, a very rare look these days. I think Dan picked it because it looks like the wood used on his antediluvian Martin. They will be like brothers, or rather, like Great Grandfather and some adopted weirdo with a misplaced sound hole. But, hopefully, kindred spirits. And then the top. The top is the most important piece of wood on the guitar by a very large margin, and we have picked a good one. This is Carpathian spruce from the Transylvanian region of Romania. It's Vampire wood. Bloodspruce. (marketing opportunity here) But it is exceptionally light and stiff. Exceptionally so. The tap tone rings clean and long in a way that I have learned to treasure. It is also really fine cosmetically, with silking and even growth rings all the way across. So this guitar is made with the good stuff.

This will be fun! Thanks for following along, and thank you, Dan, for the commission.
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  #21  
Old 03-29-2023, 03:10 PM
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Good to hear your thoughts, Ben.

For me the beauty of commissioning a custom build is the ability to visit and hang out at the luthier's shop, go through stacks of wood, talk about what you're after with the build, and see where all the magic happens.

The guitar that develops from the process is but one part of the experience. The camaraderie, intimacy, and friendship that develops with the luthier is the real magic that keeps me going back for more!

This should be a beautiful guitar--I really look forward to seeing this one unfold...
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  #22  
Old 03-29-2023, 07:58 PM
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Beyond the luthiery, Ben is just a great human. He and Brad played at my wedding this weekend learning Kathy's favorite song to play for her processional including bringing out his violin chops that brought tears to her eyes, the good kind, not the kind from a scratching violin haha.

Not only did he play, we found the violin to be missing a sound post so out to the shop he went and after a couple of hours had fashioned one from a cedar shim and installed it. The sound of my old violin improved 10 fold. It was magical.

Can't say enough about the man and the guitars he produces. He is a friend for as long as he will have me LOL!
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  #23  
Old 03-29-2023, 08:22 PM
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So happy for both Dan and Ben! What a fun, local connection, and two wonderful guys. Enjoy the journey! Dave
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  #24  
Old 03-31-2023, 11:36 AM
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Thanks again for chiming in everyone, and for those who are just lurking, hold on to something! Ben is already sending me updates, as he is pushing full steam ahead.

Also, congratulations to Tom and Kathy. I hope you had a great wedding, and having Frog and Toad play for your guests must have been the icing on the wedding cake.

Since Ben mentioned my Martin and we're all guitar geeks, I'll share what my 1887 Martin 2-27 looks like. This guitar is light as a feather, and believe it or not, all original (except for the bridge pins and saddle). I bought it from a fellow AGF member who happened to play professional baseball , and I believe he got it from Gryphon Strings. It is my understanding that they re-French polished the back only and dialed it in. It has real ivory bindings and tuner pegs. It is simply amazing to be able to play while your mind wanders thinking about its' rich history. I have a metal sign showing Buffalo Bill that I picked up in Virginia City a few years ago, and I hung it on the wall behind where this guitar lives as a reminder of the era in which it was built. In 1887, Buffalo Bill was well on his way to becoming the most famous man in the world as he was embarking on his international Buffalo Bill show, and at the same time, this guitar was coming out of the Martin factory. Too cool!





Now back to 2023. Here is a sample of the Bloodspruce that Ben referred to...





The adopted weirdo is already looking handsome IMHO. The back is now joined with a backstrip...



Ben has more done, but I will update you all over the weekend. Happy Friday everyone!
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  #25  
Old 03-31-2023, 04:07 PM
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These woods are just unreal, Dan!

Very cool story on the old Martin--you truly own a piece of history with that guitar.
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  #26  
Old 04-01-2023, 05:34 AM
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Looking schweeeet!
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  #27  
Old 04-12-2023, 12:12 PM
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Ok folks. With Artisan around the corner, we are all getting a treat here in the Custom Shop so I guess my lack of giving updates really doesn't seem so bad.

Ben is trudging along, and while he has been sending me updates, I've been too busy to sit down and memorialize them here..... until now.

As he got started, he showed me how he prepares his sides with a triple laminate bonded by structural epoxy. He uses a vacuum apparatus to get things nice and air free. The laminations have grains oriented with strength in mind. The inner maple lining is floppy enough on its' own, so no bending required. Ben normally uses EIR for the interior lining, but he is using Brazilian on this build. I'm not sure if it's for any reason other than it matches well, or perhaps because we are going all out on this build? Only Ben knows the truth!





Once dried, they are cleaned up, trimmed and into the mold it goes...





I'll try to give another update a bit later... Thanks for following along!
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  #28  
Old 04-12-2023, 02:59 PM
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Looking awesome, Dan!

And Ben never trudges along--he's one of the Speed Racers of Lutherie!
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2015 Stehr Auditorium (Adi/BRW)
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2021 Kinnaird Graybeard (BC Cedar/Bog Oak)
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  #29  
Old 04-12-2023, 03:40 PM
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Ben is trudging along, and while he has been sending me updates, I've been too busy to sit down and memorialize them here..... until now.


"Trudge (verb) walk slowly and with heavy steps, typically because of exhaustion or harsh conditions."

I mean, Dan is a slave-driver, but it's not THAT bad.

I would say galumphing is a better word. Or charging along. Or dashing forward. Or joyously skipping. No, not that one.
Anyway, I'm definitely having a good time.
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  #30  
Old 04-12-2023, 03:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WilbornGuitars View Post
Ben is trudging along, and while he has been sending me updates, I've been too busy to sit down and memorialize them here..... until now.


"Trudge (verb) walk slowly and with heavy steps, typically because of exhaustion or harsh conditions."

I mean, Dan is a slave-driver, but it's not THAT bad.

I would say galumphing is a better word. Or charging along. Or dashing forward. Or joyously skipping. No, not that one.
Anyway, I'm definitely having a good time.
I think I was in my own head within my own career when I chose that word. Sorry to paint such a mediocre picture. I really like joyously skipping! This is what pops in my head...

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