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  #1  
Old 03-21-2023, 02:09 PM
tippy5 tippy5 is offline
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Default John Slobod interview. Guitar design 101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO4S...canGuitaratCVE

Not sure this has been shared already, or if this is the correct forum?
Illuminating discussion and general sharing of build information.
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Old 03-21-2023, 02:28 PM
Carey Carey is offline
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Thanks for posting this interview- I watched a couple of minutes so far and liked what
I heard. John Slobod seems like a neat guy.
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Old 03-21-2023, 07:15 PM
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John has a great story. With all that work for Bourgeois, he got to really see cause-and-effect relationships from a lot of different wood combinations and building approaches. The amount of data he was able to collect about what works and what doesn’t must have been invaluable for him.

And having done a lot of the more repetitive tasks hundreds of times, to the point of lifelong repetitive stress injuries, he knows how to deliver really exact work. You can see his perfectionism and this incredible experience in action when you examine his woodworking. His work is neat, crisp, and precise. Even close examination of miters reveals more or less flawless woodworking.

Although I appreciate the time and effort expended to achieve this level of woodworking quality, I appreciate the tone and playability even more. And even more than that I appreciate the man himself. He’s a true gentleman and a great friend.
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Old 03-21-2023, 07:58 PM
gitarro gitarro is offline
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John Slobod has almost inhuman fit and fitness standards in his work. Nobody does absolutely perfect work and if you bring a magnifying glass to every guitar no matter how expensive or who made it, you will find a flaw sooner or later. However if there is a guitar that will make you search longer, it will be a Circa guitar. The Circa OM that I once owned was like that - it even had book matched bindings.
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Old 03-21-2023, 10:43 PM
Dogma Dogma is online now
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THAT IS A FANTASTIC INTERVIEW!!! Yes, I am yelling

Thanks for posting it. Now I want one of his guitars just because he seems like such an interesting person!
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Old 03-22-2023, 01:11 AM
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usb_chord usb_chord is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gitarro View Post
John Slobod has almost inhuman fit and fitness standards in his work. Nobody does absolutely perfect work and if you bring a magnifying glass to every guitar no matter how expensive or who made it, you will find a flaw sooner or later. However if there is a guitar that will make you search longer, it will be a Circa guitar. The Circa OM that I once owned was like that - it even had book matched bindings.
Well said, gitarro! He has an exceptionally well-judged overall aesthetic, too. They're understated, but in a really elegant way. He took a lot of his favorite *Martin design language and distilled into a really beautiful package. I've played a lot of wonderful guitars over the years. John Slobod is my favorite both as a person and as a talent.



*
(the "cones" on his pyramid bridges, arched side walls on the slotted head stock, late 19th century volute stylings, how thin the area of black should be between the side of the fretboard extension and the abalone on a style 42/45, the size of the zigzag backstrip for 0s and 00s vs OM and Ds, abalone color and width for top purfling vs other edges on style 45s, etc)
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Old 03-22-2023, 07:05 AM
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It is other worldly to play one of John's guitars. Well worth the wait to commission. I have asked for a very lightly built OM close to the '29 Martin spec. Can't wait to play the finished product.
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