Guitar show stress, WHAT IF's & full disclosure... warning LONG post!

[WhistlingFish]

Thanks Tim, I've always loved great stories with a happy ending!

The obvious question (coming from someone who begins their Christmas shopping one week out): why do so many of you increase the stress by working on your guitar show instruments at the last minute rather than throughout the year?

[Tim McKnight]

Sort of looks like the "Creepin' Crud":








Its all his fault I tell ya... Stop that mad man with the can of paint stripper! He's out of control.

[Kent Chasson]

Originally Posted by WhistlingFish

Thanks Tim, I've always loved great stories with a happy ending!

The obvious question (coming from someone who begins their Christmas shopping one week out): why do so many of you increase the stress by working on your guitar show instruments at the last minute rather than throughout the year?

Probably like most others, I've got paying clients waiting for guitars including two that need to be finished this week in addition to Healdsburg guitars. For many of us, show guitars are not sold yet and paid clients come first. So even though I started my Healdsburg guitars well in advance, any slippage in the schedule gets taken up with these while paid orders get priority.

I try to plan accordingly but slip happens....

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by WhistlingFish

Thanks Tim, I've always loved great stories with a happy ending!

The obvious question (coming from someone who begins their Christmas shopping one week out): why do so many of you increase the stress by working on your guitar show instruments at the last minute rather than throughout the year?

We actually began working the HB guitars in between other builds 6 months ago. {IF} everything would have worked out as planned (which it never does) we would have been done in plenty of time. Murphy rarely is on our side.

[Joel Stehr]

Man, that was intense! I'm glad it worked out,,,, I'm really excited to see these beauties at the show!

[hnuuhiwa]

Quite a story Tim....glad it worked out for you and Mary. You are blessed indeed!

[Mary]

I finally took a deep breath and smiled today as we delivered the Healdsburg guitars off at the local UPS. I could clearly see the blessings (after the fact) from the tragic moment.

Like our buddy Bruce said, "All's well that ends well."

There's only one thing that didn't end well. Kurt actually drove hours to spend his day on the golf course with his luthier. The boys didn't pick up a golf ball that entire weekend. Kurt respects that McKnight Healdsburg customers came first. However, their story isn't done. I imagine they will hit the golf course before the year is over.

[Mary]

double post - Sorry

[Glennwillow]

Hi Tim,

I thought you were going to tell us that the failed urethane finish was part of a bad dream... then it turned out, this really happened. What an unbelievable story. That was a lot of hard work from which to recover. But if you discovered something new in the process (catalyzed polyester?), maybe there was a reason for all this. I am so glad things worked out in the end. Talk about stress! Wow...

- Glenn

[cotten]

Originally Posted by Kent Chasson

Glad it all worked out!

You got me paranoid too...

I'm not at all paranoid, but I have to confess that as one who hopes to receive one of the Healdsburg McKnight "sisters," I had to scan the first two posts of this thread without benefit of breath or a beating heart!

In my line of work, I'm very familiar with the pressure of a looming deadline, and the multitude of things that can go awry. Sometimes they do, even when it's not my fault. Life is like that, despite our inner drive to perfection. Life isn't perfect!

I'm glad it all worked out, too, but I would not have been angry if my new McKnight wasn't ready for the Healdsburg Festival. A grateful heart has little room for anger, and mine is overflowing with gratitude right now. Especially knowing what Tim has gone through in creating my very special guitar!!

I wasn't really tempted to go into guitar building before this thread, but I'm even less tempted now!

cotten, still salivating

[RogerC]

Wow, what a story, Tim. I'm so glad things ended well. Somehow, though, I think that you're the kind of man that, had everything ended poorly, you still wouldn't have lost your perspective .

[ChuckS]

I've often been impressed with how Tim shares his knowledge and talent for the benefit of others. It caused me to believe he was a very good guy.

When you hear of how people react in times of adversity, you often get exposure to some of their true character that is not otherwise visible. Seems that Tim's hidden character is the same as what is his normal outward character. Congratulations on pulling this off.

[Kurt]

One thing I wish to say immediately: Tim has all four guitars on their way to California right now in perfect condition, and no one would have been the wiser if he kept mum. That Tim's willing to openly, publicly share this story demonstrates, in my mind, a great deal of integrity and humility. It's one of many reasons why I ask him to build my guitars.

My side of the story is short: I arrived Friday late afternoon and had the chance to play some marvelous guitars that evening for Mary and Tim. Eight hours later, I found myself in the shop with that ugly blue apron on, a can of stripper in my hand, and that horrified expression on my face. Gooping thinner on a beautiful-looking, beautiful-sounding guitar in the price range of eight big bills upward is one thing; watching that thinner spread like fast-moving golden fungus across the guitar is quite another. I treat all my guitars, not just my two McKnights, gently and lovingly, and to find myself taking a hard-edged scraper to a finished McKnight guitar was, shall we say, a new and different experience. I'm appreciative Tim trusted me enough to allow him my help in the shop and grateful I could be there to assist that first long day.

Yep, we were to have been on the golf course. But I knew that morning, when Tim came up to the loft, this concern was eating at him. And, to be quite honest, the bit of "film" that was appearing on the surface of the guitars was all but impossible for me to notice. But Tim saw something amiss with the finish, albeit small and seemingly insignificant, and I've learned long ago that if it's not perfect, then it's not acceptable to Tim and Mary. So, scrap the golf game, don the aprons, pour out the stripper, and start scraping.

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Therefore, after 16 LONG days the guitars are now done, for the second time and I truly believe they look AND sound even better than before.

If this is even remotely true, then the four of you picking up McKnight guitars at Healdsburg better take a sedative before you pull your instrument from the case for the first time. I mentioned in another thread that John's 'award' guitar is spot-on with the Diamond, and that these two are now my all-time McKnight favorites. The other guitars were also remarkable, and I'm having a difficult time recalling just which belonged to whom at this point. I'm a sucker for LS redwood, own one myself, and both of these builds didn't disappoint one bit, reminding me of exactly what I hear in my own McKnight "Petoskey" guitar; I probably didn't play them as much simply because the tone of these two was so familiar to me. The one that truly surprised me, though, was the '50s Redwood guitar. It made me itchy to have Tim build me one with this top wood and, along with Cotten's, was a guitar I just didn't want to put down.

I want to add how even-keeled Tim remained during that extremely long, gut-wrenching first day in the shop. It was obvious he was heartbroken and distraught -- who wouldn't be? -- but he went at the necessary repairs with determination and resolve. Yes, I would have been on that plane to Cuba with a long exile ahead, as one person suggested. I appreciate and deeply respect that Tim is willing to share some truth about what happens behind the shop-room doors with us all (even if he did have to put my picture in this thread! ).

Just a hunch: These little "disasters" happen to every luthier; we, the consumer, just don't hear about them and aren't informed of them.

[joe white]

Thanks for sharing Tim, I was going to check in this weekend to make sure things were going well but I am under a pretty severe deadline myself right now. Glad you were able to adapt to the alternative finish quickly and knowing you and the finish as well as I do, I'm sure they look spectacular!

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Sort of looks like the "Creepin' Crud":








Its all his fault I tell ya... Stop that mad man with the can of paint stripper! He's out of control.

Hey Tim,
I think I saw the artist formally known and known again as Prince playing a guitar that looked like that.

Jimmy