Another Franklin Build Thread...

[4mykey]

Long story short, I first discovered Nick's guitars 20+ years ago via John Renbourn and was captivated by the guitar's tone. Back in '98 and '99 I was fortunate enough to have a couple private lessons with John and got to hear his 3 feet away. It was stunning! It just confirmed my desire for one even more. But was unaffordable at the time.

Fast forward to a year or so ago. I was at a Clive Carroll workshop and someone had a one month old BRW Franklin OM and they were generous enough to let me play it. It was amazing. The tone was so sweet and nuanced, exceptional balance between the strings and super easy to play. It was a dream.

So I'm finally in the position to afford one and met with Nick last weekend in his shop. He listened to my playing to get a feel for my dynamics and styles. We also talked a lot about his techniques and builds and looked at tons of different wood sets! I decided to go all in and chose a set of quartersawn BRW for the back and sides and 50 year old German Spruce top. All going on an OM. Deposit sent and away we go! Estimated time is 6 months to a year for completion.

[iim7V7IM7]

Congrats on your upcoming Franklin (or should I say Kukich?) commission...

[mhw48]

Congratulations! I am looking forward to following your build once Nick gets started. His guitars are something special! He's also a great person talk with.

[4mykey]

Agreed! Nick is a great guy and has a wealth of knowledge. His guitars are truly unique. I'll be posting pics once he starts. Anxious to see what you think of yours mhw48 once you get it.

[massimo]

Proud OM owner here (European/flamed mahogany, -42 style). Outstanding guitars indeed. My warmest congrats!

[FormerFoodie]

Awesome! Glad you were able to pull the trigger on the commission.

Ever since I played a Franklin at Luthier's Collection, I've been madly jonesing for one myself!!!! The few Franklin builds this year have been chiseling away at my self restraint.

I look forward to seeing the pictures of your build. It's going to be amazing!!!!

[Diamondave]

Congrats, thx for sharing! Lets see this Braz, yummy.... Franklin guitars are amazing...

[Erithon]

Congratulations! I've had my (used) Franklin OM (also German/BRW) for about 4 months now and I love it! You are in for something real special

[4mykey]

Diamondave...funny thing. I was so wrapped up in my conversations with Nick that I actually forgot to get pics of the woods! Next time I'm in Portland I'll see if I can swing by Nick's shop and get some.
Erithon... thanks! I'm really excited about this build!

I'm considering having Nick build it to a 24.9" scale. I have smaller hands and there's some chord stretches that have always been a struggle. Nick put that idea in my head and I keep mulling it over. Anyone with thoughts on that, feel free to chime in. I've only played a short scale ages ago. I play fingerstyle and have my 25.5" Collings strung with 11's. I tend to use a pretty light touch most of the time. And I have another guitar strung up with 12's or 13's for playing Hedges type stuff.

[invguy921]

This should be interesting, can't wait to see more details and pics (eye candy) ha!!

[mhw48]

Originally Posted by 4mykey

I'm considering having Nick build it to a 24.9" scale. I have smaller hands and there's some chord stretches that have always been a struggle. Nick put that idea in my head and I keep mulling it over. Anyone with thoughts on that, feel free to chime in. I've only played a short scale ages ago. I play fingerstyle and have my 25.5" Collings strung with 11's. I tend to use a pretty light touch most of the time. And I have another guitar strung up with 12's or 13's for playing Hedges type stuff.

That's an interesting idea. If there's any way you could spend some time comparing a short scale guitar with a long scale, that would obviously be helpful. I had a short scale Collings OM at one point, and found it a slight bit easier to fret and to bend strings due to the lower string tension. I also remember some chord stretches being more manageable: while it's not a huge difference physically, sometimes just a few mms closer makes it feel vastly easier! Supposedly the shorter scale will have a slightly "warmer" or "sweeter" tone than a long scale, but I'd check with Nick to see if he thinks it will have much, or any effect on the tone. If he's recommending it, then I'd trust his experience and knowledge.

[4mykey]

Originally Posted by mhw48

That's an interesting idea. If there's any way you could spend some time comparing a short scale guitar with a long scale, that would obviously be helpful. I had a short scale Collings OM at one point, and found it a slight bit easier to fret and to bend strings due to the lower string tension. I also remember some chord stretches being more manageable: while it's not a huge difference physically, sometimes just a few mms closer makes it feel vastly easier! Supposedly the shorter scale will have a slightly "warmer" or "sweeter" tone than a long scale, but I'd check with Nick to see if he thinks it will have much, or any effect on the tone.

Thanks for the input. Yeah.... that's what I've read and heard a lot. Ideally, I'd like to find the same make and model guitar with different scales so I could do a side by side comparison. That might be tricky. I'm definitely going to talk to Nick about it and see what he thinks.

I like the idea of "warmer and sweeter" tonality though. I told Nick that one of the biggest gripes with the vast majority of acoustic guitars I've played over the years is
the treble strings. I don't like really bright trebles. I like to hear a bit of depth and warmth to them. Clarity is important, but for my touch, I want to be able to coax some nuance and subtleties out of them instead of just having a bright, clear and strong sound. Nick seemed to know exactly what I meant and that's one thing I've always noticed about his guitars. They have that in the upper range...to my ears at least.

[mhw48]

It could be pretty tough to find same make and model with different scales, but at the least, if you could test out a short scale guitar you might get a sense of whether or not the shorter scale mechanically made a difference for you.
I agree with you assessment of the response of Franklins -- as well as your assessment of your conversation with Nick: I had a similar discussion with him when plotting my build, and even though it was over the phone rather than in person, I had the feeling that Nick had a good grasp on what I was trying to express.

[blindboyjimi]

I sold one of my 3 Franklin OMs to a person right here. It was my daily player guitar for a long time and boy do I miss it. I think that since I have 2 others so similar, I’d love to have Nick build me a 16” lower bout 12 or 14 fret....Maybe maple, or a more fundamental wood. I can’t wait to follow along.

[handers]

Originally Posted by 4mykey

Diamondave...funny thing. I was so wrapped up in my conversations with Nick that I actually forgot to get pics of the woods! Next time I'm in Portland I'll see if I can swing by Nick's shop and get some.
Erithon... thanks! I'm really excited about this build!

I'm considering having Nick build it to a 24.9" scale. I have smaller hands and there's some chord stretches that have always been a struggle. Nick put that idea in my head and I keep mulling it over. Anyone with thoughts on that, feel free to chime in. I've only played a short scale ages ago. I play fingerstyle and have my 25.5" Collings strung with 11's. I tend to use a pretty light touch most of the time. And I have another guitar strung up with 12's or 13's for playing Hedges type stuff.

I like short scale for fingerstyle stuff because of lower string tension. My Froggy H12c has 25'1" scale, 12 fret, 1-7/8" nut, 2-1/4" string distance at saddle. It's the most wonderful fingerstyle guitar and Michael Millard says, in jest, it's the only classical guitar he's ever built.

I've always wanted to play a Franklin but never come across one. I hope your is everything you wish for.

hans