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#1
12-13-2019, 03:08 PM
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Edwinson, Coming Up For Air- 2019 Retrospective
Hello, everyone!
The Edwinson has been off the radar screen since the early part of this year, though I often check in here on the Forum to see what my friends and colleagues are up to. It's been awhile since I posted comments or threads, so I wanted to do a retrospective view of my 2019 guitars, and re-join the conversation with all the good people here. I have an innate tendency to be a hermit, and if not for my terminal addiction to making guitars, I might be living in a cave in the Himalayas, meditating my days away, and occasionally jamming tunes with the local Yeti population. The highlight of the year was attending Tom B'sox's B.I.G. show in Spring Branch, TX in March. Tom and Kathy really pulled out the stops to provide a wonderful time for everyone there. This was one of my favorite guitar events in my 20 years in lutherie. I'm sad that I won't be attending as an exhibitor at the B.I.G. in 2020, but I will definitely be there in spirit and cheering for my friends who will be there. I pretty much drained my gas tank building spec guitars for this show, and a big part of the reason for my absence here is that I had to spend the majority of my productive time to get caught up on commissioned builds for my kind and patient clients. So, before this year is over, I wanted to put some of this year's projects in the public record, with some photos of the guitars. First up, here are some shots of a Zephyr 00, built for Kenneth C. This was the first of my 2019 guitars. This Zephyr has dark, beautiful, old-growth Indian Rosewood back and sides, and a mastergrade Adi top. Ken wanted to keep the decorative content to a minimum, concentrating on simple elegance and form over function. The rosette is the blingiest thing on the guitar. The purflings throughout are also a subtle but luxurious upgrade- flamed Pyinma wood, bordered by thin red veneer lines, with Macassar Ebony bindings. This build was a breath of fresh air for me, a true delight to make. And Ken has told me several times that he just loves it. It was hard for me to send this one off, because it has a gorgeous tone, and being a little 00 guitar, it's so easy to hold and play. But Ken is much more worthy to own it than me so...         Next guitar coming up shortly... Other business to attend to. Stay tuned, thanks for looking...
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Edwinson 
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#2
12-13-2019, 06:46 PM
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Gorgeous work as usual, Steve - thanks for sharing it with us!
Stan
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Hatcher Woodsman, Collings 0002H, Stella Grand Concert
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#3
12-13-2019, 08:19 PM
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Some of the next guitars I want to feature were on display at Tom's B.I.G. show. The best part of that event was sharing lots of quality time with Stan and many other denizens of the AGF Custom Shop. We all had a great time. At the other end of the spectrum from the simply appointed Zephyr 00 above is the most unusual guitar I've ever made. It was built for Ken H., my good friend and patron. He wanted me to really push the boundaries and come up with something special. He traded one of his custom guitars for a beautiful set of Tree quilted Mahogany for me to build with. We were also going to use one of my Tunnel 13 Redwood tops, but it turned out to have an invisible stress crack; so we switched to my last set of Lucky Strike Redwood instead. This is the most "out there" rendition of my Eclipse Mod OM model. I like to think that maybe the owner, Ken, is a thousand-year-old wizard from Middle Earth, maybe a colleague of Gandalf; because this guitar would not look out of place there. From inception to completion, the design ideas went through many permutations, and the project was a long time coming to fruition. Two months before the B.I.G. show, Ken said, "You know what I want. Let's finish this guitar." He asked me to just follow my whimsey and get it done. I committed to having it done in time for the show, and hand it off to him there. I just barely made that deadline, getting the guitar ready for prime time just a few days before Joel and I drove from Fairhope to Tom and Kathy's beautiful home in Spring Branch. Those of you who attended the show have already seen this guitar; but for those who haven't, here are some pics:   This is a multiscale guitar with a scale spread of 25"- 25.75". It also features a sound port with a slider, arm and rib bevels, deluxe Style One binding and purfling, a scoop cutaway, and the "Trufurcated Heart sound hole cover, which is held in place with neodymium magnets- So, if any servicing ever needs to be done on the inside of the sound box, just pop off the heart. All the bindings and trim work are Cocobolo.   Below, oak leaf inlay on the fingerboard; a detail shot of the sound port with slider, and the quilted Maple mantle, installed in relief; also the Omega style open headstock, which Ken asked me to invent for this guitar. This headstock has since become my most popular headstock design. We also outfitted the Gotoh 510 Mini tuners with custom Ebony and Cocobolo buttons, made by Bill Wise of Charis Guitars.    Next, some photos from Tom B'Sox's B.I.G. show. Thanks for looking!
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Edwinson
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#4
12-13-2019, 09:02 PM
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Amazing Axe!!!
What incredibly detailed work! Wow!!!
Glad you are back to posting here. Hope all is well and Fun is occurring on a regular basis Paul
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4 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS: Big Maple/WRC Dread(ish) Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC Big Tunnel 14 RW/Bubinga Dread(ish) R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro 96 422ce bought new! 96 LKSM 12 552ce 12x12 J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut More
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#5
12-13-2019, 09:23 PM
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Ken named his guitar "Kilmer", after the poet, Joyce Kilmer, who wrote the famous poem that begins, "I think that I shall never see, A poem as lovely as a tree..." Because obviously, the whole theme of this guitar is The Tree.
The highlight of my year, after handing the Kilmer guitar to Ken at the show, was when Jason Kostal played it for about a half hour. And later, I asked Michael Watts to have a go with it also. Both of these guys, whom I consider to be meta-humans who come from a higher order of being, seemed to really enjoy playing the Kilmer. Even at that early stage in its life, I detected a not-just-passing resemblance in Kilmer's sound to the Somogyi vibe. Jason is perhaps the most illustrious graduate of the Ervin Somogyi lineage. I don't think many people realize that in addition to his prodigious talents as a luthier, Jason is also a masterful modern fingerstyle player. Here's a picture of Jason playing this guitar, plugged in to an amazing Humphrey amp. The man looking on is Ken, who owns the guitar. Following that, there's Michal Watts with Kilmer. As this was occurring, I thought, okay, I'll die happy now. Hopefully not anytime soon, but still..   Here are some other photos from the 2019 B.I.G. show. First, our generous and gracious hosts, Tom and Kathy. They treated all us luthiers and our entourages to a memorable dinner at, um, I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but man, the check must have been a whopper. What a good time that was! The next photo shows Tom, Kathy, and daughter Natalie treating us all to a family concert. They are sooo good, they could take this show on the road. Natalie is a natural, she could be a superstar singer if she cared to. All I can say is, WOW.   Everyone who is a frequent flyer on the AGF Custom Shop surely knows who Ben Wilborn is. This guy has more talent in his left hand pinky finger than most people have in their whole body. He builds absolutely world-class guitars, and he also plays them like a genius savant. He and Brad, who are collectively known as Frog (Ben) and Toad (Brad), regaled us all with some absolutely intoxicating guitar duets throughout the weekend. It was a joy getting to know them both. As a fellow luthier, I became a devoted fan of Ben and his guitars. And the chemistry and simpatico that Ben and Brad have when they make music is beyond inspiring. Bravo, Dudes! In the second photo, Brad is playing my best friend and shop partner Joel Teel's guitar. EVERYONE at the show was blown away by Joel's guitars. At the time, he's only built six guitars, but every one of them is world class. Nobody believed that Joel is just beginning his lutherie career. Most of us have to make 100 guitars to get this good. I'm proud to say that Joel is my first serious student. If I was Ervin Somogyi, Joel would be Jason Kostal. I think Joel is already better at making guitars than I am.   Speaking of Joel and Jason, here they are having a long conversation. Jason is like an ascended Master, a guru, a fountain of wisdom. He's one of the most remarkable, exceptional, astonishing human beings I've ever met. I think Joel agrees. Photo on right, Michael Watts checking out one of Ben's guitars.   I had a bunch more photos, featuring Bruce Sexauer, Steve Kinnaird, Ryan Middlebrook, Cigar Fan, SJ Vansandt, Nootis, Nemoman, and other good folks from the AGF community who were there, but I can't find them now. I just transitioned to a new computer, and a bunch of files must have gotten misplaced in the data transfer. But you get the idea. The B.I.G. show was a total blast. Anyone sitting on the fence for the 2020 B.I.G., make your reservations now, and it will be the highlight of your year, just like this one was for me. (Edit) I just found another photo I wanted to include here. This is Dennis (Cigar Fan) with Jason Kostal, still letting it sink in that he is now the owner of a brand new masterpiece Jason Kostal guitar. (The one he's holding here is actually Michael Watts's Kostal MDW; The look on Dennis's face suggests he may be considering commissioning another Kostal like this one! Got the fever, Dennis?) Just take a moment to imagine how it must feel to own a Kostal guitar. I can attest that Dennis is eminently worthy to own a Kostal guitar. Dennis is a very talented player, and hearing him play these amazing instruments was a mesmerizing experience. 
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Edwinson Last edited by theEdwinson; 12-14-2019 at 12:00 PM.
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#6
12-14-2019, 07:10 AM
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Thanks for posting these B.I.G. photos, Steve - I had not seen them, and it brought back some wonderful memories. Truth be told, B.I.G. was one of the best times I've had in my life. I'm sorry I won't be seeing you there this year, but maybe I'll swing by when I visit Mississippi this summer. 50th high school class reunion!
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Hatcher Woodsman, Collings 0002H, Stella Grand Concert
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#7
12-14-2019, 12:56 PM
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Stan, it would really be great to have you over for a visit to our shop here in Fairhope. Joel and I are both making some pretty cool guitars, and we'd love to put them in your hands and get your opinion.
You are always welcome here; and that also goes for any other AGFers who might happen to be nearby.
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Edwinson
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#8
12-14-2019, 01:26 PM
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Steve your guitars are beautiful masterpieces, but they pale in comparison to the human being you are. Thank you for all your kinds words regarding the B.I.G. weekend. Your appreciation for the human spirit seen in others is something we should all try and emulate. You are a true gentleman and I encourage anyone looking for that one of a kind, special guitar to reach out to Steve and start a conversation. You will not be disappointed.
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PS. I love guitars!
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#9
12-14-2019, 01:41 PM
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Yep!
Quote:
Thanks for all the cool pics of BIG! It really was a BLAST!!! Steve, so Glad you are back here... Paul
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4 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS: Big Maple/WRC Dread(ish) Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC Big Tunnel 14 RW/Bubinga Dread(ish) R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro 96 422ce bought new! 96 LKSM 12 552ce 12x12 J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut More
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#10
12-16-2019, 10:47 AM
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Here's another guitar that I finished up just in time to bring to the B.I.G. show that Tom remembers well, no doubt. I posted this guitar for sale in the AGF Marketplace right after the show, and it quickly sold to Dave V. from Michigan, who already owns two other Edwinsons. When Dave got the guitar he said it's the best guitar he's ever played. So I guess that means the other two guitars I sold him are chopped liver...? (See? There's my inner jerk coming out.) Sorry I sold it, Tom, I know you really took a shine to it. But I have another back and side set of the same quilted Maple, same billets, held in reserve for you. When the time is right, I'll make a better one for you. This is an Eclipse OM model, the newest guitar in my lineup, and now the most popular. The woods are quilted Bigleaf Maple, a Carpathian Spruce top, Katalox bindings, bevels, fingerboard, bridge, and front and back headstock plates. The light colored purflings around the back and sides are high-flamed Aniegre from Africa, bordered with black veneer lines.         Thanks for looking; Stay tuned, plenty more coming...
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Edwinson
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#11
12-16-2019, 10:50 AM
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Quote:
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Edwinson
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#12
12-16-2019, 10:58 AM
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I was thinking about that maple guitar when I saw you had started this thread.
That guitar was truly a highlight of BIG this year--a stunning guitar! Glad it found such a good home...
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2013 Stehr Auditorium (Carpathian/Myrtle) 2015 Stehr Auditorium (Adi/BRW) 2020 Baranik Meridian (Blue Spruce/Manchinga) 2020 Wilborn Arum (Tunnel 14/Coco) 2021 Kinnaird Graybeard (BC Cedar/Bog Oak) 2022 Kinnaird CS Student Build (Adi/Padauk) 2023 Kinnaird FS (Italian/Koa)
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#13
12-16-2019, 12:24 PM
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Quote:
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Edwinson
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