Alistair is cooking something special

[pjb7669]

The first time I played a guitar was when I was seven years old. My parents bought me an inexpensive catalog guitar from some department store. I don't even remember the brand. Like many people who try to play the guitar it didn't resonate (pun intended) for me. I found it frustrating to learn and frankly painful to play. The guitar went into my closet.

The next year my parents bought an old piano and began paying for my older sister to have lessons. Based on my reaction to the guitar they didn't even try to get me to take piano lessons. So, my sister bore the brunt of their musical desires. After four years of listening to her take lessons I sat down at the piano. I begain to play around on the keys. After a little trial and error, and to my surprise and delight, I found I was able to emulate what I heard my sister play. Now don't get me wrong, I was no sevant, I was just emulating and improvising but my parents heard and I was...trapped...trapped into taking lessons that I did not want and with a teacher who wanted to develop my "natural talent" (her words not mine). I hated it.

I once read that people with the ability to play by ear often find the structure of lessons can limit or even destroy that abilty. I can only speak for myself...that's exactly what happened and in the end I became a less than average piano player. ...I quit after three years.

Fast forward. I was sixteen years old and was cleaning out my closet and picked up my old guitar. The strings had not been changed since I stopped playing it. The finish was scratched and damaged. The neck was a little warped. I strummed it and though it was out of tune, and missing a string, I was hooked. Second times the charm I guess.

So the point of this little unrequested history lesson? I'm getting there. Bottom line is I love the guitar.

When I turned 40 I made the biggest "guitar" decision up to that point in my life. After years of assembly line guitars I decided to buy a custom made guitar. As much as I wanted to commission a guitar from a small luthier I just didn't have the time or expertise to research and pick one so I stuck with what I knew. I decided to commission a guitar from one of the larger companies I know and really respect, Breedlove Guitar. I felt reasonably confidant that I could create a guitar that would sound the way I wanted it to. It took me a month to finalize the configuration. I played different models made from different woods then placed my order. When the guitar finally came in it was stunning...and sounded nothing like the way I thought it would...and that's the risk of buying a custom guitar, regardless of the size of the shop. Don't get me wrong it sounds good but not the way I wanted. I decided that I was done with customs. It was an expensive experiement for a stunning guitar that is my most expensive and, honestly, is one of my least favorite.

It was the next year that at a good friend suggested I play a Rainsong. I was hooked. For seven years I've played the Rainsong guitar that I purchased. In that time I've purchased two others, both "Louisiana" Composite Acoustic guitars. In the past seven years with the exception of a voyage air travel guitar I havn't really played my wood guitars. I've sung the praises of Carbon Fiber on the AGF forum so many times. I've engaged in spirited, but civil, debates about the benefits of wood vs. CF. I have grown to respect the abilities of most of the CF guitar makers around today.

So, like that second time I picked up the guitar and fell in love with it, I've decided to give a custom guitar another shot. So where to go? Who to select? Rainsong is great but I'm not seeing a lot of custom work from them. Blackbird? Same as Rainsong as far as custom work. Peavey? The original CA company did some amazing custom work with some with some inspiring designs but Peavey? They've certainly proven they can copy original CA desgns but, to paraphrase of my favorite Kevin Smith movies, I need an artist not a tracer. No, there was only one place to go and that was to the Wizard of the Emerald city himself, and my fellow Irishman, Alistair.

So the fun has begun. I've honestly never been this excited about a guitar before. Alistair is cooking up something that I think is amazing. It's clear to me that only Emerald is capable of building my next guitar. Over the next few months I plan to document the process here in this thread. And if you're interested you'll read it and if not...you won't... but either way I'm going to have a great time working with Alistair!

Oh and be sure to check out their re-designed website. It's looking very good!

best

[Doubleneck]

I am excited for you. Having just received my dream guitar a Doubleneck from Alistair last month, I can assure you, you have the right man. No one does what this man does: no one. Totally in a class by himself. Look forward to your journey. Steve

[Doubleneck]

You ought to post this on the "Custom Shop" area, thats what this is and it would be a hoot to have a custom carbon build there. Steve

[Acousticado]

I also will be following your project with interest. Can you provide more details of what you have in mind for a guitar from Alistair? I am currently smitten with Steve's Emerald 6/12 doubleneck and am awaiting Alistair's reply to my inquiry about it.

Good luck in your journey. It should be fun!

[pjb7669]

Steve,

just posted this into the custom shop as well. Good idea.

[Doubleneck]

They probably will not let you doublepost. You will have to choose. I tried with the Doubleneck to post on the main forum at the same time and I was censored. Steve

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

They probably will not let you doublepost. You will have to choose. I tried with the Doubleneck to post on the main forum at the same time and I was censored. Steve

pjb, if your post in custom shop gets deleted, or it disappears off the page, once the build begins and you have pics, then consider posting a new thread in custom shop.....or keep it under the carbon fiber page, as you wish.

[Doubleneck]

To me it belongs in both spots, maybe the administrator will see that this time?

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

To me it belongs in both spots, maybe the administrator will see that this time?

I agree. Can't hurt to ask when the time comes.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by pjb7669

When I turned 40 I made the biggest "guitar" decision up to that point in my life...< cut>...I decided to commission a guitar from one of the larger companies... <cut> ...Breedlove Guitar... <cut> ...When the guitar finally came in it was stunning...and sounded nothing like the way I thought it would...and that's the risk of buying a custom guitar, regardless of the size of the shop...

Have you played any Emerald guitars, if so which ones? Also you never mentioned what Alistar is building you.

[pjb7669]

Ted,

I'm going to document the process here on the AGF and probably one other forum. You are correct that I did not mention "what" Alistair is building for me and that's because it's something new and I don't want to let any information out that Alistair is not ready to release. It's "is" a guitar but as far as body style etc. for now that under wraps until I'm told otherwise.

What I intend to talk about in my next post is the choice of materials, which is being finalized this month. The options presented by Alistair were interesting and different from a typical CF guitar. I intend to cover those final materials choices and the expected impact on the sound, and look, of the guitar. There's also the resin process, choice, application etc.

It's an exciting and complex process that I can't wait to get into and tell you all about.

best

Philip

[Doubleneck]

Only in the Emerald City ya gotta love it.

[kramster]

A short and a long scale neck... 6 and 8 string..with a wood laminate???...just guessin'

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by kramster

A short and a long scale neck... 6 and 8 string..with a wood laminate???...just guessin'

That was my guess exactly.

[Doubleneck]

I will never try to outguess Alistair, he does the impossible and the improbable all at once. I still remember seeing that Doubleneck proto type earlier this year, and thinking no one can do this and in a couple of months it is in my hands. He is one of a kind.