Bah!! Beaten by the clock......

[martinedwards]

Well, as tomorrow is the last day of term there is no way I'm gonna get this finished before 12.00!!!!

Walnut back & sides and rosette, spruce top rosewood binding, bridge & fingerboard

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600137.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600138.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600139.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600140.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600142.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600143.jpg

Ah well, something to look forward to in September I suppose!!

[0.1 watts]

That looks really professional. However, why are the holes in the bridge arranged in that arc shape? Wouldn't that throw the intonation out?

[bugman]

^nah. the intonation is determined by the height/filing of the saddle.

[mishmannah]

/\ My Avalon has arced bridge holes...

Martin, how on EARTH are you able to build great looking guitars so quickly??????

[martinedwards]

Loads of free periods cos My 5th & 6th form left school two months ago!!

That'll all change in September!!!

BUT

I have at least one pupil who wants to take up the craft, so there may well be a wee after school lutherie club!!

[LightSeeker]

it looks really nice

[martinedwards]

Well after a little tinkering I got strings on the dred today.

After a couple of weeks I'll strip it down and fit a pickup & preamp, strap buttons and put on a few more coats of Danish oil.

I'll post some pix when I have them.........

recording on soundclick (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=563743&songID=4376268)

[martinedwards]

here we go then.......

nestled snugly in it's new hard case........

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600001.jpg

That's a 4 piece walnut back on there......

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600002.jpg

Spruce top, bone nut saddle & pins, rosewood binding, fingerboard, rosette and bridge.

look at all that curly stuff going on in the spruce.......

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/40600004.jpg

[mishmannah]

Woah, I LITERALLY have just got back from work....STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!

The guitar back just took my breath away...

Walnut has no pores to fill....

How many coats of Danish then?

The walnut and bearclaw top is awesome. Martin, you make this luthierie lark seem VERY easy, but let me assure the viewers, that IT IS NOT easy.

A lot of hard work goes into guitar building. Not very many people can actually play guitar properly, and even less can build 'em. That is the truth of it. It seems that 'ole Martin can do both with consummate ease.

McIlroy is gonna have to watch his back, and I am not joking.


Do you have a customer for this baby?

[GuitarGuy]

That's beautiful, and how long did you say this took you?

[martinedwards]

Not counting the summer hols.......

maybe 6 weeks?

prolly less..........

as to a customer, Andy that I taught with last year and was at Madness will get first refusal.........

[D|s]

nice gutiar man truly mag!

however, isnt the spruce warped??

[Sonofarich]

:hands: :notworthy

[Mr. Boston]

Loads of free periods cos My 5th & 6th form left school two months ago!!

That'll all change in September!!!

BUT

I have at least one pupil who wants to take up the craft, so there may well be a wee after school lutherie club!!


You've got another right here. If I moved over there could I like pretend to be a kid and get in your shop class or something?

[martinedwards]

however, isnt the spruce warped??
Nope, it's the bearclaw figure in the wood.

there's still a fir bit to do. I reckon another 5 coats of danish oil plus the truss rod cover, but I just couldn't resist getting strings on there!!!!

it's already opening up soundwise, maybe tomorrow night I'll re record the demo to see if anyone else notices any difference

[mishmannah]

it's already opening up soundwise, maybe tomorrow night I'll re record the demo to see if anyone else notices any difference

Go for it. Perfect or ideal action does not really happen until after at least a month, when the wood has been optimised to take the strain.

I'm gonna do that with mine....recording sound samples to monitor the guitar's tonal development. I am so wanting to get the action and intonation right.

I've only done 6 coats of danish. That's all I'm sticking with.

[martinedwards]

Well, so far mine is spot on.

what I did was rig a tail piece out of plywood and two big clamps then put on the 2 E strings with the bridge & saddle in the gap.

then I was able to adjust the position of the bridge till it was right then marked it with a REALLY sharp pencil.

I loosened the strings, put on some fast set epoxy, put it in place then put the strings back on to clamp it (nice and visibly so no surprise slipping......)

then I drilled the string holes and sorted the taper with the dremel.

from attaching the bridge to tuning? about 3 hours!!!!!!

[mishmannah]

Speedy Gonzales... :p

eeehhh...I'm getting a little nervous about this bit..I'm going the bridge caul, seven pairs of hands and cam clamp route once I summon up the courage...

Can I ship my guitar over to you to complete this final yet most important part of the build???:D I just can't face it at the mo.

[martinedwards]

Then it'll always be the guitar I NEARLY built.....

with the way yours is shaping up I UTTERLY REFUSE to take any of it from you. It's a masterpiece that you'd never forgive yourself if you let someone else do it!!!!

[mishmannah]

Ach, you're too kind... :o :)


I am afraid I win in the ding/scratch department on my guitar though... Let's hope the "vintage" look is in, eh?? :p

[martinedwards]

go to the luthier soundclick link below.

2 demos now, first 2 hours after stringing up, second two days later.

[mishmannah]

okay, I've listened to both samples FOUR times (twice each), and it is a TOTALLY fascinating experiment that a sad trainspotter such as me delights in...:D Cheers for taking the time to do this!

I am amazed at how different it sounds already...

Sample #1 sounds indeed, very "tight" and subdued, knowing the vigour you put into your playing, the output seems very unbalanced for the effort, tonally and volume wise.

Sample #2 on the other hand...WOW....it actually sounds walnut!!

It is also sounding MUCH fuller, although some of that tightness remains..to me the trebles sound sparkly and alive with great sustain. The basses are coming in a bit too..the sustain is there, but not quite yet the fullness.

This guitar is going to sound stunning in after six months of good playing. Wow, I'd love to hear recordings of it at regular intervals, as she opens up..

Aw man, I gotta go pack...somebody cut the cord to my PC!!!!!

[martinedwards]

Ha Ha!! Dred demo 2 has peaked at #31 in the soundclick acoustic folk charts!!!

[slither]

nice work so far

[martinedwards]

OK, all done!!!

I've added about 6 coats of danish oil, a piezo under the saddle, and a transparent Mylar scratchguard.

It it beautiful. Yes there are flaws and it isn't a Lowden/McIlroy, but I'm seriously thinking about keeping it & selling my Turner which has been My main axe since new years eve 2002.........
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7610/3728/320/40600095.0.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7610/3728/320/40600097.0.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7610/3728/320/40600103.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7610/3728/320/40600096.0.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7610/3728/320/40600100.0.jpg

[mishmannah]

och, cannae see no pics, Jim...

[martinedwards]

hmmmm, I can........

look at the blog link below......

[mishmannah]

OOOOhhh, I can now.... :eek:


I kinda can see why you want to sell the Turner.... :eek:


ABSOLUTEY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!

You certainly have a way with a few strips of wood, donchya?!?!?!!!

You need to go back to the yard and show them what you did with the stuff you bagged all that time ago! The walnut GLOWS, and I don't think I've ever seen walnut on a guitar THAT nice...

BTW folks, you can enlarge the images by clicking on the photos in the blog...

Welcome to the world of dreds, should you choose the mission of owning one. :D They slip off the leg, everyone moans about them, but they're GREAT!!!

There is also the strange element of your first all-solid acoustic. You swear blind that your laminate backn'sides/solid top sound as good as a solid wood, but then when you get your first solid, the laminate sounds like a plastic toy!!!


BTW, is another soundclip of the instrument in question a possibility? :)

[martinedwards]

Flippin' Heck, you don't ask much do you, here it is, Friday night, herself has gone out to a work do, I'm home with the kids, it's been a hard week teaching (and building a mandolin and a doubleneck acoustic) and you want me to start up audacity, record a piece, dump it out as an MP3, upload it to soundclick and then post a link.......















better click on the luthier soundclick below then......... :D

[mishmannah]

/\hahahahaha, thanks Martin. Gosh I forgot it was so late in the British Day...


Ahh, you HAVE to sell the Turner!!!!!

A good tonal range there..there is STILL a lot of opening up to do, be pleasantly surprised. This guitar sounds like a stunna already, it's gonna sound even better as time goes on!!

Now...I am sticking my neck out here, but I want to test my hearing with regards to bracing. I honestly don't know what bracing you've used, but I am guessing AXX due to the wild ringing sustain. Hah, bet I'm wrong!!! :D


Tonal stuff aside, I really think that fingerpicking piece at the beginning of the sample was really beautiful.

[martinedwards]

Aw shucks, I wrote that!!

And it's not on my straight soundclick.... have to get that sorted sometime......

As to the bracing?

sorry, you're proving your humanity.....

its AXE

I'm off to bed

see ya!!

[mishmannah]

Aw shucks, I wrote that!!


Pffffffffffhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....is there something you CANNOT do?????????

See ya then.... :)

[martinedwards]

Pffffffffffhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....is there something you CANNOT do?????????

give birth

[mishmannah]

/\ Give it time, the men in the white coats are working on it...

[martinedwards]

Tonal stuff aside, I really think that fingerpicking piece at the beginning of the sample was really beautiful.
it's now up on my main soundclick site.

"I waited Patiently for the Lord"

Its a working of Psalm 40

[mishmannah]

Chekkin' it out....comments on the other forum... :)