Bindings, Bearclaw and Bridges
It's been a busy week back in the shop. I made up an entirely new binding and purling scheme for the next six months or so. Here a couple photos of me planing some beautiful German spruce to thickness. This particular top has quite a bit of bearclaw figure in it. I'm also French polishing a bridge for the new Torres guitar that is getting much closer to being strung up. It's probably less than a month away!
Cutting, Bending, Scraping and Gluing Stuff
Slowly French polishing a new Torres model and getting rosettes ready for two of my own concert model guitars in between sessions.
Morning Mixing and Cleaning Up A Guitar for Finishing
Measuring and mixing up a new batch of blonde and amber shellac for French polishing. I like to use one hundred ninety proof Everclear. It's a bit pricey, but it doesn't have the added chemicals that make your head hurt like denatured alcohol. Also mixing up some hide glue granules for gluing stuff.
New Torres inspired guitar is ready for finish! Even decided to put the mother of pearl dots on the bridge wings this time. It always looked a bit weird to me, but I'm starting to like it. The tie block is bone instead of the original ivory in case you were worried...
GFA and New Videos
The Guitar Foundation of America convention is finally over and people are slowly trickling out of the hotel. It was an amazing convention and I had a awesome time. Saw old friends, made new friends and heard some beautiful guitars and music. Unfortunately, I was having such a great time that I almost completely forgot to take photos.
Some of the highlights included the premiers of Kevin Callahan's new piece Possessed that was beautifully played by Artyom Dervoed, a night of guitar concertos performed by Francisco Bernier, Pablo Villegas and Carlos Barbosa-Lima including the world premier of Sergio Assad newest guitar concerto, a mind-blowing solo concert by Pavel Steidl and of course a amazingly beautiful performance by the Assad brothers of some of the pieces that I've obsessively listened to on their recordings probably hundreds of times. My friend Max and I were also lucky enough to hear a private audition of Pavel trying out my guitar in which he played the entire Chaconne for just the two of us! A very generous person and a crazy good guitar player.
In other news, I recorded two new videos of Michael Nicolella playing my new guitar. It some wonderfully expressive playing. There is also a recording of me playing the same guitar. Check em out!
Bracing Up New Torres Model
Getting a beautiful European spruce top braced up, carved and ready glue up.
New Guitars for GFA and Rosewood
Finally got these guys photographed and ready to go. Really happy with how they turned out. Big, lively and balanced sound with a lot of detail, timbrel variety and projection.
Two New Guitars Off The Bench
Two new guitars off the bench! There are still a couple things to fuss over, but they are basically done. One is going to the GFA convention later this month and the other is going to the Rosewood Guitar shop.
Adventures In Tedium
French polishing two new concert models and building a rosette for a new Antonio de Torres inspired guitar.
Neck Carving and Finishing Things Up
Slowly but surely getting these two guitars ready for finish!
The Macassar ebony fingerboard goes great with this intensely colored and striped western red cedar top. The Lutz spruce top on the other guitar has some really cool looking bear claw figure right below where the bridge will go.
