Official Luthiers Forum!

Groovy man, like wow!!!

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

interesting look!! Just think of all the dust that can build up on that surface

That is certainly over the top!

I have wondered though about why some of the more artistic checkering that can be found on rifle stocks hasn't been done more often on guitar heels and headstocks.

_________________
Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

I wonder if the Blueberry folks know yet that their site has been hijacked by some clever hoaxsters.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

It certainly solves the problem of the Gloss Finish, and allows the use of low end woods.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Gimmick.

As a non-player, I have to ask. Do the grooves on the back of the neck have any merit?

Looks quite gimmicky to me in terms of its potential effect on tone, but I must admit that I sort've like the look. ^^

Now what do I do with all this grain filler?

Dust build up?

Think about trying to get the regular funk off that builds up due to player residue...Ewwwwww....

_________________
Guitar Building = Continuous Improvement Process

Well said!




Just an annoyance... it's over-the-top bad marketing.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I must admit that the carvings on the backs and sides can be quite nicely done. But I'm not buyin' the whole carving on the top thing. There's just no good reason for it and potentially a lot of good reasons not to.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

First thing that pops into my head...crack issues it feels like a cheezy gimmick

_________________
Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

Actually, the grooves on the back of the neck are the only part I think -is- a good idea. I'm thinking I might give something similar a go on one of mine, at least on the 12th fret or something.

Looking at their stuff on eBay, I find it interesting that they've got these wonderful, intricate, and expertly done carvings all over the guitar, and it looks like they have 1/16" of fill all around their inlays (thicker in some places). It's sort of like polishing up all the chrome when the paint's rusted off the car...

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I cannot stand this particular brand of guitar.

The carving on the headstock looks like all carving attempts on guitars...like something has relieved themselves...

The grooves just make me ill....

When a design element is added to a guitar, the first question that should be asked is; is this going to detract from the grace and form of what a guitar should look like; and does it add bulk where bulk is not needed? The carving straight away makes me think the guitar will be overly headstock heavy, (bang, crack, Oh dear, the neck's broken I wonder why?) and those grooves...remind me of this uke made entirely of matchsticks...

Believe it or not the grooves cut into the back of the neck are there as physical fret
markers so....and I quote Mr. Fonfetter....."the player can become more intimate with the
neck."

I especially liked his comment during an interview at the most recent NAMM Show
when he said, "I had left my guitar in my hotel in Hong Kong." Who leaves their guitar
in a hotel anywhere?

I don't get the excitement over these things, but have to admit that it's not the most
bizarre thing I've ever seen introduced to the guitar industry. I actually like the carvings
in the backs and sides since i'm a fan of relief carving. The carving in the headstock and
the top is another story and does nothing for me.

If you want to see what carving ona guitar can and should be, take a look at some of
Bruce Kunkel's work.....I hope he's OK with me pushing his incredible talent here at the OLF.
Bruce worked for Gibson in Nashville doing some of the best custom work thay had to offer
but recently moved back to PA and lives only about 25 minutes from me. I've met and spent
a little time with him but am looking forward to some time in his shop where I can see him
do a carving or two. His site is at http://www.kunkelguitars.com and showcases some of his
pieces.

The guy is a world class talent in lutherie and specializes in several expressions of his
awesome artistic talent such as his carving and painting/drawing.









Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Personally, I would find the carving on the back of the neck to be very distracting. I realized they are meant to be fret markers, but if regular fret markers work, why carve into the neck? Like I said, the thought of carvings on the back of the neck being used to mark the frets would bother me and distract me. I can't be alone in this...I get annoyed playing a guitar that doesn't feel right to my hand...with a consistent surface and curvature.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I agree Don. I seem to have grown a bit attached to actually looking at the either the fret or side markers if I need
to locate a position or reference one on the fingerboard.

One thing that has always been a pet peeve for me is deep dings or scratches through the finish on neck of a guitar
that I'm playing. It's more of a distraction to me than it could ever be a comfort. Damage to the body I can live with and
actually appreciate as part of the guitar's life story, but damage to a neck is something that I've always repaired quickly
to avoid having to feel it back there.

I got a guitar from a pretty well known Irish guitarist back in the early 90s when he visited my shop and we traded an
electric that he'd had since the mid 60s for an acoustic that I'd built in 1993. When I got that guitar from him, it had deep
recesses worn into the Maple of the neck at the 2nd to 3rd fret and the 10th to 12th fret areas where he had spent so many
hours playing in his favorite positions.

I never did anything with them, but they would be something that bugged me if I played the thing often....which I don't.
They are just a great testament to how much he played that guitar over the nearly 30 years that he had it. It's one of the few
that I've held onto from my (once large) guitar collection.


Maybe there are some out there who will view this as a beneficial thing. The only funny thing about it that they'd
better really take care of the back of their guitar necks or they'll be losing their gig with the band because they are constantly
playing out of key as they reference the scratches in their necks instead of the carved lines.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

That work of Bruce's is just great. Thanks for posting it, Kevin.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Howard,
I'm glad you liked Bruce's work. The most amazing part of his talent is that he does much of it freehand and with
little to no layout....just his idea, a vision and his carving tools. He works right now with a young who attends the
church that I pastor in a huge high tech super tooled cabinet shop in NJ that. I believe that the shop belongs to
someone in his family and that he's just biding his time there until his shop is ready to accommodate customers
and his building machinery and fixtures.

That young guy tells me that Bruce will go at a custom carving on a project in the shop and, in a matter of minutes,
will have a carving that looks like it should have taken days to accomplish. He's a true artist who also happens to
be a master craftsman. From what I hear, he's a great guitar player and can really hammer a tune out of a banjo, too.

Check out his site if you get a chance. He has some different design ideas and he still shows some of the more
elaborate custom shop projects he did while at Gibson.

Thanks,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

That is awesome carving. +1 on what Howard said.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com