Official Luthiers Forum!

NBC announced tonight that this Friday they would have a concert for Hurricane Relief. The Mayor of New Orleans today stated that the death toll in New Orleans could be in the thousands and that the entire city will be evacuated and estimates that it will be 3-4 months minimum before New Orleans will be habitable.

Any interest in participating in a group guitar that could be built and then auctioned on eBay to help with Hurricane Relief? The proceeds could go to the Red Cross or any other group.

I would be glad to contribute a bearclaw Western Red Cedar top or a Bearclaw Englemann Spruce top.

IF we undertook the project we could get different people to build the various parts if we went with a mortise and tenon neck.

What do you guys think?...We could also ask suppliers such as LMI, Allied, StewMac and others if they would be interested in contributing.

There is so little we can do other than contribute and/or pray.

What do you think?

Honestly, they need our help "now", as opposed to many months from now. I plan to donate dollars for this one. There's lots of folks displaced and are out of jobs, food, shelter, all the essentials. My wife and I even have a friend who has been displaced and is living in a hotel in Texas for now. Her town (just outside New Orleans) was dessimated, and she can't go back for at least a couple of months, so I'm committed in that way.
That's not a reason not to do it, just food for thought.

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"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."

Good heart.

If this was to happen, maybe it could be auctioned off immediately, sort of like a gift certificate.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

charity already. One I was supposed to get months ago, the other seems stalled. I hate to be a realist, but it won't get built. Not in time for anything meaningful. Of course it's a great idea, but these things always start out impassioned, then seem to faulter with peoples shedules, etc.
I am sorry to be a pessimist, but that's how I see it.
Someone PLEASE tell me that I am wrong, and why, and I'll glady help if I am wanted for the project.
I think money is better donated.
Craig L.

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www.handcraftinlay.com

I agree about the immediacy of the need.

I am fortunate that I work for Microsoft because Microsoft matches all of my charitable contributions dollar for dollar and does so for all 62,000 Microsoft employees worldwide.

Microsoft as a company has already sent a team to coordinate all of the supplies and resources being sent by charities so that everything that arrives at staging areas is known and can be distributed efficiently.

Additionally I am part of the Microsoft team that works with the American Red Cross, International Red Cross and Red Crescent. We have another team working with Red Cross to help them in any way.

Microsoft has a liberal policy for emergency events that any Microsoft Employee that can add value and has a unique reason or talent to be involved can ask for and is given a paid leave of absence for as long as needed to provide support.

When 9/11 I was one of the people that worked to help pentagon people to get their computer systems back online, literally emptying water out of server cases and blow drying them to dry them. Because I worked with the Red Cross I helped to setup donated computers in every major city so that families could look up the lists of injured and missing to find out where their family member was.

For Tsunami relief, Microsoft had 1600 people on the ground in the region.

What is different about this tragedy ( and in common with the Tsunami) as opposed to other natural disasters is that this will not go away in the next few days or weeks. For all intents and purposes there are many small towns and parishes in Missippi, Louisiana, Alabama and a small part of Florida that simply do not exist anymore.

My thoughts in wanting to build a guitar to auction off is that once the news story dies down and all of the benefit celebrity events are done, for many people their lives will still be in shambles. There will be lots of aid needed weeks and months from now although it will be a different need then at the moment.

Because I have a son that is a junior in high school and all of his friends know I build guitars, I have been working with several of them for the last 8 months to help them to build their first handmade instruments. Most initially wanted to build tele, strat and les paul electrics.

I pushed them to try something more challenging and unplugged, so a few are now building dreds and OM's, something I dont have a background building myself as I build almost exclusively classical, but it has been a cool experience to see them as they begin to hear what they are building.

Now there are a few teens that want to build a guitar to sell on eBay on their own so that is what we are doing. It wont be over the top but will be a very presentable Australian Blackwood OM with a Lutz Spruce top (I won from ASIA's auction but donated to ASIA by Shane of High Mountain). We are using a Martin neck from Rich Altieri that I got on eBay, Snakewood binding that I got from Bobc while at ASIA and vintage NOS Kluson tuners.

The teens and I are trying to put it together in less than 2 weeks (less finishing time) so that they can get it done before the first home football games ( a must for high school teens). Also for these teens, most dont work so for them this isnt about giving money, it is about them doing something tangible which for them is their effort.

When I saw how much this hurricane affected these teens it inspired me. I understand the logistic difficulties in having multiple luthiers work on a project...in my case we are doing all of this in my shop, not individual teens basements...

I'm with everyone here. I really like the idea, and I'd love to contribute to it - but I think money to the red cross is perhaps the best thing right now.

Next time though, when there isn't such immediacy, I will contribute by doing a V-joint (head to neck joint).

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Well, If you want to go ahead with the project Shawn, I'll contribute in any way I can. Why not...? I'm in if you need me.

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"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."

OK, Let me try this again...

If I create an ad for Ebay, and put it in their charity auctions, as a "gift certificate" for a handmade acoustic guitar (insert specifications here)...

And put a starting price of $2500... (plus shipping and insurance TBD)

And put an auction ending date in 2 weeks...

And advertise that it will be built by Official Luthiers Forum members...

And say that the guitar will be completed within 6 months...

And if I donate a set of Quilted Sapele that I got from Bob "Zootman" Cefalu... (and maybe someone could supply a good photo of a guitar made from Bob's Quilted Sapele)

Then, is Shawn's idea feasible?

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Dennis I think this is a very charitable idea and would be glad to help. However we have been most of a year on the OLF anniversary guitar, we are just getting going on one charity guitar. So a six month completion is not likely to happen. It takes a good deal of time to ship form one member to the next, plus we each have to deal with our current work and build schedules. If we take this on, I think a 12-14 month delivery is more realistic.

Don't get me wrong but I agree with most that a collective donation from the forum is more in tune with the current needs right now.MichaelP38596.5071527778

Shawn,

Get it going. Whatever you need from me just ask and it will be there. I have top wood and will very soon have lots of EIR. I have binding and purfling and truss rods also. I can very easily glue up a top and thickness sand it today!

As for money to this disaster. The red cross will gladly take donations. I just sent $100 to the cause. And we can all do something in that regard.

The very best of luck on this Shawn.

Shane

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Canada

Here is a thought if a six month turn around is is to be achived. One luthier builds the guitar while the materials are donated by the rest.

[QUOTE=MichaelP] Here is a thought if a six month turn around is is to be achived. One luthier builds the guitar while the materials are donated by the rest.[/QUOTE]
Or, how about a variation on this idea, as well as re-setting the timeframe to completion, to 12 months:

So that all the burden is not on one luthier, maybe a very small group of luthiers could take it on. (The logistics of having a dozen or more luthiers each "laying hands" on the other 2 guitars is probably a major contributing force in the length of time it is taking to complete them.)

Sounds like so far, we've got a back & side set, a top, some binding, a truss rod...

Dennis
p.s. This will not be "instead of" but rather "in addition to" anything that anyone can do with an immediate donation to a relief agency such as Red Cross. The folks displaced and/or made homeless need water, food, cots, tents, toilet paper, etc. right now. And they will need more in a few weeks, when our auction could come through.

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

I think it's a nice thought but we already sent money into the Salvation Army, those people are in dire straits and need food, shelter and water now. If I didn't have to work for a living I would volunteer to go help with the recovery efforts, in fact if my company would keep my pay I would go... I have never seen anything like this stateside....

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Here again French Polish is somewhat my specialty. I would be glad to provide this if this is the finish of choice.

OK, now that the evening has come, and more people will be checking posts here, I thought I'd give this a bump and take the OLF pulse, one more time. Because I'm a pre-beginner luthier-wannabee, I don't think it is fair to an auction recipient for me to offer my luthier services, until I earn some stripes. That's why I decided to offer material. Are there one, two, maybe three luthiers that think this is a great idea, and would commit to the labor?

My belly is really full; I ate a bit too much dinner, and it was hot off the grill. Not sure if I'll take a hot shower tonight, or wait until morning. I know my bed is going to feel wonderful tonight - comfy, warm, and dry. Nice to know my little girl will be safe tonight too. We'll leave her night light on until she falls asleep.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia