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The article is very brief but I thought some of you might want to check it out. Some really nice inlays. Judy Threet - Woodworkers Journal.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Thanks Don

Very intersting Article

I still can't believe they called her a Neanderthal....

That's a term I personally reserve for big dumb guys who spend too much time in the weight room, and who think being macho is what life is all about.

Judi would be the antithesis of that. Sort of. She's a highly intelligent and artistic woman with an unbelievable sense of humor. And her guitars are phenominal.

I was a bit disappointed in the size of the article, especially after having read the last couple of issues of Guitarmaker magazine with her article on inlay. Still, it's great press for her. Except for the N word.

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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."

Actually, Don, I think that the term "Neanderthal" is meant to be a badge of honor in this case. It refers to a woodworker who eschews power tools and prefers to do his or her work "hands on," so to speak. Considering the tone of the article, it certainly wasn't meant to be an insult.

Perhaps "Luddite" would have been a better term, although that sometimes has negative connotation, too.

Say, the new Woodcraft magazine (Vol. 2, No. 12) has articles on Kit Guitar building and an interview of Gerald Sheppard, all very nicely done. Check it out.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Ahhh, she is a woman I can relate to!!! Making guitars by hand!!

I have got to say, I am not an elaborate inlay fan...until now.

Her designs are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!

There is some woodworking website that uses 'Neanderthal' in its name. It is meant positively.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Google "cian perez" to find out just what a compliment "Neanderthal" is. It is a broad ranging site that embraces handtools.MT

[QUOTE=Don Williams]That's a term I personally reserve for big dumb guys who spend too much time in the weight room, and who think being macho is what life is all about.[/QUOTE]

Oh... look who is stereotyping now...   

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

No, not stereotyping...I was very specific!


Man, I make one dry joke and everyone thinks I'm serious! Ahh...life goes on.
I was quite aware of the term as used for hand tool folks.
I used to be one of them.....but I saw the light...

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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."

Hey Don
You know we all love you.

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The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

[QUOTE=Don Williams] No, not stereotyping...I was very specific!


Man, I make one dry joke and everyone thinks I'm serious! Ahh...life goes on.
I was quite aware of the term as used for hand tool folks.
I used to be one of them.....but I saw the light...
[/QUOTE]

You know I am just poking you with a stick. I wasn't being serious.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

[QUOTE=Don Williams]Man, I make one dry joke and everyone thinks I'm serious!
I was quite aware of the term as used for hand tool folks. [/QUOTE]
D'oh! Sorry, Don. Gotta say, though, that that one was dryer'n Death Valley on a sunny summer day!

See? I make ANOTHER dry joke and you guys all go apologizing to me! Cut it out!



Carlton, I guess I am a victim of my own bad sense of humor!

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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."

The Cro-Magnons never get the recognition they deserve...

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

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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."

Stop it you zoot cavemen.

[QUOTE=Don Williams] I still can't believe they called her a Neanderthal....


[/QUOTE]

Heh Don, Neanderthal is the self-applied term used by those who eschew electricity, and is worn as a badge of honor and distinction. It is even utilized to describe the occasional day when you want to plane and carve instead of rout and whatever else makes a lot of noise. Neander can even be used as a verb to describe these activities.

This can all be seen on rec.woodworking, which is occasionally a helpful place but also has an overwhelming tendency to devolve into political bickering, making it, in the end, an unreadable venue (to me at least).

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

    This has been fun thread to follow.

    I've seen Judy's use of tools and she follows the same path as many of us in small shops who still work alone. She builds a beautiful guitar, but, like myself, still has a white-knucled grip on some of the old school tools and techniques that have been shunned by some who are pursuing higher numbers in production.

     I have two beautifully built and set up Fox style bending machines that were used to bend a single set of sides back in 1995. I appreciated the fact that I was able to multitask and get other work done while the sides were cooking away across the shop on the benders, but realized that I really enjoy interacting with the wood as it yields to the effects of the water and heat of my bending iron and relaxes to allow me to bend it. So, once those sides came out of the balankets and steel sheets, the machines were neatly tucked onto a shelf where they've quietly resided since.

   I still rmemeber which guitar that was that ended up with the machine bent sides and can tell you who owns it, what wood the sides were made from and the serial number that is inside of it. Strange, maybe, but true nonetheless.

    I love the machines and their function, but just choose to bend all of my sides by hand and still love to carve all of my necks from billets even though I've set up and programmed at least twenty CNC machines to run necks at an alarming rate for different shops over the years. I appreciate the speed and accuracy of the CNC carvers, but have just chosen to stick with the time consuming and sometimes tedious task of removing all that material with a series of outdated tools and a few of my own design that make the work as painless and speedy as possible. Some of the shaves and tools that I use were used by and even made by my grandfather who had a huge shop that was half metal working machine shop and half cabinet shop hand making cabinets for most of the local spec home builders in his time.

   Judy's use of a Drill press to act as a sort of vertical thickness sander years ago was ingenious even though it appeared to kick up clouds of dust, but she was...and obviously still is resourceful and innovative in her methods and ideas. I don't know if she still thickness her wood that way, but hope she has fitted some sort of dust collection to it since if she does.

   I'll continue to "neander" around my shop using what I really love to use those old school methods and think of ways to get it done while still keeping it interesting for me and feeding my passion for the craft. I was a toolmaker/designer and CNC programmer/operator by trade for years and have loads of very useful and timesaving designs being used by several different makers that I don't even use myself right now. As intriguing and interesting as all of th virtual modeling and maching technology is, I've chosen to pass on it for now. I've had several opportunities to purchase CNC machines from different shops that I've done work for as they've upgraded and updated, some for rediculuosly low liquidation prices, but have passed by directing the sales to friends instead and then helped them to set them up and even programmed them for them.

   Compliments come in strange forms sometimes. I'm sure Judy was flattered by the comment as she well should be.

"Vive le Neanderthals!"

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Oui Monsieur!