Official Luthiers Forum!

This is a test to see if I can post a shot of a new guitar built just before Christmas. My bro gave me the wood for a present (you see how nice it is to be related not only to a great guy, but a luthier to boot!) The top is a piece of Bearclaw Sitka snagged at a GAL convention back in '01.    Hope this works! And if it does, Lance you could use one of these pix for a replacement on the bio page? Just a thought. I'm at least clean-shaven.Steve Kinnaird38360.6174189815

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve...Beautiful! Very Zooty!

Welcome back from the "Fountain of Youth". No wonder those lady parishioners pinched that smooth-shaven mug!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Love that Bubinga, wish the pics linked to bigger ones. IT's easy to do on this new software. See the two trees? ONE is for upload, with the arrow, the other is for piclinking only. So if you have a big ol 1.2MB pic somewhere on the net you can post it here: on the olf...

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This picture is hosted on the owner's website, cool huh.Dickey38360.6197106481

Bet you can't guess and he hangs out here all the time. Okay, no looking at the URL. I caught you didn't I?

Bruce--while you were posting, I edited my message and put the larger ones in. I think the Bubinga is just too pretty not to get a better look. Try again and see what'cha think....

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

These are much better. I love this site's ability to edit posts very quickly, and no logging on and off, and worrying about doing to large a picture, and getting hammered by the admins..... yee haw, me and Nelson done died and gone to heaven...

Steve what a beauty that is. Love that curly bubinga and bearclaw top. Hey Lance change the bio pic to this young man.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

just a wonderin'

You Kinnaird brothers really CAN build guitars!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Bob--or Lance--that'll work if you can edit out the guy hovering over my right shoulder. He looks like he might be my conscience nagging me over something.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Who ya talking bout?


LanceK38360.640775463

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Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Steve, I updated your bio..

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Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Steve...That is really beautiful! I love bubinga. I have built three so far. Thanks to BOBC I have about five sets of some real beautiful stuff. Anyway, you are very lucky to have a Brother who loves you enough to give up that Set!!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Great work Steve. I had a bad experience with my first Bubinga and have been a little scared to try it again. I've got 5 sets on my shelf, some flamed, some of the waterfall stuff just waiting to get used. You inspired me to get busy on it soon. Paul

What was your bad experience, Paul?

Many thanks fellas for your kind words. Paul- I was scared of this stuff too. I'd heard plenty of horror stories about bending Bubinga, and here this stuff was crazy curly. I was sweating bullets. However, when the iron got good and hot, this wood bent like plastic. Lumpy plastic, but plastic nonetheless. What impressed me the most was the sound... it sounds like rosewood, only more so. This might be the best sounding guitar I've built yet, and part of that is emanating from that bubinga. Now, LANCE---HOW did you do that w/ the picture? You're my hero. Can I send you my driver's license photo? I bet you could clean that thing up and make me look respectable.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Great looking guitar Syeve. I'd really like to see some more of your work. I think I've seen a couple and have been impressed each time. I'm hoping to order some of Bob Bubinga soon.

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

REALLY Pretty job. I do like that bubinga, think I'll build one too.
Back before I knew Bob C, I bought a plank of bubinga from Gilmer and resawed it into a few sets. That is one of them. Now my allegances have switched and Bob gets all my spare money.
But, now that I know where everyone went, let me congratulate you on a great looking instrument, and if you claim that it is you best sounding guitar to date, then it must be quite a guitar.

The stuff I had early on didn't bend worth a hoot. Broke 3 sets before I had a usable combination of sides. then when routing the binding chanel, it chipped and fractured more. not a pleasant experience. I think I'm just about ready to try some again though. I've learned a lot since then. Paul

Paul- you know, that happened to me too. I mean the chip out. A piece just blew out, deeper than the binding slot, but not deeper than the linings inside. I fitted a piece into the divot that matched the curl and the color--and under finish the repair disappeared. (Should I be admitting this on a public forum?) Anyway, as scary as the prospects are, I'm gonna get some more. Bubinga is just a great material. BRUCE D.-- Sorry, man, I just now figured out what you meant by the question about location. (duh) That shop is not Kinscherff's(sp?) but Chuck Lee's banjo shop in Ovila, Tx. And oh what a shop that is! He is a retired plumber with perhaps the best organized shop I've ever seen, and the best dust collection system on the planet. We need to get him to chime in as well.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Hey Steve:
Beautiful guitar. I'll chime in with you and Paul as I too have been having a nightmare with the Bubinga that I have. I broke 3 sets of sides [from different sources]. The ones that bent successfully were very potato chipped and lumpy. I built one Bubinga dread several years ago and swore I would never use it again until I saw Bob's waterfall stuff that was just "jaw dropping" gorgeous. I havn't bound it yet but after reading you guys experience with routing the channels it makes me think that I might use my StewMac dremmel attachment and that tiny spiral rotary cutter instead of a conventional router bit. It should eliminate any chance of chip out since the cutter has a lot more cutting teeth.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

I just bend some bubinga sides a couple of weeks ago. It bent like butter. I put it in the bender and waited a minute before I started to crank down the center caul. By the time I started to do the bend, the sides had started to ooze over the mold like cheese. When everything cooled the was almost no spring back.

It was the first time I'd used a heating blanket and I thought that the impovement was because of the blanket. But I bent some mahogany the next day and it was much stiffer. The blanket worked a whole lot better than the light bulbs, though.

I thin my sides to .08". How thin to you all go?

Bending that high figure bubinga is kinda scary but well worth the effort. Bubinga is a great sounding tonewood. I use two blankets very little water and wrap in foil. Thin to around .080

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

How hot do you run the bubinga?

I am getting ready to bend one of Bob's waterfall bubinga sets within the week.

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

Steve,

That is really beautiful! Very impressive. I love the top and purfling also!

Jeff