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Ok gang this is the evening class guitar, just strung up today.

This has taken over a year at the weekly clas tutored by Sam Irwin, one of George Lowden's original 4 employees from WAAAAY back!!!

Cedar top, East Indian Rosewood back & sides, binding faceplate fingerboard & bridge.

Mahogany EIR lam neck.

Gotoh tuners

Bone nut & saddle

horn pins

I have a piezo under the saddle to run to an external preamp










problems?

well the finish is 99% and the nut will need re done as the strings are too near the edges of the fingerboard, so I'll cut another with slightly more room at the edges.

a wee strum here.......

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Very nice guitar Martin, congrats!

Love that laminated neck and combo of woods!

Can't hear the music though,, the link doesn't work!

Serge

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Martin, great job. I looked at the compensated saddle and you had me scratching my head. I would think that B string would need to be opposite, but then that's my pea brain looking at your cool guitar. Thanks for sharing it. I know you are really proud of it.

And you have the name for making great guitars....

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

AHHHHHHHHHHH

you're right!!!!!



Aw man, at least I now have a left handed saddle for farther down the line!!!!

Aw what a muppet!!

I'll now go and sit in a corner facing the wall!!!

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martin!!

You mean....it's FINISHED???

So, will you continue the guitar building course, and be one of those old guys with their 50th Sam Irwin inspired mando???

And don't worry about the saddle. If you get fed with with this jumbo, make a lefty nut, whack in your pre-made lefty saddle, and send it to me!!!!!!!!

It's alright Martin! An easy fix! My first had an upside down end graft - If people notice, I tell 'em it was planned that way!

Looks great man! What's next?

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
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Naw Sam the slot is at the wrong angle for you.... I'd have to make a whole guitar and you could use this thing as a canoe!!

it's HUGE and you're.... well..... not.....

I reckon I'm done with the course. ?97 a term could be spent on zoot!! and the gang here are SO helpful, and not as rude about mistakes!!!

Next?

recutting a nut and a compensated saddle!!!

As well as that I have a Les Paul and a Granadillo/cedar mini jumbo under way.......

this was a week ago......

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WOAH!!!!! And next week? THE WORLD??!??!??

Your classroom is HUGE!!!

Digging that headstock shape, Martin. A great development on previous designs.



I totally agree with your statement about the forum members on the OLF. I really appreciate their honest "critique", praise and encouragement I have recieved on my first build. They all seem dead keen to see people moving on in their guitar building. I have never felt intimidated here, only edified.

A rare find on the internet.


BTW, my next build will be a full size jumbo...I'll show ya... Sam Price39106.6631018519

Congrats!! Martin, One of the best thing for me about finishing a guitar
is starting another... and you're way ahead of that!   Good job!

Is that your little one heard in the background of the sound file?   That is
so cute!!!

longBob Long39106.6717939815

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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus

WOW, Thanks for soundclip Martin!

Man oh Man, you are busy and gettin' them out the door quick! i wish i could follow you, Hesh and Andy's pace but it's hopeless for me!

Good job mate!

[QUOTE=Bob Long] Congrats!! Martin, One of the best thing for me about finishing a guitar
is starting another... and you're way ahead of that!   Good job!

Is that your little one heard in the background of the sound file?   That is
so cute!!!

long[/QUOTE]

Awwwww... that is Martin's youngest daughter...I've had the immense pleasure of reading books to her and she is the cutest redhead I have ever met!!
That little Northern Irish accent is amazing!!Sam Price39106.6771759259

OOps, I gotta go back and listen to that, I only listened to the first few seconds of the take to check levels!! I forgot that she came bustling in round the room while I was playing!!

and as to the classroom, that's the planning area next door to my workshop. the shop is 3 times thesize of the planning area and I have a proper classroom too. loads of room to spread out for lutherie!!!

but I've sort of half promised myself that I'm going to get the Mini-Jumbo & the LP at least at finishing stage before I start anything else.......

yeah, right!

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Looks good and sounds good, Martin! And, man, you're a luthin' maniac!

The saddle, hey that's nothing.

On my second, an L-00, we were hurrying to get done in three weeks, my neice and I. We knew something just wasn't right, just did not play in tune at all.

Somehow, the Saddle-matic got placed on the 13th Fret, and the bridge glued on and all six holes drilled...... no joke.

Months later it came home to poppa, I found the slight error, only a half inch. Fortunately the big Martin Style bridge we used originally covered all six extra holes. I got a chance to see how to take off a bridge, and an opportunity to do a refinish on a fairly new guitar. (with clear acrylic lacquer, don't try this at home kids)   

Great job Martin, great job.   

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Martin, the guitar sounds great, but the voice over is the best part!

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Aoibeann

Aw folks you're all so kind. I was sort of half expecting a flaming for being daft with the saddle, but yet again you all show me why I keep coming back.

Y'all are great!!

Well, I've just re cut the nut, replaced the errant saddle, oiled the fingerboard & stuck in a label.

S'pose I should go teach some kids now........

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[QUOTE=martinedwards] Aw folks you're all so kind. I was sort of half expecting a flaming for being daft with the saddle, but yet again you all show me why I keep coming back.

Y'all are great!!

Well, I've just re cut the nut, replaced the errant saddle, oiled the fingerboard & stuck in a label.

S'pose I should go teach some kids now........ [/QUOTE]

You've gotta good heart, Martin, and your love for building guitars inspires us all!!

Have fun with those kids. I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy luthiery so much without the contrast of jobs!!

So, no Truss Rod Cover to put my celtic cross on so it found it's way onto the label



The nut is now a better width, with the High E not falling off the edge of the neck



and the saddle is now compensated to IMPROVE intonation

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Most excellent Martin, keep up the good work sir.Bruce Dickey39107.9898032407

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Like the label.

Martin--

Great looking guitar!

[quote=sam price]You've gotta good heart, Martin, and your love for building guitars inspires us all!!
[/quote]

Good words by Sam expressing how a bunch of us feel!

--Jim

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

That looks great Martin! Right on!

Sure feels good hearing music from your first, eh?

Keep up the great work...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

[QUOTE=Alain Desforges] That looks great Martin! Right on!

Sure feels good hearing music from your first, eh?

Keep up the great work...[/QUOTE]

first?

I wish!!!

this is my 4th acoustic guitar. And I STILL screw up the saddle


though to be fair this was started before any of the others.........

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Martin,

Your doing just fine mate. Just remember, if you pay attention to the journey along the way, no matter the destination, the next time that you walk the same path, it will take you so much closer to where you intended to be when you decided to take that very first step.

Well done

Cheers

Kim