Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, the first gathering of the Mid-Atlantic Guitar
Institute (MAGI) was held today in perfect weather and, from what I could tell, perfect spirits.

We had a total of 9 people show up, most of which brought guitars, or parts of guitars, or questions...or just decent appetites and lots of curiosity. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the discussion was lively. It's always nice to put names with faces, and establish new friendships, and I believe we did both.

Here's a photo of the group, with names of those attending. My wife and I had a great time hosting the event at our house, and we're already looking forward to the next one.

If I didn't say so to everyone who came (and I hope I did), "THANK YOU" very, very much for taking the time, and effort, to visit. My house is your house; my shop your shop. Please don't be a stranger.

Bill



Left to Right, Back Row: Bob Kursar, Waddy Thomson, Paul Harrell, Robert Dobbs, Matt Ennis, Bill Greene

Left to right, Front Row: Ken Mitchell, Brad Nickerson, Red Ennis

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

And Bill and his wife are gracious hosts.  We had a great day, talking about guitars, building, eating great food, learning from each other, and learning from those who actually knew stuff.  What a good gathering.

Huzzah! Bill.  Thanks for your hospitality.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Hesh, I bet your ears were burning.  Your name came up more than once while we were cussin & discussin.  Apparently some people listen to your wise counsel.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Hats off to Bill and his wife for hosting the event. I had a great time meeting everyone and learning some new things. Plus I got to see the cleanest workshop in America. All in all a great way to spend the day.

Thanks again,

Bob K

MAGI...what a great name!

Who thought that one up?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I got home a little while ago from the MAGI gathering and can't say enough about what great hosts Bill and his wife were(his wife made lots of great food that was way beyond what a bunch of shiftless guitar makers deserved). It was great to see the guitars and their makers and Bill's shop. I thought I kept my shop pretty clean, and you may too, but trust me they are dumps compared to Bill's. Just remember to keep pets and small children away from the dust collection ports. So, thanks again Bill and please say a special thank you to your wife.

                  Peace, Paul Harrell

       

The Man of the hour, with the cleanest shop on the east coast

All right, way to go guys. I love a luthing party. Food and fun. Okay, who's the best guitar player in the bunch? Usually out of a group this size someone can do some business on the fretboard....

More pics please, keep 'em comin'....Bruce

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

I think Paul plays them just as good as he builds them

I'm glad you all had a great time!!!

[quote=WaddyT]Hesh, I bet your ears were burning. Your name came up more than once while we were cussin & discussin. Apparently some people listen to your wise counsel.[/quote]

   Hesh, you should share some of your wise counsel here on the OLF!   

It's great to see you guys had a good time!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I’ll second that! Cleanest shop on the East Coast! Heck, that’s the cleanest shop I’ve ever seen!

Hesh, I think you got a rival!

Bill, you were very modest about your shop, but, I thought it was quite the set up! You got a lot
of cool little gadgets, good selection of power tools, the dust collection system is super,
and I really LOVE that vacuum clamp! You got a great shop my friend!

Great time for sure! What I liked about the gathering, was that, it was very much like being at the
OLF, but in real time. Instead of waiting hours for a response to an inquiry, it was instantaneous!
It was, OLF LIVE! And, just like it is here, everyone had something to add to what ever the topic
was. Each and, every one of you guys opened my eye to something that I’d not thought of before.

If I may, I would like to thank Brad Nickerson on behalf of all of us for his input, and sharing with
us some the tips and tricks of guitar building. I know he is not here at the OLF.
So, if you would Bill, please let him know that we appreciated his presence at the Gathering.

Most of all, I’d like to say, that I had FUN! This was the first opportunity for me to hang out with
a group of people, that were actually INTERESTED in talking about guitar building. And, talking
I did! I do have tendency to go on. So, I hope I didn’t offend anyone with my over zealousness to
learn from you guys.

Oh Yeah! One more thing! The guitars brought, and already present, were outstanding! Definitely
something for a newbe like me to aspire to!

Yes, lets do it again!
I spoke to my wife about it last night, and she’s all for having the next MAGI at our place!

And, last, but not least! The Host and the Hostess were the Mostess!

Thanks so much for inviting us into your home!

Robert

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

[QUOTE=robertandsons]
 And, talking
I did! I do have tendency to go on. So, I hope I didn’t offend anyone with my over zealousness to
learn from you guys. Robert[/QUOTE]

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

OOPS! I forgot to put my line in.  I was so anxious to make a joke, I hit the post button. Oh well!

Robert, I don't know what you are talking about, we could hardly coax you into saying anything.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

[QUOTE=redennis3] The Man of the hour, with the cleanest shop on the east coast[/QUOTE]

OK, OK, I have to fess'up...I don't actually LIVE there, and it's not my shop. I borrowed the house and shop space from a buddy because I have no shop. And those kids? Paid child actors - I never saw them before in my life until yesterday morning. And that food? Local convenience store hotdogs rewrapped. And the reason that shop is so clean? It's never used! Those tools were trucked in on Friday for the day. They go back to the rental store on Monday morning. Boy it feels good to get that off my chest!

OK, I've recovered from all the leftovers I had to eat last night, so here's my general impressions:

Paul Harrell brought what was possibly the loudest dreadnaught I've ever heard. Don't get me wrong; it was a gorgeous guitar, expertly made with lots of neat little doodads and light as a feather, but both of the guitars he brought just oozed with tone. Nice guy too, who gave use a sharpening lesson towards the end of the day. His handmade planes are not to be believed. I tried to steal the shooting board jig he brought, but he's quicker than he looks.

Robert brought his first guitar, which was wonderful. Thumped like a drum, and really is going to kill. Brad Nickerson gave it the once over and couldn't criticize it at all - and he wasn't being polite, either. It's good. Robert's a custom home builder, and my guess is that 2-3 guitars from now we're all going to see something special. And the guy is super nice. I wish I lived closer, he'd be a fun guy to hand out with.

Red and Matt Ennis: GREAT guys. Funny, full of life, generous. They're just now into their first guitar, and are getting into the swing of things. Although they didn't what they've built, it's obvious to me that their passionate about it. And Red generously agreed to let me come visit and check out his new Woodmaster sander - these are going to be serious builders. And I have to go along with Red. Paul Harrell played a bluesy rendition of "Windy and Warm" that was good. Hesh, Red (and wife) gets up your way weekly from what I remember. You should try and bump into them if it's close enough.

Waddy T: Infectious, detail oriented. Reminds me somewhat of a stately college professor, but with a great sense of humor - but you can tell he's very technical in nature. Waddy is building classicals, and unfortunately the others were all purely steel string makers...but I think he absorbed enough to make it a worthwhile visit. You know how there are just "some things" you know. These classicals are going to be good.

Ken Mitchell: Ken brought an almost complete LMI kit that is so resonant, it vibrates from people talking around it. He was a bit worried about the neck angle, but Nickerson said he had pretty much nailed it. Ken's a great guy, but his job keeps him busy and I don't see him post too much, which is a shame. Ken, I'll be in touch about lunch in Raleigh soon.

Brad Nickerson: As someone else mentioned, Brad doesn't hang out on the OLF (somebody has to actually build guitars, right?) but Brad is walking dictionary of building techniques - and a great guy. He didn't make it in until just after lunch, so we pounced on him and made him answer questions. Brad and I are friends, and he stayed a few minutes after everyone else had departed...he said he had a great time, and was going to check out the OLF. Maybe he'll become a member. If you're someone in the North Carolina area, trying to find a one-on-one guitar building teacher, get in touch with Brad.

Bob Kursar: I saved the sleeper for last. This guy has some serious building chops. He brought guitars 4 & 5, and they both RULE. His work is near flawless, his finishes are clean and his tone is good. He's sort of a quiet guy (isn't aggresive in his conversations), but I knew his work was high-quality when I first saw his guitar coming out of the car. Bob, if you're listening, I'd like to hang out sometime...clearly there is much to learn from you. Seriously ya'll, these are high, high-end guitars. Detail on par with anybody's, and so much eye candy it's hard to absorb it all.

So that was my take. GREAT get-together, and Carla and I loved having you all. Again, don't be strangers - life is too short.

Bill

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Oh, Hesh, the sunburst is mine. It's a Tony F. finish though, so I am only able to take credit for having enough sense to send it to him.

It's not as "red" as it shows in the photos, it's actually more of a bright tobacco burst, but every photo I've ever seen of it shows it redder than it really is.

Steve: I came up with MAGI...you know, wise men coming from afar. I was trying to work "Mid-Atlantic Luthiers..." into the word, and all I could get was MALARKY.      So MAGI stuck. lol

_________________
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Bill, thanks for the great run-down, and the thoughtful expose' of these talented OLF'ers. Wish I had been there just so you would think up something nice to say about me.

Yes, I got the MAGI reference. Very clever.
There's a local luthier's group in the south east corner of Texas with the name, LOST.
Which stands for Luthiers Of South(east) Texas.
Well, that's better than MALARKY, don'tcha think?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

[QUOTE=WaddyT]

Robert, I don't know what you are talking about, we could hardly coax you into saying anything.

[/QUOTE]


Waddy, don’t get me started, or I’ll tell you everything I know!

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

Thanks for the kind, and way too generous, words Bill. Keep it up and people are going to think you're getting payola. (BTW the check is in the mail.) Seriously though, everyone brought top notch work and I'd love to be able to build something as good as Paul's dred. Maybe someday...   I would like to get together sometime, I want to pick your brain about your flat top construction method. The more I think about it the more I want to try it.

Talk to you soon.

Bob

I'm soooooo sorry that I had to miss this one. Looks like you guys had a great time. I'll try for the next one !

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Reguards,

Ken H