Official Luthiers Forum!

Here's some shots of the second of the three I'm taking to the big show. It's cocobolo/sitka and ebony bound. Still lacks a clear pickguard and some more buffing (I'll be buffing them until I pack them for shipping, I can't help myself). Thanks for looking.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Very nice Jimmy, I don't want you parking next me down there either
Don't rub all the finish off.

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

Stunning top silking Jimmy and the back ain't too shabby either

Tell us more about the bridge design and it's benefits [besides being cool looking]. I have seen something similar on Babicz guitars.

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

Beautiful workmanship as usual Jimmy.

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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

Oustanding Jimmy!!!
Tell us more about it!!
Very nice...Congrats.
WalterK

That is nice !!!

[QUOTE=Tim McKnight] Stunning top silking Jimmy and the back ain't too shabby either

Tell us more about the bridge design and it's benefits [besides being cool looking]. I have seen something similar on Babicz guitars.[/QUOTE]

Tim, the bridge on this guitar is my take on Steve Klein's design. I ran through about a dozen prototypes before I was happy with it, but I think it was worth the effort. Advantages? After you get used to it, string changes are very quick and you won't have to worry about what kind of bridge pins look best. I can't say that it has any tonal effect, but I do think it sets the guitar apart visually. This may not be a good thing in some peoples eyes, though. Tradition has a heavy impact on some players opinions of what a guitar should look like. For that reason I also offer a traditional pinned bridge. I'm bringing guitars with both kinds to Healdsburg and will be interested in the feedback from the folks there.

As for Jeff Babicz's design, I actually got to see his prototype at Tom Ribbecke's shop a couple of years ago. His design is quite a bit different (it's actually two pieces) and the ball ends of the strings actually attach at the perimeter of the lower bout. Very unique.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Very nice! That sure is some pretty cocobolo.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

sadly I'm just now finishing the woodworking on my instruments for
healdsburg!! Good thing I got a great finish guy :) I am what my
signature says....

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Jimmy--really sweet. I'll second Tim's comment about that top. Wow! Where did you get that? I wouldn't mind a truck load of that wood!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Another great one Jimmy. I really like the bridge on this one (as in, mind if I copy you if I give you credit).

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Awesome looking guitar, can definetly see the Steve Klein influence. Is it Kasha braced?

Man, there's going to be a truck load of stunners at HB coming from the members of this forum.

Beautiful wood (top and back) and nice rosette. Over all a very nice looking guitar. How does it sound?

It looks like you x braced the back. What advantages do you find by doing this?

I think the BIG boys at HB are going to be impressed by the OLF crowd. Lots of great guitars are being shown here and Jimmy this one is a beauty.

For those who asked about the top, I picked it up from LMI at the last HGF. It makes a difference when you can sift through a stack of 50 or so tops and take the stuff you want. I bought the cocobolo at the same time.

As for the bracing, it is Kasha braced. It's the third one I've done and like anything else, the more you do, the more you learn. Maybe after I build another 50 or so, I'll get the hang of it. My gut feeling is that there is a very small market for anything that's "outside the box", so I'm bringing an X-braced grand concert also. Maybe I'll be surprised, I hope so.

I've enjoyed seeing the pics of guitars built by other forum members. There is a lot of talent out there and I'm very impressed by the work that's on display here.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Jimmy,

I've been wondering...are you (or others that you know of) still privy to ongoing research by Dr. Kasha? It would be a shame if, without the brilliance of Richard Schneider, nobody continues to put it all together in one, integrated, system.

Carlton

[QUOTE=CarltonM] Jimmy,

I've been wondering...are you (or others that you know of) still privy to ongoing research by Dr. Kasha? It would be a shame if, without the brilliance of Richard Schneider, nobody continues to put it all together in one, integrated, system.

Carlton[/QUOTE]

Carlton, I've read very little of Kasha's work, but there is some info. available at Jay Hargreaves (sp.?)site. You can google it and find stuff pretty easily. My research has primarily been focused on Steve Klein's work and his application of Dr. Kasha's theories as they relate to the steel stringed guitar. As I understand it, virtually all of Kasha's work dealt with classical guitars and the steel string guitar is a different animal. Schneider tried an ill-fated venture with Gibson (The Mark V) that was a disaster, I think largely because his application of Kasha's theory didn't cross over to the steel string. There were all sorts of problems with quality control also, but from what I've been able to learn, the theory just didn't translate.

If you look at Klein's work, while it has it's basis rooted in Kasha's theory, it is really quite different. I became faimilar with Klein's work in the late seventies through my membership in the GAL. Their quarterly publication published several articles on Steve's work and I followed them over a period of years. His work took the theories a step further in that he basically changed everything all at once. He changed the neck design, neck attachment, the bridge, the bracing, everything. And he did it 30 years ago, so there has been a chance to evaluate his work over an extended period of time.

If you're interested in Steve's work, the best source is the GAL quarterlies. He, along with Steve Kaufmann, have done the best job of applying the basics of Kasha's theories to the real world application at least as far as steel stringed guitars are concerned. Hope this helps.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Very,Very nice job Jimmy. I love cocobolo and you did
a beautiful job on this one!!
Gorgeous top too!





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Dave A.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Jimmy,

I'll add to the praise: The workmanship looks excellent, and it is obvious that you spent some time to find a top with massive silk and no runout. When that Sitka opens up, I'll bet this baby will sing!

Interesting take on the neck heel - it looks shorter and wider than "typical." Buckminster Fuller would appreciate the triangular cross section - it looks very strong. Is that neck heel design new, or have you done these for a while? (I can see where it would be advantageous in material usage, requiring a smaller chunk of lumber. If laminated, it looks like it could come out of a flatsawn board 6" wide.)

I'd love to see some internal bracing shots, including the back braces.

I suspect that you are right about encountering some resistance to non-X braced, non-pinned bridges, and other non-copies of traditional Martin design issues. But, this also makes your designs stand out in a sea of Martin copies. If your instruments sound great and play well, you'll do just fine!

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia