Official Luthiers Forum!

hi all
I have been snooping about here for some time.
May I say how much I enjoy this forum.
My name is Geordie Adams and I live in the west of Scotland.
Im due to retire in a couple of months after thirty five years in the chemical industry.
I have just applied and been offered (much to my surprise) a place at Anniesland collage in Glasgow on an excellent stringed instrument making course starting in August, run by Bill Kelday guitar (Tony McManus played one of his for many years) and Paul Hyland violin.
So might I warn you all to be prepared for many glaikit* questions.
best wishes
Geordie

*Scots - stupid - then some.

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some tunes on acoustic and guitar synth.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGeordieAdams
http://www.myspace.com/geordieadams

Hello and welcome!

Welcome Geordie. Sounds like you are going to have some very good teachers there.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Yes, Welcome Geordie. You live in the finest, most beautiful part of the world! I've spent the best part of my long career studying the geology of your area and also bagged all of the Munros, whereabouts are you?

There are some great guitar builders here, so just ask away.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Hi Geordie, nice to see some more Europeans here! We usually have the forum to ourselves for a few hours before the north Americans get up, and this is when we get boisterous, cut loose and generally thrash the place (then we just blame the Australians, they're up really early).

I drove down the west coast of Scotland once, and it sure is beautiful there. It actually looks a bit like Norway!

Anyways welcome, there is lots of good info here and most people are friendly and courteous. You'll like it!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Nice to see the UK/European contingent growing. About time.

Welcome, Geordie, and as I said in my previous message to you, Bill Kelday's teaching is exceptional. You'll have a great time on this course learning the chops you need, and might meet some great people!

Welcome Geordie...
My family has a lot of roots in Scotland, although I doubt we could find a single relative there anymore. Somehow they lost all the history down through the years. Scotland is the one place in this world I would love to visit.

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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."

Welcome to the OLF Geordie.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Geordie, welcome to the OLF. This is the best online site I have found for guitar building. Fear not asking questions as for many of us it wasn't all that long ago that we were new to all of this.

I know Scotland pretty well and in particular the west coast. I was married in Glasgow and have spent a lot of time there over the past 18 years visiting family in the Glasgow area, Edinburgh and the Lake District of England.

My knowledge of Scotland is different from Colin’s, he’s the foremost British expert on the hills and Munros whereas I am more partial to the Glen’s and the fine culture to be enjoyed there

Welcome to OLF, Geordie! I have never been to Scotland, but my heritage is certainly Scots. With a name like Waddy Thomson, I could hardly have other than Scottish ancestors. My G G Grandfather was my immigrant ancestor from Scotland. His name was Ninian. Congratulations on getting a shot at the stringed instrument course. What a great way to get going in building. You'll get plenty of answers to your questions here, though I probably won't be supplying many, as I am still a beginner myself.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Welcome - this is a great place for learning

Be sure to let us know what you are learning in your classes. Sounds like a great opportunity

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John Ressler

Welcome Geordie,
My family on the Kennedy side is Scottish as well. When we visited years ago and were shown one of the Kennedy strongholds the story was related that the clan roasted a local abbot on a spit until he would give them the church's land. I'm a much nicer guy.
Great to have you here!
Terry Kennedy

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Geordie,

Just a guess, but your name/nickname implies that you were born close to but not in Scotland.

We tribes need to know

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Hi Geordie,

How on earth do you ever get the wood in Scotland dry enough to build guitars with?

Dave F.
(ex-pat Brit)

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

A sincere welcome, Geordie! (And probably a little self-serving. ) I'm always looking for reasons to return to Scotland, and knowing some luthiers over there is as fine an excuse as any. My family comes from the area between Perth and Dundee.
Lovely country.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Welcome Geordie;
The class will be a eye opener !
Soak it all in-take pictures and lots of notes!!

From the " Irish Outlaw"
Michael Collins

P.S. Don- When we leaving?
I love Scotland!!

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Mike Collins

Wow what a welcome
I’m embarrassed, I ought to have a case o’ 25year old Glenlivet to offer ye a’ a wee dram in return for your kind welcome.
Collin S, aw’ the munros, you must be a fit lad. My avatar is the Five Sisters o’ Kintail taken from the Glenelg Pass which you will know well.

Arnt, you are right they are similar and when travelling in the far north here you can pick up Norwegian FM radio!!.

Sam, thank you for the lovely comments earlier about my music.

Don, the Ceilidh band’s warming up an’ waiting for you to grab a partner and “hurl her oot the window”, oh the girls do this to the guys to, dependin’ how you feel.

Anthony, I’m for the “Glen’s (of tranquility) and the fine culture” myself.

Waddy, we would say Tamson as in 'We're a’ Jock Tamson's bairns' see here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Tamson's_Bairns
and the name Ninian in Scotland dates back to mid 300’s AD here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Ninian

Terence, O’ the Kennedy’s diny mention the Kennedy’s, - their still the same.

Dave W, Dave. You trying to wind me up?.

Dave F, just throw more peat on the fire.

Steve, the next village to me is Houston, yip the original, dating back to 11th Century and big with the Knights Templar some are buried there. here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston,_Renfrewshire

Mike, as a boy I spoke with a broad Ulster Scots dialect nowt wrong with that except its unintelligible to any one else.

thanks again
enough o’ this and back to the work at hand.
yours
Geordie

_________________
some tunes on acoustic and guitar synth.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGeordieAdams
http://www.myspace.com/geordieadams

Welcome my friend, welcome! I am very much looking forward to hearing about your class, and how you're progressing in your building. Like Don Williams, Scotland has always been one of those places that appealed to me. Maybe I'll get to go one day.


Bill

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

Never been there, but think when die and if go to heaven, it must be Scotland. It is a dream of mine to go there one day. Never missed an episode of the Highlander. Just kidding I have just had the dream of going there since I was a kid. Tried to do it as an RR in 68, but they lied, you couldn't go anywhere in the world on their dollar. But did go to the land down under twice, and would do it again.

I think most of your questions on building will be answered at the school. Keep coming back though and share what you have learned and your projects. What a great opportunity to go to some first class training.

Welcome to the forum Geordie!

I'd love to see some of the "local wood" you have over there!

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Reguards,

Ken H

Geordie,

My apologies - I should take more notice of Steeleye Span lyrics.

Don't mind me - after all I'm an Englishman pretending to be an Irishman

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

welcome to the Forum Geordie, you could not have joined a better group of people you will learn alot here as everyone is so helpful, i am from Scotland myself born in Airdrie near Glasgow, but home now is Tasmania Australia regards Robert,

Welcome Geordie
I remember my trips to Scotland with such fondness. Great people, a triffle fey, which is part of the charm and everywhere I went the host of the B and B's always insisted on a wee dram of single malt. Amazing stuff. Took a tour of Edwardour distillery ( I am certain to have spelled that wrong) and finally developed a taste for the west coast peatty scotch.
My brother and I were there once and visited the village of Kinnaird. Here is proof of that. If you could see inside the auto you would find the steering wheel on the wrong side. I made a copy of this pic for my kids to hang from their rear view mirror as a sort of admonition.

Beautiful country Geordie, can't wait for a return visit.
And of course, welcome to the OLF

John Kinnaird

That would be Edradour, John, near Pitlochry, one of my favourite malts, still using a worm-tub a rarity now. Not as good as Talisker or Laphroaig or Lagavulin (I like the smoky malts of the Western Isles) but a great little distillery.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thanks Colin.
My spelling was so far off that I am surprised that you recognized the word for what it was intended.
I am with you on the smoky taste. Great stuff. I have had Laphroaig and aggree that it is wonderful. I am really getting the yearning to go back.
But, there was a cute little female tour guide at Edradour, (lassie?) who made that scotch seem mighty tastee.