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I haven't done any build classes in a few years, but just started one yesterday that has been being planned for two years. With
my shoulder injury slowing my work significantly, the class was a great way for me to be able to stay in the shop and around the
work so we went ahead with it.

Paul Burner from Lincoln, Nebraska arrived at the shop yesterday morning to get started. An additional treat was having his son,
Kyle, come along fresh off his college graduation with an engineering degree.

We had a fun and productive day and are just about to start day two.

Paul started a cool blog about the class that you can check out of you'd like here http://web.mac.com/slidearts/Guitar_Bui ... /blog.html

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Really cool Kevin.
Good luck with the class.

The blog idea is great. I haven't followed much yet but certainly plan to digest it soon.

Thanks for sharing, Kevin!

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

This is really cool. Thanks for sharing it, Kevin.

My students have been doing state testing while I sit here and watch for the past two weeks. It was good to have something new to read

This promises to be a great Blog, and a nice lesson in guitar building. What fun.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

We've had an incredible two days and Paul and Kyle are a pleasure to teach and work with. Even though
neither of them is experienced in woodworking, they both have very obvious practical understanding of
tools and hoe to use them....correctly and safely!

Today we saw the morning open with us removing the clamps on the ribbon that we used as side supports
or crack stops. It looks great inside the guitars, stays put really well and stops cracks that may happen in
the future from getting out of control.

Then we installed the Cedar kerfed linings and cut the radii on them, braced the backs and installed them
to the rims of each guitar.

Finally, we installed the tops on both guitars to lose the bodies to close them. Paul's beautiful Amazon
Rosewood/Sitka Spruce body came out of the mold and was free of all clamps and turnbuckles. Kyle's
Kyle's unique and striking Maple/Quilted Mahogany/Sitka Spruce body is in the mold with itstop clamped
in place and ready to be freed from its mold first thing tomorrow morning.

I'm doing lots of talking as we go through each step....mostly about the guitars and what and why we're
doing the things we're doing on them. Paul and I have become very close friends online and through email,
iChat, and video iChat, but actually met for the first time yesterday so there's a lot that we're catching up on
with one another.

Those of you who know me are familiar with my ability to chat....especially about guitars and guitar building
so you understand what a treat this is for me. I tell them how to do something, why it's necessary and beneficial
and send them to their guitars to do it....then I just talk their ears off while they work.

Check out Paul's blog page later to see some great pics of the day's progress.

I just want to make it perfectly clear that my being glued to Kyle's guitar with CA glue yesterday was completely
Paul's fault.....just kidding............................it was Kyle's fault.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

What's up with no report on day 6???

James,
Paul has a great blog set up where he's posted updates each day of the class. The actual class is only five days long so it ended on Saturday evening. Paul and Kyle did spend Sunday afternoon with us and had dinner before they headed back to their hotel in Stroudsburg about 20 minutes away. They flew out early Monday morning so they had to get packed up and ready for their flight.

The finish process is never a part of my class as is the case of the cutaway on Kyle's guitar, the custom body shape of both, wood bindings, custom headstock shapes, rosettes and fingerboard and head binding. Those are all optional items and details that they chose to include in their class sequence and on their guitars and they are separately charged additions.

They had me lined up to do the finish after the class and then ship their guitars, but since we made such quick progress, they were intent on being a part of that process too so...we started spraying sealer and UV topcoats and sanding away.

I'll finish them up in the next couple of weeks and then ship them out to Nebraska all set up and ready to play.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Just wanted to say hello and give you guys some info.

Kevin has said that I've created a blog for the build we just did in PA - but he never gave you the link from what I can see.

The blog can be found at:
http://web.mac.com/slidearts/Guitar_Build/blog/blog.html

More information and some different photos can also be found at:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122666

Kyle and I had a GREAT time and learned an amazing amount in 5 days. We are already planning to build something together this fall and then take what we learn on that guitar and build another.

I will obviously be needing to be an ACTIVE part of this community now!

Here's where we ended on Saturday:


I'll create a new thread and post some of the better photos from the build here on OLF.

I'm just sick that we had to leave the guitars unfinished in PA - but hope to have them sometime in early June.

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

congratulations on the guitars! Many of us watched the blog and many of us are jealous