John's 8-stringer Comin' Up!

I love starting a new instrument. This will be the third one in a row for a local customer! John's a yoga teacher here in Santa Cruz who makes really fantastic multi-instrumental CDs. I'm a Weather Report and Zawinul (So long, Joe...) nut and John's music hits a lot of the same buttons for me. Very compelling listening! Anyway, some time ago John approached me about building an acoustic Chapman stick, an instrument I'd messed around with a little bit but really didn't understand how to play, so I told him I felt like it was out of my range. "No problem", he said, "How about an 8-string acoustic guitar/bass?". Now that I know how to do. In fact, I've done it once before and Jim Saxa and I were both delighted with the results. John came over to the shop and we picked out the woods together. This instrument will have a Sitka spruce top, pau ferro back and sides, bloodwood trim and a madrone burl rosette. This is my first time working with pau ferro. It's just a little harder and denser than a typical set of Indian rosewood. Sure is pretty!. Another very interesting thing about this guitar will be the finish. John really dislikes the shiny, polished under glass look, and he wants his guitar to feel like wood. So we're going to have a super-thin coat of unpolished lacquer with no pore-fill whatsoever, you know, "au naturale!" I think it's going to be really beautiful. Thanks for a fantastic idea, John! I can't wait to see, feel, play and hear this one. :)

Dave's Baritone is in Good Hands

Aaah what fun! Dave came over last night to pick up his brand new Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Baritone. On Saturday he came over to have a look at it when it was nearly done. Then yesterday I called him at work to let him know that I was getting started on setting it up and if he came over after work he'd be just in time to help me celebrate another "birthday". And this baby sings! One word...presence. Okay, more than one word...it just sparkles and growls with lots of shiny upper partials, especially under Dave's acrylic nails. And all across the range of the instrument is really says "Pow!" It really made Dave play great! :) Dave really digs in so I set it up with medium high action. Usually I hang on to guitars for a couple weeks after I first set them up, but since Dave lives here in Santa Cruz I thought he ought to have it and bring it back for any follow-up adjustments. The only problem is now I miss it! Hey Dave, wanna come over? :) With respect to looks, I particularly love the dark swirly colors and grain patterns in the sides of this instrument.

Victor's 7-String is Ready

Victor Tsaran's 7-String is a blast to play. The low 7th string can be tuned down to an A or a B, making this instrument a combination baritone and regular guitar in one. Victor plays with a light touch and asked for the action to be set very low. With a good neck and perfectly level frets it's surprising what you can do. The action on this is set well below "par"...about 3.3/64ths on the high E, 5/64ths on the low E, and 6/64ths on the 7th string, with almost no relief, and it plays absolutely cleanly with a moderate touch. The attack is quick and punchy even with a light touch and the basses are very full. As always with these longer scales (26.25" - 28.25") the sustain is just off the charts. The top here is European spruce, with Indian rosewood back and sides. Did I mention how much I love Indian rosewood? Since Victor commissioned this instrument he and his wife Caro have become friends of Amey and me, so I'm excited that I'll be hand-delivering this guitar to his home at their dinner party in Palo Alto tomorrow night! By the way, check out the tracks you can listen to at Victor's website. He's been wowing me and my guitar buddies for several months now. See you tomorrow Victor! :)

Bill's Guitar is Ready for Lacquer

Bill's Koa/Maccassar Ebony Beauty is ready for lacquer. It's gonna be a real beauty under finish. Bill's target tuning is (low to high) CGCGCF, so the multi-scale design will provide excellent string tension on all six strings. The scale lengths are 25.5" along the treble edge of the fingerboard and 27.5" along the bass edge. I really enjoy working on these unique designs.

Sending Aaron's Arena on Monday

OK Aaron, it'll be there on Tuesday! :) Last month Addam was touching up some tiny imperfections in the finish of Aaron's European Spruce and Cocobolo Arena Cutaway, and at last it's ready to go on its musical way. I've really enjoyed playing it during this last week. It's got a deep rich bass tone that's dramatic, yet crystal clear and that full deep tone jumps out at the slightest touch on the strings. Note the cocobolo nut and saddle. There will also be a (more conventional) bone nut and saddle in the case. I really like the look of the cocobolo nut and saddle, and the tone is fantastic.