Mustapick GuitarsShop Reports

Happy Birthday for Rod's Arena OM!

2011-05-18T19:37:00.001-07:00

Today's a happy birthday for Rod's German Spruce and Walnut Arena OM. This instrument reminds me again why I like walnut so much. Walnut instruments seem to have a strong and wide open midrange and upper-midrange, and this this particular instrument responds very quickly to a light touch. Rod's guitar is headed for South Africa now. It's always a thrill for me to think of my instruments travelling far and wide around the world. Thanks, Rod! :)

Rio Performance on Public TV

2011-02-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

In 2009 I had the pleasure of building a baritone instrument for Tim Drackert, a very fine fingerstyle player, and member of the Rio bossa nova group. Rio has just been featured in an hour-long program "11th and Grant". It's a fantastic performance, beautifully staged, lit, and recorded. So I invite you now to head over to Rio's website and settle in. If you'd like to hear the baritone right away then this link will cue it right up for you. Wow, thanks Tim...what a treat! :)

Showtime for Ron's Baritone Nylon String Crossover

2010-12-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

I've recently completed Ron's Cuban Mahogany and Engelmann Spruce Baritone Nylon String Crossover. This instrument's longer scale length (string length) of 27"and heavier baritone-weighted nylon strings allow it to be tuned down to a fourth or a fifth below standard pitch, so that the outer strings are tuned to B, Bb, or A. It features an Engelmann spruce top, Cuban mahogany back and sides, koa rosette and headstock overlay, and cocobolo fingerboard, bridge, binding, and armrest bevel, as well as the cutaway, Ryan-style armrest bevel, Manzer wedge, and side soundport design elements. Thanks Ron, I had a great time building and playing your guitar! :)

Gallery 1 - During Build
Gallery 2 - Ready for Finish
Gallery 3 - Completed Instrument

Showtime for Jonathan's German Spruce and Wenge Arena

2010-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

I recently completed Jonathan's Arena model instrument. The top is German spruce and the back and sides are wenge, one of my favorite woods. Jonathan is a classical player, so he specified a relatively wide 1&7/8" nut width, as well as a fuller neck profile such as you'd find on a classical. Jonathan also chose to have a Ryan armrest bevel built into his guitar. This makes it so much more comfortable to play; it's one of my favorite optional features to include on my instruments. This is my first left-handed guitar. It's a strange relationship to have with an instrument...to have made it, and to be so intimately connected with it in a way that feels like I'm in command of it...and then to be totally unable to play it! :) But I can give it a strum and listen to the notes as I play it upside down, and I have a very good feeling about it. I'm particularly like the thickness and sustain of the treble notes on the first string as I play high up on the neck. The notes are clear and full in every range. I just wish I could play it! Now I know how all you lefties out there feel! :)

Gallery 1 - During Build
Gallery 2 - Pre-Finish
Gallery 3 - Completed Instrument

Carl's German Spruce and Cuban Mahogany Baritone Has Landed

2010-10-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Carl has just received his German Spruce and Cuban Mahogany Baritone. I really enjoyed playing this guitar during the brief time I had it before delivery. Even though it's a moderately large instrument with a 16" lower bout, the sound comes out real quick. I like to hear a very steady note over the course of the sustain, with a deep fundamental that "snaps" on fast, and with upper partials that sustain throughout the course of the note...even when the instrument is played lightly. Carl's instrument really delivers in this way, so I'm very happy. Carl chose to include the Ryan Armrest Bevel and also the Manzer Wedge on his guitar, making the body of the instrument especially comfortable. Thanks, Carl! :)

Billy's German Spruce and Tasmanian Tiger Myrtle Arena OM

2010-08-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today was a happy birthday for Billy's German Spruce and Tasmanian Tiger Myrtle Arena OM. As you can see, tasmanian tiger myrtle is a dramatically beautiful wood to look at, but this little guitar is no wallflower. It's loud!...and quick, and crisp, and deep, and open, and up-front, and bold. So I'm gonna have fun with it for the next week or two while I put it through the paces and refine the setup. Along with the German spruce top, this instrument features a cocobolo bridge, fingerboard, headplate veneer, and binding, a rosette of thyua burl from Morocco, as well as a Ryan armrest bevel and a multi-scale geometry. For sure, it's one of a kind. Thanks, Billy!

Gallery 1 - During Build
Gallery 2 - Pre-Finish
Gallery 3 - Completed Instrument

Happy Birthday to Tim's Baritone!

2009-12-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

I've just put the finishing touches on Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone. Once I've finished an instrument I always keep it for about ten to fourteen days to let the string tension settle in, get to know the instrument, make sure I'm the one that may catch anything that needs a little more attention, and then at the end check the setup one more time. Oh yeah, and there's one more reason I like to keep it...'cause it's really fun! I'm thrilled with this instrument. The tone is quick, loud, open, clear, and focused all over the instrument from top to bottom.

Joel's Allegro Classical Finds Its Way Home

2009-11-04T11:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Joel came to my house (he lives just a few miles away) to pick up his new Engelmann Spruce and Honduran Rosewood Allegro Classical. It's so gratifying to be there when my customer gets to try out his new guitar for the first time. Joel played some Bach and "Cavatina", gave the guitar a careful looking over, looked up and smiled and said "Deal!" What fun! As you can see he obliged to appear with his new instrument in this Shop Report installment. Thanks again, Joel! :)

Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone is Ready for Finish

2009-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

I've completed construction of the neck and bridge on Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone and completed all the careful finish sanding, detailing and surface preparation to get it ready for finish. One of the more interesting carpentry challenges to guitarmaking is achieving a good neck joint. Nothing is square, and nothing is straight, but the joint should be tight, perfectly aligned, and rock solid. Of course once you learn your methods it becomes very familiar and relatively easy and fun. Shaping the neck is great fun too. Tim asked for a slim and round profile to the neck. Under finish that bloodwood trim is really going to pop and look beautiful next to the spruce top and the dark gray ziricote. :)

Tim's Baritone Soundbox is Complete

2009-09-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I've completed construction of the soundbox of Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone. Dramatically figured ziricote like this is just so beautiful! It's especially fun to look at when you get a set that bookmatches very symmetrically like this. Tonally it's fantastic as well. Something about it reminds me a little bit of walnut. Of course it's harder and denser, but it has a similar courseness to the grain structure. As you can see I've routed the channels for the bloodwood binding and glued that in. I've also compeleted a first round of finish-sanding on the body. At this point I'm leaving the top a little thicker than it will finally be. The last thing I do when I'm preparing an instrument for finish is to very carefully thin the top, especially around the perimeter of the lower bout, until I really like what I'm hearing when I tap on the box. So that's a ways off, but essentially construction of the soundbox is complete now, and I'll be moving on to the neck next. More soon! :)

Tim's Baritone Soundbox is Assembled

2009-09-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've made good progress on Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone. I've braced the top and back plates and glued them to the rim. I like to use a slightly large bridge plate because I feel that enhances the crispness and sustain of the trebles. In the last shot here you can clearly see the Manzer wedge ergonomic feature built into this guitar, where the guitar is slimmer and more comfortable on the side where Tim's arm will rest over the lower bout. Next I'll be routing the binding channels and gluing in some beautiful red bloodwood binding. More soon! :)

Tim's Baritone In Progress

2009-09-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished the rim for Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone. One particular aspect of this part of the process that takes special care involves precisely preparing (by sanding) the edges of the rim so that they are shaped properly to join with the back and the top of the instrument. This instrument incorporates the Manzer wedge ergonomic design feature, where the depth of the instrument graduates so that it is thinner on the side where the players elbow rests over it, and thicker where it rests on the players lap. As you can see I've also cut out the top and back plate to shape, slighlty oversized for trimming after assembly. More soon! :)

Tim's German Spruce and Ziricote Baritone is Under Way

2009-08-28T20:46:00.001-07:00

This week I've started work on Tim Drackert's German spruce and ziricote baritone. Tim and Julia Yates make beautiful Brazilian music together under the name Rio. Check out a preview of their music on cdbaby. Tim also has shared with me some absolutely gorgeous tracks of solo fingerstyle material that evoke the expansive beauty of Montana, where he resides. I can't wait to hear what music Tim will make with this baritone. More soon! :)

Joel's Allegro Classical is Ready for Finish

2009-08-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

As I'm finish-sanding an instrument like Joel's Allegro Classical to prepare it for finish, there's an acoustically important aspect to the process, which is that I'm taking the the down the thickness of the top plate very slighty in various areas until I feel that the flexibility of the top is just what I'm looking for. Without the bridge, which acts as an additional transverse brace, the top is very flexible, and that more than anything else is the critical aspect to building a responsive instrument.

Mark's 8-String Guitar-Bass is Finished

2009-07-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove up to Oakland to deliver Mark's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood 8-String Guitar-Bass. I am absolutely thrilled with this instrument and I'm so excited to have a chance to show it off at the upcoming Healdsburg Guitar Festival in a couple weeks in Santa Rosa, California. The eighth string plays a low D, that's an octave and a whole step lower than the 6th string on a normal guitar! To my delight, the note is full and clear, with a very strong fundamental. Mark's a real fine musician, so I cannot wait to hear how this instrument will be put to use. Take a few minutes to check out Mark's website Glass House Music, where you'll hear some fantastic recordings.

Joel's Allegro Classical Soundbox is Complete

2009-07-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've completed work on the soundbox of Joel's Engelmann Spruce and Honduran Rosewood Allegro Classical. At this stage of construction I do a lot of very important work with regard to graduating the thickness of the soundboard. I rout a preliminary channel around the top so that I can see the thickness and then I sand the top so that it's top graduates from about .100" to perhaps .070" around the perimeter of the lower bout. While I'm paying attention to the dimensions of the wood with calipers and a Hacklinger gauge, I'm also using my ears as I tap on the wood to make judgements about how much and where to thin the top. Once the binding is installed I repeat this process, listening carefully all the while. More soon... :)

Finished the Bracing on Joel's Allegro Classical

2009-07-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

It's great to be back from my trip to Europe and to be working in the shop again. This week I've braced the top of Joel's Allegro Classical. As you can see I use a lattice bracing pattern. The lattice is made of spruce struts that have interlocking joints. Gluing that lattice down with evenly distributed pressure presents a challenge that's met by means of a vacuum clamping system, whereby the top and bracing are covered by a rubber sheet and then a tube hooked up to a pump sucks the air out from under the sheet. Many thanks to my good friend Gil Carnal for helping me learn this technique. Once the lattice is glued down I use a sanding block to graduate the height of the lattice so that it is less tall and more flexible around the perimeter of the lower bout. Finally the is reinforced with thin veneer strips of maple glued over the struts that have upward-facing interlocking joints, capping them off for structural integrity. More soon. :)

Joel's Allegro Classical is Under Way

2009-06-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Joel's made some very fine choices for the woods we'll use on his Allegro Classical. For the top we're using Engelmann spruce. It's a great choice for a lattice braced guitar because it is very flexible. For the back and sides we are using Honduran rosewood, a type of wood that is just ideally suited for musical instruments. It has an excellent ring to it. No wonder it's the top wood of first choice for use in the making of marimba bars. Joel lives right here in Santa Cruz and has been coming by often to check on progress and just to see what's going on in the shop. He's thinking of maybe making a few guitars of his own some day. It's extra fun to make an instrument for someone when you can make a real life personal connection like that. Joel's got a regular gig at Mr. Toots coffee house here in town. I haven't been able to get to one of his performances yet but I'm looking forward to it. :)

Happy Birthday, Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM!

2009-05-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've just completed Juston's Arena OM and I like it! It's so fun when I've finally got the bridge glued on, the tuners installed, a prelminary setup on the nut and saddle, and at last I'm putting brand new strings on a brand new baby guitar! As I wind the sixth string up to tension I'm trying to get a hint about the bass response, then the same with the other strings. Once I've finallly got it tuned I take the instrument off the bench and give it that first strum. Ahhhh, I feel like this guitar really exemplifies the tonal tendencies of Brazilian rosewood. It's got a deep, rich, warm sound with a nice focused bottom end, as well as excellent clarity, volume, and sustain in the trebles. Juston's instrument incorporates many of the custom features that I offer, the Ryan armrest bevel for extra comfort and mobility of the right arm, multi-scale geometry for increased string tension and clarity in the bass, the side soundport for a more dramatic aural experience for the player, and a cutaway for easier access to the higher frets. It's another Happy Birthday! :)

Mark's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood 8-String is Ready for Lacquer

2009-05-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Last week I made the neck and bridge for Mark's 8-String Guitar/Bass and completed a final round of finish sanding and surface preparation for lacquering. As you can see, the fingerboard is enormous! I was quite careful here to create a very slim and shallow neck profile to make the neck as comfortable as possible. With 8 strings on the bridge I felt there was not much room for the traditional thinned "wings" on each end of the bridge, so I changed the height profile of the bridge and I'm very happy with the look and feel of the final result. It has me thinking about this aspect of design on my conventional steel string instruments. A couple of weeks ago Mark came down from Berkeley to Santa Cruz with his two kids to enjoy the beach and they stopped by the shop to check on progress. Fortunately they were just in time to pick out a headplate for the instrument and Mark was happy to delegate this to his very young daughter, who took quite interest an interest in the matter, much to my delight. CUTE! Well Mark, she made a fine choice...don't you think?

Rune Mandelid's Amazing Artistry

2009-05-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I built a twin set of nylon and steel string 7-string instruments for a remarkable Norwegian composer, jazz musician and fingerstyle soloist, Rune Mandelid. I was delighted to get an email from him this week letting me know that he has put together an extensive website presenting his works. Rune's music is so original and lush and so beautiful, so I was absolutely thrilled to see all the videos of his performances on the instruments I've made for him. Please, dear reader, take the next ten minutes to find out about a truly gifted and inspired musician.

Mark's 8-String Guitar Bass Soundbox is Complete

2009-05-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

This week I've made a great deal of progress on Mark's 8-String Guitar Bass. I'm calling it a guitar/bass because it will cover the range of both instruments. Mark's main target tuning will be the familiar DADGAD, with the addition of two extra bass strings proving a low A, and a lower-still D one octave below the 6th string. The scale length along the treble edge of the fingerboard will be 26.75" and on the bass edge it will be 29". I've braced the top and back, assembled them to the rim, and installed the curly koa binding and veneer for the Ryan armrest bevel. As you can see, the bridge plate is dramatically slanted, and the two x-braces are assymetrically skewed, so as to meet the corners of the bridge in a familiar configuration. Because of this, the rest of the top bracing needs to be re-imagined. This is a really fun and creative process that involves experience and intuition for how the top will flex and what sort of bracing patterns will efficiently reinforce different areas of the soundboard. Notably, on the right side of the bridge plate you can see that there is a large area that was left wide open by the assymetry of the x-braces. My strategy here was to reinforce the area in front of the bridge with a few flat patches and one strong brace running vertically, and to minimally reinforce the area horizontally with just one small brace off to the side. The braces below the bridge plate are a little smaller and lighter than what I might do because I want the top to offer good flexibility for some of the very low bass notes. Next I'll start work on the neck. More soon, Mark! :)

Mark's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood 8-String Guitar/Bass

2009-04-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Now I've started a Mark's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood 8-String Guitar/Bass, which will have two extra bass strings, thus extending the range of the instrument all the way down into bass territory. You may notice the headblock is extra wide, in order to support a neck that will be 3" wide at the neck/body joint. This instrument is going to have several unique design elements to it and I'll be pointing them out along the way in the coming weeks. That's some real pretty Brazilian rosewood eh? Mark's a real fine musician from Berkeley, CA. Take a few minutes to visit Mark's website and hear some of his music.

ps - Today's my 40th birthday.

Juston's Eueopean Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM is Ready for Lacquer

2009-04-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've made the neck and bridge for Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM, and done all the fine detailing and finish sanding to prepare the surfaces for lacquer finishing. The fingerboard and bridge are both made of cocobolo, which is very beautiful, and a fine substitute for ebony, which is more traditional. Both cocobolo and ebony are extremeley hard, and stable, desireable properties for these components. Juston's Areana includes several very nice features. It has a cutaway for easier access to the higher frets for the player's left hand, a Ryan-style armrest bevel which helps the player's right arm feel comfortable in a wide range of playing positions along the strings, and a multi-scale fret configuration whereby the bass strings are a bit longer than the treble strings, providing a bit of extra tensions and power there. On juston's guitar the scale length (basically the length of the string) along the treble-side edge of the fingerboard is 25.5", which is very standard, but the scale length along the bass-side edge is 3/4" longer. Can't wait to play it! :)

Happy Birthday for George's Baritone!

2009-04-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got to put strings on George's Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood Baritone and I'm very pleased. The voice is strong and balanced, crisp, quick and responsive in the high end, deep and focused in the low end...and everything in between! Now I have it set up with with regular light gauge strings. In a few days, after the tension has soaked in, I'll also set it up with a special nut and saddle that will properly shaped and compensated for very heavy strings (.016-.070) for tuning down to A-A, or "Deep Baritone" territory. You can see how I bore out the 6th string tuner just slightly to accept the .070 gauge string. I've also included a few shots of the fretting in progress, gluing down the fingerboard extension, and level and dressing the frets...the foundation of every great setup. Comin' soon, George! :)

Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM Soundbox is Complete

2009-04-02T08:52:00.001-07:00

It sure is fun to work with a set of Brazilian rosewood like the one I'm making Juston's Arena OM with. Over the course of the last week I've braced the back, assembled it to the body, laid in the koa binding and koa Ryan armrest bevel, and completed a first round of finish sanding. Shaping the koa veneer for the bevel is a little bit tricky, but now that I've learned how to do it I really enjoy it. About a and a half ago Michael Bashkin asked me how I went about making the bevel and I told him how I do it. A month later he gave me back a great little trick of using transfer tape to discover the exact shape of the bevel veneer, and it was a real time-saver. I enjoy sharing a spirit of commeraderie with other builders. :)

Progress on Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM

2009-03-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

I've made nice progress on Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM. I've completed assembly of the rim, and you can see how I go about sanding the rim down and shaping the inner reinforcement for the Ryan armrest bevel. This will be a multiscale instrument and you can see where I've drawn in pencil the position of the bridge. Once the bridge is located, I use a consistent approach to orient the bridge places and x-braces in relation to the bridge, so on a multiscale instrument the whole arrangement is slightly assymetrical. Finally, I've also glued the rim onto the top. Next I'll be bracing the back and closing up the soundbox. More soon, Juston. :)

Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena is Under Way

2009-03-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

This week I'm off to a good start on Juston's European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena. I always start a guitar by bending the sides, which requires the use of water, heat, and steam so that the wood can relax and be bent into shape. I then let the sides rest for three days so that the wood can re-acclimate to its prpoer moisture content before I continue with assembly of the rim. During that time I joint the top and the back and laid in a nice curly koa rosette. Next I'll continue with the rim by beginning to form the Ryan Armrest Bevel, adding the kerfed lining and side braces, and refining the shape of the Side Soundport.

George's Baritone is Ready for Finish

2009-03-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

I've built the neck and done some very picky finish sanding, surface prep and detailing to get George's Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood Baritone ready to bring to Addam Stark for another of his expertly applied nitrocellulose lacquer finishes. Once the finish is applied, I'll glue the bridge down. The bridge needs to be glued to bare wood though for a strong bond, so you can see that I've used a thin adhesive film called Frisket film to mask off the bridge footprint. I've wiped on a little naptha for a couple of the pictures so that you can get a preview of how beautiful the curly figured koa will look on the rosette and the armrest bevel. Can't wait to play it! :)

George's Baritone Soundbox is Complete

2009-02-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

Over the last week I've completed the soundbox for George's Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood Baritone. In the photos you can see a little of how the Ryan Armrest Bevel is constructed. Building the bevel this way is a little bit tricky, but it's really worth it. The bevel is one of my favorite features to recommend to costumers because the difference it makes in comfort and playability really is significant. The binding and bevel on George's baritone are made of curly koa from Hawaii, an especially beautiful wood. More soon, George. :)

George's Baritone is Under Way

2009-02-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

I've started Geroge's Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood Baritone. As you can see I wrap the sides in aluminum foil before bending. With the aluminum foil I only have to run water over the sides for a moment, just enough to wet the surface. Then when I put them in the hot bending fixture the foil traps the steam for the bending process. In the bending fixture are two 150 watt lightbults and one 75 watt bulb to provide heat. I also use a heating blanket laid over the side. Each side is cooked in the bending fixture for half an hour, and then left to cool completely for about three hours before I remove it. As you can see, I've taped my binding and purfling strips to the side to bend them at the same time. I got that little time saving tip from Kevin Ryan. Thanks, Kevin. :)

Introducing The Mustapick Allegro Classical

2009-02-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Allegro Classical is a powerful concert instrument with a beautiful tone and strong projection in all registers. While bass notes are deep and rich for a beautiful singing voice on low single-note lines, the instrument offers impeccable balance. The midrange and trebles are easily kept to the fore with their strong presence. Notes in the highest register offer a round attack, dramatic power, and remarkable sustain, providing a broad pallette for interpretation, with a wide dynamic range and endless tonal possibilities to explore.

Dan's Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon Crossover is Strung Up

2009-02-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Dan's Multi-Scale Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon Crossover sounds beautiful. Today I spent some time comparing Dan's Crossover to Cliff's classical Guitar. Despite the considerable differences in appearance between these two instruments, their design with respect to orientation of the bridge, soundboard bracing, and other details are all headed in the same direction, and so I'm delighted that their strong volume and rich tone are very similar. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be letting the string tension soak in, playing and listening to these instruments, refininng the setup, and preparing them for final delivery. Coming soon, Dan! :)

Cliff's Cedar and Brazilian Rosewood Classical Guitar is Strung Up

2009-02-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to have just strung up Cliff's Cedar and Brazilian Rosewood Classical Guitar. Several classical guitarists who've played my 14-fret Concert Nylon Crossover guitars have urged me to make classical guitars as well. Being an avid classical guitar player myself, I was very excited when a repeat customer asked me to make him a classical guitar to compliment his Spruce and Cocobolo Crossover. I'm delighted with results. The tone is strong, punchy, and sustaining in all registers, and also very full, rich and round. The Ryan armrest bevel is rather uncommon on classical guitars, but it's a great feature that I love offering to customers. Thanks, Cliff! Once I get some studio photos of your guitar to feature on the website it will be ready for delivery. :)

John's Aurora is Ready for Finish

2009-01-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I made the neck for John's Italian Spruce and Honduran Rosewood Baritone. John requested that the neck profile be more like a classical guitar, with strong "shoulders", meaning a little more wood behind the sides of the fingerboard than you sometimes find, and a relatively flat back. As you can see I've also made the bridge. Now the guitar is ready for finish so I've taken it across town to finish-specialist Addam Stark, who does excellent finish work for many many really great guitar makers.This instrument features an Indian rosewood Ryan armrest bevel that blends continoulsy with the Indian rosewood binding. I really love adding this option to my instruments because it makes it so much more comfortable for the right arm to rest over the guitar in a variety of positions, and I feel it really frees up the right hand to play in various positions.

John's Italian Spruce and Honduran Rosewood Soundbox is Complete

2009-01-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Over the last week I've completed the soundbox of John's Italian Spruce and Honduran Rosewood Baritone. As you see here, I've braced the top and the back, closed up the soundbox, routed the binding channels, put in the Indian rosewood binding as well as the Ryan armrest bevel, and completed a first round of finish sanding. Next I'll be moving on to the neck. More soon, John! :)

John's Baritone Is Under Way

2009-01-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

I always enjoy working with a new wood, and John's Italian Spruce Baritone is now my first opportunity to build with Honduran rosewood, which he has chosen for the back and sides. Honduran rosewood is a hard wood with a sharp, glassy, ringing tap tone, so John and I felt it would be nice choice given his desire for a very rich deep tone. The Italian spruce is quite light and relatively flexible, which we both felt would be applicable for his desire for an instrument that responds fully to a light touch. I'm also using some new woods for the little cosmetic details on this guitar. The binding and Ryan armrest bevel will be made of Indian rosewood, and the rosette is made of some very nicely figured zebrawood. It's going to be so fun to see how all these woods look together under finish. But I expect it to be more fun to hear what they sound like! :)

Dan's Concert Nylon Neck Completed

2008-12-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

I've completed assembling and shaping the neck for Dan's Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon Crossover. As you may notice, the nut and frets are proportionally slanted so that the scale length for the bass strings is slightly longer than the scale length for the treble strings. This is commonly called "fan fretting" or multi-scale geometry. If you look inside a piano you will see that the bass strings are dramatically longer than the treble strings in order to produce better sustain and improve the enharmonicity between the bass string's fundamental and its overtone series. On a guitar it's not ergonomically feasible to have bass strings that are dramatically longer than the trebles, but the multi-scale geometry is a small nod to the same design prinicple. Of course I'm happy to accommodate my customerers' special requests when it comes to neck dimensions. In this case, Dan has chosen to go with what I generally have in mind for the crossover guitar, which is designed to provide the benefits of classical tone with a feel that is more familiar to steel string players. The width of the fingerboard at the nut is 1&7/8", which is a bit wider than the standard 1&3/4" measurement that is most common on a steel string guitar, but not as wide as you expect to find on a traditional classical guitar, 2&1/16". The extra width is useful for three reasons. First, the nylon strings are slightly wider, so more space between the strings is useful to avoid unintentional muting of neighboring strings by the left hand. Also, because of the reduced tension of nylon strings, they require a higher action in order to avoid buzzing. Accordingly, the strings must be pressed down a little bit further to fret them, and this also makes the wider spacing helpful to avoid unintentional muting. Third, the reduced tension of the strings makes it so that a little more margin between the outer strings and the edge of the fingerboard is helpful against a player inadvertantly pulling a string off the edge of the fingerboard. Classical guitars offer dramatically more margin here than steel string guitars. This is not a concern on the first few frets, where the string is laterally anchored by the nut slot, but it does matter at the higher frets. So I provide a wide string spacing at the nut, with a smaller margin than you might find on a classical, but toward the higher frets, the neck on my crossovers flares a bit more than you find on many steel strings to provide that extra margin. Additionally, and very inmportantly, I'll make the profile of the back of the neck round and slim, with very soft shoulders, such as you'd find on a steel string guitar (unless of course my customer has a different specification). I feel that this design is generallly the best formulation for providing optimal nylon string playability as well as a feeling that steel string players really appreciate. Merry Christmas! :)

Dan's Concert Nylon Soundbox is Complete

2008-12-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

This week I completed the assembly and first round of finish sanding on the soundbox of Dan's Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon Crossover. I do a lot of the fine tuning of my guitars rather late in the building process. I like to leave the top just a little thick pre-assembly and then incrementally thin the top at various stages of construction. This being a nylon string instrument with lattice bracing, the top will be especially thin upon completion. In this case, I thinned the top uniformly to .095" pre-assembly. Once the box was closed up, but before routing the binding channels, I used a palm sander to thin the perimeter area of the lower bout to about .070", all the while paying close attention to the flexibility of the top and how it deflects under pressure. After installing the binding there's an additional bit of sanding to flush up the surfaces of the top, back and sides surfaces with the binding and purfling strips, and this removes just a little more material off the perimeter of the top, but it's still just a little thicker than what I'll finally want. After I've made the neck and bridge for the guitar and done a final round of finish sanding on everything but the top of the guitar, then I'll do a final round of finish sanding on the top paying very close attention to the deflection of the top and its thickness (which I can still measure with a Hacklinger gauge), and especially to the tap-tone, as I carefully thin various areas. In the end the top will range in thickness from about .080" in the area around the bridge and the upper bout to about .055" around the perimeter of the lower bout. More soon, Dan. :)

Dan's Concert Nylon Crossover is Under Way

2008-12-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

I've got a great start on Dan's Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon Crossover. Here you can see the lattice bracing design I use on all my nylon string guitars. Dan's guitar will feature a multi-scale geometry fingerboard of cocobolo. It's gonna be a beauty. More soon, Dan. :)

Cliff's Classical Guitar is Ready for Finish

2008-11-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

Cliff's cedar and Brazilian rosewood classical guitar is ready for finish. Yesterday I very carefully finish sanded and detailed every surface of the instrument. This guitar combines the traditional classical form with some more modern developments. The soundboard is braced with a lattice pattern of struts, an innovation from Australian classical builders that allows the top-bracing system to be lighter. It also features the Ryan armrest bevel which provides greater comfort and mobility for the player's right arm as it rests over the guitar. This will be the first classical guitar to come out of my shop and I can't wait to play it. Comin' up soon, Cliff! :)

Cliff's Cedar/Brazilian Traditional Classical Soundbox Complete

2008-11-15T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've completed the soundbox of Cliff's Cedar/Brazilian Classical, the first of a new model I'm very excited to be introducing. I'm using a lattice bracing design coupled with a very thin soundboard, an idea pioneered by some of today's great Australian classical guitar makers. I'm really enjoying combining the traditional form of the classical guitar with this idea, the Ryan Armrest Bevel, and my own rosette. Of course it never hurts when you're able to use an especially lovely set of Brazilian rosewood. Next I'll be moving on to the neck. More soon! :)

Happy Birthday for Andre's 7-String Concert Nylon Crossover!

2008-11-12T11:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday for Andre's 7-String Concert Nylon Crossover! This instrument puts out a big dramatic sound all the way from that low A on the 7th string to the high C on the 1st. It's very powerful in all registers and has a very rich tone. Andre and I decided on a multi-scale neck geometry, allows for the bass strings to have a longer scale length in order to provide very good string tension on the low notes. On this instrument the scale length on the treble edge of the fingerboard is 26.25" and on the bass edge it's 28.25". The back of the neck is profiled with very slim shoulders so that the width required to accommodate 7 strings feels surprisingly comfortable. Andre, I can't wait for you to have a chance to play this...I think you will be very pleased! :)

Jerry's Crossing

2008-11-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

I got such a nice email this morning! I love my job.

Hi Matt,

My friend and bass player Jack Kotz came up here to Colorado to record and
brought his Mustapick Baritone. I was so taken with the guitar I grabbed it and spent 45 minutes playing it rather than recording Jack and my stuff. :) I let the tape roll and I hope ya like it. Feel free to post it if you like. It's called "Jerry's Crossing", by me (Chuck Wilson) on your Baritone.

Love your instruments!! And my next guitar I'm having built is gonna be a Mustapick!

All the Best,
Chuck Wilson

Beautiful song...nice playing...thanks, Chuck!

Cliff's Cedar/Brazilian Classical is Coming Together

2008-10-29T16:36:00.001-07:00

Cliff's Cedar and Brazilian Rosewood Classical is going to be the first traditional classical guitar to come out of my shop. A few times now classical guitars have played one of my Crossover model guitars and have asked me to make a traditional classical. I own several classical guitars from other makers and enjoy playing them just about every day, so it really is a thrill for me to be taking this on. As you can see in the pictures, I've assemebled the rim, the soundboard, and the back. Next I'll apply a lattice bracing structure to the top and assembling it to the rim. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday for Jeff's Sitka/Brazilian Arena OM!

2008-10-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM! I'm completely thrilled with this instrument...deep rich basses, fat screaming trebles, and everything in between. I always keep a new instrument for a couple of weeks so that I can do a final setup after the string tension has "soaked into" it. That also gives me a fine excuse to enjoy the fruits of my labor for a short time. That's gonna be a whole lot of fun, but the best part of this whole enterprise is when someone comes here to my shop to take delivery so that I can enjoy the experience with them. So I'm looking forward to seeing you up here in a couple weeks, Jeff! :)

2008-10-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Introducing a New Classical Model! - It is with great enthusiasm that I announce that I'm building the first of a new model...the Mustapick Classical. I've been getting interest from a few classical players who've really liked the sound of my crossovers, so I'm just getting started on my first custom order for a Cedar and Brazilian Rosewood Classical that I'm building for Cliff. As you can see here, the Brazilian rosewood set is particularly stunning, and a very high quality sturdy chunk of wood. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of building this Concert Nylon for Cliff, so it will very be fun to build a companion instrument for him.

Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM is Ready for Final Setup

2008-10-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Addam Stark who does the finishes on all my guitars finished Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM and it came back looking very beautiful indeed! Next week I'll glue on the bridge, install the frets, complete the setup with a nut and saddle and take it for a spin. Won't be long now, Jeff. :)

Andre's 7-String Concert Nylon is Ready for Lacquer

2008-10-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

During the last week I've built the neck for Andre's 7-String Concert Nylon. This instrument will feature an extra bass string that will play a low A or low B. In order to have good tension on the low string it's very helpful to have a longer string, which is why the bass strings on this instrument are longer than the trebles. This system is often called a multi-scale design. The back of the neck has real slim shoulders so that the extra width of the fingerboard will not feel so unfamiliar. Next this guitar will go to my friend and colleague Addam Stark, who does an expert job with the the finishes on all of my instruments.

Andre's 7-String Concert Nylon Soundbox Bound and Sanded

2008-10-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a very productive week working on Andre's 7-String Concert Nylon. I completed the lattice bracing structure by sanding a dome into the height of the overall lattice structure, so that the top would be relatively more flexible around the perimter of the lower bout. I also use thin veneer to cap off and reinforce the lattice struts running in the direction with the upward-facing lap joints. I've also braced the back, assembled the top back and rim, installed the binding, and completed a first round of finish sanding. Tomorrow I'll start work on the neck.

2008-09-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

Is it just a coincidence that the two orders I've gotten for 7-string Concert Nylon Crossovers have been from the Baltic region? Last year I built a 7-String Nylon for Rune Mandelid in Oslo, and now I've just started on another for Andre Maaker in Estonia. Andre's Concert Nylon Crossover has an Englemann spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides. I'm bracing the soundboard with a lattice structure that is very fun to put together. Here you can see how I apply the glue to the lattice with a roller and then "clamp" it to the soundboard using a vacuum sealed gasket for evenly distributed pressure.

Happy Birthday for Christoph's All-Koa Baritone!

2008-09-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I strung up Christoph's beautiful all-koa baritone and I'm delighted with the result. The depth of the tone and the sustain offer everything I've learned to expect from my spruce and cedar topped instruments, and the sparkle of the overtones on this instrument is remarkable. I'll have an opportunity to enjoy this instrument while the string tension "soaks in". Then I'll be able to do a final setup before sending it off to Chrstoph in Graz, Austria. As with all my baritones, I'll make an extra nut and saddle that are properly shaped and compensated for heavy gauge strings (.016-.070) for "deep baritone" tunings. A luthier from Australia recently asked me about the steps I follow for installing frets and dressing fret ends post-lacquer, so I've taken a few detailed shots of that part of my process. Okay Christoph, coming soon! I anticipate sending your baritone on Monday, October 6. :)

Jeff's Arena OM is Ready for Lacquer

2008-09-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've made the neck and bridge for Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM. The fingerboard and headplates are of cocobolo wood, as is the bridge which I finished yesterday morning. This guitar has many custom options, including the multi-scale geometry, bringing up the tension slightly on the bass strings. Today I did a final round of finish-sanding and fine detailing and surface preparation. Tomorrow I'll be dropping it off to Addam Stark. I'm fortunate that Addam and I work just a few miles apart; guitar makers from all around the western hemisphere are sending their guitars to Addam, or driving hundreds of miles, for his incredibly fine lacquer finish work.

Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM Soundbox Complete

2008-09-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

This morning I completed a first round of finish-sanding on Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM. In one of these pictures I've wiped on a little naptha to show off the very luminescent piece of koa I used on the Ryan armrest bevel. Assembling the bevel so that the woods match nicely and the purfling lines flow continuously is a tricky bit of carpentry, but it's fun to do, and the comfort of the end result is well worth the extra effort. Next I'll starting the neck...more soon! :)

Jeff's Arena OM Soundbox is Closed Up

2008-09-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

I've closed up the soundbox on Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM. The x-bracing is slightly assymetrical to accommodate the slanted bridge plate that results from the multi-scale design. You can also see the Ryan armrest bevel as it's being built into the soundbox. More soon!

Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM

2008-08-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Jeff's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Arena OM is off to a great start. Jeff came by for a visit earlier this year and together we went through my entire inventory of woods. After a great deal of chin-scratching and looking back and forth Jeff chose these woods. Good choices, I think! The Brazilian rosewood has really colorful quartersawn grain, and the spruce has some nice bearclaw figure to it. The binding and rosette will be koa. The fingerboard and brige will be cocobolo. Jeff has chosen a few special options for this guitar, a Ryan armrest bevel, a multi-scale fingerboard and bridge with scale lengths 25.5"-26.25", a side soundport, and a cutaway.

Christoph's All-Koa Baritone is Ready for Lacquer

2008-08-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

Christoph's all-koa baritone is ready for lacquer. Over the last week I've made the neck and bridge, and finish sanded and thoroughly detailed every surface. Christoph has big hands, so he chose a 1&13/16 nut width. Since this koa top is relatively stiff,the top on this instrument is quite thin, .090 inches near the bridge and slightly thinner around the perimeter. Here you can see that I've used a very light and sparse bracing pattern so that the top will be resonate with those low baritone frequencies. As always, Addam Stark will now masterfully apply one of his beauiftul lacquer finishes and all that wonderful koa is going to gleam and shimmer. A feast for the eyes as well as the ears! This instrument will be headed to Graz, Austria, and as soon as possible. I'll keep you posted, Christoph! :)

Soundbox of Christoph's All-Koa Baritone is Complete

2008-08-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I've finished installing the bloodwood binding and doing a first round of finish sanding on Christoph's All-Koa Baritone. A little tap on that thin koa soundboard sets of a very promising cascade of resonance. In the last picture on this page I wiped on some naphtha to offer a little preview of how the color and grain of the koa will really "pop" under the lacquer finish. It's gonna be real pretty!

Also, I hope you all will enjoy the Olympics as much as I will. The opening ceremonies is one of my favorite parts to watch. Go Federer!

Happy Birthday for Tom's Concert Nylon Crossover!

2008-08-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

I just strung up Tom Roca's cedar and Indian rosewood Concert Nylon Crossover and it sounds excellent. Tom happened to inquire about an idea that I was looking for an opportunity to try, using a super-thin satin finish on the top. The finish came out to 1/1000th of an inch, much thinner than you could ever achieve with a gloss finish. The bridge, rosette, fingerboard, headplates and binding on Tom's guitar are all cocobolo. Great choice Tom, I think it looks real classy! Tom is very active in the Guitar Pickers Association in France, which will be holding their annual festival in late August. I'm very happy that Tom will have his guitar in time to show it to his friends! :)

Christoph's All-Koa Baritone is Coming Together

2008-07-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Christoph's all-koa baritone is coming together very nicely. Over the last 10 days I've completed assembly of the rim, braced the top and back and assembled the soundbox. I recently used a Bolivian rosewood bridge plate on Chris Ruble's Aurora and was extremely pleased with that instrument so I've used the same here. You can see that on this instrument I'm using a much more flexible bracing pattern on the top, due to the relative stiffness of the koa. I'll also be thinning the koa a good bit more than I generally thin a spruce top. Regardless of the wood I use, I'm always building for the proper stiffness/flexibility and vibrational response in the completed top, so different woods can call for slightly different approaches.

2008-07-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

There's just no other wood that dazzles like a set of koa with real nice tight curl, and if you thin that top properly, it makes one heck of a fine instrument. Christoph's Baritone will have a koa top as well as koa back and sides, with bloodwood trim. Gosh, I've been getting a lot of orders from Europe lately! I'll be sending Ben's Concert Nylon to London on Monday. Tom's Concert Nylon will be headed to France next, and then Christoph will be coming here to pick up his baritone and take it back to Austria.

Happy Birthday for Ben's Concert Nylon!

2008-07-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Ben, I've got your Concert Nylon strung up and I love it. I'm really enjoying working with the lattice bracing. I'll have it ready to send across the pond next week. :)

Happy Birthday for Chris Ruble's 13-fret Aurora!

2008-07-08T18:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday for Chris' 13-fret Aurora! This instrument has several interesting features. The 13-fret neck-joint moves the bridge closer to the center of the lower bout. The slightly long multi-scale geometry (25.75"-26.5") provides a touch of extra string tension for drop-tunings, and the side soundport is there to blow the player's hair back and little. I was very excited to work with wenge for the back and side woods and now I'm even more excited for my next chance. Wenge is extremeley lively and loud loud, but it offers more mahogany-like warmth than the Brailian rosewood type woods. For the moment, it has become my favorite back and side wood, and I'm even looking forward to using it as a top wood. Also, I just got studio shots of Fred's new Concert Nylon Crossover, the first of my lattice-braced instruments. This will be delivered to him tomorrow. Yeah...this is fun! :)

Happy Birthday for Fred's Concert Nylon!

2008-06-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday for Fred's Italian Alpine Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Concert Nylon! Here you can see pictures of the final steps in making a guitar...gluing on the bridge, installing and levelling and dressing the frets, installing the tuners, and then setting it up with a polished bone nut and saddle. I'm absolutely delighted with the sound and spent half of yesterday showing it to all my guitar buddies, most especially to Gil Carnal, the great classical guitar maker who has been so generous in sharing his hard-won lattice bracing expertise with me. The sound is big, deep, and rich with great volume and sustain from top to bottom. I get to hang on to it until Monday July 7, so that I can revisit the setup after the string tension has soaked into the instrument and make sure everything is just exactly "so". Then I will be out of excuses and I'll be obliged to send it off to its happy new home with Fred.

Tom Roca's Concert Nylon is Ready for Finish

2008-06-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've gotten Tom Roca's Concert Nylon ready for finish. Here you can see I've added the position markers to the side of the fingerboard, glued on heelcap, shaped the neck to a slim "C"-shaped profile per Tom's request, made the bridge, and finely detail/sanded the entire guitar. The top on this guitar is cedar. The back and sides are Indian rosewood. The neck is Honduran mahogany, and all the trim, bridge and fingerboard are cocobolo. I think it's real pretty! :)

Tom Roca's Concert Nylon Neck Coming Together

2008-06-17T20:38:00.001-07:00

Here you can see many of the steps of putting together a neck: slotting and binding the fingerboard, creating the scarf joint where the headstock joins the neckshaft, routing the slot for the duel action truss rod, cutting and refining the aligned neck joint, shaping the slotted headstock, and gluing on the fingerboard. Next I'll be gluing on the heelcap and then I'll be shaping the neck. Stay tuned! :)

Tom's Concert Nylon Soundbox Finished

2008-06-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

Tom Roca's Concert Nylon has a cedar top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and cocobolo trim. The fingerboard, bridge, and headplates will be cocobolo as well. I think it looks delicious with all those beautiful chocolatey colors! :)

Tom's Concert Nylon Soundboard Bracing Complete

2008-06-05T11:44:00.001-07:00

I've braced the soundboard for Tom Roca's Cedar/Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon. I really enjoy the process of fabrcating the lattice bracing...dimensioning the struts, notching the lap joints, fitting the lattice togheter, laying it out on the top, gluing it down with the vacuum gasket, sanding the lattice to a graduated height profile, and finally, gluing the maple veneer strips over the struts with the upward-facing lap joints. Tom has chosen to use cocobolo for all the binging, bridge, rosette, fingerboard and headplates, and I really like the look. Nice idea, Tom! :)

Tom Roca's Concert Nylon Under Way

2008-05-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Tom Roca's Cedar/Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon is under way. I always bend the sides several days in advance, so that they have time to re-acclimate with respect to moisture after the bending process. I've continued assembly of the rim by installing the headblock, tailblock and kerfing. I've also jointed the top and laid in the cocobolo rosette.

Tom is an organizer in the France's Guitar Pickers Association, and directs their August Guitar Festival in Alsace. I hope to be able to deliver this to him in time for the festivities. Also, Tom is helping me to translate my website into French. Thanks, Tom! :)

Ben's Concert Nylon is Ready for Finish

2008-05-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I made the bridge and finished detailing Ben's Engelmann Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon. Note that this guitar has an optional side soundport. This feature gives the player a dramatically louder playing experience. For people listening within a 20 feet of the instrument, and especially within 10 feet, it provides a richer sound because of the effect of a dual sound source. Beyond 20 feet, there is no discernible effect on the tone of the instrument.

Brazilian Rosewood Sets

2008-05-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Last week I had an opportunity to hand-pick some reallly beautiful Brazilian rosewood, and I've added pictures of these sets to my Gallery of Tonewoods in the Shop.

Building Ben's Concert Nylon Neck

2008-05-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've built the neck for Ben's Engelmann Spruce/Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon. I include dual action truss rods on all my instruments. Of course nylon stringed guitars don't need a truss rod because the tension of nylon strings doesn't demand that reinforcement, but I've found that being able to adjust the relief of the neck is even more beneficial on a nylon stringed instrument. The use of sandpaper to refine the neck joint is an interesting little trick of the trade. Of course shaping a slotted peghead is great fun. Those black tuners are Gotoh's top of the line, and they're very smooth and sturdy. I happen to like the "low profile, stealthy" look of all-black.

Ben's Concert Nylon Soundbox is Done

2008-05-02T20:22:00.001-07:00

It's been quite a productive week working on Ben's Engelmann Spruce and Indian Rosewood Concert Nylon! You can see how I make the lattice bracing, glue it on and then shape it. I apply the glue to the lattice with a paint roller so that I can work very neatly and quickly. In order to provide even pressure for gluing the lattice, I use a vacuum pump system and a thin sheet of rubber. The height of the lattice is then carefully sanded to a dome shape, so that the perimeter of the soundboard is more flexible than the center. Once I've carefully shaped the dome of the lattice I glue on thin veneer strips to cap the braces that have the upward facing lap joints.

I'd like to thank my good friend Gil Carnal for showing me his clever methods for fabricating this bracing design. His lattice braced classical guitars are absolutely astonishing.

By the way, this is Europe season! I'll be delivering this guitar to Ben in London, and then the next two guitars I'm building will be a Concert Nylon for Tom in France and an all-koa Baritone for Christoph in Austria. That's exciting! :)

2008-04-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Once again it's an honor to be building a guitar for a repeat customer. Last year I sent a custom-made Baritone to Ben in London. Now I get to build him a Concert Nylon. We're using Engelmann spruce and Indian rosewood, two of my favorites! The rosette I've put in uses curly koa.

In other news, today's my birthday. :)

Chris' Aurora is Ready for Lacquer

2008-04-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

During the last week I shaped the neck and made the bridge for Chris' 13-Fret Engelmann Spruce and Wenge Aurora. This afternoon I dropped it off at Addam Stark's shop where it will get one of his expertly applied thin and glassy finishes. I love the way that little maple purfling line fits with the straight grain of the wenge back and sides. By the way, that supercutie holding the guitar is my lovely partner Amey Mathews. Thanks Amey!

Chris' Aurora Box Bound and Sanded

2008-04-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

I've installed the bloodwood binding and bevel and done a first round of finish sanding on Chris' Engelmann Spruce and Wenge Aurora. A little tap on the soundboard sets off a nice thunderclap...promising! Next I'll be getting started on the neck. This will be a slightly customized instrument with a 13-fret neck and multi-scale design.

More Back and Side Sets in the Tonewood Gallery

2008-04-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

I've gotten lots of new and beautiful back and side sets and my Tonewood Gallery is updated now to include them. I have many beautiful sets of Indian rosewood, including two with some really unusual and beautiful figure. This figured Tasmanian tiger myrtle sure is stunning, especially with a little naphtha wiped on to give it a little of that wet look it will have under finish. How 'bout some ziricote, jarra, AAAA curly koa, Honduran rosewood, avodire, Brazilian kingwood, cocobolo, or Cuban mahogany?

Chris' Aurora Soundbox is Closed Up

2008-04-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

I've closed up the soundbox of Chris' Engelmann Spruce and Wenge Aurora. You can see the internal reinforcement in place for the Ryan armrest bevel option. Notice also that the bridge plate is slanted and the x-braces are skewed to accommodate the multi-scale design. Next I'll be preparing it for the bloodwood binding and bevel. More soon!

Chris' Aurora is taking shape.

2008-04-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Chris Ruble's Engelmann Spruce/Wenge Aurora is coming along great. As you can see I've nearly completed assembly of the rim, jointed the top, laid in the rosette and brought the top to it's pre-assembly thickness of 0.100 inches. Chris has opted for several options on this guitar...a cutaway, the Ryan armrest bevel, the side soundport, and a slightly long-scale multi-scale geometry of 25.75"-26.5" to provide a little extra string tension for the drop tunings Chris likes to use. I consider a repeat customer to be the truest compliment, so it's an honor to build an Aurora for Chris since it will be complimenting the Redwood/Ziricote Baritone he has now. Thanks again, Chris!

The "Grand Concert" is Now The "Arena"

2008-03-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

I've changed the name of one of my instrument models. The Grand Concert is now the Mustapick Arena. I just like the sound of it. :) This model is about the same size as an OM (15" across the lower bout). This size is really ideal for making an instrument with good balance and clarity, and also having a good bass response that produces a very strong fundamental tone for the low E.

Fred's Concert Nylon is Ready for Finish

2008-03-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've made the bridge and done all the final detailing on Fred's Italian Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Concert Nylon. The extra few hours I spend preparing the surfaces for finish really make a difference in the refined look and feel of the completed instrument. The bridge on this guitar is very light, only 25 grams. A nylon stringed instrument's bridge and soundboard need to be much more light and flexible than what works best on a steel stringed instrument, because the nylon strings are under much less tension. Tomorrow I'll bring this across town to the great Addam Stark for another of his beautiful thin finishes.

I've Got Wenge Fever!

2008-03-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

I've got wenge fever! I always enjoy working with a new wood variety, but I've never been more excited about the prospect. From the first time I laid my hands on a set of wenge I've wanted to build with it, and thanks to Chris' upcoming 13-fret Spruce/Wenge Aurora now I get my chance. This wood is loud. The tap tone just rings and rings and if you so much as rub your fingertip across the bare wood you can here in the room next door. Usually woods with these kinds of tonal properties are quite heavy but wenge is very light. It has a very strong grain structure though, and as I was thinning the sides in preparation to bend them I was amazed at how stiff they remained, both along the grain and across. Now I'm even thinking that wenge could make an absolutely outstanding soundboard. I also think it's extremely beautiful in a very understated way. Those pinstripes show off that tight straight grain so nicely, sort of a new twist on old-school virtues. Stay tuned... :)

Fun Making a Concert Nylon Neck

2008-03-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've had a great time over the last few days making the neck for Fred's Italian Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Concert Nylon. Fred chose a slightly short scale of 640mm. So far I've roughly shaped the neck and will be fine-tuning it's precise shape tomorrow. With a slim neck profile this is going to play like a dream. Compared to steel strings, nylon strings have far less tension on them. I select relatively lightweight mahogany for the necks of my Concert Nylon guitars. I include a truss rod for adjustability in the setup more than for reinforcement. Note the very high soundhole in this design, as well as the very high waist. My design goal here is to keep the relative locations of the bridge, the soundhole, and the waist of the guitar the same as they would be on a classical 12-fret guitar, while still gaining an extra 2 frets of access on the neck. Can't wait to play it!

Fred's Concert Nylon Soundbox is Complete

2008-03-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Fred's Italian Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Concert Nylon is coming along very nicely. I've closed up the box, installed the curly koa binding, and completed a first round of finish sanding. In the first picture you can see the lattice bracing. The bracing, while lightweight, is quite stiff, which allows for the top to be thinned far beyond what you would find on a traditionally braced guitar. In some areas the soundboard is just a little over 1mm thick. It takes great care to work with such small tolerances.

Happy Birthday #51!

2008-03-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

I love to have a local customer, because I get to be there when he opens the case and take it for that first spin. John was delighted with his 8-string guitar/bass and it seemed clear that he'll really be enjoying the challenges and opportunities it presents. I can't wait to hear what you do with it, John. Be sure to get some sleep tonight! :) And of course, thanks.

John's 8-String Guitar-Bass is Nearly Complete

2008-03-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

John's 8-String Guitar-Bass is nearly complete! With that enormous 8-string fingerboard and bridge the baritone size body starts to look even a little petite! The 7th string will be a .070 gauge and tune to A or B, and the 8th string will be a .100 gauge tuned to an E one octave below the 6th string...so it's a bass and a guitar in one! John had a very nice special request for this instrument. He requested a very thin non-gloss open pore finish that would look as much like bare wood as possible, and Addam Stark did a really great job making it happen. I really like the way it looks and feels. Since getting it back from Addam I've glued on the bridge, installed the frets and attached the neck. Comin' up soon, John! :)

2008-02-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Fred's Italian Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Concert Nylon has been braced in a lattice style. The lattice is made of Port Orford cedar, and it has been shaped taller in the middle and thinner around the edges. The lattice is overlayed with a very thin maple veneer in the direction that has upward-facing lap joints (lower left to upper right when looking at the inside). Next I'll be bracing the back and closing up the soundbox. Stay tuned...

Links Heeyu...Getcha Fresh Hot Links Heeyu!

2008-02-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Links make the web go 'round, so I've added a links page to my site. Obviously, if you're interested in my site, you may be interested in some of these as well. I've tried to make this page as inclusive as possible, but I've put it together just recently, so I'm sure there must be many glaring omissions. If you konw of a site I might include, or if you catch a stale link, please drop me an email. If you'd like to link directly to this page for reference, please do. Happy surfing!

Fred's Concert Nylon is Underway

2008-02-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

This week I've begun work on Fred's Italian Alpine Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Concert Nylon. The Italian spruce is just as light as a feather, and that Brazilian rosewood smells absolutely delicious...like chocolate! Better make sure there's no sawdust in my teeth. :)

John's 8-String is Ready for Finish

2008-02-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

John's 8-String Guitar/Bass is ready for finish now. John has a somewhat unusual request...he doesn't want the high gloss under-glass look for the finish...he wants the guitar to look and feel like wood. What a concept! :) So this guitar will have a very thin matte finish with no pore fill whatsoever. I sure have enjoyed working with Pau Ferro on the back and sides. It's a beautiful wood with material and acoustic properties very similar to Indian rosewood. How about that enormous fingerboard? I had fun carefully shaping the neck profile with extremely shallow sloping shoulders so that it would be as easy as possible to reach across all that beautiful ebony.

2008-02-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

I got some really uncommon and beautiful back and side sets in the shop this week. Check out the Avodire and Brazilian Kingwood sets in my Gallery of Woods in the Shop. The Brazilian Kingwood is a type of rosewood. Avodire is a strong lightweight wood from West Africa that generally similar to mahogany or acacias such as koa. I'm thinking that the Avodire would look so beautiful with cocobolo for the binding, rosette, headplates, fingerboard and bridge. Any other ideas?

8-String Guitar/Bass Coming Along

2008-01-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

I've just finished binding and doing a first round of finish sanding on John's 8-String Guitar/Bass. The top here is Sitka spruce and the back and sides are Pau Ferro. The binding is bloodwood. Today I got a good start on the neck. Wait till you see this fat fingerboard! More soon.... :)

Dave Hilyard's "Little Martha"

2008-01-25T00:46:00.001-08:00

Oh Yeah! My recent customer Dave Hilyard just recorded a really fantastic arrangement of "Little Martha" on his new Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Baritone. Beautiful playing, Dave! Thanks. :)

Introducing the Aurora!

2008-01-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

It's my great pleasure today to announce a new model...the Aurora! This is a relatively large bodied guitar (16" lower bout) designed to be played at concert pitch or in drop/open tunings such as DADGAD. Standard scale length on this model is 25.5", and longer custom scale lengths are available for customers who want to prioritize those slightly lower tunings.

This particular instrument was commissioned by Bill Fitzgerald. His main target tuning is, from low to high, CGCGCF. In this case, the bottom three strings are lower, but the top two strings are higher, so we opted for a multi-scale design that ranges from 25.5 to 27.5 inches. With light gauge strings it plays beautifully at concert pitch. This guitar has a koa top with Macassar ebony back and sides and bloodwood trim. For comfort, Bill chose to have the Ryan Bevel and Manzer Wedge included on this instrument as well. The koa top produces a very solid attack and really beautiful shimmering upper partials which are enhanced by the very hard ebony back and sides. This is the second guitar I've built with this wood combination and in both cases it has produced a timbre that is absolutely beautiful for strumming. The way the notes blend reminds me a bit of the way Ricki Lee Jones' self harmonization shimmers.

I've been enjoying putting my own fingerstyle technique on it today as well. I hope that in the coming days I'll be able to play and record a sample worthy of your brief attention. Tough job, but someone's got to do it. :) Also on Tuesday I'm taking this in for some studio shots so I can set up a proper new model page for the Aurora! :)

Shopping Binge!

2008-01-15T19:02:00.001-08:00

Shopping Binge!
Yesterday I was on a roadtrip that brought me through Windsor California, which means one thing...shopping time at Luthiers Mercantile! Mainly I was looking for tops. I spent several hours looking through enormous stacks of tops and came out with a real top-shelf stash of my favorite master-grade sets, which I picked for their tap tone, stiffness, tight grain and cosmetic flawlessness. I came away with about seven sets of Italian Alpine Spruce, five sets of Engelmann Spruce, 7 sets of Sitka Spruce, and 7 sets of German/European Spruce. So this morning I reorganized my stash and here's the picture to prove it. Yeah, it's fun. :)

While I was at it yesterday I came across this fantastic back and side set of cocobolo, a wood I really enjoy building with. Just now I've added it to my updated Gallery of Tonewoods in the Shop.

2008-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I braced the back of John's Sitka Spruce and Pau Ferro 8-String Guitar/Bass and closed up the soundbox. As you can see, the fingerboard is enormous and has a big variation in scale length. This is so that the bass strings can have a proper length to support a solid note with good sustain. I was extremely happy with the first 8-string guitar bass I built for Jim Saxa, so I kept the soundboard bracing pattern very much the same.

John's 8-stringer Comin' Up!

2007-12-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-13T16:16:00.001-08:00

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

2007-12-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

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.