Doing time, doing fret work

Doing a re-fret on a mando. That's me!

I learned to get my fret work together by working for Stewart Port, repair man extraordinaire.

I've known Stewie, as he is fondly called by the other gutiar makers, for about fifteen years. One of the best things he taught me was the technique of filing. Files are an essential tool for guitar making and repair work and like any activity whether it be athletic or artistic there is technique to be learned.

If you look at my left hand thumb you can see that I am putting pressure on the file an guiding it while giving it motion and pushing with the right hand. Files cut in one direction, and it's essential to attune your ear to listen to how the file is cutting, deep or shallow, fast or slow. You use the senses of hearing, vision and touch to use tools. I'm really thankful I studied with and associate with Stewart because he is a talented repair man and a stickler for developing good technique in shop work.

I have some pictures from projects going on in his shop and I'll write more in depth about Stewart Port and what he does real soon.

Electric Saz for the Secret Chiefs

This is The electric Saz played by Trey Spruance the leader of the band Secret Chiefs. (Trey is on the right, that's me on the left. )

This instrument is the brain offspring of my friend John Beal of Bealtown Guitars. John and I went to the San Francisco Art Institute together in the early 1990's. Since those days at SFAI John has become a real Orthodox priest and he has a deep interest in Byzantine chant. Now I mean to say John did not get his priestly vestments from a Cracker Jack box or some flim-flammer online buy a degree website. He went to seminary, put in his time as a novice and eventually became a full priest. Among his many talents, he can play the blues and he puts together the odd electric guitar. He also wheels and deals in vintage amplifiers.

John put this very nice electric saz together by putting a traditional saz neck on a Danelectro Longhorn body. And then Trey bought it from John and played it so much in Secret Chiefs that the sunburst saz became identified with Trey's band. Do a youtube search on Secret Chiefs and you'll likely find Trey with saz in live concert footage. ( here you go- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1p4Qa_z65g&feature=related )

After a few tours the saz' neck began to work loose and move forward, that is when John mentioned to Trey I could re work the neck joint. He brought it over and I changed the headstock to accommodate guitar tuners to replace the wooden pegs on the saz neck. Then I grafted some new wood onto the end of the neck and made it a bolt on neck that could easily be reset. I did some touch up work to the finish to make it all look original and then Trey ran off with to Europe on a tour with the rebuilt saz. I also found him a case for that thing which was not easy. Ended up after trying several cases a Gibson 335 case fit it perfectly.

John wants me to make more of these sunburst saz'. I've got ideas, lots of ideas.

What is the plural of saz? sazzes? // If you know, let me know!

A new top, Spanish style construction: neck to top joining.

On the left is a new bracing scheme I'm trying out. It's a crossed fan brace pattern. It's for a classical guitar. We'll see what happens. I think it will scream....err...sound great.  

Below this top is being joined to the neck Spanish style.  the neck and top are aligned with a straight edge and then the top is glued and pinned to the neck with a couple of small brads. This lines up the center seam of the top with the center line of the neck in one swoop. It's a fairly ancient way of working, this method can be found on extant  guitars made as early as the 1580's. 

n00bs 1979

1979? In high school when we used listen to Cheap Trick and to go the local music store dressed like this to try out electric guitars. I'm on the right, my friend Kevin on the left. I think he eventually turned out ok.

The next rosette

 This is the rosette on the guitar I'm building right now. It's a straight forward rosette, basic, tight colorful. Tease. Wait 'til this rosette gets carefully French polished. Those black bands will glow and I'll get some close in focused shots. 

But really shots like this are all about luthiers showing off those plane shavings! 

Blueship

 Made for a sculpture show last summer.  There is an art gallery in the building where I have my shop.  They asked all the people who have shops here to make a piece for a group show. 

We are located by the Port of Oakland, one of the biggest ports on the West Coast. Just down the street is the edge of the water. There are huge ships floating by all the time. My entry in the show was this little boat with glass vessels as cargo. It's about 14" long. 

I have a new- used digital camera and I tried to shoot guitars in process tonight, but I have yet to master the new camera so.......we look at small ships until then.  

Japanese antique silk wheel.

This is a silk gathering wheel from the 19th century. I saw it in a Japanese antique store about five years ago and bought it to put in my shop. To me it's beautiful and I draw a lot of inspiration by having it hanging around.

Maybe it just speaks to my worm work ethic character or there is some caterpillar to moth metaphor or some such wacky thing. Or perhaps I was a silk worm in a past life and this is like looking at the old job site. Actually that is cold comfort, forget that. I was never a worm despite what my old girlfriend said about me.

There was a basket on the left side mounted on that block and the caterpillars lived in there, eating Mulberry leaves until they were fat and full of silk. Then when they began to spin cocoons the silk was directed up onto the wheel by the silk gatherers and the caterpillars would spin and spin until the they were spent, and the wheel was full of raw silk thread. Some Sysiphean task.......