The Top and the Back. Together they will make a Box. A very special box, certainly, but a Box non the less. This Box should be the most vibrating, music making, comfortable to hold, box around. However we shall have to wait and see{hear} to know for sure. With the top wood Douglas Fir, which is a very superior tonewood, the fan bracing, the Claro Walnut back and sides with its own special vibrating fool of bracing, the sound should be superior in many ways. It should have very even tonal range between bass and treble, it should be LOUD, for a box and it won't look bad either. Time will tell, as it always does.

Well, there it is in the final stages of brace carving. As one can see, it is a completely different bracing system than the normal "X" bracing system which has been in use for over 100 years. The "X" bracing is a very good thing, however, as it performs it's functions very well. That is it allows the bridge plate to vibrate and is strong enough to keep the top in place over the years. The "X" bracing system is also a bad thing. It is used all over the world, in literally millions of guitars. No innovations are forthcoming when the old standard is always used. One cannot blindly follow that what is done is the only Right way, as it is clearly not the case. We shall see how this experience is sound production works out. It will be a good guitar, but perhaps a great guitar.

The Fan. It's been around for centuries, its simple, its effective. Its Strong too. The thin wooden spokes support the fan material, whether it be silk, paper, wood. Wood! What a concept. A support system of thin wooden spokes strongly supporting a wooden ? A wooden guitar top? Of course that is the answer. Oh yeah, what was the question? How to support a guitar top in a manner which lets the top function as it is supposed too, that is to vibrate as freely as possible. What works for a fan will {or should} work for a guitar top, and if so, it should produce a unique and different sound. Not necessarily better, but different. With so many millions of guitars in the world built very much the same, its time to seek a different approach. More of this extremely exciting topic tomorrow.

At the art walk a few days ago in downtown Eugene, a fellow walk up to one of my guitars and exclaimed "LOOK< there's JESUS! All I know is that JESUS was not in my guitar when I made it, at lest not at first. When he showed up and why is beyond my mere mortal intellect. However, JESUS is for sale for only $20,000, and I will throw in a guitar as well. On a side bar, if one would look at the top-center of the picture I think I see Jimmy Hendricks. Jimmy living in the guitar would make some sense, and he is FREE, with the purchase of JESUS.

If James Bond, yes "THE" James Bond, thats Bond, James Bond, can nail an octopussy, I thought why not, and nailed my own octopussy. As one can see, its not likely to get uppity and leave. In fact, it may become a very responsive bracing system to the back of the newest and in some ways coolest guitar. Why do we care if the back is "responsive"? All it does it direct the sound forward, right? WRONG. The back woood also must vibrate right along with the top, just not quite so much. Thats why the backwood is important to the overall sound, it vibrates. Different woods vibrate differently, thereby the wood makes different sounds. Mostly all good sounds, but different. A any rate, its good to nail an octopussy once in a while. We will wait and see how the next guitars sounds. It will be good, but different.

Well, people in the Eugene, Springfield area were not left out of the musically talented. Many people are apparently gifted when it comes to playing music on a guitar. It is inspiring to hear and see so many folks drifting in from the Art Walk, picking up a guitar and playing what in many cases was jaw dropping virtuosity. That kind of Thing is a damn good way to showcase my guitars as these not so rare folks make the instruments sound really good. On an entirely different subject, its so easy to type on a word processing machine, as mistakes are made to disappear by the touch of a back button. Remember the typewriters of old that had a white ribbon as well as black, so when one made a mistake, you could backspace to the offending letter, type over it with the white ribbon, and then proceed as though nothing bad had happened at all? TECHNOLOGY is both good and bad. Some guitar manufacturers pride themselves in the fact that their instruments are hardly touched by human hands during the whole building process. Is that truly good? Not for me. I actually like working wood and pearl with my HAND tools. The touch and feel of turning a few pieces of material into a thing capable of producing cool tones and visual gorgeousness is for me the way.

Guitar show

These are a couple of pics from the Handmade Musical Instrument Show at Marylhurst College last weekend. The show a fun and inspiring place to be for a couple of days. Disturbingly good guitar players as well as mandolin players and violin players, obo players. chello players, standup base players, picalo players, flute players, and jews harp players. All in all a good time was had by all ears. The poor economy was in evidents however as nothing at all sold in the entire show, as good as the instruments were. Still a good experience and one which I shall repeat next year. Repeating this Friday night, thats TONIGHT, there is another ART WALK at which I shall be displaying some of my guitars. Many many other artists will displaying their wares as well, so come out and have a look, and a listen. Thats TONIGHT downtown Eugene centered on Willamette St.