tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68224735089815624382024-03-17T02:52:19.285+08:00Guitaring PassionatelyTo be a leading voice in things about guitarsGuitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-32487087239777839332018-02-06T21:52:00.000+08:002018-02-26T23:01:32.888+08:00Guitaring Passionately to AdamCHAN Guitars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW49fl-dl4nl81m2PMEt9Hdbg6kS36Qqt8R9thrsYLx62kbr4OWpUkYMrywzUIuDhdnJfzrPB1JdwEbLkLh38aKoVQcDtfwhkNMVdX4HFij2l9ZwjbJD4kFGzMJYShONrGMkDaI51ehmA/s1600/AdamCHAN+Guitars+171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1600" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW49fl-dl4nl81m2PMEt9Hdbg6kS36Qqt8R9thrsYLx62kbr4OWpUkYMrywzUIuDhdnJfzrPB1JdwEbLkLh38aKoVQcDtfwhkNMVdX4HFij2l9ZwjbJD4kFGzMJYShONrGMkDaI51ehmA/s400/AdamCHAN+Guitars+171.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitaring Passionately Workshop</td></tr>
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It was in 2009 I started providing guitar maintenance and repair services and I named the service Guitar Passionately (GP). It was indeed a mouthful and surely there were no lacking in persuasions to drop such a name. Being obstinate, I kept it. With faith and efforts, GP has grown but not without barriers and setbacks. So why did I do this?<br />
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The invention of the KILN has indirectly drawn me into learning about guitars. In the most natural way, it began with maintenance and repairs of guitars. My gut feel told me that for the KILN to be good, comprehension in maintenance and repairs of guitars weren't adequate. It has to be the knowledge of building guitars.<br />
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<a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0c940e_c87d3c2b3baf455798d0668ea7df04a7.png/v1/fill/w_479,h_286,al_c,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/0c940e_c87d3c2b3baf455798d0668ea7df04a7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="479" height="191" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0c940e_c87d3c2b3baf455798d0668ea7df04a7.png/v1/fill/w_479,h_286,al_c,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/0c940e_c87d3c2b3baf455798d0668ea7df04a7.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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My maiden experience in building guitar took place in August 2010, which I have attended Master Luthier Mr. Jeffrey Yong's guitar making class. It felt like a turning point to me, somehow I didn't jump into actions right away. Instead it has planted a seed within me.<br />
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The KILN has her fair share of challenges and eventually the grand dream of hitting the world market in huge numbers was inevitably tamed into handcrafting Rosewood KILNs in GP Workshop and selling them. The consolation was the Rosewood KILN has hit the world market but in much smaller numbers. Dreams and realties are not always the same; a hard truth I have learnt about product invention to marketing.<br />
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In April 2014, I took another leap in setting up a guitar workshop to undertake more complicated maintenance and repair works. Deep in my mind, the workshop was inaugurated for building guitar. Having gone through the invention and development of the KILN, I knew it was imperative to set right benchmarks if I want to make it in guitar making. Patiently I began with basic woodworking like building chairs, benches and tables. Learning from these items about the things that matter most.<br />
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From 2014 to 2016, the maintenance and repair works have grown in complexities and intricacies. My abilities were stretched and tested. There were again barriers and setbacks that called to me to quit as if I was wasting my time and squandering the faith of my love ones have had on me. There were times that I was almost overwhelmed by obstacles. Nevertheless I pressed on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5w_EKgE2hFVlvwM8ZQFcVlya1FqOMC1TtHnuEXt2gylbFDFXa1GofAts6buCaPlp1V0XKKbaBPuWf1ajC6GIJ6uoIlsuKj1DgMG1ay1rd1Rk2X8mAEmo1g0FOCa_KuQvxH3Nz9r1EYw/s1600/AdamCHAN+Guitars+092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5w_EKgE2hFVlvwM8ZQFcVlya1FqOMC1TtHnuEXt2gylbFDFXa1GofAts6buCaPlp1V0XKKbaBPuWf1ajC6GIJ6uoIlsuKj1DgMG1ay1rd1Rk2X8mAEmo1g0FOCa_KuQvxH3Nz9r1EYw/s320/AdamCHAN+Guitars+092.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S0607 - Spc Black Limba (#001)</td></tr>
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Tirelessly, I went on a roll in making jigs and fixtures that would enable a consistence process in making my line of guitars. Again there were no shortage of mistakes and re-works. I began to wonder if I was able to pull it off. Must it be so damn hard to get it right?<br />
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Staring at the mistakes, digging deep to comprehend their causalities, a revelation of perspective arose. A guitar maker is a craftsman. To be a craftsman, it wasn't just about passion and determination as many have assumed. It was possessing the humility to accept your work as your own regardless the qualities and outcomes. In a sentence, <i>even with passion and might, my work can still be sucks</i>. At that instance, I was enlightened. It was not just the work, it was me.<br />
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In February 2017, I began work on the #001 acoustic guitar in GP Workshop. Symbolically, the making of #001 was like the conception of <a href="https://www.adamchanguitars.com/">AdamCHAN Guitars</a>. Step by step it inched towards completion of this #001 guitar; model S0607.<br />
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The making of #001 was far from being smooth. I stumble all the way until it was done. Finally on the 9 August 2017, I heard the first chord from the #001. It was unbelievable, it was not perfect but it was honest. I have completed my #001.<br />
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I learned that Jeffrey Yong was coming to town to attend Shun Ng's private concert on the 11 August 2017. It was a chance not to be missed because I could get Jeffrey to test play the #001. Jeffrey has been generous in his knowledge of guitar making. Without his mentoring, I wouldn't have been able to make the #001.<br />
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Jeffrey is pretty selective about test playing guitars. He would pick all 6 strings with his thumb first. If the tone is not up to his mark, he would leave the guitar. Finally, Jeffrey has arrived to his hotel and I presented #001 to him. He visually inspected #001, offered a few remarks about my finishing job and went on to play the six strings and… he continued to play 2 tunes on my #001! That was a defining moment for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoYhooF8Xo14Y7DTdO0f8ltz06Y5pWDEdaeC1HxTOej4qxHYJORJ9RgRbbnfuCOYQpe2XM3CGD18_cHm42iY0WhluR3jDlkVZay1NKSvbfFFkRjg0r7YJse9awk7NpiWvrFC0OuKjI9Q/s1600/IMG-20170816-WA0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1116" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoYhooF8Xo14Y7DTdO0f8ltz06Y5pWDEdaeC1HxTOej4qxHYJORJ9RgRbbnfuCOYQpe2XM3CGD18_cHm42iY0WhluR3jDlkVZay1NKSvbfFFkRjg0r7YJse9awk7NpiWvrFC0OuKjI9Q/s200/IMG-20170816-WA0003.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCew78Q0kVeTg-GlVX9YmpNKzplkm5NFAapOqnn4846BSGKMFr14rKWJ7lF0L7MJRD0kJxo-x_kcgqOBg93pf1qPoegTek4kiF9wWJ4bHiZEcIUSWnOG1B3_aFtMLIUpyMXMdLlXuFt-I/s1600/IMG-20170816-WA0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCew78Q0kVeTg-GlVX9YmpNKzplkm5NFAapOqnn4846BSGKMFr14rKWJ7lF0L7MJRD0kJxo-x_kcgqOBg93pf1qPoegTek4kiF9wWJ4bHiZEcIUSWnOG1B3_aFtMLIUpyMXMdLlXuFt-I/s200/IMG-20170816-WA0005.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I kept the momentum going from August 2017. I have completed 4 guitars today (Feb 2018) and every piece carries my imperfect works. Nevertheless I am happy with them.<br />
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In closing I would boldly declare that without my wife's unconditional love and my family's unwavering support, my pursuit would not have arrived to what it is today.<br />
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Above all, without HIM I cannot and without me, HE will not.</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-35695149070774272312017-11-07T23:32:00.001+08:002017-11-07T23:32:04.245+08:00Featured Restoration - Double Cracks!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Guitar Enthusiasts,<br />
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Least expected the last 2 consecutive jobs were repairing cracked necks. Both guitars' necks were seriously cracked indeed. A Martin OM-28V came in first with a almost severed neck. A few days later a Takamine guitar arrived in two. Here are the pictures of both guitars' cracked necks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPR8B0INYYSJ_a8Ei-qHFsU0rY7ZGGeeDxLL7fdovYJPQeXMM_rwwqukUMsGHv-eYm0RiZyWoyWRa6sIgf_rakfG3t_Z0FTZosS94fpNOt7OkT4sTfsrS6grMDY5V6Wi9Ptag9i8PVFU/s1600/Martin+OM-28V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPR8B0INYYSJ_a8Ei-qHFsU0rY7ZGGeeDxLL7fdovYJPQeXMM_rwwqukUMsGHv-eYm0RiZyWoyWRa6sIgf_rakfG3t_Z0FTZosS94fpNOt7OkT4sTfsrS6grMDY5V6Wi9Ptag9i8PVFU/s320/Martin+OM-28V.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martin OM-28V</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfeSs9cJySZNbjhSoPCxyb2jIArvD2P_2uu0E7Ymg-ypGSajH997MwM_PTUsRvLCE0FSoTp73w4VTWfCuukaZhHCoJw_g9gemLm-MWUwhpeYYaIGup_WDCF3r_NCR2HKHmy_-9cKhZEg/s1600/Takamine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfeSs9cJySZNbjhSoPCxyb2jIArvD2P_2uu0E7Ymg-ypGSajH997MwM_PTUsRvLCE0FSoTp73w4VTWfCuukaZhHCoJw_g9gemLm-MWUwhpeYYaIGup_WDCF3r_NCR2HKHmy_-9cKhZEg/s320/Takamine.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takamine</td></tr>
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The repair is of course to re-glue the cracked portions and get the guitar back in action. However many of my clients are not aware of a whole of details and considerations that come with a cracked neck repair job. This is where I play my part as a professional, i.e. to provide the best fitting repair options to suit their desires and budgets.<br />
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For cracked guitar necks, I provide these options.<br />
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1. Re-glue the cracked portions.<br />
2. Re-glue the cracked portions plus reinforcements.<br />
3. Re-glue the cracked portions plus reinforcements plus cosmetic touch-up<br />
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They simply differ in terms of the amount of jobs. I am not going to dive into elaboration of each option as I think they are pretty self-explanatory. However I welcome any queries regarding them if you deem necessary.<br />
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<b>The Martin OM-28V</b><br />
The owner was determined to have it fixed to last because he really liked the guitar. The crack was due a fall by his younger brother who has accidentally dropped the guitar. The owner has chosen my 3 option, that is to re-glue the cracked portions, reinforce its neck and perform cosmetic touch-ups on the affected areas. Let the pictures talk. The sequence starts from left picture and goes clockwise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YxeDA_aozEgZI5QanQCL0ijR7EHanwX2Tkk8AoHTINiu9gCB7ALojMLMO4mqVfrICVu_3xf18IMU0rDEzfvebyBxGh7e8iKfzfYOG8ekoPi95V38xdjXVF2UIWW5K_5MNIRKk4TEqBs/s1600/Martin+Neck+Repair+Job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YxeDA_aozEgZI5QanQCL0ijR7EHanwX2Tkk8AoHTINiu9gCB7ALojMLMO4mqVfrICVu_3xf18IMU0rDEzfvebyBxGh7e8iKfzfYOG8ekoPi95V38xdjXVF2UIWW5K_5MNIRKk4TEqBs/s400/Martin+Neck+Repair+Job.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>The Takamine guitar</b><br />
The client who brought it to my workshop isn't the owner. He wanted to get the guitar repair for a friend who has pretty deep attachment to this Takamine guitar. At first, he has chosen the 2nd option, that is to re-glue the cracked portions plus reinforcements. Eventually I have decided to go all the way for this guitar because I think it would make the owner really happy. Again, let the pictures talk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMY8WplzIS7xDTPea14yJMHhPS9jJdQEueCNOfzr6O6CA4gAt67j1zEiflqpXLfGeL0QUNAe1WixW1C5x2auUAfg_QkBD5qpNPHn2O6L5gcFGZ8lK8F8wfMHotyG1KTLx296hKVLIN2U/s1600/Takamine+Neck+Repair+Job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMY8WplzIS7xDTPea14yJMHhPS9jJdQEueCNOfzr6O6CA4gAt67j1zEiflqpXLfGeL0QUNAe1WixW1C5x2auUAfg_QkBD5qpNPHn2O6L5gcFGZ8lK8F8wfMHotyG1KTLx296hKVLIN2U/s400/Takamine+Neck+Repair+Job.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thanks for taking time to read my posting!</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-61486069608597228702017-07-06T23:14:00.001+08:002017-07-11T23:37:52.659+08:00Featured Restoration - The Screws & Holes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FzHenEgLke-zdL9arFI1jb5qTwR1c3k4SBgBIaCMAfFjIV9OOZvl1djlHR8yR2AziafBJJh6s44w2gqIEgziL4tMz0dBVykioWyttPeLzJWDpsltD9ZOcJuxVgQnRJ9fMixqJcAcJlw/s1600/Bridge+Screws+%2526+Nuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FzHenEgLke-zdL9arFI1jb5qTwR1c3k4SBgBIaCMAfFjIV9OOZvl1djlHR8yR2AziafBJJh6s44w2gqIEgziL4tMz0dBVykioWyttPeLzJWDpsltD9ZOcJuxVgQnRJ9fMixqJcAcJlw/s320/Bridge+Screws+%2526+Nuts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screws & Holes </td></tr>
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Hi Guitar Players,<br />
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It is a common knowledge that women worry a lot. I think it is equally true for guitar owners, especially the guys. They really know how to worry about their guitars… well this is a story of those worrying guitar guys out there.<br />
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Structural repairs made up the majority of my guitar services. Such repairs are very important and they should be carried out before other forms of repairs like functional and cosmetic. For this blog, I shall focus on re-gluing lifted guitar bridges of acoustic guitars.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYba1VhuVYFp-4S2nm-VubPqaKgWjFhuKJfnavyJrGjbI0EWWT1amEmHlOBZ41S1__LsHckqH5kWMSzatYm6Rj7CQDwWHlzYNNwh4-qQRKwEM3stAgteZNF_syxCQ9ab9b4wI8-6S83Y/s1600/20160222_124458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYba1VhuVYFp-4S2nm-VubPqaKgWjFhuKJfnavyJrGjbI0EWWT1amEmHlOBZ41S1__LsHckqH5kWMSzatYm6Rj7CQDwWHlzYNNwh4-qQRKwEM3stAgteZNF_syxCQ9ab9b4wI8-6S83Y/s320/20160222_124458.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The paper trick</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Braces design of Small Acoustic Guitars</b></span><br />
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Re-gluing lifted bridges of acoustic guitars used to be rare. I didn't have to do too much of it until the dawn of "small sized" acoustic guitars. Many big brands jumped into producing such small guitars because they are very popular among youngsters. Small and light, great for lugging around whilst commuting.<br />
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In the aspect of volume projection, it is a basic logic that smaller guitars are not as loud as regular sized guitars. For musical instruments, volume projection is a significant indicator of quality. The designers overcome this barrier by "lightening" the bracing design on top boards by numbers. With the bracing design lightened, the volume projection was retained.<br />
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How do I know? Just toss a mirror into your small guitars, snap some pictures. Do the same to your regular sized guitars. Compare the pictures. The differences are obvious.<br />
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Guitar braces are like the pillars and columns of our houses. They give structural rigidity and stability to our roof and walls. In acoustic guitars, the braces on top boards function like house pillars. In additional, they also regulate the tonal qualities of acoustic guitars. Contemplate removing a few columns in your house… the same effects would apply on acoustic guitars as well.<br />
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In my blog post "<a class="OYKEW4D-c-g" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6822473508981562438#editor/target=post;postID=4714292322376739057;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname">Guitar Myths #002 - Are acoustic guitars' tops really flat?</a>", I mentioned about the unavoidable bulging effects about acoustic guitars' bridge areas. If the regular guitars are suffering from this bulging effects, how much more would it affect the smaller guitar?<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Bridge Lifting; How did that happened?</span></b> <br />
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Many reasons contribute to bridge lift. In this blog I would be illuminating the structural rigidity of acoustic guitars' top boards, specifically small acoustic guitars.<br />
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As discussed earlier, small acoustic guitars' give volume projection more weight than structural rigidity of their top boards in design. One could easily imagine that when bulging effects set in, small acoustic guitars' top boards would get more of it. Another words, their top boards should bulge more than regular sized acoustic guitars.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjRciU9i93gHDAc71PLw_UM78386ManmkUOD5ue-fs7yUZJodcTKazUPzINrFRN3yBgLqKJHTMMIXFmfkcjJExCTTvIgxdL4laK8fw5yIYchyaYshBJaXxV9R3yVZWOd88q7cL1TFci0/s1600/tangent1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="59" data-original-width="136" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjRciU9i93gHDAc71PLw_UM78386ManmkUOD5ue-fs7yUZJodcTKazUPzINrFRN3yBgLqKJHTMMIXFmfkcjJExCTTvIgxdL4laK8fw5yIYchyaYshBJaXxV9R3yVZWOd88q7cL1TFci0/s400/tangent1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Analogy of bridge lift</td></tr>
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All new guitar bridges are made with flat base. They are glued to new acoustic guitars' top boards which were flat before loading strings on them. As bulging sets in, the curvature of the top boards increase. Invariably, the base of the new guitar bridges remain flat while the top boards changes in curvatures. As soon as the bridges could not keep up with the curvature (see picture above), the extreme ends of the bridges detached from the top boards. This detachment would appear like the bridges have lifted to our naked eyes. When left unchecked, the detachment grows until the guitars are unable to be tuned, or the bridges get ripped off.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Re-gluing Small Acoustic Guitars' Bridges; 2 Screws 2 Holes</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEkQ_Lpeoa5AxMQ0r2Wa92Kzb3aN68vLv1s8KXPxNzHXOLz1BdBqkMGEbnSS7nQjQyj9tO_yD5gSt_95uq6txdQnac7n5xp92hsxVwUfZOWPigZE9508lSGxlvkmYeIDcxTNxNqV9MKM/s1600/20150928_175446+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEkQ_Lpeoa5AxMQ0r2Wa92Kzb3aN68vLv1s8KXPxNzHXOLz1BdBqkMGEbnSS7nQjQyj9tO_yD5gSt_95uq6txdQnac7n5xp92hsxVwUfZOWPigZE9508lSGxlvkmYeIDcxTNxNqV9MKM/s400/20150928_175446+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a>There is actually no difference between re-gluing small acoustic guitars' bridges and regular acoustic guitars. However the difference in their respective life-spans cannot be more obvious. I have enough returning customers coming back for the same repair job, that is re-gluing small acoustic guitars' bridges that set me thinking of approaches to make this repair job more enduring.<br />
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A while ago I repaired a guitar that was of non-wood composition. Its bridge has detached and I made 4 attempts but they were in vain. Each attempt I tried a type of glue but nothing seems to work. The client was thankful for me trying that hard, at the same time he was very disappointed with the small guitar in question. He left that guitar in my shop.<br />
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<b>Screws & Nuts</b>; There is no better way than fastening the bridge to its top board by screws and nuts. So I picked up that guitar and placed screws and nuts on them. See right picture. Directly under the bridge and the underside of the top board, a piece of 3.5mm thick hardwood was glued onto the existing bridge plate as reinforcement. The nuts are secured onto the hardwood. I would like to emphasize at this point; the lifted bridge has already been re-glued properly before the screws and nuts get installed.<br />
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Since I have freely received this guitar, I too gave away this guitar freely to a deserving friend. I haven't heard anything regarding bridge lift since the guitar was given away.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tone Affected?</b></span><br />
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Yes, FAQ from the worry guys. "Would drilling 2 mounting holes for screws and nuts affect my guitar's tonal quality?<br />
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What do you think? Personally, I have 2 replies to the above question, a simple and a elaborated one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBK2JDhJUVPWvJh-VvsxkjLpx9zI-7wXI-elYVU_Tx6vRULGXX_1yhjpmpDvK9Ia9iUxFjZw6NrKwSD-4brlfIZTTZTn45luoGWmTtY9Y5Jx5O859OXLtT_U9n2PTCgA88Q91rLMSAEk/s1600/20170704_102620+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBK2JDhJUVPWvJh-VvsxkjLpx9zI-7wXI-elYVU_Tx6vRULGXX_1yhjpmpDvK9Ia9iUxFjZw6NrKwSD-4brlfIZTTZTn45luoGWmTtY9Y5Jx5O859OXLtT_U9n2PTCgA88Q91rLMSAEk/s320/20170704_102620+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>The simple reply; "No." Period.<br />
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The elaborated reply; "Would it affect the tone? Firstly there is one big hole in the middle of your guitar, plus another 6 smaller ones beneath your bridge pins. Adding 2 tiny holes wouldn't amount the slightest degradation to your guitar's wonderful tone."<br />
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Some small acoustic guitars use dowel pins for bridge positioning. For such design, there are already 2 tiny holes drilled onto the top board (see above picture). I simply make use of these 2 holes for my Screws & Nuts approach.<br />
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Admittedly, the Screws & Nuts approach may not be a popular solution to acoustic guitar owners. It is nevertheless an effective approach to give life-span endurance to your small acoustic guitars. Don't let the fear of unknown stop you from trying, instead take a rational view when deciding the most suitable repair jobs. Drilling your acoustic guitars isn't always bad.</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com03006 Ubi Rd 1, Singapore 4087001.3305057 103.892703400000071.3295137 103.89144290000007 1.3314977000000001 103.89396390000007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-47142923223767390572017-06-26T21:46:00.000+08:002017-06-26T22:34:41.234+08:00Guitar Myths #002 - Are acoustic guitars' tops really flat?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Flat acoustic guitar top… really?<br />
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Once again urban myths strike again.<br />
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After making the big decision to part with one's hard earned money, a guitar was purchased. It was all perfect… was it? Playing the brand new guitar in private, admiring its beauty, savoring its tone… suddenly a slight bulge about the guitar bridges' area was sighted. Perplexed by it, immediately turning to internet to seek for an explanation.<br />
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Most people fear the unknown. Needless to say, many guitar owners assumed the worse. As such, it triggered their paranoia quests for solutions to this mysterious phenomenon. So the million dollars question; Are acoustic guitar tops really flat? If it isn't, so the guitar is not in perfect condition, right?<br />
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<b>Total String Tension</b><br />
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First let's take a look at how much force is acting on a 6-string acoustic guitar's top board when all six strings are fully tuned to standard tuning. In D'Addario's website, the force in both pounds and kg for each string is listed. Below is an excerpt from D'Addario's EXP PB 12/53 string's technical specifications. 12/53 gauge is chosen because of its commonality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyQMTsp8GM0WsqlFgXTQrZLi70i3CKDJzHvtUniIkfm14aKVH9r66jBuJ2wRPnfQG4RAbzxCH6tF0GH6QEBX4T_8k1nWiQvQvvrG_TPCe-qg5zWn7lThHS0GKw9DURxMU5rZhekLkuZk/s1600/6-String+Tension.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="905" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyQMTsp8GM0WsqlFgXTQrZLi70i3CKDJzHvtUniIkfm14aKVH9r66jBuJ2wRPnfQG4RAbzxCH6tF0GH6QEBX4T_8k1nWiQvQvvrG_TPCe-qg5zWn7lThHS0GKw9DURxMU5rZhekLkuZk/s400/6-String+Tension.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=87&productname=EXP16_Coated_Phosphor_Bronze__Light__12_53">http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=87&productname=EXP16_Coated_Phosphor_Bronze__Light__12_53</a></span><br />
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There is no rocket science in determining the total force acting on a guitar top board. Just add them up.<br />
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In KG; (E)10.6 + (B)10.57 + (G)12.9 + (D)13.03 + (A)12.74 + (E)11.05 = 70.89kg or 156.29lbs<br />
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How much does a regular dude weigh? <br />
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<b>Thickness of Top Board</b><br />
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Next, we shall consider the typical thickness of acoustic guitars' top boards. There are actually many considerations in determining the thickness of an acoustic guitar's top board. It isn't practical to go at length about it herein for obvious reason. Lets' take the word of a guru, Ervin Somogyi as a good guide. He mentioned in one of his many articles the preferred top board thickness is 3/32" or 2.34mm in thickness. You can read his full article here: <a href="http://www.esomogyi.com/top_thickness.pdf">http://www.esomogyi.com/top_thickness.pdf</a><br />
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We are going to rewind a little to figure out the reasons for guitar owners to assume that acoustic guitars' tops are flat.<br />
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<b>Points of sale</b>; firstly there is virtually no good reason for buying a guitar except for professional guitarists. We buy guitars on impulse, simple as that. Under impulse, no amount of intellect can help a guitar fanatic to discern facts from fiction. A guitar sales guy would say whatever the potential buyer wishes to hear. That includes generating an impression upon the potential buyer that the guitars in the shop are in perfect conditions. It isn't too hard to connect the dots right?<br />
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Acoustic guitars' top boards appear to be flat to our naked eyes. Most guitar buyers wouldn't question validity of this point. So it is not difficult for the sale guy to complete the sales with the buyer thinking and agreeing that the purchased guitar is in perfect condition which includes a perfectly flat top board.<br />
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<b>Limited knowledge</b>; while many guitar owners are passionate about playing guitars, however that has little to do with the motivation to learn adequately about guitar's construction. Flat Top guitar, this common jargon has convinced guitar owners that acoustic guitars' top boards are indeed flat or they must be flat. It is indeed factual that acoustic guitars' top boards are flat during the construction phase. All that will change when a constructed acoustic guitar gets into the quality control (QC) section. The freshly constructed guitar with a perfectly flatted top bulges immediately when the QC dude loads strings on it, for the purpose of inspection and setting up.<br />
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It isn't the end.<br />
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If this guitar gets shipped to regions with high humidity climate, the guitar continues to absorb moisture of the surroundings. Thus the bugle increases.<br />
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<b>Answer to the million dollars question</b>;<br />
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Lets' take a look at this picture.<br />
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<a href="https://c3.staticflickr.com/3/2867/11215257453_6d98faf631_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/3/2867/11215257453_6d98faf631_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="https://c3.staticflickr.com/3/2867/11215257453_6d98faf631_b.jpg">https://c3.staticflickr.com/3/2867/11215257453_6d98faf631_b.jpg</a></span><br />
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So does that answer the question? Just do an image search with this phrase "bulge guitar top" on any search engine to enlighten your mind.<br />
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<b>Summing UP</b><br />
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Bulged top board is not a defect. It is an inevitable usage outcome of ALL acoustic guitars. It is perfectly normal for acoustic guitars to have a bulged top when in normal use.<br />
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Earlier we have found out the total six string force, that is 70.89kg or 156.29lbs as well the typical thickness of acoustic guitars' top boards, that is 3/32" or 2.34mm. It is also a common knowledge that wood would compress or flex under force loading.<br />
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If we put these facts together, it is not hard to understand that acoustic guitars will bulge under normal usage.<br />
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When a force of 70.89kg is allowed to perpetually act on a piece of wood of 2.34mm thickness, how would this piece of wood remain unchanged structurally?<br />
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In addition, when an acoustic guitar has absorbed excessive moisture from its surrounding, it will also contribute to the bulge.<br />
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In closing, I would submit to all readers of this blog post that top board bulging in acoustic are caused by these factors,<br />
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1. String tension<br />
2. Thin top board<br />
3. Wood's natural compressible and flexible properties<br />
4. Absorption of moisture<br />
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Don't loose sleep over your bulged acoustic guitars. They are in PERFECT conditions!<br />
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-60683626727292157602017-02-05T17:21:00.000+08:002017-02-06T23:14:14.779+08:00Guitar Myths #001 - Matt vs Gloss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,<br />
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Kicking off a series in urban myths of guitars; we heard of many good intended advices about maintaining and enhancing our beloved guitars. Be aware of the stuff you read from various websites because the information found there may not be always authentic and much less helpful. I have learned many such myths from my clients. Let me warn you, some myths are simply out of this world and I think only magic mushrooms can take you there!<br />
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<b>Myth #001</b><br />
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"<i>Gloss finish will always give you more brighter sound and more treble and Matt/<span class="highlightNode">Satin</span> more warmer sound</i>".<br />
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Heard that before? I remember window shopping in a guitar shop and a sale person sharing that myth with me. With much convictions I must add.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/images/necks/FinishesNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/images/necks/FinishesNew.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comparisons between finishes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Taken from: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckFinishPop.aspx</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.thefinishingstore.com/wp-content/uploads/1_Satin-and-Gloss_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://news.thefinishingstore.com/wp-content/uploads/1_Satin-and-Gloss_sm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left flatting agent used, Right no flatting agent</td></tr>
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The facts behind finishing woods are diverse and deep and I made no attempt to elaborate every aspect of it as I am no expert in this as well. There are indeed critical differences between gloss finish and satin finish but they have nothing to do with "brighter sound and warmer sound".<br />
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In short, most regular polyurethane (PU) finishes are gloss by chemical nature. PU finishings that are Satin or Matt have been taken through an additional chemical process to attain the so-called Matt finishing.<br />
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When guitar makers produce Matt finish guitars, they attained that by mixing an additive commonly known as flatting agent into the finishing concoction. By this doing, we get the so-called Satin or Matt finish.<br />
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We can safely say that Satin or Matt finish guitars have slightly thicker coats than gloss finished guitars.<br />
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More reading on Flatting agent can be found here: <a href="http://news.thefinishingstore.com/index.php/the-role-of-flatting-agent-in-creating-sheen/">http://news.thefinishingstore.com/index.php/the-role-of-flatting-agent-in-creating-sheen/</a><br />
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Say we entertain the idea of finish thickness that may have influenced the tonal characteristics of guitars. For a start, both finishes have negligible differences in thickness, and it is totally within the control of the person who is doing the finishing job to give both finishing the same amount of coats.<br />
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In my opinion, to relate gloss finishes to brighter tone and satin finishes to warmer require great imagination or blind faith.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlA2cMSANx9Bilj-wrdd3sKkM8_m0xUs0dSGCnfKdwiInFt9XK_kKX3Yhso5aKvh6pYD1RFI9EgeEThg-K-xLfpQ-o27UEfeDhQm1FZqq5ezrBfrvfXrrsGlmQK4HL7tE72YGx9o-ZCCo/s1600/PU+Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlA2cMSANx9Bilj-wrdd3sKkM8_m0xUs0dSGCnfKdwiInFt9XK_kKX3Yhso5aKvh6pYD1RFI9EgeEThg-K-xLfpQ-o27UEfeDhQm1FZqq5ezrBfrvfXrrsGlmQK4HL7tE72YGx9o-ZCCo/s320/PU+Finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PU Finish</td></tr>
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There is an article on Satin Vs Gloss finish that finds little or no relationships between types of finishes and tonal characteristics. You can read it here: <a href="https://monikerguitars.com/blog/satin-vs-gloss-top-coat-guitars">https://monikerguitars.com/blog/satin-vs-gloss-top-coat-guitars</a>.<br />
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So when one of your guitar buddies suggest that Matt finished guitars give warmer tone, hope you can enlighten them.<br />
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-81099763062275942222016-06-21T22:10:00.000+08:002016-06-23T00:07:32.442+08:00Green to Finish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Guitar Enthusiasts,<br />
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From Green to Finish. Making a guitar is never an easy task, let alone starting from Green. It was one of the most interesting challenge thus far.<br />
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In March 2016, National Parks Board (NParks) unveiled Avenue of Heritage Trees and announced new Civic District Tree Trail. As a craftsman who makes my products primarily from woods, the news has caught my attention. Giving emphasis to local trees was indeed a positive move to a woods and trees lover like myself. I think their effort will appeal to grown-ups but to the youths… it might not cut through.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Mar2016/20160327_850_heritagetreeavenue_nparks.jpg?itok=4xRhHUJq&timestamp=1459064914" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Mar2016/20160327_850_heritagetreeavenue_nparks.jpg?itok=4xRhHUJq&timestamp=1459064914" height="225" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unveiling Civic District Tree Trail</td></tr>
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I decided to contact Ministry of National Development (MND) and shared my ideas on contributing to raising the nation's awareness to our local trees. It was making an electric guitar from local trees, those that would be fell due to disease or development. I hope this electric guitar will be used creatively in engaging the youths, causing them to be interested to learn about our local trees.<br />
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MND thought the idea was practical and meaningful. I was linked up with NParks to get the project rolling. After the initial meetings, NParks and Guitaring Passionately (GP) found ourselves on the same page and we went full speed ahead with the project. NParks has intended to have this would-be-built electric guitar featured in a planned event in June 2016.<br />
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Ideally, I have in mind building a Rain Tree (Samanea saman) electric guitar. However it wasn't about my preference, it was about availability of woods that were deemed suitable to be use in this project. Khaya Mahognay was available at the time of selection, thus this wood specie was selected.<br />
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Mahogany was commonly used for making guitar bodies and necks. However it was much less common to have a fingerboard made from it. Illuminating local trees was central to this project so making the guitar by using one specie of wood can be seen as a sound choice.<br />
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It was indeed a tight timeline given the building processes were from Green to Finish. Unlike purchasing guitar wood blanks from wood sellers, the lengthy wood drying processes need not be accounted into part of the guitar making processes.<br />
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Towards end of April 2016, arrangements were made to obtain the required woods for the project.<br />
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The involved NParks staff and parks maintenance contractors were very helpful. The entire process was made easy. Eventually these woods found their ways to GP workshop.<br />
<br />
Out of the entire making processes, drying the woods adequately within the time frame to complete this guitar was the greatest uncertainty. I was very fortunate to learn from Jeffrey Yong about wood drying. It has helped me to deal the wood drying challenge.<br />
<br />
Eventually I got the wood drying challenge addressed adequately. The rest was just racing against time to get the guitar made on time. I will let the pictures talk instead.<br />
<br />
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Throughout the process, the involved staff members of NParks have been very enthusiastic and helpful. The guitar was handed to NParks and the rest is up to them.<br />
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Thank God for creating such amazing things to beautify our world; TREES.</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-55927311680647684932016-03-26T21:24:00.000+08:002016-04-08T11:46:06.975+08:00Featured Restoration - The Corner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaFyRRnKSkCVbBja54j6VzMPS_sw97KFboEloP0SdJX2wdfOijpVaBFkcW0l2t33lt9f7DXxzlcCfQqLHZwDvzUp0m9JGUxji1dSoLwFzMLfB-o81y6RewT06pc36atOToHOI3nywDk4/s1600/IMG_20160326_202555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaFyRRnKSkCVbBja54j6VzMPS_sw97KFboEloP0SdJX2wdfOijpVaBFkcW0l2t33lt9f7DXxzlcCfQqLHZwDvzUp0m9JGUxji1dSoLwFzMLfB-o81y6RewT06pc36atOToHOI3nywDk4/s320/IMG_20160326_202555.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chip at the corner</td></tr>
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Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,<br />
<br />
It has been really a while since my last posting. Setting up a guitar making workshop was indeed demanding. I started it in last April and I am still on the way. The process was demanding, exciting, interesting and above all, humbling. I guess I would not arrive to an end. This workshop setting up may as well as be a journey that never ends… perhaps when I get summoned to meet my Lord.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this is going to be a short one… :) I will try…<br />
<br />
A client brought in a guitar for repair. He sent me a text message reading,"I kind of smashed my guitar…"<br />
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The incident; when he was about to walk off with his guitar, he placed it in his foam gig bag and sling it over his shoulders. The only problem was he didn't zip the gig bag. The force of the swing launched his guitar up and away. It hit the ground on its headstock, it bounced off and landed on its back. Think about the sound of "the guitar" and the expression on my client's countenance.<br />
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From the top picture, you should be able to see the extend of the damage. A part of the picture was blurred out deliberately. In fact, the rest of the pictures were likewise.<br />
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I have initially advised my client to accept it as no structural damage on his guitar was detected. However he would like the chipped area to be reinforced to prevent further cracking or chipping.<br />
<br />
I think it was a valid request so I took the job. At the onset, I couldn't determine the nature of restoration. The first thought was to sand it smooth and flood it with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue to stop any future cracking or chipping.<br />
<br />
I pondered as I looked at the chip. Something told me that my initial thought was not going to cut it. Strangely I didn't realize the reasons for my hesitation however the reasons only revealed themselves in my mind after I have completed the restore work. Strange but true.<br />
<br />
Here is why; the impact has dented the corner severely. The wood grains have been forced out of their natural directions. Even with smooth sanding, the wood grains would not harmonize and aesthetic value will go out of the window. It could probably get by but that was not why I took this job.<br />
<br />
So… plan B got the green. I took my Japanese hand saw and cut the chipped corner away. See picture below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvNYxutUzLcCXBElPDuHRd55iTrWxhqM_YmGAo88tQ0KvfOxrbbFUz3q-88TvTXqkrgSSmTZu2AKWRPwPGrUkcZwZCHEqWj1J5H1hYLlpN1CBewjHHOyhe8YnvPy-fUO93RpuvSvGtV8/s1600/IMG_20160326_202641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvNYxutUzLcCXBElPDuHRd55iTrWxhqM_YmGAo88tQ0KvfOxrbbFUz3q-88TvTXqkrgSSmTZu2AKWRPwPGrUkcZwZCHEqWj1J5H1hYLlpN1CBewjHHOyhe8YnvPy-fUO93RpuvSvGtV8/s320/IMG_20160326_202641.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The severed chip fell onto the board</td></tr>
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From this point, some of you may already know how it ended, right?<br />
<br />
I made a new "corner" from African Blackwood to replace the missing part. It was imperatives that this "corner" be made to size and as well as finishing before gluing it to cut part. If I have glued this "corner" first, I would be compelled to work this "corner" to size and finish with it attached to the headstock. No good at all…<br />
<br />
The risks of damaging the existing areas were just too high to go down that path. Re-finishing was not an option as it would involve a lot more unnecessary work.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, the difficulty of sizing and finishing a "corner" first was expected as well. Between a rock and a hard place, the rock was a better choice for me.<br />
<br />
So I went ahead in making a "corner" to completion before attaching it to the headstock. The first attempt wasn't successful. It was indeed not easy. The second piece was better but it wasn't good enough too. Only at my third attempt, the outcome was decent enough to deliver to my client. See picture below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdssoh-YuwTCAiO5i0E-Hxrww44X7lrINhn2wl29KoQjwgRN_VUH3NkPkkpPFTvFSLCYlyWcbLduKMkjs8RTd5MihUkMHW8FqR3xcHCl2OKLssLjZhlWvPdnsaNMJnGXS-CkeqknFp72U/s1600/IMG_20160326_202714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdssoh-YuwTCAiO5i0E-Hxrww44X7lrINhn2wl29KoQjwgRN_VUH3NkPkkpPFTvFSLCYlyWcbLduKMkjs8RTd5MihUkMHW8FqR3xcHCl2OKLssLjZhlWvPdnsaNMJnGXS-CkeqknFp72U/s400/IMG_20160326_202714.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new "corner" glued</td></tr>
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<br />
I send these 3 pictures to my client to seek for his approval. He has responded positively to the restoration work. He has collected the guitar with delight and appreciation. That makes my work meaningful.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-25506739826615468962015-07-13T21:21:00.000+08:002015-09-23T22:03:04.641+08:00Bite Size Tips 005 – Spot Finish Restoration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Guitar Enthusiasts, it has been a while since the last edition of Bite Size Tips. In this one, I shall feature a very popular topic, restoring dents and nicks on guitar finishing.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
Every guitar gets dents or nicks in its useful life. It is almost inevitable. But remember, perfection itself is about having wisdom to embrace imperfections. Hence restoring such dents or nicks is never about getting the original (once brand new) state but to improve it and above all to engage our minds and hands to solve an issue.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Many guitar enthusiasts got fixated to the assumption of reverting their guitars to original state. That will bring nothing good for a person because doing the impossible will only end in agony and frustrations.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In this edition, I will attempt to explain the means which I undertake restoration works for dented finishing on guitars.</div>
<div class="p2">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqbBFvLyd_cvf8Stj9sVnVclZxrAwlRRqgHH18UWxjOKm8XR59tebBZSnerfF5LecigyHv7583gGlRk4k8nNA_oDjrJyoKc357oFRNGgthOi6xFxahxJ0yyEysHdYNQ5KZRJoT2Jo2h0/s1600/20150605_103155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqbBFvLyd_cvf8Stj9sVnVclZxrAwlRRqgHH18UWxjOKm8XR59tebBZSnerfF5LecigyHv7583gGlRk4k8nNA_oDjrJyoKc357oFRNGgthOi6xFxahxJ0yyEysHdYNQ5KZRJoT2Jo2h0/s320/20150605_103155.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dents on Top Board</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
The first picture showed an acoustic guitar with dents on it top board. Definitely not a welcoming sight to guitar lovers. Instead of thinking about approaches to repair the dents, many guitar lovers fell into a common thinking trap of wanting to get rid of the dent totally. With that inaccurate thinking, it will almost surely lead to a frustrating ending.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Let begin with understanding the damage in greater details. Guitar top boards consist of wood and its finishing, a.k.a. lacquer. In the first picture, those dents have surely affected both. What matters is deciding what to repair. The wood, lacquer or both?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In FRETS.COM, repairing wood dents are explained in details by Frank Ford, one of the masters for guitar repairs. If you are interested do visit the website for a good read.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Wood is malleable, that means it can be compressed, eventually altering in its shape. Most methods used for restoring wood dents are exploratory and nothing is certain. Mine is no exception as well. I shall focus on touching up the dented finish.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The knowledge base of finishing is vast and deep. It will take a long article to cover them. Hence it wasn't feasible to explain all these related information.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
So let's to work. In this case, only a spot received the repair attention, I shall call it Spot Finish Restoration.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Assuming you know the type of finish is on the guitar to be repaired. Always use the same type of finish for filling work. While all clear lacquer look alike, they do share their differences. In restoring finishing, we want to avoid having adhesion problems because of their different chemical make-up.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
First step - fill up the dent(s) with sufficient lacquer. If multiple coats are required, allow each coat to set before the next is applied. Make sure the filling covers the dent(s) in both depth and area. Give sufficient time for the filling to set.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHu9O1mfGejzZUkXPRpM0LMfzmzRgrbEhhF0juoBhNcFij2Lxg6N2gs9bC6t4WvD2r5xXASp9yVR8gobWnAoKbhZMBHECH9RbSqlMS1yrcfMEK8znABF_K8xHs7CZPMp6vRZGusE_JrA/s1600/20150608_114257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHu9O1mfGejzZUkXPRpM0LMfzmzRgrbEhhF0juoBhNcFij2Lxg6N2gs9bC6t4WvD2r5xXASp9yVR8gobWnAoKbhZMBHECH9RbSqlMS1yrcfMEK8znABF_K8xHs7CZPMp6vRZGusE_JrA/s320/20150608_114257.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drop fill to cover dent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Second step - remove any excessive filling with a prepared razor blade. Tape up a razor blade as shown in the picture. The razor blade is going to used as a scraper. We want to scrape away the excessive filling but don't want to scratch the top board. The goal is to get as much filling removed so that the filling is almost leveled to the top board's finish. However you will find it hard to achieve. Nevertheless, we wish to minimize inflicted more damages other than the existing dent(s) itself.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpqQieMrksyXKrHXbnr8ERS8-sCwQ1sjNovNNaxu0Zk4AahqHhX_K6OaNt9hLuggBCneIOZEPgUjorXDd2ymzL1WsUK1J1fK1TWHz3El4I2hcCQ7OpRRzdgBMfh-ydwccthUV5UaB75A/s1600/20150608_164554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpqQieMrksyXKrHXbnr8ERS8-sCwQ1sjNovNNaxu0Zk4AahqHhX_K6OaNt9hLuggBCneIOZEPgUjorXDd2ymzL1WsUK1J1fK1TWHz3El4I2hcCQ7OpRRzdgBMfh-ydwccthUV5UaB75A/s320/20150608_164554.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepared Razor Blade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Third step - Scrape the filling conscientiously with the prepared razor blade. Get the filling as level as possible. Do check the tape on the razor blade, make sure it didn't get slice through in the process. Visually inspect the process to prevent over-scraping. Stop when you are satisfy with the level of the filling.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHVIzAxIR-YZXfTwwOi8hhQXp1fVKZMR5rCyyu2fmjIfcmKScqXHbPdKsxX9_L7D4Dw-zS9HvYujtMpQzmVbYa-eQpLt6rcvugSN8YwAYW-vFvauqBhMzBTcI5kHcNXShjg1RXblAOsE/s1600/2015_0622_18174600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHVIzAxIR-YZXfTwwOi8hhQXp1fVKZMR5rCyyu2fmjIfcmKScqXHbPdKsxX9_L7D4Dw-zS9HvYujtMpQzmVbYa-eQpLt6rcvugSN8YwAYW-vFvauqBhMzBTcI5kHcNXShjg1RXblAOsE/s320/2015_0622_18174600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scraping Excessive Filling Away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Fourth step - wet sand the affected area with sand papers in graduation grits, begin with 400 and stop at 2000. In preparation for wet sanding, I soaked all the required sand papers in water prior to using them. Take cautious and do not over sand. A concave area can form or worse, the lacquer gets totally removed and leaving raw wood exposed. Both are bad for the guitar.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D-n6SYUnCB_OgxZLqVToY5sSTa88PLPyFTQARfo09TsHe75RqenzfofQW62xNdyXYj6A7IlA4ic6HVHkcDIZgHj6tYwnBgrqecK48CdxPaFSqKD1WmjtCha_LxImqtfoAc13g6-2Pew/s1600/2015_0622_18192400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D-n6SYUnCB_OgxZLqVToY5sSTa88PLPyFTQARfo09TsHe75RqenzfofQW62xNdyXYj6A7IlA4ic6HVHkcDIZgHj6tYwnBgrqecK48CdxPaFSqKD1WmjtCha_LxImqtfoAc13g6-2Pew/s320/2015_0622_18192400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wet Sanding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Fifth step - if the previous steps were done properly, this final step will be easy as a breeze. That is to buff the area to shine. Buffing requires a polishing agent and there many such products available in the market. For this, I have selected the Premium Polishing Compound from TurtleWax. For rubbing the compound onto the guitar, use micro fiber or lint free fabrics.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYJXg7oRM6XBHC5lxavdCdtHc1SkSxoH5vyjADN_ntP-5UlfwrKPDC8t0XMzcMi_2wxbJuN7uEygiH2o4urmdXeOEfZdwdVHly2BelQz4c7c-YEx4jIhyUDmI-hcMu3h0417w0TOzjWI/s1600/2015_0622_18201400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYJXg7oRM6XBHC5lxavdCdtHc1SkSxoH5vyjADN_ntP-5UlfwrKPDC8t0XMzcMi_2wxbJuN7uEygiH2o4urmdXeOEfZdwdVHly2BelQz4c7c-YEx4jIhyUDmI-hcMu3h0417w0TOzjWI/s320/2015_0622_18201400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Wet Sanding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D-vft8TJcbt1zqugel2E69UaMIdQRqWvIHYh9TTxuvQBelOT89hyXn9PeW3sGn8nInnOjSLxR-UZBLVkB7ohU_DdRIni1evaAnBFubcSoGV_D98ceLtEpEIhdB_9xSj_XCqAo0BZWcU/s1600/2015_0622_18305000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D-vft8TJcbt1zqugel2E69UaMIdQRqWvIHYh9TTxuvQBelOT89hyXn9PeW3sGn8nInnOjSLxR-UZBLVkB7ohU_DdRIni1evaAnBFubcSoGV_D98ceLtEpEIhdB_9xSj_XCqAo0BZWcU/s320/2015_0622_18305000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be Buff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VZ2H1OUsHx_PH1VYlo_HpUtswkHTc9Wfyc5X9tfJ6MIfjcKxg1C5EY7RALd1eSYoBaBFPtQ602KZMtqHscG9sJFfoy02bejFQLSsp1gVYS7qChFHJZJo3reRiWYFWXrPUjbpUCHQiNw/s1600/2015_0622_18401700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VZ2H1OUsHx_PH1VYlo_HpUtswkHTc9Wfyc5X9tfJ6MIfjcKxg1C5EY7RALd1eSYoBaBFPtQ602KZMtqHscG9sJFfoy02bejFQLSsp1gVYS7qChFHJZJo3reRiWYFWXrPUjbpUCHQiNw/s320/2015_0622_18401700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffing to Shine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc5dfan_yk9_7Jd6d-9QyP9CActVaD0mfxsBnRIFsuvmtxXjxLoXWQIPU5rO1HtTCwlZzh_GNX9UTf67y6LPTxiKTOr0NfE0s-g9MO2PZHhLcgUkVqgs95KG29LLr9vxj8kCRbhns8dA/s1600/2015_0622_18525600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc5dfan_yk9_7Jd6d-9QyP9CActVaD0mfxsBnRIFsuvmtxXjxLoXWQIPU5rO1HtTCwlZzh_GNX9UTf67y6LPTxiKTOr0NfE0s-g9MO2PZHhLcgUkVqgs95KG29LLr9vxj8kCRbhns8dA/s320/2015_0622_18525600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmq0a2QwOGBQK0obrwT6OWCLMlEzBJp8QYbnJFLhTfxr55gRKP0NDJdZQVWJbfH516dSnap13yZ04YXX0iKPHL86b9Kiu6eTmgFmbv5TiP1JpDvMpEjAfqlrR6b4uuNBiy2sgIVxCd_I/s1600/2015_0622_18563500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmq0a2QwOGBQK0obrwT6OWCLMlEzBJp8QYbnJFLhTfxr55gRKP0NDJdZQVWJbfH516dSnap13yZ04YXX0iKPHL86b9Kiu6eTmgFmbv5TiP1JpDvMpEjAfqlrR6b4uuNBiy2sgIVxCd_I/s320/2015_0622_18563500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle Wax</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In conclusion, it may not be perfect, there might be a patch that is visible under strong lighting. But it is better then leaving dent on the guitar.</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-63019982029218196002015-06-27T22:49:00.000+08:002015-06-27T22:49:08.832+08:00Featured Restoration - A Hole on TOP<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Once in a blue moon, some interesting repair jobs will walk through my door. I call this one " A Hole on TOP." Both the repair process and the remuneration for the repair were equally interesting.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRujbXN3i2XBmva0Qq4xcBssH4ap2x8EuKXmxeAk5ZJljBUyMrS4IPCaaaiozltTIY4mFC8tpxLCjq0i2HuthDlbWNYpnKPwAznlGLmeDyNvWRPBd6TfhTcM01c10xO9t4NJQ6YOV2Slc/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRujbXN3i2XBmva0Qq4xcBssH4ap2x8EuKXmxeAk5ZJljBUyMrS4IPCaaaiozltTIY4mFC8tpxLCjq0i2HuthDlbWNYpnKPwAznlGLmeDyNvWRPBd6TfhTcM01c10xO9t4NJQ6YOV2Slc/s320/Larivee+Hole+TOP+01.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ripped Top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I received an email requesting for a repair job on a acoustic guitar. The owner has attached a picture (right) in the email for illustration.<br />
<br />
When I seen it, I must say that I felt sorry for both the guitar and the owner. As you can see from the picture, the bridge of this guitar was completely ripped out of its footprint and part of its bridge plate has given as well. The owner has stowed this acoustic guitar within its case for… a pretty long time. So remember, play your guitars!<br />
<br />
The owner has consulted other guitar repair techs but they have turned down his request. It was not surprising because this extent of damage required a lot of attention and effort. I think the other guitar techs didn't wish to spend too much time or effort so they simply use the most diplomatic response, "it can't be repaired."<br />
<br />
That didn't discourage the owner to seek alternate opinions.<br />
<br />
Most repair emails I have come across focuses on the cost of repair. This owner was more insightful which I later found out the reasons. He asked for my evaluation instead. It was an opened query, so I provided my inputs in these aspects, repair procedures, duration, possibilities and estimated cost.<br />
<br />
I think he was delighted with my evaluation. In his email reply, he added a few more possible topics for me to ponder. On top of that, he suggested an interesting barter trade deal. Very uncommon in today's info-age.<br />
<br />
He revealed his past experiences in making violins. It wasn't too hard for me to connect the ways he was evaluating my expertise and his experiences in wood working. As for my repair charges, it was a barter trade with his woods and tools. To a wood and tool junky like me, the offer was hard to ignore.<br />
<br />
I was invited to drop by his place to check out his stuff. They are good stuff indeed and our barter trade was sealed. Cash isn't KING in everything, at least in this case.<br />
<br />
The owner has been forthcoming in providing suggestions on how to reinforce the affected area so to prolong the lifespan of this guitar. I guess it was due to his experiences in violins making. The suggestions were also helpful in many ways.<br />
<br />
Staring at the gaping hole, where should I start? In summary I have taken the following steps to repair it.<br />
<br />
1. Inspect the guitar for other loose parts.<br />
2. Remove existing bridge plate<br />
3. Make a new rosewood bridge plate<br />
4. Glue up all crack lines and delaminates found about the affected area<br />
5. Reinforce through cracks with cleatings<br />
6. Glue up new bridge plate<br />
7. Make bridge footprint<br />
8. Glue up the bridge footprint<br />
9. Re-glue bridge<br />
10. Re-drill bridge pin holes<br />
11. Set up<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSPHaowAIBjFiRMOfvyBesrPzcjIyARguTzdLwyKu2zvEFXGjUbHt_JW47_KfyLNW9FpZxXX0ltbF02dEYr3OjuwmqewSJMoNFYJJyHKXQjCKoWPghBcYSakiixGI3zyf78qXPbyoxVY/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSPHaowAIBjFiRMOfvyBesrPzcjIyARguTzdLwyKu2zvEFXGjUbHt_JW47_KfyLNW9FpZxXX0ltbF02dEYr3OjuwmqewSJMoNFYJJyHKXQjCKoWPghBcYSakiixGI3zyf78qXPbyoxVY/s320/Larivee+Hole+TOP+02.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge Plate Removed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These steps were logical and pretty complete. But it didn't make it any easier.<br />
<br />
I started with inspecting the guitar for other structural issues. Fortunately I didn't find any. So I went on to remove the leftover bridge plate that was still attached to the guitar top. It was easy for one half but the other was persistently stubborn.<br />
<br />
A heated spatula was used however the spatula sliced into the thickness of the top plate and exited from the top. It was not something desirable however the show must go on. I persevered and the existing bridge plate relented eventually.<br />
<br />
I went on the make a new bridge plate out of Rosewood. It has to be thicker and larger to take up string tension when the guitar gets set up later.<br />
<br />
Many bridge plates were made with tow common considerations; conserving materials and light weight. For mass produced guitars, it was necessary to control material costs. Reduction to both thickness and size of bridge plates were the most logical approaches.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikc8AYDx6kPs0kODzAN6OqiKxSfnyZVkrhrNwvvl5KYKAtdtktC8zaNb7ZgK6PPzz128LmrtWLJf6sNSGBRMxip4fCbZ2SY4nT-LEjpSdCNEikbbdHxEZ1l90KJ7F-RNI1xGzktmrPjWE/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikc8AYDx6kPs0kODzAN6OqiKxSfnyZVkrhrNwvvl5KYKAtdtktC8zaNb7ZgK6PPzz128LmrtWLJf6sNSGBRMxip4fCbZ2SY4nT-LEjpSdCNEikbbdHxEZ1l90KJ7F-RNI1xGzktmrPjWE/s320/Larivee+Hole+TOP+03.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bigger Bridge Plate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Likewise, I have two considerations as well but they were directly opposite. Jeffrey Yong has taught me to keep it big and weighty but not excessively heavy. So I made it filled up the apex space formed by the cross braces and stretching beyond footprint of the old bridge plate. You can see it from the picture.<br />
<br />
So why did I go opposite? Jeffrey's perspectives about bridge plate were likened to the swing of pendulum. In order for a string to oscillate for a long time, a suitable weight must be added at the end. The top plate receives vibration from strings. As long as the top plate vibrates, sound is produced. It is then logical to find ways to prolong this vibration. With adequate inertia, the top plate should vibrate (oscillate) for a longer time. Hence the logic of having weighty bridge plate.<br />
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For guitar makers who maintain a light weight top plate, they do so because they believe that light top plates are more responsive. There are reasons that support this idea and equally there are as many reasons that would oppose it. It is not possible to ascertain which is a better approach because guitar making isn't a competition for the best. May the best ear decide.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_vVlJirYM-HgMsEedvB069mLBrJOsLDQ90ZhGwrIX8yRspTUSBLd9BolSeyoBVHTgVOCGrtINpbp_ficZiud1cztjOMZVqMg1SJPOHjyRwO6vur3LjIIs121AFebSmfpaYwi67X9YVg/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_vVlJirYM-HgMsEedvB069mLBrJOsLDQ90ZhGwrIX8yRspTUSBLd9BolSeyoBVHTgVOCGrtINpbp_ficZiud1cztjOMZVqMg1SJPOHjyRwO6vur3LjIIs121AFebSmfpaYwi67X9YVg/s200/Larivee+Hole+TOP+04.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Existing Cleat</td></tr>
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The force which ripped the bridge out of the guitar has inflicted other damages to areas immediately around its bridge. Two crack lines that ran with the wood grain starting from both corners of the bridge were visible. These cracks can potentially grow longer as such they must not be permitted to propagate further.<br />
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From the picture on right, the existing cleat was exposed. That means repair work has been done on the area. Small portions of the top plate was lifted from the existing cleat and that has to be re-glued. A new cleat was needed to arrest the other crack. I made it from spruce and it has to be oriented cross grain to the top plate to maximize its holding effectiveness. The next few pictures showed progressively the steps needed to arrest that crack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjModgeVkepDxywMYCK-8jnA7PBCgHpTBRwsp4_3IdprlXm7XhrYo6VjrjwoeMx2AW6O0H4PCM-9kOqb_IDNY0xLOvkhne4rwnRyWO5PGKlpUo1viJxligMazKJBh56ga4ANxpMXBhkTtM/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjModgeVkepDxywMYCK-8jnA7PBCgHpTBRwsp4_3IdprlXm7XhrYo6VjrjwoeMx2AW6O0H4PCM-9kOqb_IDNY0xLOvkhne4rwnRyWO5PGKlpUo1viJxligMazKJBh56ga4ANxpMXBhkTtM/s200/Larivee+Hole+TOP+05.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEr_6Cs6vjRTEoqm7r4oSt6em9F7FGMFEU5Ha7yVmk__4dAk8_eWFFs_eVbXRs3PVje2DdWd-yW3hpEm4IyXYlR_jLGFNtPEs7YzqscP__hCnE2GUImpDCuUUgDzJNvi6twX8Iii0bbw/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEr_6Cs6vjRTEoqm7r4oSt6em9F7FGMFEU5Ha7yVmk__4dAk8_eWFFs_eVbXRs3PVje2DdWd-yW3hpEm4IyXYlR_jLGFNtPEs7YzqscP__hCnE2GUImpDCuUUgDzJNvi6twX8Iii0bbw/s200/Larivee+Hole+TOP+06.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTsEpNRiYj0c0ZXKI273HXDozUGF3CA6oizzGA8Nv311kt6lL6_PkSG60-J7Ts0ngsZb9N9l3kBjEwrnt5uc6XFPWfmLbZmXXKjbJlcINdjuUnaKP_mevlxs6bdkt3Cm9vGUp0pqGD3U/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTsEpNRiYj0c0ZXKI273HXDozUGF3CA6oizzGA8Nv311kt6lL6_PkSG60-J7Ts0ngsZb9N9l3kBjEwrnt5uc6XFPWfmLbZmXXKjbJlcINdjuUnaKP_mevlxs6bdkt3Cm9vGUp0pqGD3U/s320/Larivee+Hole+TOP+07.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crack lines arrested</td></tr>
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Due to the extensive damages, certain repair jobs required clamping on the top plate. Inevitably clamping marks will be inflicted. The challenge was to minimize them. The next two procedures involved clamping on the top plate. The portions of the top plate that were sliced whilst removing the old bridge plate required re-gluing. It was time to re-glue the new bridge plate to close the gapping hole as well. Both jobs were carried out simultaneously.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTdmCAGcblm5PctJ8eWwZ3PWGDgxFdbAMLeKqYaDupWpqCV34gJB8ndID0WbvPXwpj0bhAQ_S1HBxtP-MKIJcSskuQuAXlKn5bHIa99CnY53C_o_oQaTh2KDmwfggZMaZFklRjzGS8oE/s1600/Larivee+Hole+TOP+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTdmCAGcblm5PctJ8eWwZ3PWGDgxFdbAMLeKqYaDupWpqCV34gJB8ndID0WbvPXwpj0bhAQ_S1HBxtP-MKIJcSskuQuAXlKn5bHIa99CnY53C_o_oQaTh2KDmwfggZMaZFklRjzGS8oE/s320/Larivee+Hole+TOP+08.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosewood bridge plate clamped</td></tr>
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The next job was a bit tricky. The ripping force has also torn away a portion of the top plate. It has taken the shape of the bridge's footprint. From the picture directly below, you can see the the new Rosewood bridge plate was exposed. In order for the bridge to be seated properly, a layer of spruce is required to fill that foot print. I selected a small piece of Adirondack spruce and made it into the shape of the foot print, and also the same thickness as the top plate. The grains has to be parallel with the top plate. The next few pictures showed in steps the making and gluing of the spruce foot print.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyemmn0zjHB3Kjeu5eNkDG9lM92HASdjrAYSFM1kOqMrfkYxQfc0WJRdTT63wWqBXwdQGS9iIo9TEHRoleYu2x6xWr8N3PJaUwgk4BvDHG3ZgZfZO9TRm69rsnHCIykqkLPcM6uwiTQ8/s1600/20150608_122526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyemmn0zjHB3Kjeu5eNkDG9lM92HASdjrAYSFM1kOqMrfkYxQfc0WJRdTT63wWqBXwdQGS9iIo9TEHRoleYu2x6xWr8N3PJaUwgk4BvDHG3ZgZfZO9TRm69rsnHCIykqkLPcM6uwiTQ8/s320/20150608_122526.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spruce Foot Print</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50vfM3yeTS6-Bk0i1y2IAFN3Yf6TtF4dZ2qi3ijHTmU-DJARWzQtACSDv2nX89ux86Uz1eurEl0rKEUviK-abYXC_hATh2y3FPjpFF1qdRMTUtB7WolqTzYewxrNLNfketzq1sMEbTpM/s1600/20150608_141808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50vfM3yeTS6-Bk0i1y2IAFN3Yf6TtF4dZ2qi3ijHTmU-DJARWzQtACSDv2nX89ux86Uz1eurEl0rKEUviK-abYXC_hATh2y3FPjpFF1qdRMTUtB7WolqTzYewxrNLNfketzq1sMEbTpM/s320/20150608_141808.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spruce Foor Print Clamped</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvM7u2WR8Xfl2cN8bL2cVmEM4RF2OIz16O8P3zrBpmG3EzQqjM-9v17NY_4fHqOyQB6SG1BzcrUOVXLItS6XW4LoOWQXRpmkKcttofsxKwDwUKy1Uuait1dst6khkVbwykt07o4-aepA/s1600/20150608_134806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvM7u2WR8Xfl2cN8bL2cVmEM4RF2OIz16O8P3zrBpmG3EzQqjM-9v17NY_4fHqOyQB6SG1BzcrUOVXLItS6XW4LoOWQXRpmkKcttofsxKwDwUKy1Uuait1dst6khkVbwykt07o4-aepA/s320/20150608_134806.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spruce Foot Print Glued</td></tr>
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Most of the difficult jobs have been completed at this stage. I went on to give the guitar a good clean up and a light buff. Re-gluing of the bridge came after that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV6JBtaK59ZOwXgIjaOPUvf-DSb0awdYEzpJDthtKLK4SV-32YELMjNRLGK3dAu1ubd48eKjiKLjEsx4THRtGK6ULgs6Uqgfkd7_ZhZ-WEvD-dMIiyMGRIaXDFMvrHIgrsJYeEVvtK1Y/s1600/20150622_194150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV6JBtaK59ZOwXgIjaOPUvf-DSb0awdYEzpJDthtKLK4SV-32YELMjNRLGK3dAu1ubd48eKjiKLjEsx4THRtGK6ULgs6Uqgfkd7_ZhZ-WEvD-dMIiyMGRIaXDFMvrHIgrsJYeEVvtK1Y/s320/20150622_194150.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I left the bridge clamped overnight and allowed the glue to cure for the next 24 hours. The moment of truth has arrived, to put strings on the guitar. After all, the guitar was in my shop because the bridge was ripped out. While I have done my level best to get the bridge back to where it was, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of it coming out again. I was very cautious as I tensioned each string.</div>
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Fortunately, the bridge held up. However it was indeed a short moment of anxiousness. The guitar was finally set up and it played well and sounded fine. Finally it is finished!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPNvadQR-IS40Q0UtkdTHakq1xR8yxJfW6ei7E8nrfiMgJkHpiN6giFMZePv07_r4kzexoTmRBptQZP1ZNjlJcQbc4GH5U8B19RQLp3U7-TFXasxYGg3ZhIYx9GXM_JcM_MMzhZ9ZQkA/s1600/2015_0625_13353700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPNvadQR-IS40Q0UtkdTHakq1xR8yxJfW6ei7E8nrfiMgJkHpiN6giFMZePv07_r4kzexoTmRBptQZP1ZNjlJcQbc4GH5U8B19RQLp3U7-TFXasxYGg3ZhIYx9GXM_JcM_MMzhZ9ZQkA/s320/2015_0625_13353700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitar Set Up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmKOs6sJs0uByYeIG9BBCbaYWctcxnnptX9ADoCeVB1mkcJqhAI1BnbtibhZxfRjmnBDCvbdc6nahdtyR9x5u4-MIPYaMnAjIZLtD3rKLug2UzJE0V-sc3DqcnwJ0KA6OR356aa5AVlo/s1600/2015_0625_13385700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmKOs6sJs0uByYeIG9BBCbaYWctcxnnptX9ADoCeVB1mkcJqhAI1BnbtibhZxfRjmnBDCvbdc6nahdtyR9x5u4-MIPYaMnAjIZLtD3rKLug2UzJE0V-sc3DqcnwJ0KA6OR356aa5AVlo/s320/2015_0625_13385700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bridge Glued</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSAshKYRrZ0z3OQGBKPXTjVz-5fM9mcIppmfPWQDsUepmQyT83cgKVB2efsRc9pOB6bQIFP8IMzgZsHYaOdLAkkDhhc6dnEjlRR4lYcVxiYSLs4K8A488Kd5F5Gss4l-IOF-rorHJW2o/s1600/2015_0625_13381200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSAshKYRrZ0z3OQGBKPXTjVz-5fM9mcIppmfPWQDsUepmQyT83cgKVB2efsRc9pOB6bQIFP8IMzgZsHYaOdLAkkDhhc6dnEjlRR4lYcVxiYSLs4K8A488Kd5F5Gss4l-IOF-rorHJW2o/s200/2015_0625_13381200.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOd3ZB9bsZybmcIttI5ufqEa-P8pPVVJLKm6Bo7oYiMS_K5ajl1IT2SB9BZ2LFKDAL6xNzEzS1qgkr8bDM5T2UVYEueaGJnCB3QX7wS4ADb6B9FngfC_9JyIX-yaxquxYLnCxWVpaKjIk/s1600/2015_0625_13382700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOd3ZB9bsZybmcIttI5ufqEa-P8pPVVJLKm6Bo7oYiMS_K5ajl1IT2SB9BZ2LFKDAL6xNzEzS1qgkr8bDM5T2UVYEueaGJnCB3QX7wS4ADb6B9FngfC_9JyIX-yaxquxYLnCxWVpaKjIk/s200/2015_0625_13382700.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thanks for reading this far!</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-88697712906147010142015-02-16T21:28:00.000+08:002015-02-18T18:09:12.240+08:00The Lesson Beneath Neck Resetting - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Getting it right the first time doesn't mean you will get it right again.<br />
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Not long after getting my Gibson's neck done I got another opportunity to reset a vintage Martin D-18. It was built in the 60s. Back then, the fingerboard and bridge were made from Brazilian Rosewood. Those were the days, the Golden Era for acoustic guitars; only the best materials were used.<br />
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If you are keen to try some vintage guitars, you can find many in Heirlooms Music at Lichfield Road. Click <a href="http://www.heirloomsmusic.sg/#!martin-d18-1965/c117l">here</a> to view more pictures.<br />
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A1965 Martin D-18 available at Heirlooms Music<br />
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<a href="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/4bb691_6ea9ef48112b422cacbbdd3e408d9849.jpg_srz_p_278_408_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/4bb691_6ea9ef48112b422cacbbdd3e408d9849.jpg_srz_p_278_408_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" height="320" width="218" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/4bb691_6ea9ef48112b422cacbbdd3e408d9849.jpg_srz_p_278_408_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz">http://static.wixstatic.com/media/4bb691_6ea9ef48112b422cacbbdd3e408d9849.jpg_srz_p_278_408_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz</a></span><br />
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Since I have done neck reset jobs, it was natural for me to use the same steps that work. However, this particular neck reset job has reduced my thoughts to an assumption.<br />
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Finally the vintage Martin arrived. The neck angle has indeed altered over years and age has taken its toll on playability. To maintain comfort playability, the saddle has been trimmed gradually until it has very little crown height protrusion over the bridge slot. As shown in the picture below, the saddle was almost flushed with the bridge.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQPPlCkOT7dKQFUuj6s-17zZcnIL02E6hJtrNP0grLqdyDz_7Yuw57Pl2vqfpAZHlmYv7OlUGAu2UBflbZZdLLyQ0eZxbjiez-FM3soCw2VCO2EE5Q4aHktFfeLhgjj6x2kcrEeJk4vE/s1600/20150123_111309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQPPlCkOT7dKQFUuj6s-17zZcnIL02E6hJtrNP0grLqdyDz_7Yuw57Pl2vqfpAZHlmYv7OlUGAu2UBflbZZdLLyQ0eZxbjiez-FM3soCw2VCO2EE5Q4aHktFfeLhgjj6x2kcrEeJk4vE/s1600/20150123_111309.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Saddle Height</td></tr>
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I carried out the same steps without missing a beat until… the neck just wouldn't relent. It remained unmovable despite my attempts to remove it.<br />
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These are the "same steps" I have carried out.<br />
1. Removed 15th fret wire<br />
2. Dislodged fingerboard from top<br />
3. Drilled hole into the fingerboard at 15th fret slot<br />
4. Retrofit a tube to a espresso machine to deliver steam<br />
5. Built a jig for neck removal<br />
See series of pictures below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wJ9vflSy00HM0w32B0s8nFP1IQyC5FuJCs7gFoWd3-OMXXSC4p1uHI_n_7eZs2BdlW0WSpU2smgJDvBWzMkqoB33kwKfY78kM3zP3jqGGTE6YhNTwIWplUdj2f2BYIeiqM2MISMaQ0k/s1600/20141202_170810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wJ9vflSy00HM0w32B0s8nFP1IQyC5FuJCs7gFoWd3-OMXXSC4p1uHI_n_7eZs2BdlW0WSpU2smgJDvBWzMkqoB33kwKfY78kM3zP3jqGGTE6YhNTwIWplUdj2f2BYIeiqM2MISMaQ0k/s1600/20141202_170810.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEika_evFfr60RMUs848Q4yQ8L-viE_oe2nX2kqIJayCf2D5WXu3SxBnZWvKn66ZFMvUtLtH3nBOoO2A5YTq7_yZw1DJmTMhklFGA6fcnaqGoBPoSvppOGsHHohNxTbla5RJ2UNORK8AmCg/s1600/20141202_170824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEika_evFfr60RMUs848Q4yQ8L-viE_oe2nX2kqIJayCf2D5WXu3SxBnZWvKn66ZFMvUtLtH3nBOoO2A5YTq7_yZw1DJmTMhklFGA6fcnaqGoBPoSvppOGsHHohNxTbla5RJ2UNORK8AmCg/s1600/20141202_170824.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V8_cUBO_pc_fajCdEA5EKGCgI5Txcv0n3E-c0FRsk7BjMIeMMFYp5iS12HIX27tYfGF2TTR9ucijzpxiE8ZxGZVwT3qtBDUaCqp6x8148sGYVtMWiE6tQMIP8kjTDdlV3Hc-d529aKw/s1600/20141202_170921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V8_cUBO_pc_fajCdEA5EKGCgI5Txcv0n3E-c0FRsk7BjMIeMMFYp5iS12HIX27tYfGF2TTR9ucijzpxiE8ZxGZVwT3qtBDUaCqp6x8148sGYVtMWiE6tQMIP8kjTDdlV3Hc-d529aKw/s1600/20141202_170921.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihur-qYfw-k62AirtYyW9gvlwjkU1yN5PGtGXr1jfl0CTwzwIY0s9FVke61jwwg-zjw_qOk2CzFDKN7buF73sbpDcLmOA4ZlFGL4ztjkGGv6lZHRCUwC5XzmeKHVZ1qPK840B9OY0cMeg/s1600/20141202_171019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihur-qYfw-k62AirtYyW9gvlwjkU1yN5PGtGXr1jfl0CTwzwIY0s9FVke61jwwg-zjw_qOk2CzFDKN7buF73sbpDcLmOA4ZlFGL4ztjkGGv6lZHRCUwC5XzmeKHVZ1qPK840B9OY0cMeg/s1600/20141202_171019.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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With step 1 to 5 done, how can anything go wrong? In fact the ordeal has started… in total I made 5 attempts to "steam-the-neck" and I got nowhere. In the process, the neck removal jig gave way, it was unthinkable… I have repaired and reinforced the neck jig to such strength that it is capable to crush a guitar. See picture below.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlubXHzncu2qzrjBxqchKlZamyttsOQOAyE_z8tXbV07rw9eNTSiI3GZAaXOUDCnE48YpaNDHWwpKXQgbE-IXFaSDR2mF6DmoSuoe9U4qdB8s5SYJZjerf-0X4jSptG5ElxAo0tTU-7G8/s1600/DSCF0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlubXHzncu2qzrjBxqchKlZamyttsOQOAyE_z8tXbV07rw9eNTSiI3GZAaXOUDCnE48YpaNDHWwpKXQgbE-IXFaSDR2mF6DmoSuoe9U4qdB8s5SYJZjerf-0X4jSptG5ElxAo0tTU-7G8/s1600/DSCF0039.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Neck Jig</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9pH5YkYvKC2EoWhSLH9320OyAJD0M8Al9ZtzD8vPSeP6XnMNna-33EWMNS_6yvaFzgggYqNj3yWNknD4KCqAvRvfuJLjhyphenhyphenAOsQsmfBo158vlFKYMDocnMsZ6jwziO5UXsOI6sJR5pPA/s1600/20141120_142759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9pH5YkYvKC2EoWhSLH9320OyAJD0M8Al9ZtzD8vPSeP6XnMNna-33EWMNS_6yvaFzgggYqNj3yWNknD4KCqAvRvfuJLjhyphenhyphenAOsQsmfBo158vlFKYMDocnMsZ6jwziO5UXsOI6sJR5pPA/s1600/20141120_142759.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reinforced Neck Jig</td></tr>
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I was perplexed and confused by the outcome. It set me on a root cause seeking mode for weeks. Trawled the internet for answers, writing emails to my luthier buddies for advice, desperately modifying jigs and equipment, etc. Finally an advise from Elderly Instruments made the critical difference.</div>
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It was step 3 of the "same steps", drilling a hole at the 15th fret slot. Most neck reset tips found on internet mentioned this step. When drilled accurately, it allows steam to be delivered into the dovetail joint thus dislodging the neck from the body. However many sources didn't emphasize accuracy instead they merely mention it as one of the steps.<br />
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It was imperative to determine the dovetail joint position on the fingerboard accurately. Using a spatula, I move it under the dislodged fingerboard until it hit the dovetail. That gave me with reasonable accuracy the position of dovetail joint on the fingerboard. I marked the position with a masking tape. In this case, the dovetail joint was close to the 15th fret but not at it. Two holes were drilled to allow entry and exit of steam.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/2353308000_253961505b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/2353308000_253961505b.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Determining dovetail joint</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/2353308000_253961505b.jpg</span></div>
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It took less than 5 minutes to see water exiting at the neck heel whilst steam was flow in and out of both drilled holes. That was the indication that the guitar neck was poised to be removed from its body. The neck removal jig did its job easily and finally.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqOwRvc1oSnGZ5m4jSQOtUk1YCsSFDNYvJOXv3ceHxKPs5WO1sWKa3wKgeSZDmsEyftepr0-QBKPMhyebec4xZ4fWGdnwpoPHyd-LfrONVGfBdlheSnJNC3Ao_0BXW6dq9jfOT6u_hY8/s1600/20150119_172257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqOwRvc1oSnGZ5m4jSQOtUk1YCsSFDNYvJOXv3ceHxKPs5WO1sWKa3wKgeSZDmsEyftepr0-QBKPMhyebec4xZ4fWGdnwpoPHyd-LfrONVGfBdlheSnJNC3Ao_0BXW6dq9jfOT6u_hY8/s1600/20150119_172257.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neck removed, with glue residue</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7x3H2yaJ27nM9amcNIyRF76SCPWO5j3HS-d4H4Qqn-7xgrJSFlPL3sDSOK5edXllbfvhGhxJC3XO6OmE_DX0m_lAEFOawOGHqGVoPljbOjuFzXRaSYts7Z0zhySclLxU3qziTJXT6248/s1600/20150121_224240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7x3H2yaJ27nM9amcNIyRF76SCPWO5j3HS-d4H4Qqn-7xgrJSFlPL3sDSOK5edXllbfvhGhxJC3XO6OmE_DX0m_lAEFOawOGHqGVoPljbOjuFzXRaSYts7Z0zhySclLxU3qziTJXT6248/s1600/20150121_224240.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaned, adjusted, ready for re-gluing</td></tr>
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The joint was cleaned up, neck angle was re-adjusted, the required shims were prepared, and the easy part was to glue the guitar neck back to its body.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQDXuoQl2tZh8_owpgJz92eR9DgSTpLrFXQ-J7WCICD4Au7j3numxx5DlsdOI5cTGpfrKSlN4jFwsVtm-uKT9YRQa2eSK4PWFaGmN6JG7Z0wt8b-Xgbs8frmsq1tTMqvclbYRH7jjRoY/s1600/20150122_114752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQDXuoQl2tZh8_owpgJz92eR9DgSTpLrFXQ-J7WCICD4Au7j3numxx5DlsdOI5cTGpfrKSlN4jFwsVtm-uKT9YRQa2eSK4PWFaGmN6JG7Z0wt8b-Xgbs8frmsq1tTMqvclbYRH7jjRoY/s1600/20150122_114752.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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After the neck has been reset, it was usual to check on fret level with respect to the adjusted neck angle. It wasn't unusual for some frets to buzz. So the fret wires were leveled. This job concluded with a new bone saddle and set up. A new saddle was necessary because the original saddle was too low in its crown height (see picture below).</div>
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Personally, it was a damn good lesson learned.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlWFjhTHC_WJN1dJzEWP8rdE-6g4B2gmQ_i-ChG2XHvskxOcinWZ86tI5lK3haNAD4xCDlWUJYYVMbIoU9NWnTGhe3LQRJyA3y7BQ5RbbKHG3DETNhex-_zG3Zl0fgHHyZ3tLS8kfCco/s1600/PhotoGrid_1423795995383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlWFjhTHC_WJN1dJzEWP8rdE-6g4B2gmQ_i-ChG2XHvskxOcinWZ86tI5lK3haNAD4xCDlWUJYYVMbIoU9NWnTGhe3LQRJyA3y7BQ5RbbKHG3DETNhex-_zG3Zl0fgHHyZ3tLS8kfCco/s1600/PhotoGrid_1423795995383.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-58029946810533179922014-11-07T11:33:00.001+08:002014-11-09T00:11:44.757+08:00Don't Perfect Your Mistakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fnT-hqb0EKhWzk2xfMfF3UquPMH1OEKQb6Iddfrz1CBR8TcM9Pr5ro6XxeoMOvF8CeCvUwD8xteE7yqOpr8UuSumUssWDW8m5TpLPXneE-Xp6LFCoC5XQ6jCgjES9GK5MMw1T0CUy9E/s1600/GuitarSession_31Mar2013-074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fnT-hqb0EKhWzk2xfMfF3UquPMH1OEKQb6Iddfrz1CBR8TcM9Pr5ro6XxeoMOvF8CeCvUwD8xteE7yqOpr8UuSumUssWDW8m5TpLPXneE-Xp6LFCoC5XQ6jCgjES9GK5MMw1T0CUy9E/s1600/GuitarSession_31Mar2013-074.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://www.chinesetattootranslation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Practice-Makes-Perfect.png" height="160" width="320" /></div>
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The notion of practice makes perfect has deeply rooted in our culture. Living in a world that is driven by rewards, it is inevitable to assume that with better performances we should reap greater rewards. Individuals who desired to perform will work hard and smart to get the goals they yearned for. They want to get better in doing their jobs so they learn and practice hard. The reinforcements on this notion has turned it into facts through time. Many people firmly believe that with persistency we can expect results. Or does it?<br />
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<a href="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/pocketctrings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/pocketctrings.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a>More than often, people who are driven by rewards get burnt out faster. There is little doubt that these people will learn and practice real hard at the onset. However their fuel just ran out rapidly. With the absence of drive, a.k.a. energy, performing will not be likely and much less getting any rewards. So what will happen to them? They switch jobs in hope to find better or greener pastures "on the other side". I think we know what will be the eventuality.<br />
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What about doing it with passion? Learning and practicing with passion as the energy source? It does sound like the answer to today's widespread of disengaged workforce. Passion can drive us to practice consistently thus achieving perfection. The world have us believed that this is the holy grail to success in life, i.e. Practice Makes Perfect.<br />
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What has this got to do with guitars? Please read on…<br />
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<a href="http://kndu.images.worldnow.com/images/9420398_SA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://kndu.images.worldnow.com/images/9420398_SA.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a>Do you know Dirty Jobs? It is a cool program in Discovery Channel that features professionals doing jobs that are downright dirty and filthy. This program is hosted by Mike Rowe. He is very well respected by the viewers. He has once shared with his viewers about the notion of following your passion. Mike was pragmatic about it. He said, "Don't follow your passion. Bring it to you instead." <br />
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Make no mistakes, Mike is crystal clear about the reasons behind his words. He cautioned that passion may be too flicker to follow. He saw many people switching from one job to another. Each job switch was justified by the notion of following your passion. He also met people who stay on course but they still gotten nowhere. So what is Mike thinking?<br />
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Firstly, Mike thinks that just because people follow their passion, it doesn't mean they are not going to be suck at it. Secondly, passion with no direction can lead people into the abyss. So does practice makes perfect? Perhaps the argument that practice does make perfect isn't the crux of the matter. We should challenge this deep rooted notion and ask, "Why practice doesn't make perfect?" I will attempt to relate it to guitar making and guitar playing.<br />
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It is safe to assume that people who buy guitars will at least like playing it. While there are exceptions, let's stick to those who like playing guitars. I started playing guitar in 1991. With no formal mentoring, I taught myself to play the instrument. After two decades of practices and playing, I thought I could play properly. Moreover, my enthusiasm for playing guitars has never diminished. Instead it was constantly growing. But I have never been more wrong.<br />
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<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/files/2011/07/8875851-finger-holding-the-wrong-piece-for-the-last-missing-puzzle-piece.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/files/2011/07/8875851-finger-holding-the-wrong-piece-for-the-last-missing-puzzle-piece.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fortunately I was given opportunities to organize guitar festivals in overseas. Through the experiences, I made friends with world-class guitar players. It was during about the same time frame I studied guitar making with Jeffrey Yong. The numerous interactions with them have made me realized that my guitar playing was at best mediocre. It wasn't about lacking in effort and enthusiasm. I was simply oblivious to the rudiments of guitar playing. For two decades it was all but proper guitar playing for me. I have indeed perfected my mistakes.<br />
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After the shocking revelation, I began to make conscious effort to unlearn and relearn. This arduous journey was worth it. However it was by no means pleasant. Dismantling my perfected mistakes was indeed tougher than I can imagine. Throughout, I have learnt tremendously from Jeffrey, Shun, Ernest, Don, Grigory. Now I am a lot more discerning in the ways I practice and play.<br />
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Without the passion for guitar playing, I would have stopped earlier. Invariably the pure instinctual passion kept me going but it didn't make me a better player. In essence, following your passion doesn't mean you won't suck at whatever you are doing.<br />
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It is also time to address why practice doesn't make perfect. Proper guitar playing demands for precise synchronicity of both hands, body posture, sense of rhythm, etc. Without proper guidance, it is so easy to overlook these aspects. I focus only on left hand techniques, a.k.a. fretting hand because I wanted to only play fast. The quest for speed has subordinated the need to build strong foundation. As a result, my past practices were everything but perfect (accurate). This is why practice doesn't make perfect, only PERFECT practice makes perfect.<br />
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<a href="http://th08.deviantart.net/fs46/200H/f/2009/177/7/a/Sleeping_with_her_guitar_by_Nosfist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://th08.deviantart.net/fs46/200H/f/2009/177/7/a/Sleeping_with_her_guitar_by_Nosfist.jpg" /></a>Arguably the most difficult task is determining what constitutes perfect practice. Since I didn't know enough when I started then how could I have knowledge of perfect practice? It appears to be a paradox especially for novices.<br />
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Indeed it wasn't plain sailing. Shun Ng is probably the most talented guitarist ever produced by Singapore. His guitar learning journey wasn't unstructured or unguided. He has very qualified persons who have provided him with proper coaching thus his playing is what it is today, i.e. top notched among the world class players. May I add that on Shun's enthusiasm and energy in practicing guitar was almost tireless. He can practice up to 16hrs a day. With these unique yet matching ingredients, Singapore has a champion guitarist. So use your passion to seek for accurate and proper guidance instead of squandering it all in the pleasure of playing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.berklee.edu/sites/default/files/Shun%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.berklee.edu/sites/default/files/Shun%20Photo.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shun Ng</td></tr>
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After I have come to terms that my two decades of practice was worthless, I began to observe good players but with a different attitude. Instead of admiring the speedy fingers, my senses were more acute and I was able to pick up many other aspects other than speed. It includes finger placement, finger switching, use of chord voicing, body & arms posture, controlled string attack, musicality, etc. While I have discovered many more aspects, they didn't overwhelm me. They made perfect sense to me.<br />
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Gradually I have changed the ways I practice guitar totally. Today I have various set of practices to target on specifics. The most important was probably having the consciousness to adopt practices that are accurate. Also to be cautious of bad habits tendencies. Each practice ought to be accurate and relevant. By doing that, I think it should qualify as PERFECT practice. What do you think?<br />
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At this juncture, let me recap the salient points. Passion does provide the energy that keeps us going but it doesn't necessarily point to the correct way(s). Practice doesn't make perfect because we can spend our lives perfecting our mistakes. Make effort to learn from the best, discover the best practices and turn them into your own suite of PERFECT practice.<br />
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<a href="http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-practice-does-not-make-perfect-only-perfect-practice-makes-perfect-vince-lombardi-114103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-practice-does-not-make-perfect-only-perfect-practice-makes-perfect-vince-lombardi-114103.jpg" height="187" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">熟练未必能生巧,精确又熟练才能生巧.</span></div>
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This notion of only PERFECT practice makes perfect can be applied to many things we do. Especially in expanding our capabilities to undertake demanding tasks or as a personal effectiveness pursuit. Remember don't stifle your passion. Invariably, don't let it run wild as well. Set a GPS to the best course and attached it onto your passion before you let it out.<br />
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It isn't easy to sustain the attitude of PERFECT practices. You have to make your mind if you are really hungry for it. I shall conclude with this saying, Mind over matters. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-72855584399033822392014-10-09T11:43:00.004+08:002014-10-09T12:03:27.907+08:00Guild of America Luthiers Convention 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was great to be backed! As Tim has said,"The Guild is good. The guild is great. The Guild is good and great!" It was my second trip to the GAL convention. Having made friends during my maiden visit, I was really looking forward to meet them again.<br />
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<b>Introduction to GAL</b><br />
For those who are not familiar with the Guild of America Luthiers, here is a brief. A group of guitar enthusiasts banded together in 1972. They wanted to create higher values for string instrument designing and making as an profession. They wanted the profession to be recognized by the society thus transforming string instruments making from a mere hobby or interest. The work needed to grow it into a profession was by no means minute. It has taken them years to established the trade title Lutherie on a firm place in the world trade skills.<br />
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These are their words<br />
"<i>Started by a group of budding craftsmen in 1972, the Guild of American Luthiers has grown to become a driving force in the current “Golden Age” of lutherie through its constant commitment to a free exchange of information among luthiers of all areas and experience levels. Makers and repairers of guitars of all types, mandolins, violins, lutes, and other stringed instruments have found in the Guild’s publications and meetings a place to share their expertise and developing techniques, and to learn from the experience, successes, and trials of others in the field</i>."<br />
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Unlike my last GAL blog posting it will not be a day to day account of my experiences. Instead I will highlight certain topics and share my insights regarding them. For those who wish to know about the convention content, please click this link to view its schedule: <a href="http://www.luth.org/conventions/2014_schedule.html">http://www.luth.org/conventions/2014_schedule.html</a><br />
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<b>Introduction to CNC for Small and Intermediate Shops</b><br />
It was day one and the first workshop I have attended. The speakers were Chris Klumper with Sigmund Johannessen. Both are veterans in the field of guitar making.<br />
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They presented various means that a CNC machine could be used for guitar manufacturing. The key message was in qualities of speed, consistency and repeatability that CNC machines can deliver. The workshop has attracted a sizable crowd. Most of them were curious about how fast and accurate can such machines go.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RmQSUlyncZM/VDXpq-ZtCdI/AAAAAAAAEzk/yRtwIjAzkQU/s1600/C360_2014-07-23-14-50-23-427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RmQSUlyncZM/VDXpq-ZtCdI/AAAAAAAAEzk/yRtwIjAzkQU/s1600/C360_2014-07-23-14-50-23-427.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqdabDH0AAnifpA8Xc91IsOOf22BXLv9BweXoOhWYdTy4cymmgDxW_k3pVAJB15Sd7gBU1pqXGaX-o6AuoiWYlXYw00x2I9Adopxt_T-rruj3SejUsd9x040w_-aSf6tSGB181I-eexQ/s1600/C360_2014-07-23-14-52-24-496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqdabDH0AAnifpA8Xc91IsOOf22BXLv9BweXoOhWYdTy4cymmgDxW_k3pVAJB15Sd7gBU1pqXGaX-o6AuoiWYlXYw00x2I9Adopxt_T-rruj3SejUsd9x040w_-aSf6tSGB181I-eexQ/s1600/C360_2014-07-23-14-52-24-496.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m5UD_v-s_-I/VDXpr7ZJdsI/AAAAAAAAEzs/lOuflI_oI00/s1600/C360_2014-07-23-14-55-26-374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m5UD_v-s_-I/VDXpr7ZJdsI/AAAAAAAAEzs/lOuflI_oI00/s1600/C360_2014-07-23-14-55-26-374.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>The use of Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines in guitar making is here to stay. For centuries, the string instruments were associated with handicraft work and art form. They were all hand made. To entertain the thoughts of machines replacing our hands, this idea seems intimidating and intrusive to many guitar makers. There was clear concerns in altering inherent values or qualities of guitars hence the traditional ways in making guitars were perceived to be kept like commandments. Tempering with these commandments would tantamount of disrespect.<br />
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While CNC technology has gained some traction in guitar making industry, it hasn't cover much grounds because there are many solo guitar builders in the market. More than often, luthiers or guitar builders evolve in solitude. As for myself, being engineering trained, I perceived the CNC machines as a bigger guitar making tool. It is definitely helpful to have on lying around workshop. However the investment was by no means trivial. That was the biggest barrier to get pass I reckon. The tug of war between hand craftsmanship and machine made will always persist. It is hard to predict the winner.<br />
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<b>Make Bread at Bread & Butter Repair: Techniques for Efficiency</b><br />
Being someone who offers guitar repairing services, this workshop was certainly relevant and useful to me. The three presenters were Erick Coleman, Evan Gluck and Eron Harding. Each one was well respected in the guitar repair field. Apart from some witty repair techniques that were useful, the most important messages to me was shared by Erick Coleman.<br />
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He mentioned that due to his work, he has developed arthritis in several joints in his body. It was the impairment created by his arthritis that motivated him to become creative in designing his work. Many repair works were highly repetitive and this nature has made guitar repair techs susceptible to arthritis. Erick was impelled to think out of the box to deal with two opposing demands,<br />
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1. Cut down on highly repetitive movements because of arthritis<br />
2. Increase productivity by turning to-be-repaired guitars within shorter time<br />
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Necessity has became the mother invention for Erick. He went on to share many witty techniques he has created and developed that saved him from deteriorating his arthritis and yet increased productivity in guitar repairs.<br />
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The other important message was about resting. He used to drive himself really hard because he wanted to repair more guitars. As like most hardworking American would do, he worked longer hours. However he found himself draining away rapidly.<br />
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Due to personal circumstances, he has to take care of his niece and that was like throwing a spanner into his work flow. Without consciously knowing how to deal with it, Erick simply decided to spent more time with his niece by ceasing operations on Wednesday, operating half a day on Saturday and stop meeting customers on Sunday.<br />
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With the reduction of operating hours, Erick was amazed that he didn't suffer lost in business revenue instead his takings has increased. He said he has discovered the important of rest because it allowed him to take his mind and body away from work. It has resulted in recovery and rejuvenation because of the planned rest days. Erick said he was never more creative and productive. If I am right, Erick has once repaired 800 guitars in three months. Think about the takings from such number.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WTSX0X9Malw/VDXz9-7pb7I/AAAAAAAAE1Q/CDzzb7Xu7PA/s1600/DSCF4973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WTSX0X9Malw/VDXz9-7pb7I/AAAAAAAAE1Q/CDzzb7Xu7PA/s1600/DSCF4973.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><b>Developing Your Sound</b><br />
Solving the myth of guitars; All guitar makers constantly seek or hope for the holy grail in guitar making with regards to wood selection and top tuning. While design and construction methods can be analyzed and rationalized with reasonable level of clarity, much less was known about woods' responses to sound.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FjkdcrnxrE8/VDXz9PTA3YI/AAAAAAAAE1M/yLTFzbeqzLg/s1600/DSCF4974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FjkdcrnxrE8/VDXz9PTA3YI/AAAAAAAAE1M/yLTFzbeqzLg/s1600/DSCF4974.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>It may sound like paradox but it was true. The more we learn about woods, the less we know about them. In the market, wood sellers tried in every possible way to state claims to the holy grail status about the wood they were selling, that is, their woods build the best sounding guitars. Does that even make any sense? It was as good as saying recruitment companies recruit only the best personnel.<br />
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To start with, woods and humans are far from perfect. However, guitar makers didn't stop the search. Bryan Galloup seems to have presented a way to narrow the search of this holy grail.<br />
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In the workshop, Bryan illustrated a database he has gathered and morphed into a software. It was designed to provide the natural frequencies of top boards. We are also aware that guitar top boards can be tuned to specific frequencies by adding or removing woods from the braces. Bryan's belief was tuning the top board to coincide with its wood's natural frequency, and that should provide the maximum responsiveness to top boards.<br />
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In achieving that, it was implied that the eventual tonal qualities of the would-be-built guitar will be good. The software contained a huge database on various woods. He intended to allow more luthiers to use his software.<br />
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<b>Unexpected and spontaneous things are the best things</b><br />
When everything goes according to plan, we call it plain sailing but that can be boring too. In life, we do look forward to things that were unexpected. No amount of planning can create those moments. In convention like this, many participants study its schedule and decide the most suitable workshops to attend. But more than often, the most best moments were unplanned or spontaneous.<br />
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The cool and sunny outdoors in Tacoma was indeed inviting. On the last day of the convention, I brought a Jeffrey Yong acoustic guitar to PLU's courtyard for a spin. Arguable the best moments for me. As I was enjoying the quiet time, the amazing guitar tone of Jeffrey's full mango wood guitar attracted a few individuals. They halted momentarily to listen to my playing. It was all good.<br />
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Unexpectedly, Kimo Hussey came along. Like the others, he was lured by the guitar tone. He stopped by and asked if the guitar was a Jeffrey Yong guitar. Jeffrey always encouraged me to sharpen my playing abilities and the acid test to one's abilities in guitar playing was to create beautiful sounding tunes for others to listen to. I summoned my courage and played a tune for Kimo.<br />
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At the end of my playing I heard claps and I saw smiles on their faces. They have made my day indeed. The wonderful guitar tone motivated must have pleased Kimo. He seat by me and requested to play the guitar. Surely I have obliged and that turned into an enjoyable jamming session with Jay Hagris.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ynEKis3Dn4/VDXu91r-znI/AAAAAAAAE0Y/CuzX4eIPgt4/s1600/DSCF4990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ynEKis3Dn4/VDXu91r-znI/AAAAAAAAE0Y/CuzX4eIPgt4/s1600/DSCF4990.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><b>Making new friends</b><br />
GAL Convention was not liked many commercially driven events that emphasized on prestige and returns. Many successful luthiers have their roots from the GAL community. Many has a humble beginning. It was very nice to see new builders displaying their instruments in GAL. It was through such cordial settings, aspiring builders get to discussed their ideas and thoughts about making guitars openly. Seated one table away was a young French emerging guitar maker by the name Emile Gervais displayed his guitars for the first time in GAL.<br />
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Even knowing him for only a brief moment, I could see that he is very passionate and curious in making guitars. He was not shy to share with me about certain inadequacies in his guitars. He requested me to play his guitars and he asked me for comments about them. For a young maker, I must acknowledge the meticulous effort he has put into making his guitars. The joints, bindings and purflings were neat and aligned. It was well made.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Utj2csJfnk/VDXwGxwjUgI/AAAAAAAAE1A/XF1sJG-4E4E/s1600/C360_2014-07-21-21-41-30-710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Utj2csJfnk/VDXwGxwjUgI/AAAAAAAAE1A/XF1sJG-4E4E/s1600/C360_2014-07-21-21-41-30-710.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><b>Meeting old friends</b><br />
A day before the convention Jeffrey and I have made a stop in Portland Oregon to visit some luthiers. Mark Roberts who is a Ukelele and guitar maker arranged a lunch meeting for the luthiers who were around the neighborhood. I meet Mark in the last convention. He is cool guy and he makes great instruments. The lunch meeting was enjoyable and fun. Endless guitar making talks and exchange of ideas.<br />
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Our day concluded with a dinner at Marks place, a.k.a. his workshop. It was a great feeling to visit a fellow luthier's workshop and listened to his ideas in laying out his workshop the way it was. I have indeed picked up lots of useful ideas and considerations that will likely help me in setting my own workshop in future.<br />
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<b>Finally…</b><br />
I think it must be challenging for the Tim and his team to determine themes and topics for the convention. From the dawn of guitars, the core structure and function were established. While a lot of innovation effort was placed on features and appointments in guitars, there weren't big leap with respect to invention. So much literature has been published and countless workshops have been presented. I truly admired their passion and tenacity in their continuous effort.<br />
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Coming back to GAL 2014, Tim and his team have done a great job in providing a wide range of topics for cater to the members' learning needs. The presenters were respectable and highly regarded in their respective domains. It was also undeniable that overlaps among topics occurred. Repetition was inevitable as well. Nevertheless the friendships fostered have been the most invaluable gains above any knowledge that can be learned from the convention. In closing, I must say that The Guild is Good and Great!<br />
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Thanks for reading and here are more photos of the GAL Convention 2014. Scroll DOWN!<br />
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-62198136953415244332014-06-23T12:01:00.002+08:002014-06-24T16:33:05.084+08:00The Lesson Beneath Neck Resetting My Guitar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsZhsNQa42msDpqQUGdC4sk-3YwtFVooHusOR9cBMV9tgHEsTvqJGm10udbeEi1exYWerg3o238EL_p1oa1z1BsBv4GApcx8wb3F6Bk-5jNWRAWMbaIOYqkzL62syDIz58wWgclB8epk/s1600/Neck+Remove+Jig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsZhsNQa42msDpqQUGdC4sk-3YwtFVooHusOR9cBMV9tgHEsTvqJGm10udbeEi1exYWerg3o238EL_p1oa1z1BsBv4GApcx8wb3F6Bk-5jNWRAWMbaIOYqkzL62syDIz58wWgclB8epk/s1600/Neck+Remove+Jig.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitar Neck Reset Process</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Before I get to my perspectives of the lesson beneath, please allow me to introduce the events that lead up to it. Here goes.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Just when we assumed that qualities of goods get better as their prices get higher. Is that universally true?</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNOHColMgGK5venu25NffnyIChWWXvNFy64wKjVL3xJ21L5vyMsz2SjiONsPQP9eNoykvNpTnURtcPDdqRjsOv-7z78zCkfxH8jh8WK8qgj1MIVfA5d22fvqBM4RolmsqOir5jrDss9Y/s1600/SJ+200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNOHColMgGK5venu25NffnyIChWWXvNFy64wKjVL3xJ21L5vyMsz2SjiONsPQP9eNoykvNpTnURtcPDdqRjsOv-7z78zCkfxH8jh8WK8qgj1MIVfA5d22fvqBM4RolmsqOir5jrDss9Y/s1600/SJ+200.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gibson SJ 200</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some years back, I decided to find out if expensive guitars better in every way than budget guitars. There was no easy way to test the hypothesis except to buy expensive guitars. So I did.<br />
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I have taken an interest in Gibson Acoustic guitar especially the Super Jumbo (SJ) shape. My first one was the workhorse SJ200. It was a spruce top/maple back-side combination. It was indeed impressive considering I had never owned an expensive guitar before.<br />
<br />
Back then; my “tone” vocabulary was rather limited as well. While I can identify my preferred tone, I didn’t have sufficient adjectives to articulate it in words. I got by with just relying on preferences, which were largely based on feelings.<br />
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Guitar enthusiasts hardly stopped at one guitar. So my appetite for better guitars began to develop. To me better guitars were more expensive guitars, at least during those formative years. That kick started my Guitar Acquiring Syndrome, a.k.a. GAS.<br />
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Next in line was Gibson SJ300. It was a spruce top/rosewood back-side combination. The tonal quality was not exceedingly better then my SJ200 but it has higher aesthetic value.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplr3Qi2epAn6qoyCfg73EpDTZm3PkjHrGRx725UuIGdj_43YlAtFvu-FiBhTv9wkgS7jAKwep_jYbwiToXn6wsHIDv8gPkgP9HU_8MrdoSLwsOKL19J_xDwFDswWWsHlzsDWXbu6DiXY/s1600/SJ+300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplr3Qi2epAn6qoyCfg73EpDTZm3PkjHrGRx725UuIGdj_43YlAtFvu-FiBhTv9wkgS7jAKwep_jYbwiToXn6wsHIDv8gPkgP9HU_8MrdoSLwsOKL19J_xDwFDswWWsHlzsDWXbu6DiXY/s1600/SJ+300.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gibson SJ300</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I took a break from Gibson and switched to Guild for a brief moment. I bought a Guild F50R which was a spruce top/rosewood back-side combination. Even at a lower price point than both Gibsons, its tonal quality was comparable.<br />
<br />
My confident with expensive guitars began to waver. Not dissuaded by my F50R’s impact on my Gibsons, I decided to move up the price chain again. I went hunting for a Gibson Montana Gold. It didn’t take too long for me to land one in my hands. This piece was classed under Gibson Custom Shop. For guitars that were from Gibson Custom Shop, it was to believe that materials were hand-selected and the guitar was hand-built by a team of selected luthiers in Gibson factory in Bozeman Montana. In short, it is an expensive acoustic guitar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PH-_jzMSvVYeSV4-VWM9PYXSjZYmSWdZtKvEqxJRj23I33xO1kMO1DfWAyJJUa3d1zD_DoJhfWr0jGFpvyg77I03-0lSWGYwVGF4YRqEf1eju3e_s4QES5gbGR8V80ldu-QEHpOR3fE/s1600/Guild+F50R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PH-_jzMSvVYeSV4-VWM9PYXSjZYmSWdZtKvEqxJRj23I33xO1kMO1DfWAyJJUa3d1zD_DoJhfWr0jGFpvyg77I03-0lSWGYwVGF4YRqEf1eju3e_s4QES5gbGR8V80ldu-QEHpOR3fE/s1600/Guild+F50R.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guild F50R</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjoaP8j-N3tZHyWSRALbk_aQTQEJYnOoCcnsgzHmnq4E6fpg3GuK2x9yF8TD-Dz25aQlFfcu6taktP-sE5EH3p721jn8Oks4KFXHANU8ashknu2HDL83yBOilAnKzEbe082dZ7HVJqAc/s1600/Montana+Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjoaP8j-N3tZHyWSRALbk_aQTQEJYnOoCcnsgzHmnq4E6fpg3GuK2x9yF8TD-Dz25aQlFfcu6taktP-sE5EH3p721jn8Oks4KFXHANU8ashknu2HDL83yBOilAnKzEbe082dZ7HVJqAc/s1600/Montana+Gold.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gibson Montana Gold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wasn’t disappointed with the Montana Gold at all. In fact it was arguably the best sounding Super Jumbo I have had thus far. It was indeed a very satisfying buy. My GAS subsided for a period.<br />
<br />
The singing cowboy model was always in my mind ever since I set my eyes on super jumbo models. In 1937, Gibson guitars built a SJ200 shaped guitar for Ray Whitley and they called it the Prewar Western Classic model. It was just a notch lower than the SJ-250 Monarch. Without much hesitation, the SJ200 Prewar Western Classic became part of my collection of expensive guitars.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/0c940e_84960a4c4ca1cd07f632209acc3218ac.jpg_srz_p_190_253_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/0c940e_84960a4c4ca1cd07f632209acc3218ac.jpg_srz_p_190_253_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gibson Western Classic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Among all my Gibson acoustic guitars, the Prewar Western Classic was the most expensive buy and it was also the tipping point to the hypothesis “better guitars were more expensive guitars”. The build was didn’t match the price point and her claimed prestige. It has structural, functional and cosmetic issues that needed repair/restore work. I almost couldn’t believe it. It was playable but the issues have affected the expected performance levels of the guitar. It was indeed very disappointing to get such a poorly made piece.<br />
<br />
In retrospect, these guitars weren’t considered hi-end yet when compared against fully handcrafted acoustic guitars. Established luthiers like Erwin Somogyi, Kevin Ryan, Grit Laskin, Charles Fox, etc. can command any where from USD $12,000 to USD $60,000. However I couldn’t have known what I didn’t know. So have I learned my lesson. GASing for branded and expensive guitars doesn't guarantee satisfied purchases.<br />
<br />
So why did I neck reset my Gibson? I shall place my Prewar Western Classic in the limelight henceforth herein.<br />
<br />
After the excitement of selection, I eagerly waited for my Prewar Western Classic to be delivered to my residence. When I finally received the package, I opened it up with high expectations.<br />
The first glance was impressive. The finishing was near perfect and sexy as it was.<br />
<br />
For a week, I played it as like any new toys. It didn't occur to me it was just satisfaction instead being elation. Perhaps I have chosen to believed that it was a good piece. I was simply blinded to the blemishes before my eyes.<br />
<br />
It didn't take long to spot a string of issues on this guitar, ironically it was my most expensive one during that time. There was a straight trail of lacquer check at the back of the neck. It covered the entire length of the neck and headstock, following the mahogany laminate. It was a cosmetic issue.<br />
<br />
There was something else not immediately observable. Only after a couple of months of playing that I discovered the neck angle was not set properly.<br />
<br />
The playability worsen and I have tried various adjustments to get it back in shape but my effort was futile against the overriding effects of its neck angle.<br />
<br />
While I didn't require guitars with perfect set up to play them, this piece was hard to fall for. The gradual forward bowing in its neck exacerbated my dissatisfaction with it. Eventually it has reached tipping point and I was adequately motivated to rectify this neck angle issue.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Cure became Worse than the Disease </h3>
<br />
Back then, I was not skillful enough to undertake a neck reset job on an acoustic guitar with glued set neck. The obvious choice was to seek for experts in this area. I found a guitar tech who would accept my job request with a price, of course.<br />
<br />
With anticipation and expectations, I sent my Gibson to this guitar tech for the ultimate rectification. After I have waited eagerly for three weeks I received my Gibson. To my disbelief, the neck angle didn't get adjusted to the appropriate angle. Topping up my disappoint, the purfling and binding at the neck heel part was damaged.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/0c940e_474a9eeb3917735c3dc80693dcfd405a.jpg_srz_p_338_253_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/0c940e_474a9eeb3917735c3dc80693dcfd405a.jpg_srz_p_338_253_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The service transaction process was done through a retail person thus I didn't get to meet the guitar tech. Not entirely satisfied with the work, I returned my Gibson to the guitar tech for a rework.<br />
<br />
Another three weeks have past and I receive my Gibson from the retail person. There was no noticeable difference in its neck angle. I later realized through the guitar tech's confession that nothing was done to my Gibson within the period of reworking.<br />
<br />
It was yet another disappointment. I couldn't fathom that level of professional standard displayed by that guitar tech. All these further motivated me to take on the neck reset job on my own. Which eventually I did.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Neck Reset Process</h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thankfully for the training I have received from Jeffrey Yong and the years of experiences from guitar repairs, I was poised to undertake the neck reset job. My guiding principle to ensure high chances of success was best described with this, "measure twice, cut once".</div>
<br />
By the time I was ready to began the physical work, I have already done considerable amount of research on neck reset jobs.<br />
<br />
Base on my comprehension, these are the major sub-tasks that constitute the entire neck reset job.<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Dislodge neck tongue from top plate</li>
<li>Remove 15th fret wire</li>
<li>Drill a hole into 15th fret slot</li>
<li>Introduce steam into dovetail joint thru the hole</li>
<li>Make a guitar neck removing jig</li>
<li>Remove guitar neck using the jig</li>
<li>Modify dovetail joint for better guitar neck angle</li>
<li>Re-glue guitar neck to soundbox</li>
<li>Refit frets and level frets if required</li>
<li>Set up guitar for playability</li>
</ol>
Within a single guitar repair job, there are many sub-tasks that require their respective skills and knowledge. This aspect is usually oblivious many guitar enthusiasts. Unintentionally they over simplified many guitar repair jobs.<br />
<br />
I think guitar techs should do their parts in educating their clients. More than often, guitar enthusiasts feel that guitar repair jobs should be pegged to the value of the guitar in repair.<br />
They made this assumption without understanding how things actually work in guitars. Going with this will soon put many guitar techs out of job because no consideration is placed on their experience levels and time spent.<br />
<br />
This isn't about exalting guitar techs. My clients feel assured when they understand repair processes that include both pros and cons. I think this aspect is very important in understanding the expectations of my clients. Most people expect repair jobs to return their guitars to brand new state. That isn't accurate thinking because repair jobs are about solving problems. Only restoration jobs will strive to return guitars back to origin state.<br />
<br />
Even a properly executed restoration job will not guarantee that ideal brand new state. I will try to get my clients to accept and understand certain realities that are inevitable. Making empty promises will get you the job but it will create great disappointments later.<br />
<br />
Staying true to my clients and myself is a guiding principle that works very well for me so far. So much for the introduction, let the repair begins now!<br />
<br />
After hours of research on guitar neck reset job, I have decided to build a jig for two key reasons,<br />
<ol>
<li>Hold and secure guitar body</li>
<li>Mechanism that specifically remove guitar neck from guitar body</li>
</ol>
Bryan Galloup is a respectable guitar builder who is conversant in both making and repairing guitars. Inspired by his design, I made a Guitar Neck Removing jig.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ne7iBUtulDPI_pTB9_pdnSlp6uKB_lO4xu7OaP0nS069LfXY2riv5RgllDxrFAoksJM7vxukEzTsgUh56YkRRZ6rSbo65pczSkSUjiinO0iwxp4T5W3pK-RuxZRiF9OAy2k3Z5Yn820/s1600/DSCF0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ne7iBUtulDPI_pTB9_pdnSlp6uKB_lO4xu7OaP0nS069LfXY2riv5RgllDxrFAoksJM7vxukEzTsgUh56YkRRZ6rSbo65pczSkSUjiinO0iwxp4T5W3pK-RuxZRiF9OAy2k3Z5Yn820/s1600/DSCF0039.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitar Neck Removing Jig</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This jig enabled me to secure the guitar soundbox a.k.a. guitar body in ways that help in the later neck removal process. There was also no worry in damaging the guitar.<br />
<br />
Dovetail joints are not straightforward in removal. Steam must be introduced to the contact surfaces. For that, I use silicon tubes to make a delivery device to channel steam to a syringe needle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnLhj45_amuQ6-WP0e4us-4EW6DIkNbpkSsLEHjJgtk1oC6y9MIF75CKGRzBG_vLAXKRgb5SBO0z3we56XLGLUjFHRlzM9FcnDRUiJZGgFKMDNW8a3_WO1ZaKLGmzGwVo5TPFntlF3OI/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnLhj45_amuQ6-WP0e4us-4EW6DIkNbpkSsLEHjJgtk1oC6y9MIF75CKGRzBG_vLAXKRgb5SBO0z3we56XLGLUjFHRlzM9FcnDRUiJZGgFKMDNW8a3_WO1ZaKLGmzGwVo5TPFntlF3OI/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silicon Tube</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Prior to starting the process, I tested the jig and tube for their reliability and workability. Both devices worked well. I went on with the neck reset job with confidence. I became more proficient in repairs and that was definitely a benefit. Above all, the shift in attitudes towards guitar qualities in relation to prices was the greatest I gain from my Guitar Neck Reset Job. Praise HIM again.<br />
<br />
I shall let the pictures do the talking from this point onwards.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjGpJMUVj1_ErLgcOnaeCP94l1IIWXFp0dOtrZpMSn4Nk7yBJbk9dIiJT_3_FZ2XHDIkTiLMbX8s9lgftms7Bd8MdVxSKyAclHuZpJEydJpsxqPA5CE7duehQi_vgvUpPib189s5SUWs/s1600/DSCF0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjGpJMUVj1_ErLgcOnaeCP94l1IIWXFp0dOtrZpMSn4Nk7yBJbk9dIiJT_3_FZ2XHDIkTiLMbX8s9lgftms7Bd8MdVxSKyAclHuZpJEydJpsxqPA5CE7duehQi_vgvUpPib189s5SUWs/s1600/DSCF0035.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neck Removed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrapnNojj3rORoy7a6-iTH0ddwqF1U7xgyJqsYQ1hcwlDCIv9Q-agQId8RLcPK_WmonuVjf80askUyxdGpujRIx15UIHv9ewdrPBJ11WeVYWxXZEYFc2h1-G9w1E4E9LA9GZ6X-KaEQo/s1600/DSCF0038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrapnNojj3rORoy7a6-iTH0ddwqF1U7xgyJqsYQ1hcwlDCIv9Q-agQId8RLcPK_WmonuVjf80askUyxdGpujRIx15UIHv9ewdrPBJ11WeVYWxXZEYFc2h1-G9w1E4E9LA9GZ6X-KaEQo/s1600/DSCF0038.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-2yetaZfxwW2-UVuxX_VydqVgpGMIKzM5r1yX5rXQzV7uKWHTu8YtVUJAA5i5r-cM6YHt1gTU0GREpNGYiSAEFbHtQpT1B1LdzQ6mGucIUnY7IBrNL46gkbE-BO5A3i5fhWNZCYiA4Q/s1600/DSCF0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-2yetaZfxwW2-UVuxX_VydqVgpGMIKzM5r1yX5rXQzV7uKWHTu8YtVUJAA5i5r-cM6YHt1gTU0GREpNGYiSAEFbHtQpT1B1LdzQ6mGucIUnY7IBrNL46gkbE-BO5A3i5fhWNZCYiA4Q/s1600/DSCF0037.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSCMiZ5cMaUgi1PJm8k9Hgg89jSz5Q_fugDjvcwlsQt4fdIFzGIUGZYgg_jFeRRb9odab24PusohWhcVrJAe6e2BHjUelnyPJiRH6rCo_3OYmXHtXwwgZsurSiVjvtZbEEgLkUn_A8qM/s1600/DSCF0042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSCMiZ5cMaUgi1PJm8k9Hgg89jSz5Q_fugDjvcwlsQt4fdIFzGIUGZYgg_jFeRRb9odab24PusohWhcVrJAe6e2BHjUelnyPJiRH6rCo_3OYmXHtXwwgZsurSiVjvtZbEEgLkUn_A8qM/s1600/DSCF0042.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Reside Cleaned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDzRmGh9rl1_AJLPKLkOjUyaH_9uHPI5glTnRtIY6CdVYZ9KQL5fymKgWjP8nArVesQ0O2lh6arxZn-eJ5EaW3wIvxutLSuItYCioJcJ2SWdiHoEOBIJGqBRkBcIml07SD2qZu4euPvA/s1600/DSCF0041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDzRmGh9rl1_AJLPKLkOjUyaH_9uHPI5glTnRtIY6CdVYZ9KQL5fymKgWjP8nArVesQ0O2lh6arxZn-eJ5EaW3wIvxutLSuItYCioJcJ2SWdiHoEOBIJGqBRkBcIml07SD2qZu4euPvA/s1600/DSCF0041.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue Cleaned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKoImtZ8J2gFseE9jIC5gs5qj7nR7udxjym1RRrHUhbtorWtXSiCoJU2IcC2J5e6MOqkpHEJ3gB9dejpTQbZHg0nAbg4naItg_BGZaskU2SbgRWbHFWJ4c-DDkFPtJDOe5f-lMvnrVg4/s1600/DSCF0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKoImtZ8J2gFseE9jIC5gs5qj7nR7udxjym1RRrHUhbtorWtXSiCoJU2IcC2J5e6MOqkpHEJ3gB9dejpTQbZHg0nAbg4naItg_BGZaskU2SbgRWbHFWJ4c-DDkFPtJDOe5f-lMvnrVg4/s1600/DSCF0043.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue Cleaned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbi0ul8FYxc-16DGJAI5r36LEm4r948olPj7D6TIyIK0lLdeWJeSr3Cf-DIbCBiVOTU7mXkqSTbgQZd7YkQ1-kMs23gqS_dbLd63ayq4KPQMwxLeoYX5O8wolCnH3vBbCX8S42XT06lI/s1600/DSCF0044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbi0ul8FYxc-16DGJAI5r36LEm4r948olPj7D6TIyIK0lLdeWJeSr3Cf-DIbCBiVOTU7mXkqSTbgQZd7YkQ1-kMs23gqS_dbLd63ayq4KPQMwxLeoYX5O8wolCnH3vBbCX8S42XT06lI/s1600/DSCF0044.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue Cleaned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7AZceyhX6lvdKKnL1MMX4ePGlq8-j0HQ5DxnGSjB8pny-d6uaJWYydllGgeyBrSMQi-dIo734LBbJ62wIXre_11s7XQf01aXDYKh0ZcAy60QelcGJ8nKZYD9L2xk5abTlotImZ6N-0M/s1600/DSCF0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7AZceyhX6lvdKKnL1MMX4ePGlq8-j0HQ5DxnGSjB8pny-d6uaJWYydllGgeyBrSMQi-dIo734LBbJ62wIXre_11s7XQf01aXDYKh0ZcAy60QelcGJ8nKZYD9L2xk5abTlotImZ6N-0M/s1600/DSCF0045.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue Cleaned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLNZWPu5VUK7q14rWIkd0yR2-EkQDX0NVWYd3u4yqIMkQsxUaY62HIJDckatePX1vxTrqhYf3VqwgUKl4fwcFfRG6fG_OZbI2FXBnVo7ktbU3VohyphenhyphenEXOEajBRJUyf9Vy6y71Z7-J-nOY/s1600/DSCF0046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLNZWPu5VUK7q14rWIkd0yR2-EkQDX0NVWYd3u4yqIMkQsxUaY62HIJDckatePX1vxTrqhYf3VqwgUKl4fwcFfRG6fG_OZbI2FXBnVo7ktbU3VohyphenhyphenEXOEajBRJUyf9Vy6y71Z7-J-nOY/s1600/DSCF0046.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue Residue Cleaned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8OG00T7mYVPfV2g9fwRbPucOA4mTvArb3eJGk-Kfc0tw5zfmw2VHp2H3pugoK8p-bcPrGfLwnD3c7Nzp1HVhJO-5XOtMxreuUnFMrsoxBCCf0n65gi8T8yQmPcFn51KkhtXrSgyeyDY/s1600/DSCF0059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8OG00T7mYVPfV2g9fwRbPucOA4mTvArb3eJGk-Kfc0tw5zfmw2VHp2H3pugoK8p-bcPrGfLwnD3c7Nzp1HVhJO-5XOtMxreuUnFMrsoxBCCf0n65gi8T8yQmPcFn51KkhtXrSgyeyDY/s1600/DSCF0059.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongue Shim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMidg0wnJa6kVp1AIq0PRDCeb8qONB4prnp09E0WrfRTq_DlOTfGrczoJlZUhPPTvara3Y-FwS7RszpmXge4ZbbiKoSleuBnqTLkfTnH_iKMo-ovMeD1d_4YbrH4CNoNuORhwA2WNSbs/s1600/DSCF0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMidg0wnJa6kVp1AIq0PRDCeb8qONB4prnp09E0WrfRTq_DlOTfGrczoJlZUhPPTvara3Y-FwS7RszpmXge4ZbbiKoSleuBnqTLkfTnH_iKMo-ovMeD1d_4YbrH4CNoNuORhwA2WNSbs/s1600/DSCF0066.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongue Shim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDSikFYA9TKHBl1_5wzdVez5PQtBwXV9ym2CPQX289LpUGnAuQo0o__ddqEqL3UKdL0N2DCLaDMBip45wBnQ3D5rNJ8UoII7vrYYM40_sPxovLspsaU_-CP-mk6yfpP_vuzNhPw3o0ho/s1600/DSCF0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDSikFYA9TKHBl1_5wzdVez5PQtBwXV9ym2CPQX289LpUGnAuQo0o__ddqEqL3UKdL0N2DCLaDMBip45wBnQ3D5rNJ8UoII7vrYYM40_sPxovLspsaU_-CP-mk6yfpP_vuzNhPw3o0ho/s1600/DSCF0061.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongue Shim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuJlpuG0bnw4tgK5hwowy_BMI5BJ6x1nl00KLmYxj5xlRpimlur5h4Yh7lSlN3CZVKAiI9f383FqEp1ujC6etKWPKxr_c9iFFqogcMPJC1K4EfJYHboHh7GXJ17ziooZgxCDrBZHupRI/s1600/DSCF0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuJlpuG0bnw4tgK5hwowy_BMI5BJ6x1nl00KLmYxj5xlRpimlur5h4Yh7lSlN3CZVKAiI9f383FqEp1ujC6etKWPKxr_c9iFFqogcMPJC1K4EfJYHboHh7GXJ17ziooZgxCDrBZHupRI/s1600/DSCF0070.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongue Shim Glued</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFCG_IATbJANffglJD4uJlJFZgnrFOkRs_LvSVKSzBAKEKk1oQua9W8D5AuO01TY0hLypJuYG5d4UKk6RX5hjqb9uLJESGjdQmTw1-jwdB-1tD5r7hDup2H924re2_K-QdIAD7PKa0tc/s1600/DSCF0071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFCG_IATbJANffglJD4uJlJFZgnrFOkRs_LvSVKSzBAKEKk1oQua9W8D5AuO01TY0hLypJuYG5d4UKk6RX5hjqb9uLJESGjdQmTw1-jwdB-1tD5r7hDup2H924re2_K-QdIAD7PKa0tc/s1600/DSCF0071.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongue Shim Glued</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwWsB6iMKWyAABHs3fGFN9vpxzpEXPzNrEXjDWRjlAHmDzMWECASB8KOnsb06JkOSeZLodo0XuhTmYhYJDLKcxyv6hX1c7SeTtxLw-gSFMdr9bILt0lZYasuFxQOqXlprMiCAAQfcvZQ/s1600/DSCF0074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwWsB6iMKWyAABHs3fGFN9vpxzpEXPzNrEXjDWRjlAHmDzMWECASB8KOnsb06JkOSeZLodo0XuhTmYhYJDLKcxyv6hX1c7SeTtxLw-gSFMdr9bILt0lZYasuFxQOqXlprMiCAAQfcvZQ/s1600/DSCF0074.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masking Out to-be-trimmed Areas</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6GH4FAkI3kYqQnYmQXiLCEkkzx0QOxTZ2RWFwW-s3VA3kv8Aih9IgrSt_agnnCBI88k8I2_oofBgnEjdF-C0JaciIewLtRTiUWxL28pD2suD5q1zSnYkOBnt8f3oAzsx8ufTKaHMavA/s1600/DSCF0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6GH4FAkI3kYqQnYmQXiLCEkkzx0QOxTZ2RWFwW-s3VA3kv8Aih9IgrSt_agnnCBI88k8I2_oofBgnEjdF-C0JaciIewLtRTiUWxL28pD2suD5q1zSnYkOBnt8f3oAzsx8ufTKaHMavA/s1600/DSCF0076.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altered Neck Angle</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8KNY6R0Zd1zED68WbPvLJtJF6VZUa315VhSXyrX1qYNSNnSX-XzGcHyjCNKtqp8M9R1NuX8Qu5XzqhwD6mGYsorjXT1YTshg1-dLsogD1dNRAicmK76EzLFkgiB_Sm8sFxTJVDBML54/s1600/DSCF0077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8KNY6R0Zd1zED68WbPvLJtJF6VZUa315VhSXyrX1qYNSNnSX-XzGcHyjCNKtqp8M9R1NuX8Qu5XzqhwD6mGYsorjXT1YTshg1-dLsogD1dNRAicmK76EzLFkgiB_Sm8sFxTJVDBML54/s1600/DSCF0077.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altered Neck Angle</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBDGHs3UCWfz0puWUUfkTArdkXxDsfD8KaquuMGr6wRTfMlQqxq2p6p9NcvSBl7vwSHyGsVENnVJNBXGn-jdFdioHW8hHaxM7N0_r_mYxVFuFxN5J0qG8vRczbo7wJ-hbCmyF28metr0/s1600/DSCF0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBDGHs3UCWfz0puWUUfkTArdkXxDsfD8KaquuMGr6wRTfMlQqxq2p6p9NcvSBl7vwSHyGsVENnVJNBXGn-jdFdioHW8hHaxM7N0_r_mYxVFuFxN5J0qG8vRczbo7wJ-hbCmyF28metr0/s1600/DSCF0078.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altered Neck Angle</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDK5OjKeEL33XU7k7KCsDkdSVVFm1R2bljcunh4Qj8TaAKL19KZbtAXg9tyJGKetMLLq46KcXglfzJZP1eHpow0ywqJQ0YfTgLSt-bauvpWwg3lFxRK8Fny_KcJSucS0AfsmDMfkPMfE/s1600/DSCF0083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDK5OjKeEL33XU7k7KCsDkdSVVFm1R2bljcunh4Qj8TaAKL19KZbtAXg9tyJGKetMLLq46KcXglfzJZP1eHpow0ywqJQ0YfTgLSt-bauvpWwg3lFxRK8Fny_KcJSucS0AfsmDMfkPMfE/s1600/DSCF0083.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glued & Clamped</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAav3ZUQlLOS-wnYjtuJKvs8hY5sSJVHD1HLKNc1jbWScXx3i9CzfYJ4l0j7FF_gFQEnlkGeAeqEKegpeopen88qgkCvNwEITPrRet4MVe9dbOGyxRHq9ebOzZL7NVo4mClq7x7-L_rrw/s1600/DSCF0082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAav3ZUQlLOS-wnYjtuJKvs8hY5sSJVHD1HLKNc1jbWScXx3i9CzfYJ4l0j7FF_gFQEnlkGeAeqEKegpeopen88qgkCvNwEITPrRet4MVe9dbOGyxRHq9ebOzZL7NVo4mClq7x7-L_rrw/s1600/DSCF0082.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glued & Clamped</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-50046058474378542372014-03-25T18:29:00.000+08:002014-03-25T19:38:44.216+08:00Guitars and Singapore's Climate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXFUz1K7X2SZW-PmBI9a7IZarm9bW0pHMqUfPIuUd4bDFhR9r2q5jHg1LHsy3B5PkioFoGlp5pPh8K_xtPhyphenhyphen112EAqLQ2t5WGS8LxHMuQ8w-MqDHF2fDyeaT7HxSppgGCI1MdDGnTHAI/s1600/DSCF4078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXFUz1K7X2SZW-PmBI9a7IZarm9bW0pHMqUfPIuUd4bDFhR9r2q5jHg1LHsy3B5PkioFoGlp5pPh8K_xtPhyphenhyphen112EAqLQ2t5WGS8LxHMuQ8w-MqDHF2fDyeaT7HxSppgGCI1MdDGnTHAI/s1600/DSCF4078.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most Singaporeans will describe Singapore's climate as hot, wet and humid. However, not a lot was known about the figures that are relevant to the well being of our guitars. A quick check at the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) website (<a href="http://app2.nea.gov.sg/weather_statistics.aspx">http://app2.nea.gov.sg/weather_statistics.aspx</a>), anyone can trawl a slew of weather statistics of Singapore. Surprisingly the lowest temperature recorded for the past 75 years was at 19.4°C.<br />
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Both temperature and relative humidity (RH) are closely related to guitars. Since there is abundance in temperature and RH data, some filtering is required. In this article, I will focus the mean RH. It should help to guitarists to be aware of the levels of humidity their guitars are exposed to. After filtering the unwanted data, the table displayed the average values of temperature, RH and EMC.</div>
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What is the point of getting temperature and RH data? Guitarists who are concerned with effects of RH on their guitars will be interested to know the level of WMC within their guitars. Obviously they will not favor the intrusive methods required by wood moisture meters, using temperature and RH to predict the level WMC within woods seem like a good alternative. It is definitely possible to do that.</div>
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Without going into the mathematics of it, WMC can be calculated with respective temperatures and RHs. You can try it out heres: <a href="http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html">http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html</a>. Using the monthly average temperatures and RHs of past 75 years, the WMC or EMC within woods in Singapore was established. While the calculated WMC or EMC didn’t specifically point at guitars, it would be reasonable to use the figures to predict WMC within guitars that are made of wood.</div>
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At this point, if you’re not sure about WMC and EMC, you can read in greater detail at my website; there is a page dedicated to guitar care. Here is the link: <a href="http://www.guitaringpassionately.com/#!dehumidify-part-1/c1pku">Dehumidifying Part 1</a></div>
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The table below displayed monthly temperature and RH data of 75 years of accumulation. E.g. the temperature data of Jan means over 75 years of records, this is the mean of the 24hr mean, i.e. 25.9°C. The corresponding RH was also captured in NEA’s website. With the pair of matching data, it was possible to work out the mean EMC for each month.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1Ew2CCxy23BzYPhEWTlbGpKhq4iX0NUwR6Z0Crkjzc7PG0gkfOpQ7F2271-NcAsR5iOoWl8dwO116cXJ4FulgDKQyMn-02rjNRmalu0KFePLJVn4crrlWitYnl_F1fnfHL1xugHVOIc/s1600/NEA+SG+75yrs+Climate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1Ew2CCxy23BzYPhEWTlbGpKhq4iX0NUwR6Z0Crkjzc7PG0gkfOpQ7F2271-NcAsR5iOoWl8dwO116cXJ4FulgDKQyMn-02rjNRmalu0KFePLJVn4crrlWitYnl_F1fnfHL1xugHVOIc/s1600/NEA+SG+75yrs+Climate.png" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
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Take note of 17.34% at the bottom right of the table. What does it mean to our guitars? To put it simply, most guitars in Singapore are carrying elevated moisture content within them. Unless you have possessed a containment that is fully climate controlled to 40 to 50% RH and 25 to 28°C, your guitars need dehumidification.</div>
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Except for limited individuals who could afford a purposefully built facility to house guitars, most guitar enthusiasts are left to the mercy of the climate. There is no hiding from humidity. Chances are the moment when guitars left their factories and fly to Singapore, they are unlikely to experience an EMC of 8.5% anymore. Changes in WMC within fiber saturation point accounts for any physical or dimensional changes in woods. Invariably, most acoustic guitars in Singapore suffer from swelling top plates.</div>
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In conclusion, there is no hiding from the effects of high humidity. If you can afford a 24/7 climate controlled facility, your guitars will stay in pristine conditions for extensive duration. It was also possible to calculate WMC within woods from temperature and RH values. It allowed prediction of WMC within woods without the need to measure it by means of a wood moisture meter. The intrusive measuring methods of such meter will not find favor among guitar enthusiasts. Last but not least, weather data from NEA has suggested an average 17.34% of WMC within woods in Singapore. This number to guitar enthusiasts in Singapore should provide a good indication of the environmental conditions surrounding their guitars. Hopefully it will motivate them to take actions in maintaining their guitars’ well being.<!--EndFragment--></div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-81525593991971522732013-12-20T15:40:00.000+08:002013-12-20T15:40:05.853+08:00From Bench to Guitar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39Na2bfaz4yn2CYrsxXO9_7HhXvVESkP6YV1trXK_zXTfCfWmZO_fZeOK3QikCAd2M5VSEbXGjWHNV2WVdsHtKrpldKrseqgqtm0G5Vv3PaJts89u8OUsYgrCbx2QarwSMGFlR_Q8moY/s1600/CAM00336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39Na2bfaz4yn2CYrsxXO9_7HhXvVESkP6YV1trXK_zXTfCfWmZO_fZeOK3QikCAd2M5VSEbXGjWHNV2WVdsHtKrpldKrseqgqtm0G5Vv3PaJts89u8OUsYgrCbx2QarwSMGFlR_Q8moY/s320/CAM00336.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chengal wood in Telecaster Shape</td></tr>
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Life is like a box of chocolate; haven’t we heard this infamous line before, right? Indeed I was given a unique opportunity to pick a piece of chocolate that I considered it the least expected one. In April this year (2013), I received a phone call from a friend. He was one whom I didn't expected to get into conversation about guitars. He requested to have a custom guitar to be made by me. While I aspire to be like Jeffrey Yong in guitar making, I must stressed it was rather unbelievable. While making a guitar isn’t easy, most regular guitar-making projects are doable. However this project was all but usual.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithD8idEhwTKNU4tQC_mK7ivVk5oeF9WJhStltvrtRrL84dRqMbzQq-uYMXWm94F59g6T_4HZli2JGLWOexLRgnQ_MUxRTNDY3T-7diSUd6yvPE-wUKeF8oMNArVK0rE60Tbway3dF8Mc/s1600/CAM00318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithD8idEhwTKNU4tQC_mK7ivVk5oeF9WJhStltvrtRrL84dRqMbzQq-uYMXWm94F59g6T_4HZli2JGLWOexLRgnQ_MUxRTNDY3T-7diSUd6yvPE-wUKeF8oMNArVK0rE60Tbway3dF8Mc/s200/CAM00318.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXCFaSqw-VskiiGXCQ0nKAp4-zeQUsHHGFB3DMYfKkf0FtFm-J_JBELJ4doPVqkbVzPGn1efiLbqEl7IUAnIVCZt0P6zazttjEb5A1o2rk7BhQ7_Eu2QAXvgrRNQR4tFKEP896dhoH4Q/s1600/CAM00293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXCFaSqw-VskiiGXCQ0nKAp4-zeQUsHHGFB3DMYfKkf0FtFm-J_JBELJ4doPVqkbVzPGn1efiLbqEl7IUAnIVCZt0P6zazttjEb5A1o2rk7BhQ7_Eu2QAXvgrRNQR4tFKEP896dhoH4Q/s200/CAM00293.jpg" width="200" /></a>At the onset, I was presented with a set of woods that were once outdoor benches, of 50 years in excess. He asked me if I could build a guitar out from these chengal woods. At that point I have no idea how these chengal benches was like, especially their structural conditions. To make guitars, it is important to start with suitable materials. Imagine to entertain the thoughts of making guitars from woods that were weather beaten for 50 over years and with uncountable number of cracks. I think it would be nerve wrecking for any luthiers to take on this challenge. As I visually inspected the woods, I began to evaluate the varying dimensions, the structural conditions and surface appearances. My aims were to evaluate all conceivable information and factors before proposing the appropriate build to my friend, also my client.</div>
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I spent some time to study on it. Eventually I have decided to propose an actual copy of the famous Fender Telecaster. The chengal woods were heavily weathered and there were lots of surface cracks. Some were up 3 to 5mm deep and that pretty much ruled out an acoustic guitar build because acoustic guitar wood thickness is typically 3mm or less. Moreover bending crack wood was as good as throwing the wood into the bin directly. A golden rule for making acoustic guitar is when the wood can’t be bent, it will not make.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMbJJMFr_tAvt00dH3uZp3Wuy4-QG56POBMpJ-2dzVyQXP0VSoNCktwIS2hZVxW-YzdCbOFYxgmg1cwwl4hfE1hMOxg8roHLJX1C9lmY5WtCU5cN-UnfAuzQjdJ8YtRYSNle3UkXIjdY/s1600/DSCF2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMbJJMFr_tAvt00dH3uZp3Wuy4-QG56POBMpJ-2dzVyQXP0VSoNCktwIS2hZVxW-YzdCbOFYxgmg1cwwl4hfE1hMOxg8roHLJX1C9lmY5WtCU5cN-UnfAuzQjdJ8YtRYSNle3UkXIjdY/s200/DSCF2836.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telecaster Outlined</td></tr>
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Arguable Fender’s Telecaster was the best choice because the body design was primarily flat. The flatness will help to retain the weathered surface cracked lines which was the essence in turning these chengal benches into guitar. Any bevel or slop-off features on the guitar body will take away the surface cracks. Armed with all these considerations and facts, I proposed to build a Fender Telecaster copy. The body will be made from chengal wood, hand selected the recovered stash. All electronics parts will be from Fender or Hosco and the neck will be from quilted maple. This project meant a lot to my friend and it was imperative for my proposal to work. I could understand his apprehension initially. Nevertheless, he has agreed to a Fender Telecaster copy.</div>
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<u>Hand Selection</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaBN_uiQKy6xZq3ydTj4hjl4rfpFDT4MQ9Eu1iYIiZHxxjoTLDYZX7hEnv7qChj9-OKRcTcD49FrOVvpLSWlTHB1uJ0yUfNoMxVrOiq2ABVQN3l0tK8czA-wRdocaYbRJ5BQnr4Kfsdo/s1600/DSCF2906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaBN_uiQKy6xZq3ydTj4hjl4rfpFDT4MQ9Eu1iYIiZHxxjoTLDYZX7hEnv7qChj9-OKRcTcD49FrOVvpLSWlTHB1uJ0yUfNoMxVrOiq2ABVQN3l0tK8czA-wRdocaYbRJ5BQnr4Kfsdo/s200/DSCF2906.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WHaO9PuKobCGeFqTlxBi9MSjtaZHtldikA-8LK_dTzaU-H0FJkrzyVvUcKwR8w-2pwWKkF6eW9RXKHOGY-jdfhvCkgvtzqzHWaP9Jj3C2oij9kjNXeHgfSfpLxX1Ms0QocmbaWOoiVc/s1600/DSCF2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WHaO9PuKobCGeFqTlxBi9MSjtaZHtldikA-8LK_dTzaU-H0FJkrzyVvUcKwR8w-2pwWKkF6eW9RXKHOGY-jdfhvCkgvtzqzHWaP9Jj3C2oij9kjNXeHgfSfpLxX1Ms0QocmbaWOoiVc/s200/DSCF2837.JPG" width="200" /></a>With my study on the design of Fender’s Telecaster also considering the well-weathered wood, I have in mind several factors to help in this process. Firstly, it was explicitly expressed to retain the well-weathered appearances of the chengal woods as much as possible. While there are many well-weathered pieces I saw from the pile, I didn’t think random picking will do it. Careful visual examinations were necessary in selecting suitable pieces. During the selection process, I kept the body shape of Telecaster in my mind throughout. With the absence of clear guidelines, applying experience-based judgment became imperative. It was not like I can make references with other similar products because this project was probably first of its kind.</div>
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After the initial excitement of the design processes, it was time to get my hands dirty. The next step was to transfer these selected woods to Jeffrey Yong’s workshop in Kuala Lumpur.</div>
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<u>The Building Process</u></div>
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Chengal wood is heavy and dense. It is one of the rare woods that sinks when submerged into water. It is commonly used in outdoor settings like the decking of pontoon, floor deck of patios and the sleepers for railway. From the batch of chengal wood I have handpicked, it was time to refine the selection to a few blocks that would be shaped into a Telecaster body. Taking into the necessary factors and considerations, I have handpicked six blocks. Without delay, I carried them to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia so that I can work on them in Jeffrey’s workshop.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_Rlub_mXB1fidz78p49jWyiUEAMD12KE9EuOTno277ndpEBC9QOqgG5yc-N-V-HmHBU-wfviMnF-Hky2pow9uB-HyhUjKBWaXOnxKXHCHEXTj9NowztN4JdaTij9hAd9BA7SX3n_Y-w/s1600/DSCF2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_Rlub_mXB1fidz78p49jWyiUEAMD12KE9EuOTno277ndpEBC9QOqgG5yc-N-V-HmHBU-wfviMnF-Hky2pow9uB-HyhUjKBWaXOnxKXHCHEXTj9NowztN4JdaTij9hAd9BA7SX3n_Y-w/s200/DSCF2841.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mocking Up</td></tr>
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The building processes for the body was as followings,</div>
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1. Wood drying</div>
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2. Wood joining (Gluing) to make the top and back</div>
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3. Rough cutting into Telecaster shape</div>
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4. Chamber the back</div>
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5. Join the top and back</div>
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6. Cut and sand to Telecaster shape</div>
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7. Route out neck joint, pickup cavities and control plate openings</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOyKyEj65gKTxhbD4naX51XgmAkUf678OGtuky9CNguahD7FGBZTVObMPg9dA35rJuALTk9G7OYy0pGektfBjjwitIAArFD2t-_kvXHDlamBHT742AR1qWyS_z1Ytet5zMDkkFEqj0_4/s1600/DSCF3941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOyKyEj65gKTxhbD4naX51XgmAkUf678OGtuky9CNguahD7FGBZTVObMPg9dA35rJuALTk9G7OYy0pGektfBjjwitIAArFD2t-_kvXHDlamBHT742AR1qWyS_z1Ytet5zMDkkFEqj0_4/s320/DSCF3941.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rengas Neck</td></tr>
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At the onset, I have selected a maple blank fro Jeffrey’s shop for neck making. Jeffrey has suggested not using maple as it wouldn’t best match the chengal body. He suggested Rengas instead. Rengas can be found in Borneo and Indonesia region. Its heartwood is deep red with darker streaks, while the sapwood is a lighter pinkish-brown to almost white. It has fine to medium texture with typically straight or slightly irregular grain. It is a sub-species to the dalbergia family a.k.a. Rosewood. As it turned out, Rengas was an excellent choice to match the deep dark tan tone of chengal. Jeffrey has great foresight indeed.</div>
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Rengas source: <a href="http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/rengas/">http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/rengas/</a></div>
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The tricky thing about using Rengas was retrieving the Rengas blank in Jeffrey’s workshop. He has stashed his Rengas blanks on a platform that was roughly 3m in vertical height. There was no need to guess who did the climb and retrieval. It reminded me of my sports rock climbing days. We went on to cut the required portions from the blank. I undertook all the rough cut and shaping. The finishing touch was left to Jeff’s mastery work.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb02zwR4WWE0ynI7c0yEfaIrVKiAmsyLgHgkwsxZ_jxKHukH5Lc9J2ZBnF9SVmUJLZlzJEBVhqE1adD7F1wu-9JpE8YDIcgzP8SuXq9x2IdmH8EBEwZuP940PJfUx2ZxsAhAbexbXuK4M/s1600/CAM00330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb02zwR4WWE0ynI7c0yEfaIrVKiAmsyLgHgkwsxZ_jxKHukH5Lc9J2ZBnF9SVmUJLZlzJEBVhqE1adD7F1wu-9JpE8YDIcgzP8SuXq9x2IdmH8EBEwZuP940PJfUx2ZxsAhAbexbXuK4M/s200/CAM00330.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tele Pickup</td></tr>
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The neck and body was done within days. Their fittings were also tested and it passed with flying colors. It was lacquer spraying for the next few days. High gloss finish was not suitable weird because there were very limited flat surfaces on its body. We opted for a satin coat and the outcome was beyond our expectation, it was splendid.</div>
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Jeffrey went on to complete the setting up and electronics of this special guitar. Within weeks the entire guitar was completed. Jeffrey’s contributions have been invaluable in this special guitar project.</div>
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<u>Presentation</u></div>
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Finally this one of a kind chengal wood guitar was built. It wouldn’t be meaningful unless it has someone who will deeply appreciate it. My friend was updated of the completion status and he threw another surprise. He wanted me to present this chengal Telecaster his younger brother as his birthday present. We decided to organize a dinner gathering to make this precious moment happen. It was a cozy gathering attended by a few close friends.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwL47skr9zRzqAN5LjaIbI4IS6p1DFgCjw-_FlOLBdoLnEomFfXjFguO-emaSxJ1xBpwyfrHtAzvjRr5CEbNqNyW2lxYumox3d931fBDTtylOgMqWcDGP-t8tTp2hdpSZ98FY5hpM2zI/s1600/DSCF2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwL47skr9zRzqAN5LjaIbI4IS6p1DFgCjw-_FlOLBdoLnEomFfXjFguO-emaSxJ1xBpwyfrHtAzvjRr5CEbNqNyW2lxYumox3d931fBDTtylOgMqWcDGP-t8tTp2hdpSZ98FY5hpM2zI/s200/DSCF2838.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chambered Body</td></tr>
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<div>
With the chengal guitar, I made my way to the venue. All these were kept from his younger brother and he finally stepped in, I plugged in the guitar and started playing tunes on it. That attracted their attention. So I went to play for them. His younger brother plays guitar regularly was intrigued by the unusual appearance of the chengal Telecaster guitar. There were some questions regarding the guitar and I wasn’t going to spill the beans right away. So evading certain questions and I narrated the entire building process of this special guitar with the help of photo slides projected on a flat screen. It took only a few pictures for his younger brother to connect the dots. He realized that the body of this guitar was made from that outdoor benches immediately. He was in awe and amazement. He went to ask me all kinds of questions from wood selection, building, designing, etc.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7iitt1xhSvI-dC_hUMGyK9DGDUPXEOs1z7v74P34VWjqT6iNjxi4glBBs4mn1SZhAauWO5Vduk7vMvRXrsx2THlHOj3PEOpS3qtrPxAHNxyG0-AKvXRUJb2du9q4tgztU-TGZ9qZ6H4/s1600/DSCF2907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7iitt1xhSvI-dC_hUMGyK9DGDUPXEOs1z7v74P34VWjqT6iNjxi4glBBs4mn1SZhAauWO5Vduk7vMvRXrsx2THlHOj3PEOpS3qtrPxAHNxyG0-AKvXRUJb2du9q4tgztU-TGZ9qZ6H4/s200/DSCF2907.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Initial Coat</td></tr>
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The party wouldn’t be complete without his younger brother giving a go at this chengal guitar. I handed the guitar to him and it was second nature, he started playing a chord progression of a tune. And his wife simply jumped into the rhythm and started singing. It was spontaneous, it was great, it was meaningful. My work was done at last.</div>
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I must thank my friend for his vote of confidence in commissioning me to design and build this special guitar for his brother. Not forgetting Jeffrey, my mentor who has contributed greatly to the completion of this meaningful project.</div>
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More detail pictures of the completed guitar below!</div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-44011285183984073142013-11-07T21:49:00.002+08:002013-11-07T21:50:47.826+08:00CD Shops… Still There?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Ho, Memphis Music</td></tr>
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What is CD abbreviated from? While I am well aware of the answer but I bet no everyone knows what it stands for. For example, do you know what MP3 means? (Scroll to the end of the article) Anyway this blog post is about recorded and published music and the theme is CD, a.k.a. Compact Disc.<br />
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For the post internet generations, the recorded music you are most likely associated with is MP3. Needless to say that those who born before the internet era must have experienced CDs as well as vinyl records. Those were the days, isn’t it? Let me walk you through the timeline of this fast forgotten technology that has served every music lovers on this planet for decades.</div>
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CD Source: <a href="http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/history-of-cds">http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/history-of-cds</a> and</div>
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MP3 Source: <a href="http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/MPThree.htm">http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/MPThree.htm</a></div>
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The above weblink is where the information I would be sharing below is extracted from.</div>
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In 1978 September was Sony’s inaugural public demonstration of an optical digital audio disc with 150 minutes of playing time. 2 years on in 1980 Philips and Sony laid down the CD-DA data storage format and that sets things in motion. In 1982 the researchers of Sony and Philips manufactured the first “CD”. Shortly after this technology advancement, the CD player was created in 1983. Incidentally it was known as the Big Bang of digital audio revolution. The CD technology was pushed a step ahead. The CD-ROM was introduced in 1984 to enable users to store and retrieve data from it. Meantime the recorded and published music industry was going into high gear as vinyl records made antiques by CDs.</div>
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In 1985, a British Rock Band Dire Straits sold the very first million album in CD. The album was titled “Brothers in Arms”. In the same year, computer readable CD-ROM was brought into the market. The next few years until 1990, we saw the dawn of VCDs and CD-R. At its peak, CD was the career of choice in music in 1991. After a gap of 6 years, CD-RW was introduced in 1987. Sony and Philips continued to push the quality of digital recorded music by introducing the Super Audio CD a.k.a. SACD in 1997. While CDs are advancing in its technology, MP3 was discreetly being developed in the background. Personal computers weren’t widely available in the early 1990s however the tipping point came in 1998 when two university students, Justin Frankel and Dmitry Boldyrev ported AMP to Windows and created Winamp. This software player became a free MP3 music player boosting the success of MP3. No licensing fees are required to use an MP3 player. Coupled with the ease of online sales transactions, buying anything online was only getting easier. Thus CD was relegated to relic status in no time. It was down hill henceforth.</div>
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Like vinyl, CD resisted the fate of extinction. There are still a number of music lovers who prefer to listen to CD recorded music over MP3. These people usually appreciate the artwork of CD albums as well. While I don’t have any sales figures to substantiate, my best guess is the surviving CD shops in Singapore are primarily supported by these “CD lovers”.</div>
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Through my online research, several huge CD shops are in operations. They are,</div>
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1. THAT CD SHOP</div>
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2. Gramaphone</div>
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3. HMV</div>
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It is tough running a business and it is imperative to sell what sells. A visit to these CD shops quickly impressed upon me that they were trying very hard to get their stuff off the racks and shelves. So where can I find a CD shop that find balance between real music and tunes that sell?</div>
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For me, at Memphis Music of course! This very underrated CD shop is located at the basement of Excelsior Shopping Centre. Mr. Ho who is the proprietor of this CD shop is one who is passionate for music. While he is passionate, he recognizes the reality of running a business as well. I have visited his shops many times and the genres of music offered by his shop are indeed different from the big shops. Suffice to say that if you are looking for top 40s, it will be hard to find them in Mr. Ho’s shop. If you are hunting for some serious classics by artistes like Joe Pass, Barney Kassel, Herb Ellis, Ella Fitzgerald, Ronnie James Dio, Wishbone Ash, WHO, Ramones, Richie Kotzen, Jason Becker, etc. you will find them in Memphis.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6wz-ppVaFOLVUFgVe0EA2GCDRRS6_P1pxknVOfzGWApAKe8JerVAXfzFy8W5qBCRBhC9Vk3aXZoSgPCCpCWbFCCQ6FNXE6fYmJKI5NpdblJ4Laie3C1W3wNp2A-RM-t5iKmflgZqRvg/s1600/DSCF4055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6wz-ppVaFOLVUFgVe0EA2GCDRRS6_P1pxknVOfzGWApAKe8JerVAXfzFy8W5qBCRBhC9Vk3aXZoSgPCCpCWbFCCQ6FNXE6fYmJKI5NpdblJ4Laie3C1W3wNp2A-RM-t5iKmflgZqRvg/s200/DSCF4055.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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It is known to many guitar players that Excelsior and Peninsular Shopping Centers have the highest concentration of guitar shops at its basement. Memphis Music is located right in the middle of it. It comes without surprise to see many guitar related publications in his shop. They range from periodicals, music sheets, score and instructional materials. Memphis Music is surely a treat for guitar lovers to pay visit to. Even the most obscure music liked by those hardcore guitar lovers can be found at Mr. Ho’s shop. What if you can’t? As long as you want them, Mr. Ho will order them for you.</div>
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It was easy to strike a conversation with Mr. Ho whenever the topic was about music. Of course I have engaged lengthy discussions about the changes in the music industry from one generation to the next. I took the opportunity to find out about Mr. Ho’s aspirations, thoughts and vision for recorded music. So it was an interview and here it is.</div>
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<i>1. When did you start Memphis?</i></div>
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(Memphis was) started in August 1991 as in a suburban shopping mall called Coronation Shopping Plaza. I have relocated to a few places, like from IKEA at Alexandra and to Jelita Shopping Centre at Holland. Currently I am operating in Excelsior Shopping Centre.</div>
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<i>2. Why sells recorded music?</i></div>
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Then music remains as a popular and affordable hobby and lifestyle, even for now.</div>
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<i>3. Is this a business or passion?</i></div>
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Definitely as a business, ideally it is one whereby the commitment and interest remain strong.</div>
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<i>4. Do you sell what people like or what you like?</i></div>
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As a business that provides services, it must cater to the customers’ interest and needs. If interest and business coincides, that makes the business enjoyable.</div>
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<i>5. Sum up your sentiments on retail music industry.</i></div>
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The music business has undergone many changes both in format (cassette/LP/CD and downloads) and musical preferences. The way music was distributed to the consumer has since changed tremendously. Consumers can enjoy a variety of choices from online shopping, downloads or browsing in shops. Competition is not only between shops but also with those alternatives sources. Shops have to work harder to get the music lovers to spend on recorded music. It is by this trend, shops must stay relevant to the customers’ interest.</div>
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<i>6. Share the ups and downs in selling recorded music.</i></div>
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Recorded music enjoyed a larger audience in the past because there was less competition from other recreation hobbies. Music was still affordable and people are spending on it. The demand was demonstrated by the sprouting of mega music stores and chain stores in those days. Small operators have to face the twin threats of bigger players and the ever-increasing rental. Today the large store is no longer a factor but most retailers will still have to reckon with the constant high rent.</div>
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<i>7. What is next?</i></div>
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The internet has transformed the music business totally. Distributors have merged or downsized. Correspondingly the obsoleted and lesser popular titles were being phased out. The music labels are still releasing so much music out there and with the convenience of the internet the buyer has a lot of knowledge of what is available. The radio station is no longer the main source of new music. The real challenge for the retailer is to be alert to the ever-changing music preferences. Stay relevant in the business by knowing what the customers are looking for. Despite the gloomy outlook there is still business in recorded music. There will be that someone who will look for a Mozart tune or a Beatle classic.</div>
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That was the short interview with Mr. Ho. I hope you have gotten some depth of comprehension in recorded music especially on CDs. Guitar lovers or music lovers, come on and show our appreciation to those hardworking musicians who work tirelessly in giving us their best compositions of music.</div>
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If you have not been to Memphis Music, wait no farther! Go to Excelsior Shopping Centre, #B1-35 to check it out!</div>
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MP3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer III and MPEG is Moving Picture Experts Group</div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-43025202811360055642013-10-07T00:21:00.002+08:002013-10-08T09:08:35.856+08:00My First Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For those who wish see lots of pictures, go here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.347724182026544.1073741828.181025948696369&type=3">FB Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2013</a><br />
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<u>About the show</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzAz5DUwkSqlu8m6iW8zBXzcc_xaIZ_TsYYEjBLsdCYbxHTViIYoAjyZ7KTBpQHEr7VXQ9Zq-i2OL-CsZUOudLMBY-nYnygqEFN5yvxn_pYpm2PiIrk8FzXkzxDW4d-RdIo1Vci7MaXk/s1600/Healdsburg+GF+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzAz5DUwkSqlu8m6iW8zBXzcc_xaIZ_TsYYEjBLsdCYbxHTViIYoAjyZ7KTBpQHEr7VXQ9Zq-i2OL-CsZUOudLMBY-nYnygqEFN5yvxn_pYpm2PiIrk8FzXkzxDW4d-RdIo1Vci7MaXk/s320/Healdsburg+GF+2013.jpg" width="244" /></a><br />
I have attended the winter NAMM 2013 in Anaheim and a few visits to Music China in Shanghai. These were the big shows I have been. However when it comes to comparisons, setting the right context can make it meaningful. NAMM and Music China covers the world market in the music industry. It surely comes with no surprise that these two shows must be huge in magnitude to encapsulate the world market. While it was almost impossible to visit all booths in NAMM and Music China, the show didn’t provide the level of excitement I received from the Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2013. This show was catered for Luthiers producing fully handcrafted guitars and there were 100 over exhibiting tables, two exhibition halls, 2 workshops room, 1 demo concert room and 1 outdoor performance arena. For such niche exhibitions, I will call it a big show. See festival floor map on right.</div>
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The show weblink: <a href="http://guitarfestival.lmii.com/">http://guitarfestival.lmii.com/</a></div>
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Biennially, the festival was held. This year it stretched from 9 to 11 August within the lovely Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel, located in Santa Rosa, California, USA. The key organizer and sponsor was Luthiers Mercantile International (LMI), Inc. that specializes in developing and retailing tools and equipment for string instruments makers internationally. (<a href="http://www.lmii.com/">http://www.lmii.com/</a>)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlPFIan38G4Fgl9MGS1pruN3XAE1fOsamJN8hJlSEfaxLbXOn7e0PhQEbdsY-DtWrKuaFH7rNxrI1S0_hC7MH0rL-8kqwjdKzO50g-Q1i2DlEWS55hmZOhQlgaJV5veAv83BnJF93MUc/s1600/DSCF3514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlPFIan38G4Fgl9MGS1pruN3XAE1fOsamJN8hJlSEfaxLbXOn7e0PhQEbdsY-DtWrKuaFH7rNxrI1S0_hC7MH0rL-8kqwjdKzO50g-Q1i2DlEWS55hmZOhQlgaJV5veAv83BnJF93MUc/s200/DSCF3514.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff and I</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5yYZuveKTWzgab49col3AMcr3UN03grnb6eW8s7LQb-bC0ObM58Kp_4j-lixMZZG6ti-KJGTXPHzQCDQHQskwdZMWm-hA1ZV0SYyyKrWt2luifuzTvzdjR44NVJu27ncnmUt6pWQpes/s1600/DSCF3584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5yYZuveKTWzgab49col3AMcr3UN03grnb6eW8s7LQb-bC0ObM58Kp_4j-lixMZZG6ti-KJGTXPHzQCDQHQskwdZMWm-hA1ZV0SYyyKrWt2luifuzTvzdjR44NVJu27ncnmUt6pWQpes/s200/DSCF3584.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam & Adam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The show predominantly comprised of luthiers a.k.a. guitar makers and the remaining groups were the vendors and sponsors. From my observations, I think that this show has provided one of the widest ranges of guitars in terms of genres and designs. You can find the most traditional built dreadnought design, rigid rim (Micheletti Guitars) over regular binding, modular guitar bodies (Mervyn Davis Guitars), space edge materials with radical neck-to-body mounting (Ken Parker Guitars), unimaginable archtop body shape (Saul Koll Guitars), most artistic inlays (Laskin Guitars, Pederson Guitars), finest craftsmanship (Erwin Somogyi Guitars, Kevin Ryan Guitars, Bruce Petros), most experimental (David Anthony Reid), trend setters (Matsuda Guitars), alternative and exotic woods (Jeffrey Yong Guitars), offset soundholes (Schwartz Guitars, Martin Keith Guitars) etc. There were more…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrpF7ftedh3rNUSB450fx8qYAcrsP5k3QbQSGi8Pnlr48FhmYPkm4hAU4LB92QxHQwgEhfH0i5fL7PkQlvUr47mPChd6tslwIfruCMiad9ZGKg6LqpHUr12JXSizdQdNGKnH53xR2CXE/s1600/DSCF3577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrpF7ftedh3rNUSB450fx8qYAcrsP5k3QbQSGi8Pnlr48FhmYPkm4hAU4LB92QxHQwgEhfH0i5fL7PkQlvUr47mPChd6tslwIfruCMiad9ZGKg6LqpHUr12JXSizdQdNGKnH53xR2CXE/s200/DSCF3577.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinloch Nelson and I</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLCHsE4WjfqnHLOxvwqax6OeiuZX6iLgk5ANEOnzCfB5KoAPEBTzem8Mc4Jx1Aw_bEvv69dQBAJwKwJ5IxN4n3sNtWtFRVlCI91mSOn212Yq6otPRvRWtviDbC1G7vrdNqhfzaJvN6lg/s1600/DSCF3579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLCHsE4WjfqnHLOxvwqax6OeiuZX6iLgk5ANEOnzCfB5KoAPEBTzem8Mc4Jx1Aw_bEvv69dQBAJwKwJ5IxN4n3sNtWtFRVlCI91mSOn212Yq6otPRvRWtviDbC1G7vrdNqhfzaJvN6lg/s200/DSCF3579.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karl, Liz and I</td></tr>
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<div>
The standard of craftsmanship exhibited by these luthiers was unparalleled. No matter what may be the differences in experiences and craftsmanship, the underlying engine that powered the show was invariably the good old passion.</div>
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<div>
Once again, I was privileged to attend this show with Jeffrey Yong. He was very encouraging throughout as he told me to move about to make acquaintances and sample as many guitars as I could. Having the chance to stand behind Jeffrey’s exhibition table, I have met many guitar lovers and luthiers in this show. The exchanges of perspectives and knowledge were very useful to me indeed. However nothing beats making friends with the guitar lovers I have met.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujEt9LzPmDXUEjny9UN9keDfeBm4VS9OJv3kUm7Y53HfmJHuGmnz24BvsObEgnWMzIdcb2pldxI2bzz9Y081Bgks44cajWeUVhomTxepWLnBtxFxYYlWujBKUhMrL1vFpXkF-2uqkQoM/s1600/DSCF3669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujEt9LzPmDXUEjny9UN9keDfeBm4VS9OJv3kUm7Y53HfmJHuGmnz24BvsObEgnWMzIdcb2pldxI2bzz9Y081Bgks44cajWeUVhomTxepWLnBtxFxYYlWujBKUhMrL1vFpXkF-2uqkQoM/s200/DSCF3669.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry Robinson and I</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3N1og3ItIDta7NSyK3xp7VhNIAoy_ptlwP2XTPZsav8taTLrZqssNRGrSpn4_BQU17pXybUajRQX2cgDfK6QpLuMy4OgzHt0QQj5Dau4sI7jozF6xjFXkqHQDKMJk79_y0E_wJGYnfc/s1600/DSCF3663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3N1og3ItIDta7NSyK3xp7VhNIAoy_ptlwP2XTPZsav8taTLrZqssNRGrSpn4_BQU17pXybUajRQX2cgDfK6QpLuMy4OgzHt0QQj5Dau4sI7jozF6xjFXkqHQDKMJk79_y0E_wJGYnfc/s200/DSCF3663.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Goodall Family </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiL7_WwrWW_fosUOK45S-MxXRZKxJOoGs_IWdKPawqjt0T5_8MnwLIu_G-zuTorFUxpW6N3-H3PhOGn6Gvn0EF7F61rFMZgfzcRMQtgFuNcFHMN5Hcru7TlgOB5Ae0ZF9Mmjv2l3lcRA/s1600/DSCF3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiL7_WwrWW_fosUOK45S-MxXRZKxJOoGs_IWdKPawqjt0T5_8MnwLIu_G-zuTorFUxpW6N3-H3PhOGn6Gvn0EF7F61rFMZgfzcRMQtgFuNcFHMN5Hcru7TlgOB5Ae0ZF9Mmjv2l3lcRA/s200/DSCF3664.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Doerr and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQlKtNPe46_oZX6mXGu22TE40Zai3PhBgkOc8tatWeFn0dCk7fs7REYGQjjwlZxns-9SeoYGxMOOUMQNBvlgdi7MqXKK1qurkCf2WeCQxohk1umUFy4_UkAOEgJaQcadpKJOw4EQFwpo/s1600/DSCF3666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQlKtNPe46_oZX6mXGu22TE40Zai3PhBgkOc8tatWeFn0dCk7fs7REYGQjjwlZxns-9SeoYGxMOOUMQNBvlgdi7MqXKK1qurkCf2WeCQxohk1umUFy4_UkAOEgJaQcadpKJOw4EQFwpo/s200/DSCF3666.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Ryan and I </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
It was probably a dream for many acoustic guitar lovers; I met many great luthiers and acoustic fingerstyle guitarists, like Kinloch Nelson, Michael Chapdelaine, Thomas Leeb, Erwin Somogyi, Michihiro Matsuda, Grit Laskin, Larry Robinson, Kevin Ryan, Gerald Sheppard, Tom Doerr, Al Petteway, James Goodall, Larry Robinson and so many more all in the three days!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQBB3pjmoJnH-LF9_T0OJZO941gTLeNbHByGgQ9UJeLjc2GlMUPFTtMfqsPlsOKFWfx6AjVk5VRJ5ZJs5mzNK5K2YTQqMXmXEzeiBF5f2EEEIOfUptefSQfbOCsm4dtAMxMPy_wFC14k/s1600/DSCF3636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQBB3pjmoJnH-LF9_T0OJZO941gTLeNbHByGgQ9UJeLjc2GlMUPFTtMfqsPlsOKFWfx6AjVk5VRJ5ZJs5mzNK5K2YTQqMXmXEzeiBF5f2EEEIOfUptefSQfbOCsm4dtAMxMPy_wFC14k/s200/DSCF3636.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend, Bob!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2LOPPjtv-vz3wbcmmXQgInbNMOjU_IhnlWuxiHEzG3nzV93mq3fnGKLxEiWmQ8-5v9ZryRDOnbxH07KPAwILPD_sYk2bIQnLu3dpvsmnWSVl1-zHmTk48B71bTjV4ps4pko1GQr94Tk/s1600/DSCF3502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2LOPPjtv-vz3wbcmmXQgInbNMOjU_IhnlWuxiHEzG3nzV93mq3fnGKLxEiWmQ8-5v9ZryRDOnbxH07KPAwILPD_sYk2bIQnLu3dpvsmnWSVl1-zHmTk48B71bTjV4ps4pko1GQr94Tk/s200/DSCF3502.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun with Erwin</td></tr>
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<div>
Talking about meeting new friends, an ex-student of Jeffrey came to help us in the show. Incidentally he is also Adam. Of course his last name was not like mine, he is a Garcia. We had such great time chatting and jaming. I think Adam will surely remember a TV program we have watched.</div>
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<div>
I have great regards for Michael Chapdelaine. He was trained in classical guitar playing but he has ventured in acoustic guitar fingerstyle as well. Very few guitarists can do well in both genres and Michael made it look easy. On the last day, I met him and summed up my courage to approach him cold. As it turned out, he was very approachable. I got him to visit Jeffrey’s table and sampled his guitars. Michael was very impressed with Jeff’s guitars and he has requested to privately play them in his hotel after the show. Jeffrey and I brought a few guitars for him to try out. He played live before us and I was in awed to see this guitar master in action. Without squandering the precious moments, I video recorded his playing. That was another precious moment to me.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe6kSMj9tDdZl09qz4aiJVD1OAj09dbYuXU5xoXXuEkW86QJgEQGwY-zP1EkExWXuF0kc24kK0DdmlOPtIfB0wMHkmVp2x78ygxIPp3yLF1Y8Jbk66UGg6YNPUpZPyy3nuw1slJjVHrk/s1600/DSCF3688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe6kSMj9tDdZl09qz4aiJVD1OAj09dbYuXU5xoXXuEkW86QJgEQGwY-zP1EkExWXuF0kc24kK0DdmlOPtIfB0wMHkmVp2x78ygxIPp3yLF1Y8Jbk66UGg6YNPUpZPyy3nuw1slJjVHrk/s320/DSCF3688.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Chapdelaine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The most expecting event and also it was most amazing to me was the Sunday worship group I have joined at the show. It was a small gathering of luthiers and visitors who were believers. We sang and shared all the good things God’s has blessed us. Worshipping with James Goodall, Tim McKnight, Kevin Ryan, etc. it was absolutely wonderful!</div>
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In essence it was a big show to me in many ways.</div>
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<u>Quality of Guitars</u></div>
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The closest to such experience I had was at the GAL Convention in 2011. I have seen many guitars in that show and the quality varied widely. One may ask, what is in qualities of guitars? It should be the embodiment of creativity, intricacies, accuracies, alignment, details, selection of woods, playability (set-up), tonal characteristics, visual identity, craftsmanship and above all passion.</div>
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The guitars in the Healdsburg Guitar Festival indeed carried the mentioned qualities. They may not have embodied by one guitar but the overall quality was top-notched. I have tried to detect faults in some guitars in the show but it was difficult to spot. The great attention to details, aided by precise manufacturing processes has ensured near perfection quality. The bottom line is; when a guitar was not well made, it wouldn’t have made it there.<br />
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<u>Program and Activities Flow</u><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrp-ff9EWcxKnBSi-zOb5AN3pCfa_y-FX23oMdgb3UOfdbLqmEKdG5hoD_9N55tzrfWDmqpx-_OYkYAYiquIUD-Jq84vsMtaLyIyqV6O0qHbLnYrI-eQ95RV2W8neSWn-bfM0kQVQtlw/s1600/DSCF3674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrp-ff9EWcxKnBSi-zOb5AN3pCfa_y-FX23oMdgb3UOfdbLqmEKdG5hoD_9N55tzrfWDmqpx-_OYkYAYiquIUD-Jq84vsMtaLyIyqV6O0qHbLnYrI-eQ95RV2W8neSWn-bfM0kQVQtlw/s200/DSCF3674.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 6-figure Ryan Guitar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PA930xi-qAhg9jvUrvZNY2fOucGFapsYxEKD-Tv_BqwNIKszw4jxgB68oIN5K8VsiGOORymbsOc8DYFdirjfXArpFhBaJ9X5frFU9S5b2FAqEixUlMdfHBr-BWpPEDCg157wS6_vB-g/s1600/DSCF3508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PA930xi-qAhg9jvUrvZNY2fOucGFapsYxEKD-Tv_BqwNIKszw4jxgB68oIN5K8VsiGOORymbsOc8DYFdirjfXArpFhBaJ9X5frFU9S5b2FAqEixUlMdfHBr-BWpPEDCg157wS6_vB-g/s200/DSCF3508.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matsuda's Deconstructed Guitar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From all the guitar shows I have attended thus far, this one certainly packed the three days with non-stop activities. There were guitar demonstration shows that went on the whole day. Learning workshops one after another. Outdoor performances that never stopped. You will not find a dull moment in this show.</div>
<div>
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Click to see the program for the festival: <a href="http://guitarfestival.lmii.com/activities/workshops-2013.html">http://guitarfestival.lmii.com/activities/workshops-2013.html</a></div>
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<div>
<u>Post Festival Road Trip</u></div>
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<div>
I could not thank Jeffrey enough. Again, he has planned a road trip for me visit a few cool places that guitar lovers would love to go. We visited LMI to start the ball rolling. This place retails just about anything guitar makers would yearn for. From tonewoods to guitar picks, as long as you have can think of it, you can find it at LMI. As I entered the main office, I could sense the hectic mood because it was a regular weekday. To my surprise, they allowed me into the warehouse. I was immediately surrounded by cool guitar merchandizes in huge quantities. It was unlike walking into a shopping mall, this was way cooler! I took the opportunity to get a few useful items to add onto my collection of guitar repair tools.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NmDcWFfhs_TSASymyzuRsUjXQESu5YKTLeDgomtxYquhcAIHcLRdmhaiOY2t1BIAk8xSZcKRSMocxH3UrdRCBHu7mGkPSb7Z1Ii39zXmRBE9b5hvdBO9VzDODL9YJsyUSFEixOpPJM4/s1600/DSCF3705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NmDcWFfhs_TSASymyzuRsUjXQESu5YKTLeDgomtxYquhcAIHcLRdmhaiOY2t1BIAk8xSZcKRSMocxH3UrdRCBHu7mGkPSb7Z1Ii39zXmRBE9b5hvdBO9VzDODL9YJsyUSFEixOpPJM4/s200/DSCF3705.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At LMI's store house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6e9DtkxM34V5ofoH0LnBU0j3cmHfp1Ob7-N6vC95xHZi45d0jbyzjgh3B9opMyspO6gTFKJI_gPj58l4tyvXaMnN8NYnuqbxN95Em5kWDS2no8S3fKDbKmcLRngVixa54o3uszVS39w/s1600/DSCF3719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6e9DtkxM34V5ofoH0LnBU0j3cmHfp1Ob7-N6vC95xHZi45d0jbyzjgh3B9opMyspO6gTFKJI_gPj58l4tyvXaMnN8NYnuqbxN95Em5kWDS2no8S3fKDbKmcLRngVixa54o3uszVS39w/s200/DSCF3719.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Allied Lutherie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next stop was to Allied Lutherie. They are specialist in tonewood retailing. Jeffrey introduced me to the founder of Allied Lutherie who was Todd Taggart. It was cool to see many huge machines designed for wood handling at Todd’s workshop. It was my first encountered with white ebony in timber form. I could imagine the beauty it would give when made into guitars. While the visit was brief, I had great time listening to Todd and Jeffrey.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQX9B1V8-pXkSLD8uNXlNVTQd521ESpb5r2X0vPfQQobZ1n62XlqJtRJVn_b03cvsy65v1kYMkYAIM20fYh6VzW0DR2JU87vPf7Vm1OfCsQHim2G9gjGcZfy3e2TIfQVm_IN0AvA5Qbo/s1600/DSCF3746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQX9B1V8-pXkSLD8uNXlNVTQd521ESpb5r2X0vPfQQobZ1n62XlqJtRJVn_b03cvsy65v1kYMkYAIM20fYh6VzW0DR2JU87vPf7Vm1OfCsQHim2G9gjGcZfy3e2TIfQVm_IN0AvA5Qbo/s320/DSCF3746.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Sexauer's Workshop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b5dxGPq0YFzVAN2hv1bbXrvkAiv49JB2glL4apYdH6UJ-i291bkyxvstO5swvWcRI8BIR47Os3BIDjT76qz0DNzBGVQYsIwUYmNdkiVEOgu5pxoQBOz1skWNb0N4JKd3oWnbMk0j3R0/s1600/DSCF3748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b5dxGPq0YFzVAN2hv1bbXrvkAiv49JB2glL4apYdH6UJ-i291bkyxvstO5swvWcRI8BIR47Os3BIDjT76qz0DNzBGVQYsIwUYmNdkiVEOgu5pxoQBOz1skWNb0N4JKd3oWnbMk0j3R0/s320/DSCF3748.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce, Jeff's Family and I</td></tr>
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The next stop was Bruce Sexauer’s workshop. When we arrived, Bruce greeted us with warmth. He was an cool guy and was helpful too. He showed us around his workshop and we talked about the challenges for guitar makers. From the stuff in his workshop, it was obvious that Bruce could build and repair other instruments as well. I saw a bundle of disc shaped wood hanging from the ceiling. As I looked closer, they were the cuts from the soundhole and there were many of them. This simply meant that Bruce has built many guitars. When we left Bruce’s workshop, we tried to make it to Erwin Somogyi’s workshop within the same day but we didn’t.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeDlTdo53UMxs19gnUQtSiaYwyodxXGPFbf2MyjKV6J9nUmgj4qs-KQ3PM5vH6tE-Ui8hVp25fM-qgKMMT2SW_0Ks_qdcMDbyPlSAS9xlBkotHVD35ifjLsSfi5pmDuaEDacOS9Hs-vg/s1600/DSCF3784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeDlTdo53UMxs19gnUQtSiaYwyodxXGPFbf2MyjKV6J9nUmgj4qs-KQ3PM5vH6tE-Ui8hVp25fM-qgKMMT2SW_0Ks_qdcMDbyPlSAS9xlBkotHVD35ifjLsSfi5pmDuaEDacOS9Hs-vg/s200/DSCF3784.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erwin's apprenctices</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpvgCcc6zhOZwYKSDPdsWs0q_PnhQAwPfJdYNiHOJXERCGB9crDLQnsuMIkZfOaS3BLxydEP6qgjGCzq1flLyolZ0XnTEGZBiQL6zqHsi9Xr5sy_NkyhAx0MUDX89ObYeuvXtMBBAi24/s1600/DSCF3770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpvgCcc6zhOZwYKSDPdsWs0q_PnhQAwPfJdYNiHOJXERCGB9crDLQnsuMIkZfOaS3BLxydEP6qgjGCzq1flLyolZ0XnTEGZBiQL6zqHsi9Xr5sy_NkyhAx0MUDX89ObYeuvXtMBBAi24/s200/DSCF3770.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo, Chris and I</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWIHWdeFeZzeVldj-QNH2PK3qfE6l3j5vdRrAO2yAB5Fb7EWT-L6VEqCD44ObRv-ey9pS7PMldNeAGpkKid7XxO62VhnCHTE-BUYY2aqh8QNYDELNGVGncpQIZQSPb1iD-YwoVeJLdfI/s1600/DSCF3783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWIHWdeFeZzeVldj-QNH2PK3qfE6l3j5vdRrAO2yAB5Fb7EWT-L6VEqCD44ObRv-ey9pS7PMldNeAGpkKid7XxO62VhnCHTE-BUYY2aqh8QNYDELNGVGncpQIZQSPb1iD-YwoVeJLdfI/s200/DSCF3783.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff, Leo and I</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBa9rAdDu8IEITAiLbNDhDI7bW_4FSKbpaT0OX-eUhNshWFHZikO4-NrLri84jKVZRtrC2C9NY_EtGyDPUVVXvaoqxHCmOe0cg4JQK3seBBzoAe-QLSATBswp-HRWpPSVIGrq1-okXL4/s1600/DSCF3769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBa9rAdDu8IEITAiLbNDhDI7bW_4FSKbpaT0OX-eUhNshWFHZikO4-NrLri84jKVZRtrC2C9NY_EtGyDPUVVXvaoqxHCmOe0cg4JQK3seBBzoAe-QLSATBswp-HRWpPSVIGrq1-okXL4/s200/DSCF3769.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erwin Somogyi and I</td></tr>
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The visit to Erwin’s workshop was postponed to the following day. We received great hospitality from Erwin. He greeted us and took us to his kitchen for tea. I have heard so much about Erwin’s great emphasis in craftsmanship in building guitar and I must admit that I was nervous at first. It turned that he has such good sense of humor. Unexpectedly, Erwin cracked most of the jokes. He was on a hectic schedule as such he bided farewell after our chat. He has graciously allowed us to remain in his workshop so that I could tour it. Erwin’s apprentices were around to guide us around his workshop. I was very impressed by the cleanliness and orderliness of his workshop. We had a great chat about guitar building and left Erwin’s workshop before lunch. It was a great experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcKjOlvK13sv3PXVpLQi0hPJ-xwt4zUPvcOwBD4GiS8VeW3X04k77TMA8g-JB_A2XVlIfRQk75UEH195xnLw5tvwWKMC2HJ9Zk7foRy4L21VOqj1J7BmNolLzvZcneATuAkajKDpaoJI/s1600/DSCF3797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcKjOlvK13sv3PXVpLQi0hPJ-xwt4zUPvcOwBD4GiS8VeW3X04k77TMA8g-JB_A2XVlIfRQk75UEH195xnLw5tvwWKMC2HJ9Zk7foRy4L21VOqj1J7BmNolLzvZcneATuAkajKDpaoJI/s320/DSCF3797.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mammoth Tusk… heavy</td></tr>
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The Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2013 was another wonderful trip to me in many ways. Jeffrey has been making things accessible and easy for me and I feel blessed by his mentorship. Also I would like to thank the National Arts Council for their invaluable support as well. Above all, praise God for His unending blessings.<br />
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For those who wish see lots of pictures, go here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.347724182026544.1073741828.181025948696369&type=3">FB Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2013</a></div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-21100189351777781262013-08-21T22:25:00.000+08:002013-08-22T01:13:27.527+08:00Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar Show 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_K138P15-UHlAli8KOmDbeY5FLaAH8UPrRej-Ih_ou4c0fNl4TNAdQmz7jqGS6MkFIN3OaN7hkq2GbKzuL7bt10u0SXptpGYpuU_SsjqgRd3RziSqaGAKW9wr_RVVnjzNMmsplXDbMU/s1600/DSCF2703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_K138P15-UHlAli8KOmDbeY5FLaAH8UPrRej-Ih_ou4c0fNl4TNAdQmz7jqGS6MkFIN3OaN7hkq2GbKzuL7bt10u0SXptpGYpuU_SsjqgRd3RziSqaGAKW9wr_RVVnjzNMmsplXDbMU/s400/DSCF2703.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeffrey and I</td></tr>
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With great anticipation, I have attended the Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar Show from 18 to 19 May 2013. Once again Jeffrey Yong has invited me to attend the show. Japan is basically a closed market to foreign products. Jeffrey's entry to this guitar show was due to his participation in Sound Messe Osaka in September 2012.<br />
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Weblink: <a href="http://handcraftguitar.jp/ex.html">http://handcraftguitar.jp/ex.html</a></div>
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In summary, these are some basic fact about the Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar show,</div>
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1. This is the 7th show in Tokyo</div>
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2. Tokyo is known to have the highest concentration of guitar collectors</div>
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3. The exhibitors are mostly guitar makers instead of retailers</div>
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4. It was held at 8th floor Sumida Ward, Marui joint development building, in the heart of town.</div>
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5. There were about 100 exhibitors</div>
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As I have only attended one other guitar show in Japan, in a remote way, Sound Messe Osaka in September 2012 has set the precedence for benchmarking. The Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar Show featured primarily handcrafted guitars and less retailers. It wasn't unexpected to see a smaller show when contrasted with the Osaka one. However it was a longer history.</div>
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The exhibition is located on 8th floor Sumida Ward, Marui joint development building. Upon entering the hall, immediately one can tell that the hall was well utilized and maintained for years. The set up of the exhibition was logically aligned to the interior shape of the exhibition hall, which is rectangle. The space was adequately optimized by the tables arrangement, in Japan style indeed. Each exhibitor was given a label for identity purpose. There was little restriction to creativity in product display. The exhibitors hesitated not in exercising initiatives to decorate their booths and some went to great length to make sure they were head turners.</div>
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Luthiers is a respectable trade in Japan. Judging from the number of young luthiers I met in the show, this trade is probably sought after. Unlike Singaporeans who predominantly seek for professions that give greater monetary rewards over intrinsic values. In guitar design and building principles, Western made acoustic guitars have profound influences on Japanese guitar makers. The are pretty convinced about the choice of woods that can be made into guitars. While there are many trees that are native to Japan, the luthiers were not readily keen to utilize them. The most commonly used combination was German Spruce as guitar top plate and Jacaranda (Rosewood) as back and sides. Most luthiers were convinced that this combination will yield the best tonal qualities. This belief is probably exacerbated by the sales of such guitar, which is likely reinforced by to the great numbers of such guitar in the market as well.</div>
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It is perfectly normal for luthiers to seek for good quality wood to make their guitars. However wood isn't perfect to begin with. Personally I think that there is no one piece of wood that is better than another unless it is a rotten piece. Likewise we can't regard someone to be a better person and another to be less because nobody is perfect to start with, and each person possess his or her unique personalities, which is analogous to wood. I find it strange and inappropriate to discriminate wood and such practice is pervasive in commercial trading of woods. By by my stated beliefs, I don't mean we can make guitars with just about any wood. Practical factors should be considered which includes weight, toughness, density, workability, aesthetic, etc. We should take these factors into account instead of fixating on certain wood species and ignore the rest.</div>
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While the Tokyo Handcrafted Show wasn't as crowded and huge as those I have attended, just by being in the show was great for me. Above all, the most valuable gain was meeting luthiers and making more friends.</div>
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Pictures galore time! More pictures can be viewed in my FB photo albums. Just click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.307957876003175.1073741826.181025948696369&type=3">here</a>.</div>
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Eve of Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar Show</div>
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Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar Show<br />
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-71733629337089108292013-07-07T23:17:00.001+08:002013-07-08T00:00:51.829+08:00Guangzhou Trip 2 (广州之旅 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Logs</td></tr>
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Déjà vu! It wasn’t too long and I was backed in Guangzhou again. During my last trip, I spent most of my time in HuiYang (惠阳). For this visit I spent my time in HuaDu (花都). Both places are common in the abundance in factories. As long as you can think it, they make or made it.</div>
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I spent four days in HuaDu in end June 2013. Firstly I must thank Jeffrey for his effort in arranging this trip. Frankly without his contacts, I would go nowhere in Guangzhou. The other person I must express my gratitude is Andy Yang. He owns a guitar case making factory called Red Circle Limited (<a href="http://www.redcirclelimited.com/showpic.asp?menu_id=C03&newsid=12&class_id=03">http://www.redcirclelimited.com/showpic.asp?menu_id=C03&newsid=12&class_id=03</a>). His company makes very high quality cases indeed. Amid Andy’s hectic schedule, he managed find time to host Jeffrey and I for a few days.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classical Guitar Case by Red Circle</td></tr>
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In this trip I have opportunities to visit Concert Musical Instruments Company, Guo Yulong’s (郭玉龙) workshop, and Watson Muscial Instruments Company. Coincidentally I met Abraham Wechter again in one of the factories. For those who are not familiar with Abraham, he is none other than the creator of Wechter Guitars (<a href="http://www.wechterguitars.com/">http://www.wechterguitars.com/</a>).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abraham Wechter, Jeffrey and Guo Yulong</td></tr>
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Abraham has transferred his business to a business group to manage Wechter Guitars branding and sales. He has found good reasons to build his second phase career in Guangzhou. Through years in the business, he has garnered a vast network. He is definitely a worthy consultant to any guitar making factories in Guangzhou. I have a chance to converse with him about his current desires in his impending career in Guangzhou. Abraham has gone through the challenging paths in building a brand and has dealt with the competitiveness in the retail world. He wishes to focus on making top-notched quality musical instruments during his spare time. With his knowledge and contacts, he would play the role of a facilitator to overseas companies that are seeking for quality musical instruments within Asia. During our conversation, he shared with me his ups and downs in both his career and personal life. I deeply appreciate his candidness and his trust.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merida Guitars</td></tr>
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Concert Musical Instrument Company is one of the many factories in Guangzhou. It would be easy to take it for granted but when you have sampled their house brand, one will remember the quality, consistency and impression professed by the instruments made by them. The wonderful guitars created by Concert Musical Instrument Company are Merida Guitars. Among the myriad of brands found in China it is easy to be drowned but in my humble opinion, Merida Guitars will stand out among other counterparts. My first impression of Merida Guitars was the strong visual identity. It was exuberantly displayed in its headstock and bridge design. Another element was its rosette. While it has some varieties, the visual identity was retained. The finished quality was top notched as well as the build of the instruments. When I sampled the basic models, the tonal qualities have clearly exceeded my expectations. Rich low ends and good overall clarity were the qualities that stick with me. If I were blindfolded, it would be hard pressed for me to differentiate a Merida from a Martin guitar. It was no exaggeration.</div>
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Arguably, Guo Yulong (郭玉龙) or 郭师父 is one of the top notched guitar makers in China. He specializes in building classical guitars. His classical guitars are built with modern influences and that is a brave move for luthiers who venture into classical guitar making. His classical guitars are of wedge design where the upper bulk bears a thinner side width whereas the lower bulk is thicker. Not common among classical guitars, his design carries an arched back plate. On the side facing the player, he created a side port to eliminate the possibility of any wolf note(s). In the side port, he has custom made his brand insignia. Like many other modern guitars design, he uses NOMEX to build the top plate. He has been in the guitar manufacturing industry more than 20 years. It does speak volume of his craftsmanship. His guitars’ tonal characterized by strong volume projection and clear individual notes resonance.</div>
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Guo’s website: <a href="http://www.guoyulong.com/zh-CN/products.html">http://www.guoyulong.com/zh-CN/products.html</a></div>
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Watson Musical Instruments Company is indeed a huge one. I have been granted the privilege to tour the manufacturing section and its sawmill. That is why I exclaimed about its magnitude. It was a pity that I didn’t get to meet the founder of this company because of an overseas trip. Again I was amazed by the size of its operations. Being an urban dweller, I have never been to a sawmill except seeing some photos. I must say that it was beyond words when I saw the mammoth logs stack before me. I was able to mentally make up the cutting phases from bare logs to dried top plates, backs and sides. It was truly an awesome sight to me.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watson Musical Instruments Company</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watson's Sawmill</td></tr>
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It was indeed another great trip for me. Thanks for reading.</div>
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Pictures galore! For more pictures, goto my FB album. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.331633323635630.1073741827.181025948696369&type=1">Click!</a></div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-4948447220542043752013-05-22T22:29:00.001+08:002013-05-22T23:36:27.472+08:00MIGFEST 2013 - My personal experiences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538674_285977948201168_1783570123_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538674_285977948201168_1783570123_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All-star jam, Superstitious</td></tr>
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MIGFEST is indeed a catchy term that can stick in people's heads. To those who don't recognize this abbreviation, it stands for Malaysia International Guitar Festival. It was held in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia's cultural iconic center for promotion of Arts, the Krafttanga Center from 26 March to 29 March 2013.<br />
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<a href="http://static.wix.com/media/195350_29f467fdfd8528937be04ca4c1d3faf1.png_srz_485_168_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_png_srz" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://static.wix.com/media/195350_29f467fdfd8528937be04ca4c1d3faf1.png_srz_485_168_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_png_srz" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.migfest.com/">http://www.migfest.com/</a></span><br />
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The road to the show wasn't easy. There were eleventh hour surprises and changes which resulted in the initial proposed date to be postponed from November 2012 to March 2013. It was likely linked to the volatile political situation in Malaysia then. Such events can only happen when sufficient funding is guaranteed. The effort to secure funding was nothing short of summiting Everest. After numerous moments of finger-biting, the show finally materialized.<br />
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This festival wouldn't be possible with the invaluable support from Malaysia's Ministry of Communication, Information and Culture. Not forgetting Nik the main anchorman, who was passionately guiding the show in the background as well. In the foreground, Jeffrey Yong was handling the main operations. He was certainly one of the anchormen of the festivalas well. I was fortunate to be invited to provide my assistance in areas where things might have been overlooked. So I was pretty much like a jackknife, pluggin gaps as the show unfolds.</div>
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MIGFEST website: <a href="http://www.migfest.com/">http://www.migfest.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/64739_285966051535691_1830441660_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/64739_285966051535691_1830441660_n.jpg" /></a>The festival has 4 eventful days. It was driven by three key activities, i.e. concert, exhibitions and artists showcases. Each day MIGFEST 2013 @Krafttanga Center opened its door to guitar enthusiasts at 1000hrs. The exhibitors were all ready for businesses then. After lunch from 1400hrs onwards, at every hour an artistes will be featured in the daily showcase. The showcase allows the artistes to interact with the audience informally where they discussed a wide range of subjects. In the evening at 2000hrs, the nightly concert will round up the entire day with the exception for day 4 because it ended at 1500hrs.<br />
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The MIGFEST was boosted by a strong international artistes line up (see below for the full list). Not only they were great guitar players, they were in every way splendid performers as well. The sheer diversities in musicality and style was able to satisfy the varying preferences of the audience.<br />
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For three nights, the international artistes have given their best. The concerts were nothing but spectacular. On the final concert, it was an all-stars night. Most of them performed in duo formats. The wrap up the all-star concert night, every artiste was called to the stage and they showcase their rendition of Steven Wonder's classic, Superstitious. The crowd was fully entertained. To bring the performance to another level, Shun invited Nik to the stage, joining them in the jamming session. It was splendid indeed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/602212_285978031534493_48321753_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/602212_285978031534493_48321753_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shun inviting Nik</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/579405_285978088201154_1022015107_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/579405_285978088201154_1022015107_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nik is natural!</td></tr>
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The exhibitors are made up of Malaysian retailers, music educational establishments and regional guitar makers. MIGFEST has provided a platform for these stakeholders to interact freely. Much ideas and learning were exchanged. Above all, the acquaintances made were most invaluable. The regional guitar builders were against many odds to keep their guitar building passion alive but they didn't stop. Mostly self-taught, they hone their guitar building skills in environment where content resources are limited and accessibility to quality equipment support isn't straightforward.<br />
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<a href="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/579397_285504314915198_1106902251_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/579397_285504314915198_1106902251_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/p206x206/221719_285966361535660_313684693_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/p206x206/221719_285966361535660_313684693_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/p206x206/482714_285502354915394_1788031545_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/p206x206/482714_285502354915394_1788031545_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/168558_285501784915451_1312927578_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/168558_285501784915451_1312927578_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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My personal perspective on the Malaysia acoustic guitar circle, and it doesn't represent the entire picture; it was clear that the acoustic guitar circle was still emerging, much like Singapore. There was no lacking in enthusiasts however they could enhance their awareness in areas like differentiation of tonal quality, finer points in playing techniques and the essence of performance. The local heros form the critical mass in supporting and sustaining the growth in this area, invariably they determine the survival of the retail and services businesses of acoustic guitar and consequently the standards of playing. These local heros are contributing from various facets like retailing, repair services, guitar teachers, guitar makers and performers. The MIGFEST has certainly helped in raising the awareness among the guitar enthusiasts in Malaysia. I was glad to be acquainted with some Malaysia guitar heros that form the critical mass in influencing the scene. Picture of myself and them are below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/540683_286497724815857_1995334915_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/540683_286497724815857_1995334915_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wen Wei, Reeve I, and Ray</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p206x206/539881_285976278201335_1474653207_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p206x206/539881_285976278201335_1474653207_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I and William Kok</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p206x206/253661_286497688149194_613838246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p206x206/253661_286497688149194_613838246_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I, Hady and Aki Tanaka</td></tr>
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As like any events, nothing is perfect; MIGFEST was no exception to this. The venue was suitable, there was no lacking in manpower, food was catered for the crew, ample spaces were allocated to logistics, and good amplifications were provided for the artistes. As the festival moved into higher gears, signs of disconnection were evident. Nonetheless the passion to drive it prevailed.</div>
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The most invaluable moments for me must have been the informal interactions I had with the artistes. We traded stories of other festivals of the good, bad and ugly, we stayed up late to enjoy each other's company, walking from hotel to the nearest 24-hour food joint, cracking jokes, etc. There was no ending… I will surely cherish the friends I have made in this festival too.</div>
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Overall, my participation in this festival has strengthen my awareness in events organization. My capability in evaluation has been sharpen as well. However nothing beats the friends I have made in this show.</div>
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For more information regarding artistes and exhibitors, goto: <a href="http://www.migfest.com/">http://www.migfest.com/</a></div>
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For pictures galore, goto: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.285494191582877.1073741825.181025948696369&type=3">Facebook - MIGFEST 2013</a><br />
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International Artistes line up,<br />
1. Akihiro Tanaka<br />
2. Don Alder<br />
3. Dan LaVoie<br />
4. Shun Ng<br />
5. Adam Del Monte<br />
6. Grigory Novikov<br />
7. Huang Chia Wei<br />
8. Roger Wang<br />
9. Kelvin Loh<br />
10. Sham V Trad<br />
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Malaysian Artistes line up,<br />
1. William Kok<br />
2. Ray Cheong<br />
3. Andy Ngew<br />
4. Faridian Jazz Trios<br />
5. Az Samad<br />
6. Hady Afro<br />
7. Reeve Jia Ming<br />
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Exhibitors line up<br />
1. Jack Spira Guitars<br />
2. Jeffrey Yong Guitars<br />
3. Secco Guitars<br />
4. Maestro Guitars<br />
5. The Guitar Store<br />
6. Naga Guitars<br />
7. Fusion Guitars<br />
8. Music@u<br />
9. L Luthier<br />
10. William Kok Music<br />
11. Farid Ali Jazz Music<br />
12. Capen Music<br />
13. Chanta Guitars<br />
14. Wiroon Guitars<br />
15. Parekh Export<br />
16. Edward Hiew Guitars<br />
17. Tarrega Guitar House<br />
18. Morrison Guitars<br />
19. Guitar Empire<br />
20. Ray's Guitar<br />
21. Bas Guitars<br />
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-47362093474795177652013-05-01T23:23:00.003+08:002013-05-02T10:34:21.489+08:00Guitaring Passionately Website GO LIVE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In September 2009 Guitaring Passionately blog was created with the intention to share accurate and relevant guitar information with guitar enthusiasts. It has been a few years and all thanks to the support from the guitar community, Guitaring Passionately has grown indeed.<br />
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In May 2013, slowly but surely, Guitaring Passionately's website has gone live. Many things are unexpected but they have materialized in ways that are satisfying as well as gratifying. Status quo has never been Guitaring Passionately's approach. We will continue to evolve and innovate to stay relevant.<br />
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<br /></div>Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-71620132861848511362013-04-18T19:54:00.000+08:002015-09-12T09:55:36.422+08:00Bite Size Tips 004B – Buzzing No More!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEUhgN4xD-kRvLLrxTc1hdC5_F7HcN6DhfS6f4ygYnuc5Xj-v4NjxEpCpFW5NXerxka-WshRP7fBo40k_uv2yh3FgULeqmJ_-uhMw_eLP3Quh5-Q0eiwb0s5lpdksjC7V8r6O_McZ_xs/s1600/IMG_4389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEUhgN4xD-kRvLLrxTc1hdC5_F7HcN6DhfS6f4ygYnuc5Xj-v4NjxEpCpFW5NXerxka-WshRP7fBo40k_uv2yh3FgULeqmJ_-uhMw_eLP3Quh5-Q0eiwb0s5lpdksjC7V8r6O_McZ_xs/s320/IMG_4389.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the article 004A, I have featured string buzzing due to low string height. This one will discuss neck relief (resulted from neck straightness) instead. Before we proceed, string height and neck relief are two different attributes found on guitars. Don’t mix them up by assuming that they are the same thing. Lets’ begin by understanding neck relief, its meaning and functions.<br />
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There are a few ways to understand neck relief. Primarily it refers to straightness of guitar neck that resulted the amount of string clearance between the fingerboard or fret wires with the strings measured at 6, 7 or 8th fret. At least this is my comprehension of neck relief. It is essential to have sufficient neck relief because it governs string clearance, which in turn governs the tonal quality of guitars when played. Without string clearance, guitar strings will not have enough space to oscillate freely without being obstructed. This is one of the main causes for acoustic guitars sounding thin and choked.<br />
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Basically there are three types of neck relief situations.<br />
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1. Concave or “Bow” neck.<br />
2. Convex or “Hump” neck<br />
3. Straight neck<br />
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Below shows an image illustrating the three different situations.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rockwellguitarclinic.com/images/relief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.rockwellguitarclinic.com/images/relief.jpg" height="346" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.rockwellguitarclinic.com/images/relief.jpg">http://www.rockwellguitarclinic.com/images/relief.jpg</a> </span><br />
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Fortunately most acoustic guitars are fitted with truss rod with their necks. The purpose of the truss rod is to add strength to the neck and also compensate any neck distortion. It does so by a compressive mechanism built into most truss rods where two different rods of two differing length are used to produce the desired “distortion” to counter the natural ones. See below picture illustrated the working principles of such adjustable truss rods.<br />
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<a href="http://proguitarshop.com/media/cms/blog/trussrodadjustment.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://proguitarshop.com/media/cms/blog/trussrodadjustment.gif" height="320" width="290" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: http://proguitarshop.com/media/cms/blog/trussrodadjustment.gif</span><br />
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<a href="http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/unclefogey/trussrod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/unclefogey/trussrod.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/unclefogey/trussrod.jpg</span><br />
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There were fixed truss rods used in the past. Martin Guitars has introduced the Martin T-bar in the xxxx. Truss rods of the like are mean to add strength to guitar necks so as to resist neck distortion. However the immense combined string tension will inevitably distort guitar necks over time. Below shows three different types of truss rod ends.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/truss-rod/martin-truss-rods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/truss-rod/martin-truss-rods.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/truss-rod/martin-truss-rods.jpg">http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/truss-rod/martin-truss-rods.jpg</a></span><br />
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String buzzing related to neck relief is caused by convex or hump necks. When guitar necks distort in the convex manner, the string clearance will be reduced. As long as this clearance is adequate, the guitar still plays decently but once the clearance tips too far buzzing starts to pop up. Is a perfectly straight neck the most ideal? I still hear debate over adopting a perfectly straight neck and slightly bowed neck. The bottom line is to allow strings to oscillate freely.<br />
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Below are two pictures showing desired neck reliefs.<br />
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<a href="http://customguitarprojects.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gene_necks1-truss-rods.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://customguitarprojects.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gene_necks1-truss-rods.gif" height="320" width="264" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: </span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-size: xx-small;"><u>http://customguitarprojects.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gene_necks1-truss-rods.gif</u></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.frudua.com/manuals/imgmanuals/figura6manicoin.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.frudua.com/manuals/imgmanuals/figura6manicoin.gif" height="168" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.frudua.com/manuals/imgmanuals/figura6manicoin.gif">http://www.frudua.com/manuals/imgmanuals/figura6manicoin.gif</a></span><br />
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So how do you know how much is adequate? In most guitar technical manual, a range is always recommended as oppose to a fixed figure because this neck relief thing varies between guitars and also players’ preferences. In short, there is no one size fits all neck relief. Once has to trial and error to get the sweet spot. By knowing enough, the process of trial and error can be shorter and more effective than shooting in the dark. The picture below illustrates a way to estimate neck relief. Keeping the low E string fretted on 1st and 12th frets and use the middle finger to feel the amount of relief at 7th or 8th fret. You should feel a slight clearance between guitar string and fret wires. If a 100GSM paper can slip through this gap, the neck relief should be sufficient.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/neck/checking-neck-relief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/neck/checking-neck-relief.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/neck/checking-neck-relief.jpg">http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/images/neck/checking-neck-relief.jpg</a></span><br />
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Nothing beats doing the real thing. After much talks about the rhyme and reasons, it is time to get our hands dirty. Adjusting truss rods has been a sacred ritual and only to be tempered by experts. Actually it isn’t that scary a thing. If you’re not comfortable in tempering your thousands of dollars guitar’s truss rod, do send it to a qualified person to undertake this task. Before adjusting the truss rod, make sure these things are in good order,<br />
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1. Nut and saddle are well set up, no issue with string height<br />
2. Fret wires are not worn off excessively or uneven<br />
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It is essential to consider the above attributes because if they are the actual cause for string buzz, adjusting truss rod might be like barking at the wrong tree.<br />
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Here is a typical situation; after estimating the neck relief by hand you found that the neck relief was not adequate, or there isn’t any. You are about to adjust the truss rod.<br />
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Prepare the following equipment,<br />
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1. Truss rod wrench. It can be an allen key of socket wrench. Be sure to use the right tool as recommended by the guitar manufacturer.<br />
2. Feeler gauge, name cards or a piece of 100GSM paper<br />
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Once you have fitted the truss rod wrench into your guitar properly, you are ready to turn it. By rule of thumb, you should always look at the truss rod end to determine the correct direction of turn (adjustment). The picture right below illustrated truss rod adjustment at the headstock. Since this situation is about creating more neck relief, you should be turning the truss rod anti-clockwise. Another words you are loosening the truss rod thus giving it the concave or bow curvature. This will result in more neck relief which leads to more string clearance between strings and neck. If you guitar’s truss rod end is within the soundbox, it is trickier as you would have to circumnavigate around the strings to do so. See the pictures below to get the idea.<br />
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A common FAQ; should I remove or loosen all strings before adjusting truss rod? It isn’t necessary because you want to adjust truss rod when the guitar is loaded with the regular string tension to achieve the “reality” in adjustments.<br />
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<a href="http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/acoustic-guitar-repairs/images/acoustic-truss-rod-adjustment.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/acoustic-guitar-repairs/images/acoustic-truss-rod-adjustment.png" height="184" width="200" /></a><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3368070468_f542e5b2fe.jpg?v=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3368070468_f542e5b2fe.jpg?v=0" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/IdCZEKGVZfA/mqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/IdCZEKGVZfA/mqdefault.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.stringletter.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/agu/courses/acoustic-guitar-care-and-maintenance/how-to-set-up-your-guitar-part-1-truss-rod-adjustment/photo-gallery/truss-rod-through-soundhole/708375-1-eng-US/Truss-rod-through-soundhole_imagelarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.stringletter.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/agu/courses/acoustic-guitar-care-and-maintenance/how-to-set-up-your-guitar-part-1-truss-rod-adjustment/photo-gallery/truss-rod-through-soundhole/708375-1-eng-US/Truss-rod-through-soundhole_imagelarge.jpg" height="143" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sunsetstudio.net/images/trussadjust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sunsetstudio.net/images/trussadjust.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/acoustic-guitar-repairs/images/acoustic-truss-rod-adjustment.png">http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/acoustic-guitar-repairs/images/acoustic-truss-rod-adjustment.png</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3368070468_f542e5b2fe.jpg?v=0">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3368070468_f542e5b2fe.jpg?v=0</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/IdCZEKGVZfA/mqdefault.jpg">http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/IdCZEKGVZfA/mqdefault.jpg</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.stringletter.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/agu/courses/acoustic-guitar-care-and-maintenance/how-to-set-up-your-guitar-part-1-truss-rod-adjustment/photo-gallery/truss-rod-through-soundhole/708375-1-eng-US/Truss-rod-through-soundhole_i">http://www.stringletter.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/agu/courses/acoustic-guitar-care-and-maintenance/how-to-set-up-your-guitar-part-1-truss-rod-adjustment/photo-gallery/truss-rod-through-soundhole/708375-1-eng-US/Truss-rod-through-soundhole_imagelarge.jpg</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.sunsetstudio.net/images/trussadjust.jpg">http://www.sunsetstudio.net/images/trussadjust.jpg</a></span><br />
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Do not make big turns. Each turn should be no more than a quarter. After each turn, leave the guitar for about 30 minutes for the eventual curvature to set in. You can again measure the neck relief or play your guitar to determine if further adjustment is needed. You can determine the adjusted neck relief by pressing on the 8th fret while the low E string is pressed on 1st and 12th frets. Alternatively you could use the 100GSM paper to determine the desired neck relief. Repeat the illustrated processes if necessary.<br />
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The most important thing isn’t the neck relief measured figure. It is the playability. You should play the guitar to decide to adjust further or stop. Wish you the best. Thanks of reading!</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-6994672125570180782013-03-09T23:25:00.001+08:002013-03-09T23:25:54.105+08:00More than SIX?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shabbychicguitars.com/temp/yong_harpguitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.shabbychicguitars.com/temp/yong_harpguitar.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Jeffrey Yong MonkeyPod Harp</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195959</span></div>
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Arguably the six-string guitar is the most popular musical instrument in the world. There are over 50 million guitar players worldwide. With this sheer number, we have witnesses limitless of styles in playing guitar. Invariably, the design of this instrument has evolved from one era to another. One should not be surprised by the increase in strings on guitar, isn’t it? After all, the popular 12-string guitar has found its way into many genre of music as an accompanying instrument. Have you played a 12-string guitar? Even you have not, chances are you have already seen one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR7BVlIHpS1Uhdul5K9clExpbYgSXpAJ_aFABU_jFL0vYiexBjMyjtBtGYBSZeRG3ilzDTgI2tpjkXSThJ69BHm3ZZx9ktNLkvzzuRqqFrqpgQVRYh5FJCUIWOLIwhPign0M636K7viw/s1600/IMG_3168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR7BVlIHpS1Uhdul5K9clExpbYgSXpAJ_aFABU_jFL0vYiexBjMyjtBtGYBSZeRG3ilzDTgI2tpjkXSThJ69BHm3ZZx9ktNLkvzzuRqqFrqpgQVRYh5FJCUIWOLIwhPign0M636K7viw/s200/IMG_3168.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Doolin's Harp Guitar</td></tr>
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In fact, as early as 17th century, there were string instruments that have more than 12 strings. They are of various forms. As music evolves, so did string instruments. In this article, harp guitar is placed in the limelight. I have to emphasize that I am no harp guitar aficionado. Therefore my knowledge in harp guitars is at best infancy. I hope this article can arouse your interest in learning more about this wonderful instrument. For those who are keen to read a professional harp guitarist’s (Dan LaVoie) thoughts and attitude towards playing harp guitar, please scroll to the lower sections right away.</div>
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My first encounter with a harp guitar was in Oregon, Portland. I visited Mike Doolin in 2011, a luthier who resides there. Mike has just completed building a harp guitar and I was fortunate enough to sample this multi-string instrument. There are little words to describe the entire experiences. I guess the picture on the above-right said it all.</div>
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One may assume that harp guitar originated from two instruments and the successful combination of the two conceives the today harp guitar. Long before harp guitar is called harp guitar, there were already such string instruments being built. Cleary the evolution in string instruments’ design was closely related to builders’ drive to innovate and players desire to create new genre in music. Very often every birth of a new type of musical instrument, the builder has the most influence in coining a name for it. However builders were not specialized in creating names thus the past attempts were arbitrary or blatantly misleading. The picture below is a string instrument built in by Naderman (Jean-Henri), Paris, 1773. It is called <i>bissex</i>, which literally means <i>twice-six</i>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/history/org_images/hybrids/bissex_naderman-cite_de_la_musique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://www.harpguitars.net/history/org_images/hybrids/bissex_naderman-cite_de_la_musique.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naderman (Jean-Henri), bissex, Paris, 1773</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/history/org/org-hybrids.htm">http://www.harpguitars.net/history/org/org-hybrids.htm</a></span></div>
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There is an existing classification system to name musical instruments, i.e. organology. However it isn’t perfect. It was too rigid to accommodate the evolution nature of musical instruments with regards to the evolution of harp guitars. The eventuality was harp guitars carry different names in the past and in different places.</div>
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So what is actually a harp guitar? To the regular string instrument enthusiasts the definition is probably straightforward, i.e. the best of harp and guitar combined into a single instrument.</div>
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Through my infant attempt to learn more about harp guitar, I found a wonderful website that is dedicated to harp guitars, the <a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/">www.harpguitars.net</a>. There is no need to search farther about harp guitars once you visit this cool website.</div>
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I found these definitions of harp guitars</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>A guitar, in any of its accepted forms, with any number of additional "floating" unstopped strings that can accommodate individual plucking</li>
<li>The modern harp guitar must have at least one unfretted string lying off the main fretboard; these unfretted strings are played as an open string</li>
<li>The word "harp" is a specific reference to the unstopped open strings, and is not specifically a reference to the tone, pitch range, volume, silhouette similarity, construction, floor-standing ability, nor any other alleged "harp-like" properties.</li>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: </span><a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/history/org/hgorg.htm" style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.harpguitars.net/history/org/hgorg.htm</a></div>
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The amount of literature on harp guitars in harpguitars.net is abundance. To read all of them would take a considerable amount of time. I will make my best attempt to share the interesting perspectives and facts regarding harp guitars in this article.</div>
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So what do you play a harp guitar? The simplest answer is just pluck or strum to strings.</div>
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The modern harp guitars seen widely today have taken frame design of Chris Knutsen’s one-arm harp guitar, which was patented in 1898 (source: <a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/history/patents.htm">http://www.harpguitars.net/history/patents.htm</a>). Subsequently, the Knutsen design harp guitar got manufactured under William James Dyer& Bro Company and that lead to the birth of Dyer Harp Guitars. The infamous Type 2 that has a cloud bass headstock is probably most liked by harp guitar aficionados. I guess one isn’t a harp guitarist if he or she doesn’t know the Dyer Type 2.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen_images/dyer,type2-h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen_images/dyer,type2-h.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larson made - Dyer Type 2 1904 to 1920</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen/dyers.htm">http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen/dyers.htm</a></span></div>
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Most dyer harp guitars have 6 bass sub-bass strings. From my limited knowledge in harp guitars and the playing techniques, the sub-bass strings can take on any tuning as desired by the players. The string gauges are likewise. A certainty is the sustaining notes and overtones from these sub-bass strings. Once pluck, as lauded by Dan LaVoie who is a professional harp guitarists, is likened to stepping on a sustain pedal all the time. It is then necessary to be skillful in sub-bass muting.</div>
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Another popular harp guitar is the Sullivan/Elliot design. This design has included super treble strings thus 20 plus strings is common for this design. Below is a Milburn 20-string concert harp guitar, it is a faithful adaptation of the original Sullivan-Elliott harp guitar created with/for John Doan.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/images/merch/bissell/milburn/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/images/merch/bissell/milburn/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milburn 20-string concert harp guitar</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/listings/hg-milburn-10-07.htm">http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/listings/hg-milburn-10-07.htm</a></span></div>
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There is so much more about harp guitars can be shared. However I shall cease discussing about harp guitars at this point and switch to the introduction of Dan LaVoie.</div>
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I met Dan in Shanghai in 2011 during the International Finger Style Guitar Festival. He is absolutely cool and approachable. Being the only Harp Guitar player in the festival, he has certainly created an impression. There are many multi-string players but Dan is totally dedicated to harp guitars.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRZk7P5rKEFM32UwNiPALXdMI_toxwgTWIBbMF4VPnoAFq1Bmr2gxRBF6sim5MWrqjmODR38tbE3A-AqtXx_2yesiZqjd6Lfgv7gtPrtToNItKC1AAODsVA2mqODTTB9IBpvyfyds-9c/s1600/IMG_3607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRZk7P5rKEFM32UwNiPALXdMI_toxwgTWIBbMF4VPnoAFq1Bmr2gxRBF6sim5MWrqjmODR38tbE3A-AqtXx_2yesiZqjd6Lfgv7gtPrtToNItKC1AAODsVA2mqODTTB9IBpvyfyds-9c/s200/IMG_3607.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan and I</td></tr>
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Taken from Dan’s website; “<i>As one of the few musicians in the world actively composing and performing on the rare harp guitar, Dan LaVoie brings a unique sound and texture to fans of acoustic music… After playing the six-string guitar for several years, Dan picked up the harp guitar in 2001 and has since composed solely for this instrument. Bridge Guitar Reviews said Dan’s self-titled 2003 debut album contained “…soulful atmosphere and a skilled and progressive approach to music. The music Dan produces has deep basses and well-executed melody lines.</i>” Click link to read more: <a href="http://www.danlavoie.com/">http://www.danlavoie.com/</a></div>
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Enjoy a live performance of Dan in YouTube!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0eL07cBceE8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Regularly we converse over Facebook chat and I took the opportunity to interview this cool guy. Here it is…</div>
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Interview with Dan LaVoie, done over Facebook chat on 5 March 2013.</div>
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<i>Me - If a layman asked;"Why are there so many strings on your guitar?" What is your response?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - *laughs* I will explain that it is a harp guitar dating back to the early 19th century. Harp guitarists usually played with a mandolin player and it was called parlor music back then. It was in the 19th century that Harp Guitars fell out of fashion and people stopped playing them. Notably the ripple effects from the great depression has exacerbated the trend to minimize spending on lifestyle related items. The prolonged effects have literally killed the popularity of Harp Guitars because people simply struggled from daily related expenses let alone buying harp guitars. That is the past, at least… My love for this instrument has driven me to take on a personal mission, i.e. to bring it back from the dead and show people how much great music can be created from harp guitar. In contrast to remind string instruments lovers of what they are missing out from such an amazing instrument (Harp Guitar).<br />
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<i>Me - So harp guitars fell out favor because they are expensive?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - One of the main reasons I believed. Perhaps the size, and they are certainly harder to pick up if you compare harp to six-string guitars.</div>
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<i>Me - Obviously with more strings, musicians will have more options. So what can you get out of Harp Guitars that a regular can't?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - First the low sub basses, the rich complex overtones… almost sounds like a guitar with a sustain pedal on all the time. This brings me to the topic of sub bass muting, but we will get into that later at the workshop. I just fell in love with those tones and harp guitars instantly.</div>
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<i>Me- In terms of genre of music, does the nature of Harp Guitar kinda restrict it?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - Definitely not. I believe harp guitars have no boundary to the type of music. It is all up the player.</div>
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<i>Me - What might a style of playing you considered not suitable to be executed on a Harp Guitar?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - Well… how about "Heavy Metal?" *laughs*</div>
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<i>Me - What about the use of guitar effects for Harp Guitar?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - Well, it depends on the player. I strictly use Tc electronics... the Nova reverb, and the SCF chorus pedal (only for certain parts of a song). My first CD had a song called "On the drive home" which was recorded live in concert using a loop station.</div>
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<i>Me - In terms of Harp Guitar players, how do you guys and gals differentiate one from another?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - It boils down to personality. Everyone can play the same song on harp guitar, but each will play it differently due to personality and how one interprets the essence within the song.</div>
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<i>Me - Who is your Harp Guitar hero(s)?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - Harp Guitar heros… hmm… First on my mind is Michael Hedges, also Stephen Bennet and Andy Mckee who is like a brother to me. However most of my influences come from Michael Hedges and Richie Havens. Both will remain as my top 2. They have changed my life ever since I learned about their music and playing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/68/c8866ba512c513a8db36b8c3b76a746f/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/68/c8866ba512c513a8db36b8c3b76a746f/l.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy McKee and Dan LaVoie</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/danlavoie/photos/16320321">http://www.myspace.com/danlavoie/photos/16320321</a></span></div>
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<i>Me - So Michael Hedges and Richie Havens have inspired you to become a Harp Guitar player?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - Michael Hedges inspired me to find and buy a Harp Guitar. Richie Havens' song writing and rhythm have been the vital influences and sources of inspiration in my development in harp guitar playing, which is something I try to bring into my music. And this year 2013 marks the 10th year of performing and touring with my career as a professional harp guitarists.</div>
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<i>Me - Is family support essential to allow you to grow in Harp Guitar playing?</i></div>
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<i>Dan</i> - It was in the beginning, I believe any artist needs family support and a solid foundation in order to gain the strength to work at it.</div>
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-End of interview-</div>
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Most content written in this article with regards to harp guitar was aided by the literature from <a href="http://www.harpguitars.net/">www.harpguitars.net</a>. This amazing website is maintained by Gregg Miner. The abundance and detail provided by this website are simply unparalleled. It is already daunting to read all the articles, let alone writing them. I truly appreciate Gregg’s unrelenting attitude in emphasizing accuracy and completeness, which resulted in the many useful harp guitar articles. Thanks for reading!</div>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-11705009438360354862013-02-11T21:00:00.000+08:002013-02-13T21:59:12.893+08:00NAMM 2013 - A view from my eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Main Entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcayaDCLg1qhKGwiNeGHhTPqXM0trk7UPt4N1L1IcxaZ1SlMjJ4snYmvxQ26_PyKly-pHMmLLm70bOJ3qyQztiATgXRyxpDQkwtn-_PJ-lOsJ5PnVACz3xsC23Qm49SkHSSnXmlWO8ax8/s1600/CAM00096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcayaDCLg1qhKGwiNeGHhTPqXM0trk7UPt4N1L1IcxaZ1SlMjJ4snYmvxQ26_PyKly-pHMmLLm70bOJ3qyQztiATgXRyxpDQkwtn-_PJ-lOsJ5PnVACz3xsC23Qm49SkHSSnXmlWO8ax8/s320/CAM00096.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many performers</td></tr>
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The NAMM was held from 24 to 27 January 2013 in Anaheim, California, USA. This show has been called many things, like the biggest, loudest, most in variety, most crowded, etc. I think calling it a marathon may fit the bill because the amount of distance I have walked in four days could very well cover the entire marathon distance. The size of the exhibition halls in combination is likened to football fields. The number of exhibitors are almost uncountable manually. Everything seems interesting in NAMM whereas some are a lot more. Visitors are either attracted by interest or music and they walk from point-to-point to satisfy their curiosity. I was no exception as well. There are not many free seats for visitors thus standing around is pretty much name of the game. A tiring game I must add…<br />
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NAMM Show 2013: <a href="http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2013">http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2013</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNwji2NnjLtALbpsQ1o5pfo3I876a5U7oM6XDrzujWKt_yxEgUAIrO0OHZPxJAMHkvolTBE5Wpjnl0ctRET5OXZSxtToPdziWPjRnWuJEpr9sPvg9Ks_9FEQ4MI653VoA_kzvyTacngE/s1600/CAM00129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNwji2NnjLtALbpsQ1o5pfo3I876a5U7oM6XDrzujWKt_yxEgUAIrO0OHZPxJAMHkvolTBE5Wpjnl0ctRET5OXZSxtToPdziWPjRnWuJEpr9sPvg9Ks_9FEQ4MI653VoA_kzvyTacngE/s400/CAM00129.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibanez</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Business deals are the main thrust in NAMM, as such it is only for trade and it is not opened to public. In a way it is good for business activities. Unlike Shanghai's Music China, the sheer visitation numbers could dwarf other music trade fairs easily. In such situation, quality is traded for quantity inadvertently. However, if NAMM show wants to drive visitation numbers, reaching out to public is the obvious choice. Well for years, NAMM has never allow numbers to supersedes relevance.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tech 21</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uECwsEqIsqBfsw5zpv3THzE_6wkYBjQQvip_j25BgihN5yt534-Wj7mQH2SvZkP67vN3jqLC9GSZgdh2n-iWpuFIO3uk5iOJjW7nJ0FsKptpP2oXWONRdomm1gQEFA82VRkxtJSGGWc/s1600/CAM00077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uECwsEqIsqBfsw5zpv3THzE_6wkYBjQQvip_j25BgihN5yt534-Wj7mQH2SvZkP67vN3jqLC9GSZgdh2n-iWpuFIO3uk5iOJjW7nJ0FsKptpP2oXWONRdomm1gQEFA82VRkxtJSGGWc/s320/CAM00077.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Girl, it works all the time</td></tr>
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I have heard of the NAMM show for years and it was really a growth opportunity for me to attend the 2013 show. This was made possible by <a href="http://mi-si.com/">Mi-Si Electronics</a>' invitation. This company produces pickup systems for acoustic guitars. In fact, it is the only active pickup system that doesn't get its power by 9V dry cell instead the pickup gets it juice from ultra-power capacitors. Mikhail, who is the founder of Mi-Si Electronics, he has generously included me as a show visitor. In the show, I have met Mikhail's life partner Simona and Greg Romano who is the Sales Manager.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mikhail and Greg of Mi-Si Electronics</td></tr>
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The love for music as a culture has certainly rooted deeply within the Americans. Playing an instrument seems as common as running, at least in this NAMM show I have observed. It wasn't just recognizing the instruments, most people I saw in NAMM 2013 can really play well. In comparison, Singapore music enthusiasts are way off in terms of the capability to play the musical instruments. Perhaps we can attribute it to the size of the market. Personally I am more inclined to attribute to their passion for music which is intensified by the culture of arts, not forgetting the keen competition among the music enthusiasts to better each other. The music industry doesn't tolerate the half-baked. If you're not up to standard, the natural selection will flush you out of the music industry in no time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy McKee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Leeb</td></tr>
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This is the time of the year for every brand to create impressions to the potential buyers thus they spare no effort to attain that. Big brands like Fender, Gibson, Taylors, Godin, Roland, Yamaha, Peavey, etc. each has its own private exhibition halls and performances. You can expect heavy weight artists to be hired to enhance their positions in the market. They will showcase their best products, some are specially made for the show. Fender made a diamond studded Telecaster which was priced at USD $120,000. When I was photographing it, I realized that the label says "SOLD." Martin Guitars presented a glowing Dreadnought guitar to commemorate her 180th anniversary. Gibson has set up a row of guitars for visitors to get direct hands-on experiences. Each guitar comes with a headphone to allow visitors to listen to the generated sound of each guitar. Many brands have set up live demonstration stations of their products to create instant yet unforgettable experiences for the visitors and buyers. I guess they stop at nothing to make a point.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0g2q-p0lbxYblQF9C2sbs57OuaGLrLarRP8K264BIcxEQPfoGZloF00ZOpj21qt-tv8vF6Z-A3wxhYvv_SLZch9fAExBTbZ2WQn8Qopu5f9klfVUVxm4O_tUhq1rL2qEhPb9339yvpdM/s1600/CAM00182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0g2q-p0lbxYblQF9C2sbs57OuaGLrLarRP8K264BIcxEQPfoGZloF00ZOpj21qt-tv8vF6Z-A3wxhYvv_SLZch9fAExBTbZ2WQn8Qopu5f9klfVUVxm4O_tUhq1rL2qEhPb9339yvpdM/s320/CAM00182.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A USD $120,000 Telecaster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwsx3s0am_6K_4SowckzqqIrOF1b98TWZnU98eXDLGyBImludHWL6K8MCVxqoIKn1PRJdGqxuPT9_Y4_l55rrSDrXgTxVJ2xBNCo-2oAFs4SBHkkIBAe8HBtXFphmpqhZotB8M-NBOks/s1600/CAM00199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwsx3s0am_6K_4SowckzqqIrOF1b98TWZnU98eXDLGyBImludHWL6K8MCVxqoIKn1PRJdGqxuPT9_Y4_l55rrSDrXgTxVJ2xBNCo-2oAFs4SBHkkIBAe8HBtXFphmpqhZotB8M-NBOks/s320/CAM00199.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Glowing Martin 180th Anniversary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As for the regular exhibitors, they are all consolidated in various exhibition halls. Indeed there big brands in these halls as well. Perhaps these companies didn't wish to book private rooms for reasons only known to them. In the past, NAMM show was populated by Americans, Latin Americans, Europeans. In this NAMM 2013, I have notice the number of Asian exhibitors. Most of them were from China. In fact, many business meetings I have seen involved Asians. Looks like the scale is tipping.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This show features many brands in this music industry. I was delighted to learn that a group of luthiers has teamed up to showcase their priced handcrafted guitars in this NAMM show. They called themselves the <a href="http://luthiersconsortium.com/">Luthiers Consortium</a>. It was made up by these luthiers (I may have missed some, apologies in advance)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Kent Chasson</div>
<div>
2. Laurent Brondel</div>
<div>
3. Jason Kostal</div>
<div>
4. Bruce Sexauer</div>
<div>
5. Howard Klepper</div>
<div>
6. Mike Baranik</div>
<div>
7. Randall Kramer</div>
<div>
8. Eric Schoenberg</div>
<div>
9. Mario Beauregard</div>
<div>
10. Michael Dunn</div>
<div>
11. Michael Lewis</div>
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12. Sparky Kramer</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4nbn3Z1uEPw1HhjoP-FK9LJ1Qo5VinYPqnZFqn2LI-697BaVLFZk4pvADh5RhmPNydJmcDS1tuHRVkIoyOSnxtfEMv2eTrVw7j_vqEzVrDVgGG6sLN_GQtk5gIbB0ONHCVqvqY3QHPY/s1600/CAM00210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4nbn3Z1uEPw1HhjoP-FK9LJ1Qo5VinYPqnZFqn2LI-697BaVLFZk4pvADh5RhmPNydJmcDS1tuHRVkIoyOSnxtfEMv2eTrVw7j_vqEzVrDVgGG6sLN_GQtk5gIbB0ONHCVqvqY3QHPY/s400/CAM00210.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurent, I and Kent</td></tr>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They were aware that trying their guitars were not suitable in the NAMM show because of the loud sound within the exhibition halls. They invited the interested parties to visit them at their hotel after the show to test drive the guitars instead. I visited them on day 2 of the show. It was a pleasure to have so many handcrafted guitars that I can lay my hands on without restriction. Indeed I have enjoyed the meeting with them. The conversations were so insightful as my key interest is in building acoustic guitars.</div>
<div>
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<div>
A show of such scale naturally attracts many people as well as all kinds of people. These unique characters turned with their desired apparels to make their statements. In fact, I met the "lizard man". This guy has tattoo done on his entire body (I assume) and also certain bodily modifications done to take on the lizard look. His tongue was split to resembles the tongue of reptiles. Some people turned up in all black, wearing mascara, pierced tongue, etc. Invariably, there was also no lacking of beautiful girls in the show.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://travel.sndimg.com/static_files/tc/images/ideas/Haunted%20Travel/Slideshows/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man_002_596x334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://travel.sndimg.com/static_files/tc/images/ideas/Haunted%20Travel/Slideshows/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man_002_596x334.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lizard Man</td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taken from: <a href="http://travel.sndimg.com/static_files/tc/images/ideas/Haunted%20Travel/Slideshows/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man_002_596x334.jpg">http://travel.sndimg.com/static_files/tc/images/ideas/Haunted%20Travel/Slideshows/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man/idea_ss_lizard-man_002_596x334.jpg</a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the show, I have met my local counterparts like the dealer of Samson Technologies, Swee Lee's General Manager, the boss of Tomas Music, staff from City Music, etc. It was a nice feeling to see "your own kind" but I was equally delighted to meet people from other parts of the world.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This show was very well organized in many aspects. I will share my two cents from these,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Layout & Booth Design</div>
<div>
2. Registration</div>
<div>
3. Content</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Layout & Booth Design</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The entire show utilizes 5 exhibition halls, 1 arena hall and three levels of meeting rooms. If I am incorrect, most likely I have under reported the space utilization. As there are many exhibitors and so little time, it was imperative to locate any given booth efficiently. Near the ceiling of the exhibition halls, huge booth labels are suspended to allow visitors to recognize very quickly the row number. The design of individual booth was like a beauty pageant contest. Each brand presented their strongest visual identity to the visitors. No effort was spared to put up the most eye-catching decorations to compete for attention. In space utilization, it was not about maximizing the space available. The organizer has carefully planned the spaces required to avoid over cluttering of booths and people. Cafeterias were located conveniently in each hall to cater to the visitors' feeding needs. The width of the isle was sufficient for large crowd to move pass with the exception of the passes between one exhibition hall to another that experienced over-crowding situations. Between booths, boundaries were well defined.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Many people would expect the sound level to be deafening. However, it wasn't the case but I am not saying that it was soft. I have witnesses a few "sound patrol" guys enforcing the sound level restrictions at the show floor. They were holding on to sound pressure meters to ascertain if any performance was too loud. It was clear that the sound level within the show was under controlled. Each exhibitor was given the "sound space" to demonstrate their product strengths. I think NAMM show fare better than Music China in this aspect.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There were ample of lavatories to cater to the crowd. The cleaning frequency was increased to keep them clean and neat. While there were some disgusting ones, overall it was reasonably well maintained.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Registration</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The registration process started off well. I was given an email with my tag and barcodes to validate my attendance for this show. There were many reminder emails sent to ensure I have the email ready for the registration. On day 1, I was all geared up to attend the show. At the entrance, I was turned away by a show usher because of my haversack. This person said that bags aren't allowed for people who are labeled visitors. That was indeed an anti-climax. I had to make my way back to the hotel to dock my haversack and get back to the show venue. This time I was granted entry but I have to queue up with the rest to get my badge printed. This process puzzles many visitors as many have lamented about having to queue for 20 to 30 minutes to get your turn. Why not just send the badge to all registered participants? In my opinion, the organizer has probably given more weight to security over convenience.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To my surprise, I notice other visitors who were carrying bags and they were allowed to enter the show. To clarify things, I approached another staff about this issue. He apologized to me about the confusion. He claimed that they were given the instructions to bare any entry of bags with wheels. However my haversack has no wheels but I was refused of entry earlier. He apologized again for the confusion as certain staff were just exercising their judgement. I hope the incident hadn't happened as it wasted my time and money to catch taxis to and for the show venue. Indeed I didn't expect such confusion to occur considering the years of experiences NAMM show's organizers have garnered. After day 1, there was no more entry barrier.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Content</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With years of experiences backing NAMM show, they have accumulated a wealth of relevant content. In fact accumulating content is the easy part but keeping it organized is the hard part. In my opinion, NAMM has done well in organizing the content. It wasn't hard to navigate through the website to obtain things you desired. Detail information of the NAMM show was at your fingertips. Regardless exhibitors classifications, locations, performance schedule and venue, workshop write-ups, seminar schedule and venue, advertisement opportunities, etc. They are a click away. There are many formats of ideas-sharing in the NAMM show. In my opinion, these sharing sessions regardless of format are very important to stay innovative and forefront. Perhaps it is the passion for sharing in NAMM show that made it a success year after year. This year's NAMM, a mobile apps was made available in the open source domain for downloading. Being my first visit, the apps has benefited me indeed. I was able to mark out the booths I have planned to visit. The apps showed the entire floor layout, zoomable option was available to see close-ups. With the apps, performances schedule and venue were easily retrievable. There are many more options in the mobile apps than I have illustrated.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>My Closing Thoughts</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Indeed it was eye opening for me. I have been to Music China and some other exhibitions and the NAMM show has left an impression in me for sure. Learning is a continuous journey that never ends. In this show the conversations I made with different people have benefited my knowledge of the music industry. Just being present in the show, and being bombarded by the sound and sights have inadvertently heighten my awareness as well. If opportunity allows, I will visit NAMM again!</div>
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Pictures time!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What can I say?</td></tr>
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Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6822473508981562438.post-63728596418647292402013-01-08T00:31:00.001+08:002013-01-08T18:45:36.190+08:00Guangzhou Trip (广州之旅) Dec 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">At the timber factory</td></tr>
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Guangzhou is easily the world’s manufacturing hub, with GDP in 2009 hitting ¥911.28 billion or US $133.5 billion (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou</a>). This province has the highest concentration of manufacturing activities in China. I have heard amazing things about Guangzhou and there is a saying, “You name it, they have it.” This statement has clearly cemented her position. Just about any product you find in the world comes from Guangzhou.<br />
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This trip was my maiden visit to this huge manufacturing city. It was indeed more than just eye opening for me. In Singapore we were accustomed to the local perception of huge but in Guangzhou it takes on another new level that only by sight one will come to believe.<br />
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Once again, Jeffrey has created this learning opportunity to mentor me. I am greatly gratified by his mentorship in everyway. In this trip, we have visited Fusion Guitar Company and a timber company. I shall begin with our visit to Fusion Guitars.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Jeffrey and Mr. Lee</td></tr>
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There are many guitar factories in Guangzhou. Through some past trade shows, Fusion Guitars (<a href="http://fusionguitars.cc/fs/index.asp">http://fusionguitars.cc/fs/index.asp</a>) became our acquaintance. Businesses in China are deeply intertwined with family relationships. Fusion Guitars is no exception either.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Max Lee and I</td></tr>
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Fusion Guitars is among one of the many guitar-making factories in Guangzhou. As we know it, the competitive business nature in China, largely driven by foreign companies has stimulated these factories to out do each other in every conceivable factor in this business. Staying afloat is already a daunting task in China, let alone to lead the hungry pack. Mr. Lee founded Fusion Guitars. Working his ways from a humble beginning, he was aided by a team of trusted staff members in growing his businesses. His son Max Lee held a critical role in furthering Fusion Guitar onto the next level. Both of them have extended great hospitality to Jeffrey and I during our short stay. I must say that I was absolutely in the state of受宠若惊. It means the feeling of being overwhelmed with gratitude. Mr. Lee’s sincerity is hard to come by in today’s hostile business environment.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkJ8alNKhzgCnP0OcESwICpBKM-CnO9g8GvAUH-83vjQHwN3AsgVNKUetrtqxU0Uq3ZvjXdafikszXvydX7a65zTy6NKs8pj-7z2rMuPyMeUSIUT886ii6wzTiSVEnO7YfNXNKP-yBG4/s1600/DSCF1940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkJ8alNKhzgCnP0OcESwICpBKM-CnO9g8GvAUH-83vjQHwN3AsgVNKUetrtqxU0Uq3ZvjXdafikszXvydX7a65zTy6NKs8pj-7z2rMuPyMeUSIUT886ii6wzTiSVEnO7YfNXNKP-yBG4/s400/DSCF1940.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Mr Lee, Mark's son, Wechter, Mark(seated), Jeffrey and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
Jeffrey has allowed me to widen my network reach. Frankly without him building this bridge for me, I will probably get nowhere within such short span in Guangzhou. I can’t emphasize more about his kindness and blessing he has freely bestowed on me.</div>
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<div>
Jeffrey’s intention was simple; he wished to reciprocate Mr. Lee’s generosity during their early stages of acquaintance. In guitar making regardless of mass manufacturing or hand crafted, acoustic guitar's top plate is the critical success factor. Jeffrey has planned to impart to Fusion Guitars the essence in top plate making. With this intend, Jeffrey spent mammoth part of time with Fusion Guitars. It was obvious that I have benefited from just being there.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5rWHJugVxx4053mCj3km-GJQkcDb8LHMg04-MevN9jm57pbhYf-pls7NvdpLAIeA0gAdV_HHdri7aolULgnuWZ2t8T7e0rYV52WTFQRinl6oMQKJ27wivP2LEZJ-92HtdD6B5E_8Rtk/s1600/DSCF1888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5rWHJugVxx4053mCj3km-GJQkcDb8LHMg04-MevN9jm57pbhYf-pls7NvdpLAIeA0gAdV_HHdri7aolULgnuWZ2t8T7e0rYV52WTFQRinl6oMQKJ27wivP2LEZJ-92HtdD6B5E_8Rtk/s400/DSCF1888.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Jeffrey showing Max Lee the ways</td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
I was given full access to the factory and I have optimized my accessibility by touring every corner of the factory with the exception of the Holy Grail, i.e. the tonewood storage house. I ought to beat myself severely because of this silly oversight.</div>
<div>
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<div>
In China, one should expect to meet foreigners because the business opportunities are overwhelming. Unexpectedly, I met the man behind Wechter Guitars (<a href="http://www.wechterguitars.com/">http://www.wechterguitars.com/</a>), Abraham Wechter at Fusion Guitars. I have come across Wechter guitars when I started playing guitars. It was an honor to meet the man in person. We had lunches at the factory and exchanged many ideas about guitar making. In reality, I was the one who has benefited more. Once again, I was so pleased to know him.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVr_QNLQUpoE6hb-QNcdtYtfFebVDEdrGsZPqT-PIIQ1njImJTEyt8Ovbs-e17yiDUWpdhh46AUEhsSgtrRSqj3xFRKwQaBfothxySv-4FDuj8x7v_oG1aNdzgrwyD9VJI8YDLZ0_NjY/s1600/DSCF1942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVr_QNLQUpoE6hb-QNcdtYtfFebVDEdrGsZPqT-PIIQ1njImJTEyt8Ovbs-e17yiDUWpdhh46AUEhsSgtrRSqj3xFRKwQaBfothxySv-4FDuj8x7v_oG1aNdzgrwyD9VJI8YDLZ0_NjY/s400/DSCF1942.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Lucas, Wechter and Mr. Lee</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div>
There was another person I met who has considerable amount of contribution to Lowden Guitars (<a href="http://www.georgelowden.com/">http://www.georgelowden.com/</a>). His name is Mark. He joined Lowden guitars to fine-tune the process flow in guitar making. He later moved to join Holloway Harp Guitar (<a href="http://www.hollowayharpguitars.com/">http://www.hollowayharpguitars.com/</a>), probably the only mass manufactured Harp Guitars in the world. We all had lunches are Fusion Guitars. It was great to meet another like-minded person. Unfortunately, Mark has met with a traffic accident that left him wounded in his right leg. However, things were going on-track to have his injuries treated.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
During my walkabout in Fusion Guitars factory, I was bombarded with sounds, scent, vibration, sights, etc. so many stimuli at once. Their ability to mass-produce things in dazzling speed was indisputable. The process was all laid out, each station specializes in one step, clear standards were set, and the workers were well aware of the expectations on them.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Perhaps they are on their way towards excellence. There was gap in comprehending the essence of quality in guitars as I have observed. An aspect worthy of improvement would be the basic workshop discipline, e.g. cleanliness and neatness. Somehow this basic aspect was subordinated by speed in work processes. Notwithstanding my observations, China factories are capable of making good guitars indeed. I think inculcating premium quality attitude in the workforce isn't a question of comprehension or appreciation; it is merely a matter of time.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Switching from Fusion Guitars, Jeffrey brought me to a timber factor which was a drive of 30 minutes from Fusion Guitar. This timber factor will put any guitar lover in awe. Firstly the scale of the factor, the products they are capable of producing, the speed at which they work, and lastly the variety of wood they possess. I was absolutely marveled. I was fortunate to meet the factory owner as well. Just by listening to the conversation between Jeffrey and the factory owner was interesting enough, the trade secrets were the best scoops.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHw_6Yxr59M1xEzF_uL9HO2GTpiXH5C6JqoJyCeCpmFmH4b10-snfZa_AxtBrBwkKb3xK0EsOT_kMJQ_dlz4tDXRA2Lkr_a8uybyiEwUcPLqS1n2NZIJoLi1rZTHlxfMa6dkWaq9xm84/s1600/DSCF1937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHw_6Yxr59M1xEzF_uL9HO2GTpiXH5C6JqoJyCeCpmFmH4b10-snfZa_AxtBrBwkKb3xK0EsOT_kMJQ_dlz4tDXRA2Lkr_a8uybyiEwUcPLqS1n2NZIJoLi1rZTHlxfMa6dkWaq9xm84/s400/DSCF1937.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Jeffrey, Melody and I</td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
Overall, I have benefited tremendously from this trip. Once again, I greatly appreciate the kindness from Mr. Lee and the owner of the timber factor. Most significantly, it was the mentorship from Jeffrey through the trip. It would be just another sightseeing trip have Jeffrey not guided me. What a blessing!</div>
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<div>
Thanks for reading my stuff! Pictures galore!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpMXGi30QxFYx3RCeB9TSX93E7_P07hyLnsZXsemh1keCjQGeXx1vmaH1Sgr7JHsXBuTHke7mlevjHBFuuAI6xwZ8-8lVcdi_goIEY7qwwuBsH8-B-P2hXI3FMwcM6_nP64_p-ddGrKk/s1600/DSCF1799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpMXGi30QxFYx3RCeB9TSX93E7_P07hyLnsZXsemh1keCjQGeXx1vmaH1Sgr7JHsXBuTHke7mlevjHBFuuAI6xwZ8-8lVcdi_goIEY7qwwuBsH8-B-P2hXI3FMwcM6_nP64_p-ddGrKk/s400/DSCF1799.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fusion Guitars</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoGKPYKXea-tvxSXQRTLJBRXZ4zAsbwpaKhRgWsk547PkEOXNbB0igypN8A8rknoM9k1dQTXwynFfOAW4JNZ17qOHNgqHbUR368mQn549bxi-oX9pJEnrvCtNy34aF2vsn2rlLnkLNWA/s1600/DSCF1798.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoGKPYKXea-tvxSXQRTLJBRXZ4zAsbwpaKhRgWsk547PkEOXNbB0igypN8A8rknoM9k1dQTXwynFfOAW4JNZ17qOHNgqHbUR368mQn549bxi-oX9pJEnrvCtNy34aF2vsn2rlLnkLNWA/s400/DSCF1798.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Familiar?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WvARq9fMJsV6SeDjGQsDej18CbwF-vtgpOVnXBlRMqX_DdRoStJpxGxdYoqnVyYunwvNFc_i07nljLvRqxcEy-JEAWyiqv0GcktiRhs1Plzwvv59-QrsyKeAVkm4tQb8Xu3M6fENmVk/s1600/DSCF1795.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WvARq9fMJsV6SeDjGQsDej18CbwF-vtgpOVnXBlRMqX_DdRoStJpxGxdYoqnVyYunwvNFc_i07nljLvRqxcEy-JEAWyiqv0GcktiRhs1Plzwvv59-QrsyKeAVkm4tQb8Xu3M6fENmVk/s400/DSCF1795.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Fusion Factory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcXD-7nsFSggEaHpJXX8oqxIJ3OaKupOSwLsHnZNtHASP70OlznAXj2K2xSNE4P9meQ47ZEIyPsMZJf0L-A5IJ83xK_mOH9P59pfbxmpF9xmOdA8wRW51T-m4b52Lm_OR6PR1rvdTXhA/s1600/DSCF1826.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcXD-7nsFSggEaHpJXX8oqxIJ3OaKupOSwLsHnZNtHASP70OlznAXj2K2xSNE4P9meQ47ZEIyPsMZJf0L-A5IJ83xK_mOH9P59pfbxmpF9xmOdA8wRW51T-m4b52Lm_OR6PR1rvdTXhA/s400/DSCF1826.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Choosing the best</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWYvkYjQ6WJ7bosgnJeF048E3NB1q927iXyEXUqnxCM9j8OWs7K8qLKbApD_Bdg8xsfJ1sJpkfMUpKXb4GOcBpxolT5BSOFiI8uZAesqvb09phXkrFJatjIJdpKr1WGhpPFZQQhErKsI/s1600/DSCF1861.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWYvkYjQ6WJ7bosgnJeF048E3NB1q927iXyEXUqnxCM9j8OWs7K8qLKbApD_Bdg8xsfJ1sJpkfMUpKXb4GOcBpxolT5BSOFiI8uZAesqvb09phXkrFJatjIJdpKr1WGhpPFZQQhErKsI/s400/DSCF1861.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sawing a lumber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-PWHiwHR6pbU1BVa2qv_qApAA_3y2SqweikCmufmqxVsjzGcUaC-mELpylhRnXWhcKNXVU19ZKIrHjR0p3uQV8C8OjceuzoKnX00xeB4gH4rdYjR9eFu-KYD4uCrcTLoeWX3UDhe_7U/s1600/DSCF1853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-PWHiwHR6pbU1BVa2qv_qApAA_3y2SqweikCmufmqxVsjzGcUaC-mELpylhRnXWhcKNXVU19ZKIrHjR0p3uQV8C8OjceuzoKnX00xeB4gH4rdYjR9eFu-KYD4uCrcTLoeWX3UDhe_7U/s400/DSCF1853.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Hauling a lumber to saw table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq2KTd2aosZ8k_4MRPk4TxHY5XoK8wN5I6h6XAxDtzbwwqBns2W6tk8kFsNStlJrrt5iYYbZSFjX8RDHjg0XQ2FFiVaNGIt4UpmpTwd5w8Yyjhm-j_E_ewU71INzwlk6Y49dBWON2pnE/s1600/DSCF1884.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq2KTd2aosZ8k_4MRPk4TxHY5XoK8wN5I6h6XAxDtzbwwqBns2W6tk8kFsNStlJrrt5iYYbZSFjX8RDHjg0XQ2FFiVaNGIt4UpmpTwd5w8Yyjhm-j_E_ewU71INzwlk6Y49dBWON2pnE/s320/DSCF1884.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The mother dehumidifier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNfOlGf4iORk_W25A8dTBUIIWQDuVFjAAlu4t9wdmbcsHb0q2AohgRWh-dVaif12Hx4ogunv8XF0yL4sWtEELLvOq_6kmxhjA4TEEf9wA27SzXHGq1b4VpOw1olBI7kRRXTOapRHQB14/s1600/DSCF1873.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNfOlGf4iORk_W25A8dTBUIIWQDuVFjAAlu4t9wdmbcsHb0q2AohgRWh-dVaif12Hx4ogunv8XF0yL4sWtEELLvOq_6kmxhjA4TEEf9wA27SzXHGq1b4VpOw1olBI7kRRXTOapRHQB14/s400/DSCF1873.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sawing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1YmfJ94o9KWEtMjg1t8e-maBfK5XJVhnrcOzvBBJwccMiuzffeiXTUvH40XkBdXVGtyZVEt_vUoB687Fp4XpkYBsId9EF8712OOb-zEh_tq1-v0qGju1udh1LZRNrS5QMPIHBcMCIlU/s1600/DSCF1908.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1YmfJ94o9KWEtMjg1t8e-maBfK5XJVhnrcOzvBBJwccMiuzffeiXTUvH40XkBdXVGtyZVEt_vUoB687Fp4XpkYBsId9EF8712OOb-zEh_tq1-v0qGju1udh1LZRNrS5QMPIHBcMCIlU/s400/DSCF1908.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Guitar fingerboard glued</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIyhXjuzjQsPOkVqfB-I6nxcm6HQUSQkt3tJBV6MgVR6eSHos-F0WOwjnBl2Lpoq0tY9FFqxIsWP0VOBktn9X7vjc4oTq5OrCEaOYyAbfsrufB0JhM0BUCJLiIehDjF1S5rERGbmlPKU/s1600/DSCF1926.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIyhXjuzjQsPOkVqfB-I6nxcm6HQUSQkt3tJBV6MgVR6eSHos-F0WOwjnBl2Lpoq0tY9FFqxIsWP0VOBktn9X7vjc4oTq5OrCEaOYyAbfsrufB0JhM0BUCJLiIehDjF1S5rERGbmlPKU/s400/DSCF1926.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Fixing Rosette</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMglgyUcI-YnL3qzGH0TdpbDop7dpM5YRgyzBmZmOd042tFlPtms03PvZPSc26ZYOgr6XyWWOBDGEAecb-In6OZhmNn_IEkNfiRLj7iUZmiJcNddBfNnC1U2FLDxYqvKxR0hEZZeMAjTk/s1600/DSCF1945.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMglgyUcI-YnL3qzGH0TdpbDop7dpM5YRgyzBmZmOd042tFlPtms03PvZPSc26ZYOgr6XyWWOBDGEAecb-In6OZhmNn_IEkNfiRLj7iUZmiJcNddBfNnC1U2FLDxYqvKxR0hEZZeMAjTk/s400/DSCF1945.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Huge piles of veneers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw2NN1qxhyphenhyphenvqLySuqLmau8eV3Z9MWLjWGpTKSyz0NbLEv0a_Bl6BOEx069NcfFprJ0i8WrIY2OKv2FDZts31JW3n_EsD5O0i03FYLpiYB9-ZnKOTZVPoB_uwTkhDVaMDtNmVAosAqz4I/s1600/DSCF1953.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw2NN1qxhyphenhyphenvqLySuqLmau8eV3Z9MWLjWGpTKSyz0NbLEv0a_Bl6BOEx069NcfFprJ0i8WrIY2OKv2FDZts31JW3n_EsD5O0i03FYLpiYB9-ZnKOTZVPoB_uwTkhDVaMDtNmVAosAqz4I/s400/DSCF1953.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The just have too much</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNjjy4tPFyEzAVzGCUDQHCi4zCfa6XOOFQFI49MOSv6a8g-uGY4TBChDkTjoZCrDoWfpSxVCsrVRIHVLf58I3mISj3IquGGFw2_ggkOPvb4x7dGb4MvEU8G4tNFh-pVJHByOGMUiKfKA/s1600/DSCF1956.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNjjy4tPFyEzAVzGCUDQHCi4zCfa6XOOFQFI49MOSv6a8g-uGY4TBChDkTjoZCrDoWfpSxVCsrVRIHVLf58I3mISj3IquGGFw2_ggkOPvb4x7dGb4MvEU8G4tNFh-pVJHByOGMUiKfKA/s400/DSCF1956.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">More lumbers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76Xto3pkthukJeGL3KymGUQ73SPZPhyfS7riymKwah8F8cQekBqyUvyMrct4i3w9eSbagYnfpck7ytgyGEF0wrJtIXCGlNFqYbywhWLbgHFiqgNro5dxad1hsNwSbkkaCsS2IEfnejLU/s1600/DSCF1972.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76Xto3pkthukJeGL3KymGUQ73SPZPhyfS7riymKwah8F8cQekBqyUvyMrct4i3w9eSbagYnfpck7ytgyGEF0wrJtIXCGlNFqYbywhWLbgHFiqgNro5dxad1hsNwSbkkaCsS2IEfnejLU/s320/DSCF1972.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A lady preparing sides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0m9sC8t6M70dg3p4o2tE3-hCglY0BcEvxjkCd9ejMBvc1L2l_Dm3odwtcvZpH4amUbmxS0htN24uxiFk8zPJP4sLV6fG8LHHl1wyKmbZuVhbGWVtsIi1WDaM3rsiVX1pTB_RRVVe5D68/s1600/DSCF1974.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0m9sC8t6M70dg3p4o2tE3-hCglY0BcEvxjkCd9ejMBvc1L2l_Dm3odwtcvZpH4amUbmxS0htN24uxiFk8zPJP4sLV6fG8LHHl1wyKmbZuVhbGWVtsIi1WDaM3rsiVX1pTB_RRVVe5D68/s400/DSCF1974.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ready to ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3n_QPUZEWpRziBm62soPqIYUXs1-LGcERcgE31Fajo4ewmk9bT0afjUEhZ78S_PzKZKUPOkmURkp6LPcb0I7B6dyF-HghRSS9YaP051wIGvReKdihOW_3D0CSAvGCNIFOy96mLaT4hc/s1600/DSCF1793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3n_QPUZEWpRziBm62soPqIYUXs1-LGcERcgE31Fajo4ewmk9bT0afjUEhZ78S_PzKZKUPOkmURkp6LPcb0I7B6dyF-HghRSS9YaP051wIGvReKdihOW_3D0CSAvGCNIFOy96mLaT4hc/s400/DSCF1793.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fusion Guitars Factory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5UC6nk5tlPaa1RCBNSmFkCHc_LHwZgiQfiBFwABrBll6TCLnWw8KxDSnwlYKqubipoNJAs_9VJJwbYlUfT0ItPMeEsztVcxfW5QKuBj4CeISBokxRkxX5kIGRSie_SSXSSlc3XyJeAA/s1600/DSCF1811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5UC6nk5tlPaa1RCBNSmFkCHc_LHwZgiQfiBFwABrBll6TCLnWw8KxDSnwlYKqubipoNJAs_9VJJwbYlUfT0ItPMeEsztVcxfW5QKuBj4CeISBokxRkxX5kIGRSie_SSXSSlc3XyJeAA/s400/DSCF1811.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lychee Wood</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy34BRkvqydXbtcGNnezs1o7MCY3Jv5Ku3Syk03nRTQ_jIcFYmjDVykHlDb06h322i2wrw8CAZgpBEIuNiNFxNuPT-15flyUvFHoOPu_kYim9ShzkI2YV8gzYkqj7yQUekji5ja2148k/s1600/DSCF1834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy34BRkvqydXbtcGNnezs1o7MCY3Jv5Ku3Syk03nRTQ_jIcFYmjDVykHlDb06h322i2wrw8CAZgpBEIuNiNFxNuPT-15flyUvFHoOPu_kYim9ShzkI2YV8gzYkqj7yQUekji5ja2148k/s320/DSCF1834.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max and Lychees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtHtiaJZdsefEXZwk00o0Vs1RnWfQ3aAq9VKYQUUpBBwGvEuwZJbFu9L71VA8-eDKAyRjEaUNK_6byF6KqiKWtCetG6axootIOXDpXXLu57va17YDOsgvemkwwY6Lq6KELKdQDkmyUXQ/s1600/DSCF1840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtHtiaJZdsefEXZwk00o0Vs1RnWfQ3aAq9VKYQUUpBBwGvEuwZJbFu9L71VA8-eDKAyRjEaUNK_6byF6KqiKWtCetG6axootIOXDpXXLu57va17YDOsgvemkwwY6Lq6KELKdQDkmyUXQ/s400/DSCF1840.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lychees Galore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiy53ye9iv5z42fvFlf52VHjVHTeAJ_tYJytdd9UzXjjBEzX9RSgZr1NwDFCkic1jCXW2WPD21_fOGJSAVYDlPcyCOkPlHSAA8tDJzZkukYSHDtb3AjmLNa_y8xQrRbUKLbAkoTglwxFM/s1600/DSCF1856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiy53ye9iv5z42fvFlf52VHjVHTeAJ_tYJytdd9UzXjjBEzX9RSgZr1NwDFCkic1jCXW2WPD21_fOGJSAVYDlPcyCOkPlHSAA8tDJzZkukYSHDtb3AjmLNa_y8xQrRbUKLbAkoTglwxFM/s400/DSCF1856.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sawing a lumber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzduUVuHubP04MywaghGXjLPWZj4lkHk6mMcEZNaNYukCmOgVHxQ9MHcRVloOAeTKnGtZXxwWMOC8KaRKqe2_DWc__LRbEO0PcjZfxNRwDD5e6zQAxD3j8Djoww8e0d7Gff0ur1p_AkU/s1600/DSCF1890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzduUVuHubP04MywaghGXjLPWZj4lkHk6mMcEZNaNYukCmOgVHxQ9MHcRVloOAeTKnGtZXxwWMOC8KaRKqe2_DWc__LRbEO0PcjZfxNRwDD5e6zQAxD3j8Djoww8e0d7Gff0ur1p_AkU/s400/DSCF1890.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Necks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXmwwpNCD1ZUh6Uvz9NBsJNF_ap0jQx5eBc64IKXpzgLRZDJC-k0s-UlSrn5ZKl8LFbKtRZwN4o1BCjieeThX7ifJDjNUR-qce3OuAtnx5PPOgyUDk5K91ZVJ4-QG8CIDUA17xUtygp8/s1600/DSCF1899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXmwwpNCD1ZUh6Uvz9NBsJNF_ap0jQx5eBc64IKXpzgLRZDJC-k0s-UlSrn5ZKl8LFbKtRZwN4o1BCjieeThX7ifJDjNUR-qce3OuAtnx5PPOgyUDk5K91ZVJ4-QG8CIDUA17xUtygp8/s400/DSCF1899.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Necks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1tOA_I0SZ6PtZViRp72eKvnLuRHt-PJ7lSamuFeYSDlsy2tcJwDHKytb38xClxraNJvsh-PaAtBCvfnydAkWdk_18Fx2Z1ObVaiwxheqHUk8VhU8cPW7-BBfy4lwFzdjnEoECcsNa24/s1600/DSCF1901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1tOA_I0SZ6PtZViRp72eKvnLuRHt-PJ7lSamuFeYSDlsy2tcJwDHKytb38xClxraNJvsh-PaAtBCvfnydAkWdk_18Fx2Z1ObVaiwxheqHUk8VhU8cPW7-BBfy4lwFzdjnEoECcsNa24/s400/DSCF1901.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holes for Tuners</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CKCI-v0TU3fT7Sf1vgBW9cXz85o78AiOekcFDVvEa13-3oXr_9AZbOYUQu3jEBaAsIRhPBGWEtBrngzVOr8kPAYXwO1mwmHEYOVYrYzpory3WkblG0rtRnIIBUillvS5erD7qAWJGUc/s1600/DSCF1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CKCI-v0TU3fT7Sf1vgBW9cXz85o78AiOekcFDVvEa13-3oXr_9AZbOYUQu3jEBaAsIRhPBGWEtBrngzVOr8kPAYXwO1mwmHEYOVYrYzpory3WkblG0rtRnIIBUillvS5erD7qAWJGUc/s400/DSCF1910.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVKdKyNhOm2kDGYM8DipcPxkiSfLIjidR6bZf7iaCI0OYuq-Vyz8AYEWYBWaHcc6chyphenhyphenqeG24rSuvIDT6iP3JkV3uC6mX72EQdI_peDN5OY17f-f6PdmvDVgeTCIXlx0IL4yY2pqfvS9o/s1600/DSCF1969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVKdKyNhOm2kDGYM8DipcPxkiSfLIjidR6bZf7iaCI0OYuq-Vyz8AYEWYBWaHcc6chyphenhyphenqeG24rSuvIDT6iP3JkV3uC6mX72EQdI_peDN5OY17f-f6PdmvDVgeTCIXlx0IL4yY2pqfvS9o/s400/DSCF1969.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mold to form sides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8UldQbDVW4CAByc2mTHO8VLEYHzeQ35aoFD_uG0vOZAkJWZN_NDhXkP3QLqgxILpak-cvPuui2ltOEvCrfLASTZMJCNvnfoiopeLEn5J16p_NZ4dHvqqfjfxShj-AwTPeMM0MHOO1ZI/s1600/DSCF1954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8UldQbDVW4CAByc2mTHO8VLEYHzeQ35aoFD_uG0vOZAkJWZN_NDhXkP3QLqgxILpak-cvPuui2ltOEvCrfLASTZMJCNvnfoiopeLEn5J16p_NZ4dHvqqfjfxShj-AwTPeMM0MHOO1ZI/s400/DSCF1954.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More logs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
-End of article-</div>
</div>
Guitaring Passionatelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02343316884912115775noreply@blogger.com2