Luthiers’ Series… Mike Doolin

Internet has brought the world closer indeed. In the early 80s, it was almost too remote to entertain the thought of buying guitars without seeing the instruments at thousands miles apart. It has drastically changed. I came across Doolin guitars in the internet a few years back. I vividly remembered the double cut-away design and the smart neck adjustment feature offered by him. The world has gotten smaller…

Mike's impressionable double cut-away design

Mike… at a gig

In July 2010, I attended the Guild of America Luthiers Convention in Tacoma, Seattle, USA. Mike Doolin participated in the same convention and we met there. He is big guy as compared to my Asian stature, very approachable and friendly. Through our brief acquaintances, I have discovered from other Luthiers about Mike’s ingenuity in designing his guitars and making guitars as well. He is described as a luthier who possesses the mind of an engineer and the touch of an artist. After I have met Mike and also sampled his wonder guitars, he is indeed what most people have said he is.

We all know that acoustic guitars are susceptible to neck angle distortions. Mike has designed his guitars to allow adjustments to the neck angle with just a turn of a screw at the easily accessed neck heel. That is the engineering facet of Mike. Guitars need to be aesthetically pleasing as well, as such Mike carefully position the adjustment screw and also have selected the matching hardware to accentuate the guitar. Below is a picture of the adjustable neck feature.

Mike's adjustable neck design

Taken from: http://www.doolinguitars.com/images/adjnecklg.jpg

To learn more about Mike? Click Doolin Guitars

My experiences in GAL 2010 are illustrated through the three parts blog posting. Here’re the links,

Part one - GAL Convention Jul 2011 Part 1

Part two - GAL Convention Jul 2011 Part 2

Part three - GAL Convention Jul 2011 Part 3

My visit to Seattle was restricted to the GAL convention. Jeffrey Yong (http://www.jeffreyyong.com/) has invited me on a roadtrip in visiting Luthiers in Portland before the convention. We visited a few luthiers and Mike was one of them. He generously showed us his workshop, talked about his ideas and innovation. Nothing beats seeing and hearing from the maker, it was indeed tremendously rewarding.

Acoustic Bass

 Here is the interview I had with Mike.

1. Why make guitars?

I came to lutherie from being a professional guitarist. Over the years, I did my own repairs and modifications to my guitars, and eventually started doing that for other people too. I think I built my first guitar (a solid body electric) in 1982. In part it was just to save money, in part to get something that wasn't available at the time.

The inspiration to build acoustic guitars came when I first heard Michael Hedges. Up until that time, I thought all you could do on an acoustic was play 3-chord folk tunes in first position, but Hedges changed all that. But I was accustomed to electric guitars with deep cutaways, while even cutaway acoustic guitars weren't cut away as far, so I couldn't play most of my material on them. That's why I designed and built my first double-cutaway acoustic. Then I realized that other people might like a double-cutaway acoustic guitar too, so I launched Doolin Guitars.

2. Can you make other stuff too?

I only build guitars, bass guitars and harp guitars, I basically only build the instruments I actually play. I have very little background in woodworking (I got D's in high school shop class!) so I've never built furniture or done other kinds of woodworking. I do know a bit about tube guitar amps and guitar pickups and preamps, so I've built some of those things.

3. Where did you train?

I'm self taught in lutherie. I never apprenticed with anyone or went to school for it. I did have the great advantage of my long friendship with Jeff Elliott, so I learned a lot from him in an informal way (mostly over beers). But the information is readily available, from sources like the Guild of American Luthiers, ASIA, forums like the OLF, and Cumpiano and Natelson's book "Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology".

Archtop

4. What influences you?

In terms of functionality, my designs are a direct result of my being a player. All the little innovations I've come up with have been to make the guitar more playable. So that's my overall motivation.

In terms of aesthetics, I guess I've been looking at guitars all my life and have developed a sense of what looks good to me. I'm also mostly untrained in graphic arts, so my visual design elements come from my sitting at a drafting table drawing and redrawing a line over and over until it looks right to me. So I guess I'm influenced by everything I've seen and those designs which most appeal to me. Steve Klien and Ken Parker come immediately to mind as two of my favorite instrument designers.

5. How long has it been?

I rewired and otherwise modified my first electric guitar (a Fender Strat) when I was in high school, about 1974. I built my first electric in 1982, my first acoustic in 1992, and launched Doolin Guitars in 1995.

6. Was there a time(s) when you wish to stop?

I have actually retired from professional lutherie as of this year. I'm still building a few guitars for myself and my wife, but I'm mostly focusing on being a full time musician again.

A Doolin Harp Guitar

About you guitars

1. Are your guitars works of an artist, scientist or craftsman?

Lutherie is a craft, with some artistic and scientific/engineering elements, but a craft nonetheless. When I design the arc of the harp arm of a harp guitar, or select the colors of the woods to go into a particular instrument, or lay out segments of spalted maple for a rosette, those are probably artistic activities. When I calculate the string gauges for a particular tuning or scale length, or design an FET preamp for a pickup system, those are engineering. But actually building the guitar, shaping and bending the wood, gluing things together, surfacing and finishing and setting up, those are all craft. So I guess the answer is, all three!

2. What is unique about your guitars (work)?

The most obvious thing is the double cutaway (I've never built an acoustic guitar that wasn't a double cutaway). The Adjustable Neck Angle System and the pinless bridge are also important features. My spiral rosette, headstock crest, and some of my body shapes are the artistic part.

3. What guides you during the making process?

I have a book of proceedures in which I've written the steps to making all the components of the guitar. Even after all these years, I still refer to it every time. I also write up an order form with all the particulars of the instrument I'm building (woods, string spacing, inlays and other decoration, electronics, ect) which I refer to constantly to make sure I'm building exactly what the customer has requested. Beyond that, I try to stay in touch with my aesthetic sense at all times, taking in as much information as possible as I go - tapping, flexing, feeling, and listening to the wood, being as sensually involved as possible in the build process.

Justin King Design

4. The most difficult part(s) is…??

It's all difficult to do really well, and everything depends on everything else. For that reason I suppose finishing is the hardest, because the finish will reveal any little defect in the underlying construction, and because the surface of the finish itself must be so close to perfect to look acceptable.

5. Is there a Doolin voice in your guitars?

I think every luthier has a voice, and I don't think we have much control over that. I've talked about this with several luthier friends, and it's one of the glorious mysteries of the craft. We all have our pet theories about what makes a good guitar and of course we do our best to implement them, but even if I were to try to build a Jeff Elliott guitar down to the thousandth of an inch, I think it would still come out sounding more like a Doolin. And that's a good thing! If it were that easy to copy someone else, everybody's guitars would probably sound pretty much the same.

All pictures are used with kind permission from Mike Doolin.

-End of Interview-

Luthiers' Series… with Kent Chasson

Kent working late

One things leads to another, we grow older and wiser (hopefully…) and our desires also graduate from one level to another. I am no exception to this unquenchable thirst for ascension. From big brand guitars, the next step would be a hand-built by luthier.

A Lute

Luthier is someone who makes or repair lutes or other string instruments. The birthplace of modern European lutherie is believed to be in Bavaria, Germany. Then Lute was a popular string instrument among the royalties. Schematic plans of lutes were dated as early as 1450. By the picture of a lute shown below, our guitars have certainly evolved much over time.

Taken from: http://www.friendsofart.net/static/images/art1/caravaggio-lute-player-detail.jpg

I was trawling the internet for a luthier to make my first hand-built. Eventually I found Kent Chasson. From certain past conversations I had with guitar enthusiasts, the idea of commissioning a hand-built guitar is an exciting one. There were reservations as well. Apart from unable to try, most guitar lovers did not possess adequate knowledge in guitar-making to response accurately or succinctly to luthiers' requests for guitar specifications. The perspectives for buying a guitar off the shelves and commissioning a hand-built are drastically different. I will elaborate in another article.

Kent Chasson's website: http://www.chassonguitars.com/index.html

Kent and I corresponded via email for months before we agreed on all the specifications. Actually I could write another article regarding my experiences in collaborating with Kent but this article is all about him. I have this to say about Kent and the guitar he has built for me, extracted from a posting from the Acoustic Guitar Forum.

“I have always appreciate guitars with deep-thick bass and Kent is able to translate this preference into this guitar. It isn't the same as my Jeff built guitar but I love them all. Not forgetting the fine craftsmanship and his clean work. It could easily pass off as a CNC built guitar. The fittings, binding, joints, holes, fret wires, etc. are near perfection. It wasn't any exaggeration I have made up. I showed this guitar to other experienced guitar makers at the GAL 2011 convention, they were astonished at its appearance and workmanship. When they played the guitar, they didn't want to put it down. Some made trading offers…”

The above excerpt is taken from: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217344&page=2

Our collaboration has resulted in this,

My First Hand-Built, in progress then

With great privilege, I was granted the opportunity to interview Kent to find out his personal journey as a luthier and his guitar making ideals.

Here’s my interview with Kent.

About the Luthier…

1. When did you decide to become a luthier?

Headstock design

I built my first guitar 32 years ago. An acquaintance played that guitar and hired me to build one for him the next year. I was 18. I started Chasson Guitars in 1995. I have been building steadily since then and can’t imagine stopping.

2. Where did you train?

I am self-taught and have studied with Charles Fox, Frank Ford, and Ervin Somogyi.

3. How did your training influence you?

Charles Fox is a genius with systems and tooling. Studying with him helped me to develop methods that are efficient and flexible. I can have the precision of a small factory while custom building one-of-a-kind instruments.

I learned a few specific repair techniques from Frank Ford but mostly I was inspired by his creativity and straight-forward attitude about work. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be “Figure it out, do it well, and enjoy any puzzles that come along.”

Ervin Somogyi’s teaching changed the way I voice my instruments and helped me develop a broader palette of voicing options with consistent results.

4. Where did you get your ideas?

Kent's signature rosette

Everywhere I can! I decided early on that I didn’t want to only build exact copies of traditional instruments. Most of my body designs are original and those ideas come from long hours of drawing and refining. It’s surprisingly difficult to design an original body shape.

Although the design of my adjustable neck is similar to Stauffer guitars from the mid 1800’s, some elements were heavily influenced by the work of Mike Doolin and Rick Turner. There are a lot of generous people in the luthiery community and a lot of idea sharing.

5. What luthier(s) inspired you?

One person I haven’t mentioned yet is my neighbor, Dake Traphagen. He has always encouraged me to turn off the power tools and work with my hands and I find myself doing that more and more. He is inspiring in the fact that, after 40 years of building instruments, he still experiments with new ideas, is still passionate about building, and he never stops learning.

6. What helped to shape you?

My parents. While I was growing up, they made it clear by example that it was important to do good and challenging work. At the time, they probably would have preferred that I go into a more secure and traditional profession but they were always supportive of me building things. When I was 19, my mother broke her ankle walking down the poorly built stairs in their new house while it was still under construction. She asked me to rebuild the stairs which I did over the weekend. When the builders returned on Monday, they offered me a job. I have been building things for a living ever since.

7. Do you feel anxious about becoming an luthier?

I probably should have but I never did. I’m not sure I would call it anxiety but I do feel a responsibility to make good use of wood. The wood used for guitars is often rare and hard to replace. It’s important to me to be respectful of that and use it efficiently in something that has long-lasting value.

8. How long has it been?

I sold the second instrument I built in 1980. I started my company, Chasson Guitars, in 1995. 32 or 17 years, depending when you start.

About Kent's Design Philosophies

Zirocote

1. Do you consider yourself a modern or traditional luthier?

Both. I prefer a more modern look and most of my guitars reflect that. But I have great respect for the accumulated wisdom that we call “tradition” and I have yet to stray too far from that.

2. What differentiates your work from other Luthiers?

If I were a marketer, I would answer this by talking about the “features” of my guitars. I would mention my adjustable neck, my unique body styles, and my use of carbon fiber. But what really makes my work different is simply the fact that I build it. It’s the whole package starting with the way I work with clients during the design phase and ending with a custom guitar and often a long-term friendship. It’s very personal and, as cheesy as it sounds, there is part of me in every guitar I build.

3. What is your guiding principle(s) in making guitars?

Kent's braces design

I love collaboration. I do my best when working closely with a player to help them realize their vision. At times, that means stretching my vision. At other times, it means making suggestions that depart from the player’s original plan. I don’t want to build everyone my favorite guitar, I want to build them their favorite guitar.

4. What is the toughest challenge(s) when making a guitar for someone?

Communicating about tone can be an interesting puzzle. It's hard to describe tone in words. I try to get information from people in different ways and see if it adds up. I usually start with words but also ask people about their playing style to see if the tone they are describing matches the playing style. I also try to get a sense of what instruments they have played and liked. Finally, if they have recordings of their playing, I listen to them. It's surprising that this can be done effectively, even over the internet, but it works!

5. Is there a part(s) on your guitar you like most?

Binding & Cut-away

I'm very happy with the design of my new rosettes and I love the shape of my new concert model that is in progress now.

As for the work I like the most, it's voicing the top and shaping the neck. It's peaceful work. There is something inherently joyful about shaping wood with sharp hand tools. By the way, sanding is the least enjoyable and there's a lot of it!

6. With reference to top plate voicing, how did you decide on the ideal tone, or the Chasson sound?

The ideal tone has to do with what the player is looking for. One of my favorite guitars lately was for a local fingerstyle player with a very light touch. It's a guitar I would never have built for myself. It has too many overtones and not enough headroom for most of what I play. But it lights up and blooms with a soft touch like no other guitar I've built and he loves it. So my ideal tone is the one that causes my client to tell all his friends about it!

-End of interview-

Pictures of Kent's many wonderful master pieces…

Kent's work

Floating Fingerboard

End of Article

Guild of American Luthiers Convention 2011 - Part Three

GAL Convention 2011 Day 3

By day 3 I have gotten accustomed to the routine of waking up, breakfast, workshops, lunch, workshops, exhibition, dinner, evening performance and bedtime.

The Lagerquist Theater

Mike Doolin & Carlos Everett

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/presenter13.jpg

The day started with Carlos Everett's session called the “Guitar Workshop Evolution: One Luthier’s Journey”. He has painted a realistic picture of a typical luthier’s career from infancy to maturity. While he is pretty successful in his career, he didn’t forget the hard labor he has done in the past to stay afloat. Neither he has become out of touch of the necessary changes of workshops he has made in order to allow his career to evolve. In his presentation, he began with illustrating the early days of repairs, restoration and managing great number of instruments. These events have served as foundation that later became useful as he progressed from part-time to full-time guitar making. The most evident signs of evolution for Carlos were the amount of instruments he made annually reduces drastically as his workshop evolves over years. It was very sobering and real, lutherie was indeed not for everyone. The session took up half the morning.

Mike Doolin & Mark Hanson at Steel String Guitar Listening Session

The guitar queue

Jay generously rendered assistance

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/staff16.jpg

The session before lunch was one I longed for; the Steel String Guitars Listening Session. Mike Doolin (http://www.doolinguitars.com/) was invited to moderate the session whereas Mark Hanson was the appointed guitarist for the playing. The format was similar to that of the Classical Guitar Listening session except there were more guitars submitted for playing and listening. A total of 39 steel string guitars were submitted for playing. To make sure every guitar has a fair chance to showcase its best, every guitar was tuned prior to playing. It was possible because of Jay Hargreaves, a wonderful guy who voluntarily rendered his help in this session as well as the classical guitar one.

I was standing at backstage ...

Seated among the crowd, I was armed with my camera and have taken the best position to snap pictures. Unexpectedly, Mike approached me for help just before the session commenced. Well I wished he had asked me to play the guitars but … anyway I played a small part by handing him the prepared guitars which saved him the to and fro trips in getting the guitars from Jay. I was delighted to be of some help, at least for my first visit.

In the afternoon, John Greven presented a workshop on voicing the guitar. Instead of being present, I spent some quality time with Jeff, learning from him the long and short of North America’s guitar industry. We visited the auction room to select our objects of desire as well. Invariably, I have more time at the exhibition and tables hopping continued. Here are some random pictures.

I was chatting with Dave Bertoncini

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/exib07.jpg

Ukelele are such happy instruments! Mark Robert's Ukes

A Michael Giltzow built

Carbon fibre tools are emerging ...

Arguably the most experimental one ...

Marshall Bruné's built

Jeff was trying to seal it ...

A beautiful one

Trying a Petros Guitar

Jeff checking Brian Yarosh's Lefty

Michael Glitzow and I

Kasha Bracing Pattern

At Peter Siorba's table

Stephen Kinnaird, a cool guy he is!

Notable Wood

David Freeman's offset soundhole design

In the evening, I was treated by a wonderful performance by Edel Muñoz. It was not possible to be not entertained and impressed by Edel. His passionate playing and great stage presence were simply unparalleled. It wasn’t hard to understand the reason for his impressive competition wins he has chalked up in a short span of classical guitar playing career. Above all, he is very approachable and at ease to be with. I must say not all great guitarists are as warm as Edel. What a great player and a wonderful guy!

Edel performed at the Lagerquist

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/music11.jpg

Edel and I

GAL Convention 2011 Day 4

Day 4, one more day before I gone home. The morning session was about Mandolin and its future. Moderated by Jeff Elliott of Portland OR, Dave Cohen from Richmond VA, Lawrence Smart from Hailey ID and Don MacRostie from Athens OH they discuss the Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives of the Mandolin Family. I wasn’t much into Mandolin and my comprehension of this instrument was limited. While the discussions among the panelists and audience were intense, it was hard for me to appreciate the depth of the topics.

About Mandolin's Future

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/presenter14.jpg

The next session was Charles Fox's workshop called “Production Techniques for the Custom Luthier”. Among luthiers, Charles is regarded as one of the best in producing consistency and accuracy in guitar making. His quality work was attained by means of designing and fabricating jigs and fixtures in aiding his guitars making process. Many luthiers would call him the guru in jigs and fixtures. He has shared many interesting perspectives from his years of experiences. To Charles, jigs and fixtures were not for hastening but to create more control and ease whilst building guitars. Another area illuminated was to have sufficient comprehension of the tools and machines especially in terms of their accuracy and repeatability. Actions spoke louder, he demonstrated the applications of his jigs and fixtures in the lecture hall which was much anticipated by the audience. Finally, he distilled his workshop into two salient points in guitar production, they are, (1) standardization without compromising creativity and quality of production, (2) organize your work linearly.

Charles Fox

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/presenter15.jpg

Charles' creation

One of the many tools designed by Charles

While all the workshops and exhibitions were underway, the organizers were also busy preparing a truckload of gadgets and gears for the popular GAL auction events. There were 2 kinds of auction, the silence and opened kind. Without spilling the beans for those who hasn’t experienced the auctions, I will leave you to figure out the mechanics of operation from pictures. Suffice to say that both were exciting, teeth biting and extremely hilarious. The exhibition for day 4 was opened to public. As expected, the visitors surged in numbers. The atmospheres within the various exhibition halls were electrifying even the previous days were considered as decent. Again I went tables hopping to complete the entire loop. More pictures below.

Exhibition at basement 1

Carbon rods for reinforcement?

Bob's new Kinnaird, with Stephen (happy man) and Jeff

Edel and Jeff

Edel and Kelly

Mark and Kelly

Mark & Jeff, Happy Dudes and Beautiful Ukes, aren't they!

Charles and Jeff

Me, Charles, Kelly and Dr. Jeff

Gurus talking ...

Jeff and the lovely Bruné Family

Day 4 was kind of special for me. In April 2010, I have commissioned Kent Chasson (http://www.chassonguitars.com/), an American luthier to make a guitar for me. Our collaboration was fun-filled, innovative and experimental. Through this, we have learned plentifully and the outcome was a beautifully made guitar. Coincidentally, Kent lives in Bellingham WA, only a 2 hour drive to Tacoma. After months of email correspondences, we were delighted to meet and Kent has delivered the completed guitar in person. Nicolai was among the first the try this amazing guitar. Here’re a few pictures below.

Kent, the new built and I

Nicolai trying it ...

On day 1, each participant was given an electronic meal card that has been programed with a fixed value to cover all meals within the convention. Most people will moderate the quantity to avoid over spending. However many participants only realized on day 4 evening that their meal cards have value way beyond the needs for the last 2 meals. Many were seen ordering foodstuffs to expand the budget; even they didn’t need that amount of food. Perhaps part of the fun was not to get stuck with a high balanced value card.

There was no evening performance on day 4 because it was time for the opened auction. The hall was crowded with bargain hunters. As like most auctions, this auction was also governed by desire and pressure. Items that started as a bargain can turn into an over-priced purchase. However, this was the deal for any opened auction. Buying an item may become secondary when two parties were locked into a bidding war. Well, that was the sources of fun I must say. Also many thanks to the auction emcee Kurt Kendall who made it hilarious and intense. I was totally entertained. Click this link to view more pictures: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/auction.html

Auction underway ...

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/auction10.jpg

Kurt Kendall (far right) and company ... it was non-stop laughs

Taken from: http://www.luth.org/convention/2011/auction09.jpg

The GAL Convention was indeed extremely rewarding for me. It was rare to attend a convention that emphasized so much on sharing and learning over business transactions. This attitude was pervasive among the participants; it also made the atmosphere friendly and informal. Gurus who I have learned about through internet were present at the convention, live! It was also humbling to meet so many dedicated guitar makers in person. They have inspired me to want to be better. Not to mention the chance to play so many hand-made guitars was like no other experiences comparable in Singapore. Last but not least, the many liked-minded friends I have met was the most invaluable gains.

All these would not been possible without GAL staff’s professional work and dedication. I should be attributing this success to many people who have contributed in some ways but I will likely miss out some names. Therefore, I truly thank them all and this is one convention that is worthy to be praised. Highly recommended to all string instruments player to attend.

Savoring some private moments with my new friend

It has past midnight and the auction has finally ended. The adrenalin to keep going has subsided in the last evening of the convention and it was time I retired back to my dormitory for the last night of sleep. I left for Singapore on Day 5 of the convention. The next time I will make it a point to stay throughout. I will be back for the next one … very likely.