I learned most about guitar making by doing the Instrument Making course at Tonsley TAFE. Unfortunately, TAFE have for some strange reason decided to discontinue that course (I thought it was very popular…go figure?!)
Anyway, Michael Snowden, who taught that course, has now set up his own business offering instruction on instrument making. Check out his website here: Adelaide Artisan Instrument Making. Guitar Making for everyone – Wood & Strings – Adelaide Artisan Instrument Making…
So despite my lack of motivation, I did make some progress this week.
I thought I had finished making jigs, having completed acoustic number 4 entirely in my home workshop…apparently not.
Number 4 had a dovetail joint for the neck, for which I bought a template from Stew Mac and build my own device for using it. Nothing wrong with the jig or template, but I swear I’m not doing another dovetail joint, they are just too difficult!
So for this build, I’m doing straight mortise and tenon joint with bolt on neck.
But, I needed the template to cut the mortise and tenon.…
I’ve been a bit unmotivated with the guitar making of late. Essentially because I have reached a bit of a blocker in the build process. You see, my daughter created a logo for me that I am putting on the heads of my guitars.
The one I put on my last build (Acoustic #4) was a bit dodgy. Basically I printed it on my inkjet printer onto sticky backed paper then carefully cut it out and stuck it onto the head plate. That was fine until the lacquer and sanding process leached some of the colour out of it as you can see.…
Earlier this year I negotiated with my employer to work 4 days a week, allowing me one day, Fridays, to spend in the workshop making guitars. So far it’s working out OK. A lot of those Fridays haven’t fully been spent on lutherie, or I’ve had medical appointments or lunch catch-ups with friends. I could probably have been more diligent about reserving Fridays just for lutherie.
Never the less, I have managed to punch out two bodies and start on two necks in that time, acoustic dreadnoughts number 5 and 6. I’m using timber I picked up from David Linton of Australian Guitar Timbers back in September 2019 when I was on holidays on the Sunshine Coast.…
“Your music is your art. If you try to please everybody, then it’s just not art.”…
Philosopher Harry Frankfurt famously drew a distinction between lies and what he termed “bullshit”.
A lie is an untruth, but it is still tied to a fact. It is the corruption of the fact. Bullshit is speech with no basis in fact, in truth. Many of us think we live in an age of lies, when in fact we live in an age of bullshit.
Bullshit is like belief, its embrace affords no room for questioning.
Frankfurt’s notion of bullshit can help us better understand the nature of modern politics, advertising, news and even science (think climate change denial or anti-vaxxers).…
Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m a grumpy old bastard sometimes, and one of my character flaws is not admitting I’m wrong. But in the face of irrefutable proof that I’m wrong, I’ll most often accede the point.
However, one thing that gets my goat is when someone says something that is clearly wrong, is then proven wrong by stating the facts, then goes on to continue to rant about being treated disrespectfully rather than admit they were wrong in the first place!
If you’re going to act like a dick, expect to be treated with the same amount of respect as you gave!…
This next build is taking me a long time to do. Started it in February 2018 while I was still doing the instrument making course at TAFE. My goal was and is to make the entire thing at home, which I have achieved so far. It’s taken so long because of a) lack of motivation and time and b) I have had to build lots of jigs and buy more tools in order to complete the job.
As of October 2019, the sound box is now complete. Papua New Guinea Rosewood back and sides with Silver Quandong top. The bindings and end graft are Tassie Blackwood and maple.…
Today’s Dilbert calendar strip got me thinking…imagine if it were possible to upload the contents of your brain for offline storage.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a backup of all your thoughts, memories and things you have learned over the years? Just like when your hard drive crashes on your computer, you might be able to restore your brain to a point in time. How useful would that be for people who get dementia or Alzheimers?
Even if you couldn’t restore to your biological brain mass, perhaps it might be possible to access those memories offline. In the Chrysler Club we often lament the loss of knowledge as former workers at Chrysler pass away and that history is gone forever.…
“Life a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” – Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor and Philosopher)…