Thank you for taking
an interest in my service. This brochure was prepared to acquaint
you with the advantages I offer as a one-man shop. It contains some
of the construction procedures of my instruments, which show why there
is a tremendous difference between fine hand-made instruments and
all others.
WOOD AND OTHER
MATERIALS
The Luthier begins
his instrument at the lumber yard. I pick my woods for tone, slowness
of growth pattern (closeness of grain), stiffness across the grain,
perfectly vertical quarter-sawing, interesting figure and pattern, color,
and age. All the wood used in my instruments is aged at least five years
in my shop under the same atmospheric conditions the instrument will
be built under. The woods used, and the reasons for their use are as
follows:
NECK: Honduras Mahogany - most stable wood known, carves well, very
strong for its weight.
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TOP: European Sitka Spruce, Quarter-sawn - strongest wood for its
weight, very high tone qualities. I also use Red Cedar and Douglas
Fir which are very close in qualities to European and Sitka Spruce,
and Mahogany
BACK AND SIDES: Brazilian rosewood, Quarter-sawn - highest tone quality
known, extremely handsome in pattern and color; Flamed Maple - brightness
of treble tone, very handsome pattern. (Used for Flamencos and some
Steel Strings.); Honduras Mahogany - good tone qualities, very strong
for its weight, extremely stable, pleasing color, very popular for
Steel String flatpicking guitars.
BRACING: Top Braces - Quarter-sawn Sitka Spruce; strongest wood for
its weight known, high tone qualities; Back Braces - Honduras Mahogany;
very stable and strong for its weight. I make one back brace of Aromatic
Cedar (which is similar in qualities to Honduras Mahogany) to help
keep moths from your guitar case.
FINGERBOARD: Ebony - one of the hardest woods, very stiff, holds frets
well, good color contrast.
BRIDGE: Ebony or Brazilian rosewood - used mainly for its tone
qualities and beauty.
WOOD INLAYS: Used around the sound hole and the perimeter of the instrument
and made at my shop. I use the following woods: Boxwood, Holly, Rosewood,
Ebony, Satinwood, Mahogany, Maple (sometimes dyed). On My Classic
guitar the sound hole is surrounded by a Mosaic Inlay, which I design
and construct. It is composed of different colored woods, each piece
twenty thousandths of an inch square.
At your preference,
I can use Mother-of-Pearl, Abalone, or Silver for inlay on fingerboards,
around the sound hole, and the perimeter of the guitar.
The nut and saddle are made of Bone, Metal, or various Synthetic Materials
(for electronics). The frets are Nickel-silver. Only top-quality tuning
machines are used on my instruments.
SHAPE AND
SIZE
The next step is to
pick the type, size, and shape of the instrument. In my Steel String
guitars I tend towards the Pre-War Martin and Gibson shapes. My Classics
and Flamencos are patterned after Domingo Esteso. In a hand-made instrument
the shape and size are flexible due to the fact that no forms are used.
The sides are bent by hand and checked against patterns. This system
of construction gives the hand-maker extreme versatility in creating
the shape and determining the depth and width of instruments, thus making
it possible to develop the sound and tone qualities desired.
SETTING THE
ACTION
The next step is to
glue on the fingerboard and bridge, and start setting the action. This
is done by hand-planing and scraping the fingerboard and bridge. To
reach the exact measurements required this must be done with the guitar
tuned to pitch, which means the strings must be put on and taken off
on an average of ten times during planing and scraping to reach desired
measurements.
FINISH
The last and very
important step is the finish. The object of finishing the musical instrument
is to protect the instrument, to create clarity of sound, and to enhance
the beauty of the wood. The finish I use is Lacquer. I have experimented
with Varnish and French Polish, and I find Lacquer to give the best
tone. When finishing the instrument the most important consideration
is to keep the finish thin. This usually takes about six coats; then
the finish is hand-rubbed.
PERSONAL PREFERENCES
In addition to selecting
the style and size of the instrument, you may specify: the string length;
the neck width and shape; number of frets clear of the body; whether
the fingerboard is arched or flat; left-handed setup; pick guard type
and shape; open or solid head. The finish can be rubbed to a high gloss
or a dull sheen.
The following options
are also available: gold-plated machines, extravagant inlay work on
the fingerboard and/or body of the instrument, multi-string models,
cutaway models, electronics installation, custom cases.
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