Myka Guitars Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 (edited) I haven't meant to take so long between posts but man, have I been busy lately. I had a very successful show in June this year and received a few orders so I have been busy in the shop. One of the orders were for 2 twin guitars based on my hollowbody design. Here are a few pics on my website: new hollowbodies The bridge was made a little smaller and closer to the body resulting in a lower overall string height. The pieces for the bridge were also made thinner to reduce the weight. Also the adjustment screws are allowed to come all the way throguh the top piece of the bridge for more stability so the small inlays were removed. I liked the inlays but I like the stability of the bridge more. The humbucker rings were made the exact same way as before but they were simply rounded over more producing a softer look and feel. The knobs were made closer to the body and to a smaller diameter. This guitar has a lot of stuff packed into a small space so real estate is at a premium. I had some custom knobs made to a 5/8" diameter and height. They are not as much of a dominant feature of the guitar now and add to more of an elegant look (in my opinion). Other changes were made to the neck carve. I had a greeat many people like the heavier more rounded shape (like the old Gibson archtops) but most wanted more of a C carve so I made these as a compromise carve. The neck was also made a bit thinner and so plays a bit faster. Overall these are still one of my favorite designs so far. I love the range of tones both clean and cranked up. And acoustically the guitar sounds great. Since completing these two I now have three to compare which is a serious learning experience. There is a similarity to the sounds but definitely each one is unique. I am still studying the differences and similarities. There are so many variables I can't imagine even trying to produce an identical tone from two instruments. Any further comments and/or critique are more than welcome. I have two more in the works that are to my own specs so I will be able to incorprate more changes into these. Again I appreciate the suggestions so far and it has helped me to refine these last two guitars. Thanks! ~David Edited March 29, 2006 by Myka Guitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Good to see you back! Those 2 look absolutely Beautiful as did the one I played at the World Guitar Congress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 <----Say no more If one of those was mine, I'd have to pull everything off of it and put it on the back. I like the backs, they're awesome. What sort of wood is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 WOW, nice stuff. You've got 2, so can I have one of them? How bout if I agree to pay for shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Fantastic David - the tweaks are subtle, but I think the result is a more elegant guitar, so it's paid off. The knobs (particularly the koa accents) are beautiful. How do you find the lacewood when it's not showing a quartered face? I've been thinking of using it for a carved top, but I'm worried that the figure may be patchy in the areas of the carve which end up off the quarter. I'm also wondering how it would look on the sides if I did the whole natural binding shtick - any chance of a closeup of the side/roundover of the backs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 the man who has inspired my building to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Thanks for the comments! Gnome, sorry but they are both spoken for. But you'll pay shipping, huh? The backs on these are indeed lacewood. There is a slight bit of brownish red dye used on the back and the necks to darken them up a bit. It was a request from my client. The dye allows the grain to come through completely and the irridesence is awesome in the light. I wish I could photograph that for you. To answer your question Setch, the lacewood was not a complete quartersawn cut as you noticed. It was off by about 15 degrees on the 2 piece back and about 45 degrees on the 3 piece back. The 45 degrees makes for a pretty consistent tight lacing look that is pretty cool. The 15 degrees make the lacing wider and also lets you get some of the quartered look on the rounded edges. I'll take some pictures tonight (I left my camera at the shop) and post them for you. The lace figuring is hit and miss around the edges but the different areas seem to blend well enough. For binding it might be a little wierd since the grain is very open. It might be a little crumbly in some areas too. Having said all that I still think that a lacewood carved top would be awesome both visually and tonally. It is so close to mahogany to my ears, maybe a little warmer depending on the piece. What body and neck woods were you thinking of using? One last thing about working with lacewood is to forget trying to make it perfectly flat. Even the thickness sander would sand more of the softer parts of the grain and leave a slightly bumpy surface. Visually it looks cool so I don't mind it but if you wanted a perfectly smooth gloss finish it may require some major coats to fill it in. I don't use grain fillers or anything like that, just 4-5 coats of lacquer. Just enough to do the job and you can see the bumpiness. It follows the grain so it does look OK. I almost prefer the natural look of it to a smooth surface anmyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Those are super gorgeous looking guitars there. I spent a lot of time just looking at them and drooling on the keyboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 To answer your question Setch, the lacewood was not a complete quartersawn cut as you noticed. It was off by about 15 degrees on the 2 piece back and about 45 degrees on the 3 piece back. The 45 degrees makes for a pretty consistent tight lacing look that is pretty cool. The 15 degrees make the lacing wider and also lets you get some of the quartered look on the rounded edges. I'll take some pictures tonight (I left my camera at the shop) and post them for you. The lace figuring is hit and miss around the edges but the different areas seem to blend well enough. For binding it might be a little wierd since the grain is very open. It might be a little crumbly in some areas too. Having said all that I still think that a lacewood carved top would be awesome both visually and tonally. It is so close to mahogany to my ears, maybe a little warmer depending on the piece. What body and neck woods were you thinking of using? I'm thinking of a padauk body with lacewood top - or vice versa. If the lacewood is mahogany-esqe it should balence the brightness of the padauk nicely. More things to mull over... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Well done, I like the design and wood choices very much. Is that an ebony veneer on the back of the headstock? What pickups are those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 That is an ebony veneer on the headstock. I use a scarf joint (to conserve wood) and to strenghten the joint. Also this allows me to use ebony (or whatever) veneer for aesthetics. The pickups are the Bartolini ZBS-70 and ZBS-75 in the bridge and neck (contact www.starspickups.com). These are the best pickups I have used, period. They may be the best kept secret in the industry but there is it is. They are the best pickups I have ever used both clean or overdriven. They pick up all the acoustic nuances and then some. The overdive tones are awesome and the feedback is nothing but musical. Setch, the padauk body sounds great. What neck wood? Fingerbaord? Etc?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 I'm undecided. I like to match the neck wood to the body on a natural finished instrument, but I'm not a fan of heavy necks, which could be an issue since I like to chamber the bodies for weight relief and a more responsive sound - padauk is a heavy wood, so I'd have to avoid baseball bat necks... I'm also interested in cedro for necks - I can get it cheaply from my tonewood supplier, as a 40 x 4 x 1" board for classicals with stacked heels. Sounds like plenty for a scarfed electric neck, and I like the idea of a light neck, but have concerns over it's strength on a neck longer and thinner than a classical - might be time to investigate CF rods. The design I plan to use it on would be something like this, only a guitar. It's an original design I worked on whilst I took a break from my last project (shortly after dropping it on a concrete floor). Looks like I may have to wait a while for the intended buyer to get some money (any money!) so I might build the guitar version whilst I'm waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 (edited) I like that shape quite a bit. I am currently working on an asymmetrical double cutaway shape for my next hollowbody design that will be something along the those lines. I want to incorporate the upper cutaway without taking away from the neck joint area. Having some asymmetry allows for that. I also want to make the shape suitable for a solidbody as well so it will be smaller, maybe a 14" lower bout. I'm still not sure. What do you use to draw up pictures like that? I am still using pencil and paper. I also like the idea of a cedro neck. I recently bought a few blanks myself to try on a hollowbody guitar, or maybe even a chambered black limba solidbody. The wood has excellent tone and is so lightweight. Here is a page of the lacewood roundover closeups: lacewood. It's a beautiful wood and the effect on the edges is pretty cool. Edited October 8, 2004 by Myka Guitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Excellent - thanks so much for that, it's exactly what I needed. The design was drawn in photoshop using bezier curves. It's not really ideal for the purpose, but I know the application inside out, so it works for me. I also do a lot of the work on paper, then scan and tweak, print it, amend on paper, scan and tweak etc. I did a degree in illustration, so I'm pretty comfortable with paper and pencil, I just like to temper it with the convenience of digital, especially since it leaves me with less huuu-ge sheets of paper around the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisllub Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Beautiful guitars indeed in every way. I have quite a bit of lacewood but unfortunately not large enough for making bodies and I don't consider it strong enough for necks. I have about 10 acres of land that I am re-foresting and Lacewood will grow here along with the other Silky Oaks Grevillea Robusta and Orites Excelsa. I hadn't considered it before but now it is a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Lacewood is strong enough if you use a truss rod. I can't remember where I saw them but there were some basses with lacewood necks out there. I would imagine that you could strengthen it up using carbon fiber too. It is a pretty strong and stable wood. If I can find links to the basses I'll post them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 I always liked the shape of these guitars. The lacewood is stunning on them too. One thing I do wonder about is that now you are filling orders for them, does it change how you feel about the instrument. There's a certain thrill of the unknown when building a new one, but when you are cranking them out trying to produce the same quality instrument over and over... does it get boring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2004 Jehle, It hasn't changed my approach or enthusiasm at all. It took me years to realize that all I wanted to do was build guitars. I love this work. It's my art. Even though these two new guitars were built in the same way as the first guitar each one has its own unique voice. I used similar woods but one top was an 8yrs air dried tight grained spruce top, the other was 3yrs old spruce with wide grain. Each piece of lacewood had its own mid range punch, etc. It is really still very much a thrill to me to build these guitars. Actually building a 2nd and 3rd version of the (almost) exact gutiar was a great learning experience. They all sound different. They sound like the small bodies archtop that they are but each one has certain tonal aspects that makes it unique. I have been fortunate to have very understanding and flexible clients who give me room to experiment and improve where I feel it needs it. I am very thankful for this since it allows me to grow and explore. This approach keeps it fresh for me. These were very fun projects for me but you know I can't wait to finish the other 3 I started along with these (#019, #020, and #021)! I will get back to them next week and I am very excited as these will really show me the potential of this design. I'll certainly keep the forum up to date as soon as I have more to share. ~David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 These were very fun projects for me but you know I can't wait to finish the other 3 I started along with these (#019, #020, and #021)! ~David I love this body shape. And since I'm thinking about building a jazz box, the hollow body idea would be an interesting middle ground to move from the solid body guitars I have now to something closer to the archtop. Beautiful wood, and beautiful work David! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2004 Thanks Jehle! the hollow body idea would be an interesting middle ground... I was thinking the same thing when I built the first hollowbody. It is a cool type of guitar to build and play. I highly recommend it if for anything else just to experiment further with archtop construction. It answers a lot of questions without getting too far out there in uncharted waters. Let us know when you start one. ~David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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