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Cool Luthier Sites


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One thing I find really inspirational is finding new cool luthier sites --I love these guys and all the new ideas they bring to building guitars. I thought it might be helpful to start a thread where people can list sites of inspiring builders (that is, inspiring to you).You could also add brief comments about what you especially like about the builders' guitars.

Here's a few I like to visit:

Zachary

Myka

Scott French

Klein

Girl Brand

Gander

Art Guitars

(Mods: if this is not the appropriate place--or if this thread has already been done (couldn't find one though)--please move or delete it.

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Myka's stuff, because he's got impeccable taste (ie, his taste in body designs and appointments runs close to my own), and a ton of great drool-inducing as well as educational (tutorial, construction pics) pages. Never really visit Scott's website, but I do love his instruments. Modern classics.

A personal favourite of mine has got to be Ryan Guitars. Which, OK, acoustics, but still. Beautiful instruments.

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+1 for Myka

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Kathy Matsushita has a nice page about acoustic guitars with some tips about tools and builds. It is also nice to see a female luthier once in a wile.

http://pweb.jps.net/~kmatsu/

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  • 3 weeks later...

At Mickguard's request I'm adding Gary Kramer's Delta Wing to the mix. In addition, consider the following:

Bardaphone Acoustic

Black Machine

and

Koll Guitars Custom RE 7/6 Headless Archtop

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http://www.gregyancey.com/

I've always loved Mr. Yancey's basses. Didn't he used to be a member of the forum? Or maybe he was a member of MIMF...

http://www.ctbasses.com/

Cool basses, but I could only play one if I were going to play Primus covers. They have just always had that kooky, care-free air about them.

http://www.walbasses.com/

Gotta include the builder that built my favorite bassist's (Justin Chancellor) axe!

http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/basses.htm

Probably my all-time favorite bass builder. The Signature and Prodigy L.E. basses are nearly orgasmic!

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Yeah, I'm loving this...man, that Bardaphone! Excellent!

Its wacky looking but it has some good ideas if you're looking at ergonomics. That's really where my focus is at and why I like the Klein electric so much. This has a similar look as well as similar ergonomics. I really hope I can get my project rolling again.

I have a few others to dig up - I'll post as soon as I can find them. :D

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McSwain

this guy makes some of the coolest guitars i've ever seen. i found his site because he builds guitars for one of my favorite bands (deadsy)

Amir's Collection

this is amir derakh's (guitar player from orgy) collection page, he isn't a builder but he did design some of theses guitars and all the guitars are pretty cool.

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Yeah, I'm loving this...man, that Bardaphone! Excellent!

Its wacky looking but it has some good ideas if you're looking at ergonomics. That's really where my focus is at and why I like the Klein electric so much. This has a similar look as well as similar ergonomics. I really hope I can get my project rolling again.

I have a few others to dig up - I'll post as soon as I can find them. :D

I'm starting to really like that 'ergonomic' look. Actually my current project is in a similar line--I wanted a wider guitar so that I wouldn't hunch over so much while playing.

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I'm starting to really like that 'ergonomic' look. Actually my current project is in a similar line--I wanted a wider guitar so that I wouldn't hunch over so much while playing.

I was hoping to pull someone over to the dark side. :D Ergonomics are a big thing for me and a good sitting position is important.

Do you have a thread out there that I've missed on your latest project? Time to go hunt around...

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I'm totally on the dark side with you.

On a related note, here's a site for a luthier I met over this past weekend. His name is Chris Forshage, and he currently plays with the group OHN, along with probably a few other projects. Click for OHN 'myspace' type site

He actually makes Bendetto-style archtops (his first build having been such a guitar! That's what I call guts), many of which are featured at his site:

http://www.forshage.com/

However, the one he was playing the night of the gig was a thinline Klein-style headless. It had a teeny-tiny headstock-like bit of extra past the nut in order to simulate the feel of the start of a headstock. The top bout extends a bit deeper into the neck than a Klein, and a few other aspects were different as well. I got to noodle on it just a touch (no amp) and it was brilliantly executed. I wonder if I can nag him to put a picture in his gallery-- though, he may be focussing on archtops and hollowbodies to get a bit of a niche market.

Nice guy, friendly, and and excellent guitarist to boot! Check out his site for a few unique archtops, though I'm a fan of his hollowbodies even a bit more.

Greg

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Do you have a thread out there that I've missed on your latest project? Time to go hunt around...

Same ol' Meet the Twins thread...I just make very slow progress, that's all...got a lot of work in, so I can only steal moments to work on the guitars (when they're not curling up and dying on me, that is).

Yeah, an archtop for a first guitar...that's is guts.

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Here are a couple more contributions to the thread:

Reith Guitars and TK Instruments

Reith I like for the work with headless guitars. TK I like for the interesting ideas on guitar design and construction. There are also some very cool guitars there as well.

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Might as well add Byrd to the list (although this guy has a serious case of trademark fever. I mean, what the hell...

Here's a quote from Byrd:

Why a bolt on neck?

Why a bolt-on neck in the first place? While some have claimed superiority of glued in (set-neck) guitars, real world experience has shown that a properly designed bolt-on neck is actually better for two important reasons:

First, a well designed bolt-on neck design is tonally superior, providing a demonstrably fuller sounding bass response from the instrument. The reason for this is because a glue joint acts as a "wall" to the transference of resonance between two surfaces, and the neck joint is a critical area of resonance. A properly designed bolt-on neck transfers resonance better than a glued in neck.

Secondly, instruments with glued in necks are fragile and subject to easy damage, even from changes in weather or humidity.

And a quote from TK Instruments:

Some of the problems with bolt on necks are; they don't sustain as long as neck through, and glue in neck instruments.

The neck screws can also come loose and then knock the whole instrument out of alignment and tune.

Also, high fret access is often hindered by the bulky heels associated with bolt on instruments.

Although, neck through's have more sustain, stay in tune better, and have nicely carved out heels; they do have a few issues.

If a neck through instrument has a maple neck and mahogany body wings; then 90% of the instruments tone will come from the maple, and only about 10% of the tone comes from the mahogany body wings, because nothing that is producing energy (I.E. the bridge) is directly attached to the wings

Because the bridge is actually mounted on the maple neck wood, rather then the body's wood.

The glue in neck is really the perfect solution to the problems associated with bolt on's and neck through's.

Benefits include: the sustain and stability of a neck through; and you also you get the tone of both the body, and neck wood.

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Might as well add Byrd to the list (although this guy has a serious case of trademark fever. I mean, what the hell...

I thought the exact same thing when I first saw his site. :D

Smooth-gard :D for some reason I found that funny

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