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Robbins Guitars Thread


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Great stuff here. I did something similar to those fret markers a few year ago, I inlayed a thin strip of MOP in a wooden neck binding, as long as the fret it is supposed to indicate. It is barely visible here:

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and you can se one single marker here:

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Not really the same thing but a bit similar. To me they were a bit too hard to relate to when playing as the guitar also has that intricate inlay on the front of the fretboard so there is no help there.

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The request was made to bind the face plate with the curly redwood and if you dont know, it is extremely fragile so bending it would be a nightmare. Another issue was routing the binding trench. The design calls for such a sharp point that my router would absolutely destroy it no matter how careful I was. So instead of taking that risky path, I asked around and decided remaking the faceplate only thicker and binding it off the guitar would be much safer. I still had the issue of bending the red wood though. After some thought I figured out a way to bind the face plate with one piece of redwood. No bending, no pieced binding glue joints, just a nice solid, clean boarder. Im pretty proud of the result!

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First I didn't really got the faceplate binding pic, but as soon as I did I had to do a face palm. That is so brilliant!

^ wow that looks like it was difficult to do. Doing full side blocks was tricky enough I would want to do halfs.

No too complicated. A hint: The wooden binding and the MOP strips have roughly the same thickness. Got it?

If not, heres how to do it: Tape the binding to the fretboard on the opposite side as it is ending up and cut the fret slots on the fretboard and the binding at the same time. Next you carefully cut out the parts of the binding were the MOP goes and glue the binding to the fretboard. Now you only have to cut the MOP strips to the right lengths and you are done.

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SL- Thanks man, feel free to use it! Its deffinitely alot less of a headache then trying to bend delicate wood or being stuck with an annoying glue seem. Just spend the extra time sanding to get a close fit, it will be worth it when the glues dry! That is a reall good idea for the binding, while still not easy, its much simpler then I had originally thought. Nice idea!

Verhoevenc- I have been done college for about two years now and for those two years I have been working as a busboy 5 nights a week and in my shop 6 days a week. I could use the 8 week break to get out of my routine for a bit. Its going to be an experience. I have never been away from home for more then a week, I commuted to college and still live at home. This will give me a good feel of what its like to be on my own. It will also allow me to make new contacts in the business and could possibly lead to an apprenticeship or a job. Students who are able to impress the instructers could potentially be sent to well known/respected luthiers to continue their studies. I figure If I can come this far on my own in two years of serious building that I could really do something special with proper training. I would like to make a living doing this and I know it wont be easy but with a name like Galloup in backing me I may have more of a chance. Even if I am unable to make it, I will always have lutherie as a hobby and its something I want to push as far as possible.

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If the school was cheaper I would argue with Chris because I believe luthiers should study under other luthiers every chance you get. Also Chris got to study under Myka so he is spoiled.

My problem with the school is the cost vs return on investment. I think you said it was 10G. That is a real good start on a Masters degree.

I would hope for 10G that you are working under a respected master Luthier.

I personally would be hunting for an apprenticeship with a respected Luthier instead of the school.

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Rad it was $6500 for the journeyman program that I am taking. It will cover setup, repairs, pickups, an electric and acoustic build, and business start up, so I mean for the experience as a whole I did not think that was unreasonable. Galloup has been teaching for over 25 years and is well respected, I have heard alot of good things about him. Also as I mentioned the school will cover a complete acoustic build which is what I would like really focus on and be known for. It will help me greatly to build one under someones guidence prior to investing in all the extra tools jigs and materials. Plus they are highly focused on setup ups and making the guitar play as well as it can. If you finish a step early your encouraged to perform setups on one of many guitars the have available for teaching purposes. Once I sharpen my skills a bit, Ill be able to make some more cash offering those set up services as well.

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Now learning to do a proper setup is a good thing. Experience is the best teacher in that regard.

I like the Acoustic build. That is were the real value of the school will be. I think that is were learned the most during my apprenticeship in the dark ages.

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I wasn't saying Gallup is bad or anything. Actually, I was paying you a complement. I think (acoustic building aside) it looks to be like you have the skillset already that they will be teaching. Unless your setups suck... but that I don't think you need to pay $6,500 for to learn. That you just need to do more of to learn.

Yes, I got to study under people, Todd of Greenridge guitars as well (where I got my acoustics knowledge). Yes they helped a lot. But mind you, this was not an 8-week classroom, etc. You learn through time, repetition, and not just knowledge transfer. I worked with Todd for over a year on my acoustic learning every in and out. Another girl that did the same after me (his second student) produced an equally quality and beautiful instrument. She then went to a class like you're going to and put out her second acoustic... nowhere NEAR as nice, putting it lightly. These are in/out learning places. You learn the basics, how to build fast, and then it's on you to learn to perfect your craft. At least this is what I get from all those I've talked to about these schools (*Note: not talking about Gallup in particular, just lutherie schools in general). Seems you already understand the fine detail and craft-ability parts of lutherie. You also already know electrics. I'd think you're better off putting that $6,500 in some new tools and jigs and going at an acoustic yourself. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have as well as the OLF forum I'd imagine.

My $0.02

Chris

PS: Having gone through more business school training than I care to admit (entrepreneurship masters classes included) I'd discount anything you 'learn' about starting a business from the ground up in an 8-week setting. Especially one where you're doing a lot of other stuff.

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I know what your saying Chris, but I know they will be able to show me some tips and tricks to help me do stuff quicker. One of my main issues is time. I have no plans on learning to rush my builds but I would like to work more efficiently. I need to get my hours down to see any kind of profit. The Duality and the Seven were my first comissioned builds but I cant really say I made any money on them because they took me so long to make. Im getting quicker on my own as this new build (redwood/ebony) has only two weeks into it but I think the school will help even more. Plus its highly encourraged to take as many pictures, notes, and measurements as you can of all the jigs they have at the school so that you can recreate them and improve your output. I know theres plenty of jigs online but they always seem to fall to the back of my todo list when I get stuck or cant quite figure it out, Its just how I am in that department, I want to know what to build exactly to get it done and get back to actual guitar work. Once I get back I will have a clearer plan of what I need to buy, what I need to make, and how much money it will take to achieve that. Also Just having people there getting paid to answer every question on the spot is something I look forward to. You guys are very helpful but I hate to ask too much of anyone ya know. Anyways I worked hard for a year and saved the cash and its something Im looking forward to and do not think I will ever regret going as this may be the only oppertunity I ever have. Thanks for the advice and your willingness to help though! :)

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Also how about a jig for the thickness taper on the neck. My band saw drives my nuts and always leaves me with a ton of sanding clean up to get the desired thickness. Im using a 3/4 ripping blade but I dont trust the cuts its giving me so I cut a decent distance from the line.

Any suggestions?

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Are you talking about the fretboard/ neck taper? or the profile thickness?

for the fretboard/neck taper, i just draw out the taper on the neck, bandsaw, and then double stick tape a long joined piece of MDF along the line. Then use a router with a bearing bit along it, just like you would a body. Perfectly straight, smooth taper.

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