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Hello all, At the beginning of this month I moved into a new shop, and no longer share a space with another guitar maker. I'm doing everything with a very simple setup now and loving it. No more wide belt sander, fancy binding jigs, milling machine, Chladni pattern setups or even table saw or side bending machine. Just a lot of good sharp metal tools and a lot less dust. It hasn't really slowed me down at all... the work is going really well, although setting up the space and getting all the little things I need has eaten up a fair amount of time. It feels amazing to be working exactly the way I want to work and I think the new guitars I make in here will be better in every way. Anyway I got a little Instagram-happy and thought I would share a few shots. The guitar you see being made is a cedar top blanca which was started in the new place. The negra hanging up is gone now and was just finished here.
Wood storage is on the other side of the room and I don't seem to have a picture of it. Total area is 180 sq.ft.
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Andy, I just love those kind of time lapse videos, and Your is great! It would only be better if it would take You till the complete guitar! looking forward for some more!
So that´s where u let the magic happen. Cool thing! Man Im looking for a new apartment right now..its so hard.. I wonder how you found this nice place for your workshop.
I'm so jealous! I moved house recently and was hoping to have a new workshop soon. But I fell from a loft ladder and broke my back in a couple of places last week. So now I'm laid up and won't get a new shop another couple of months.
So enjoy your new home, and don't do anything silly, like me.
I'm so jealous! I moved house recently and was hoping to have a new workshop soon. But I fell from a loft ladder and broke my back in a couple of places last week. So now I'm laid up and won't get a new shop another couple of months.
So enjoy your new home, and don't do anything silly, like me.
Your health is more important than a new shop. Take care of yourself first! Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Looks like you got the same bench as I got. I moved the vise to the front left tho. Seemed more useful there for me. I was going to ask you about the heel construction detail for a.cutaway guitar. I need you replace my regular gig guitar with one I will make myself. Is the side where the cutaway is just glued flat against the side of the heel block?
Hey everyone, My girlfriend and I are also moving into a new apartment right now (yeah a lot of moving... it's definitely getting old). We are without internet for a few days before we move into our new place so I will answer everyone when I have some more time. Thanks for all the comments.
Man Im looking for a new apartment right now..its so hard.. I wonder how you found this nice place for your workshop.
Are you still in the States Doit? My girlfriend and I actually just moved to a new apartment too... a little more expensive but a lot nicer than where we were before. The workshop was a good find and the rent is very reasonable too. The building's kind of a cool old run-down office building but it has a lot of plumbing issues, etc. It's fine for a workshop though.
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Congrats man. About the video - you should try to make one where it shows you going through a build from A to Z. That would be super cool.
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Andy, I just love those kind of time lapse videos, and Your is great! It would only be better if it would take You till the complete guitar! looking forward for some more!
Thanks guys, I would love to do that, maybe some day when I'm feeling really organized and motivated (not right now )
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Where's the stereo?
Well the "stereo" is an old beat up radio that I got for free from someone I used to work for... my goal is to get an iHome thing for my iPod so iCan bump my tunes that way but I'm not sure if all the dust will be a problem.
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I moved house recently and was hoping to have a new workshop soon. But I fell from a loft ladder and broke my back in a couple of places last week. So now I'm laid up and won't get a new shop another couple of months.
Sorry to hear that krichards! That sounds pretty bad. Your guitars always look great and I'd love to see more of your work once you get back to it...
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Contrats Andy!
Looks like you got the same bench as I got. I moved the vise to the front left tho. Seemed more useful there for me. I was going to ask you about the heel construction detail for a.cutaway guitar. I need you replace my regular gig guitar with one I will make myself. Is the side where the cutaway is just glued flat against the side of the heel block?
Jorge.
Thanks Jorge... that bench is not bad at all. Some day I will build my own dream bench but this one can't really be beat for the money. It took a lot of flattening and that Chinese mystery-wood was tough and chippy to plane but mine is in good working order now.
Thanks Andy! Your cutaway page really helps me get it together in my head. Very clever indeed I must say. I have seen some cutaway guitars where the side attaches higher up so the heel is really long and ugly looking. It is much more attractive and deviates much less than the traditional heel/side construction the way you have done it. - Thanks.
I have started my third guitar. The negra (#2) was presold and came out really nice. Still have to glue bridge on and string up. It took about 15 days construction time for the second.
I was going to do the cutaway on the third. Still haven't commited to it yet tho. I have a fishman premium blend system ready if this is the one I will cutaway. Getting some Padauk on Tuesday so I may save that for the plug in guitar.
My bench had a hump from front to back of the top. I returned the first one and the second has much less but still is not completely flat. I didn't think of planing it... Good idea!
Thanks man, glad you found that useful. The main thing I wanted to avoid was the Antonio Aparicio style cutaway design-- good lord!
The one where the end of the side is actually curved and buts up directly to the heel wood, following its contour, is probably the most elegant design and some day I would like to get my mind around that and start using it.
15 days is pretty fast, that's about where I am on a good month where I'm not moving etc.
I would like to hear that negra when it's strung up... It's so interesting in the first few guitars noticing the differences in sound as you hone your skills and try different things... if you don't have a full list of orders already I would recommend making 3 or 4 blancas in a row just to get deeper into refining your voice on one type of guitar. But I know how tempting it is to try different things and you can learn from that too.
It hasn't really slowed me down at all... the work is going really well, although setting up the space and getting all the little things I need has eaten up a fair amount of time.
Hello Andy: Congratulations on your new shop, apartment, etc.
If you have time, can you check out my recent ongoing thread on my old Japanese blanca that needs an action fix? (See notes from JShelton, estabanana, et al).
When you are settled in and maybe have a bit more time, perhaps you'd like to take a look at it?
I live about an hour's drive from Niagara Falls, and could meet up with you there if you like? You could take your girlfriend for a trip to The Falls, and we could meet for lunch. My treat!
Thanks britguy, It looks like the other guys have provided you with the common fixes: planing down the fingerboard at the nut end, compression fretting, replacing the fingerboard, and of course the neck reset. I would be happy to have a look at it and give my opinion on what should be done but bear in mind I'm not a hardcore "repair guy", and I'm not sure I even have the time to take on serious repair jobs. It's possible I will be in Buffalo again soon, I just made a guitar for Mir Ali who lives there and I drive up sometimes, and my girlfriend actually does sound interested in the Falls, so I will definitely let you know if I'll be in the area at all.
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