RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style tutorial

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Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to estebanana)

Stephen,

I like your pictures but could you do me a favor and shrink the width of your picture back a little so it can correlate to my previous post size? Thanks.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 21 2015 16:46:19

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Tom,

I made the two of my shop into attachments that don't show on the page, but I left the example of the bracing is fits with the thread. The size is normal page size for a photo.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 4:28:54

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Tom is right. Pics better not exceed ~ 1000 pixels lengthwise.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 17:53:29

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

The photo is only about 600 pixels and is not distorting the page format on my screen.

Tom is posting Youtube "thumbnails" to videos I'm posting regular photos, I'm not going resize photos to match a video preview format.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 18:58:56

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Just checked.
The photos are 960 px and push the thread frame. Not overly disturbing with a 1280x1024 setting, but with only a bit less of screen resolution and viewers get lost in the blast (if I can say so) / need to scroll around.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 20:06:08

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

I'm so dammed rude. I hid it.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 20:26:44

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Nah. I suppose "rude" in that sense being when people have not heard of resizing yet (which still occures now ~25 years into PC era) and when you find the screen filled with 2 or 3 rosette tiles from a guitar total. hehehe

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 21:29:05

mmmenk

Posts: 54
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Hi Tom,
Thanks for stepping up and sharing your experience with the subtle variations which add up to making a fine guitar. You have been a leader in the field of lutherie in the USA, and your dedication to the Spanish guitar tradition is a worthy pursuit.
Keep up the good work.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 26 2015 22:54:02

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmmenk)

Sorry for being a little slow as I have some family issues with my youngest brother in rehabilitation for a few weeks, after a fall at his place of work.

He says he wants to live, which is a good sign.

I'll try and show a video of my new laminate router base I had added for a router I just bought.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 27 2015 5:42:05

FERREREZAKI

Posts: 64
Joined: Jul. 10 2013

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Sorry to hear about that Tom.
I know what it's like worrying about your younger brother. I Hope he gets better quickly.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 29 2015 20:09:37

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to FERREREZAKI)

Thank you for your kind word.

I'll try and get the video of my laminate router base on-line ASAP.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 29 2015 21:39:58

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Still haven't found time for my wife to take a video of the router but perhaps sometime this week.

When I get the back installed I'll do the binding purfling, then bridge and fingerboard, then string it up and play it in to see if it needs any fine-tuning of the voice.

Oy! this has been a work in progress.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 6 2016 19:13:34

mmmenk

Posts: 54
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Tom,
You are in retirement mode. I know how that is, my wife just retired, now I have become her new project. It is a constant Honey Do list, and she is on a kick to organize everything in the house. That ruffles my feathers, because I thrive on my chaotic style.
It is like oil and water. But we will work it out, still married since 1970.
Building guitars is a great escape for me. I just heard Pepe Romero on the radio and he has inspired me to get going with my work.
Hang in there, we are looking forward to your tutorial, I am very interested in how you make the guitar come alive. You do have that certain touch.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 10 2016 9:37:08

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmmenk)

I'm just about ready to come back; just getting things organized from some of my other responsibilities.

This will allow me some time to build for this tutorial.

As I may have mentioned, Manuel Adalid, one of the principles of the Esteve Guitar Factory in Valencia Spain, may visit me some time this spring, so I will try and write a little about his visit, if possible.

As it is, I'm a one small shop worker so I have to be careful, at my age, to remember to get all of my priorities straight, as I don't have a helper to remind me to think about levels of progression. But so far it's OK.

The Rodriguez style guitar I'm building looks good and I'm anxious to return and finish it.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 15 2016 14:23:32

mmmenk

Posts: 54
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

There is more than one way to skin a cat..
I have always loved that phrase, but never seen anyone try to even catch a cat, let alone try to skin it, and then what do you do with the skin and the carcass?
Rude and stupid. I know. We get over it.
Show me the money. What makes these guitars tick?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 15 2016 23:47:24

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmmenk)

What makes guitars tick is developed by each individual master builder; I chose to emulate the Spanish style.

The intuitive style of fine tuning took me a long time to develop, as there were no builders to teach this particular approach.

But after 30 years practicing this style I worked my way through it by trial and error.

There is a lot to be considered when fine tuning any master builders design, and this is what appeals to me;

to get into the head of each independent builder to find the sweet spot of each design.

My last class was with a professional builder who was in my shop for the day to brush up on the knowledge. I checked his guitar and then told him where to go to fine tune it.

It was a huge success, as he got rave reviews from his effort.

I'll be sharing some of this style on this thread but not in total revelation since this is a close proximity approach in a shop class. Mano a mano.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 16 2016 11:48:47

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

The first technique I use is to check the sound when the guitar is strung up to concert pitch, and then fine tune the bass strut to deepen the tonal response.

Normally this will be to thin the bass fan on top toward the sound hole but leave the height untouched at the bottom end.

This is a gradual taper toward the sound hole for the entire length of the fan brace, and should be done very slightly.

Any questions?

For those of you who have built a 2003 Reyes style plan, this will incorporate the over-all technique on the plan and explain what the fine-tuning is about.

Also, I will explain the Rodriguez style, as I finish building it, as I do similar tuning to its bass side.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 19 2016 13:18:06

mmenk

Posts: 23
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

What you are saying really fascinates me, you are quite an artist at voicing your guitars. Like the violin makers getting inside and selectively thinning for best tonal response. Back in the day when I was working for Sid Locker, he brought in many great Spanish guitars, and I got the chance to see, play and work on some of the best and worse at that time. Everyone is looking for that edge, to make things work just right for their personal tastes and desires.
Players would come in and request revoiciing as part of the regular set up and action adjustment, and we were expected to take care of these problems.
Shaving braces and such were the daily fare. Of course the minute that you put a hand on the original structure, the warranty was voided, so proceed with caution.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 21 2016 23:13:54

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmenk)

quote:

Shaving braces and such were the daily fare. Of course the minute that you put a hand on the original structure, the warranty was voided, so proceed with caution.

Michael, is that you.... Are you still building?

I don't recommend that a master builder's guitar be adjusted by anyone but the original builder.

I remember Sydney Locker quite well, may he rest in peace.

If you have a copy of the 2003 Manuel Reyes plan, then most of the fine tuning is shown on paper.

The Rodriguez build will be explained as I build it with this tutorial. This is a little different but very similar to the Reyes.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2016 14:01:42

mmenk

Posts: 23
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Yes indeed, your old buddy. I have worked on many guitars in my career, and look forward to seeing one of your creations. I guess that you build them so well that they never need service.
M.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2016 20:14:03

mmmenk

Posts: 54
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmenk)

Old man Locker was a teacher, and had many stories to tell.
You met him when he was a younger man. i had only heard of him thru the grape vine. I was growing up in Philly, but did not visit downtown looking for guitars.
You were lucky enough to spend some time at the Navy Yard in Philly.
Hope you got to see the Army vs Navy game. Navy seems to know enough to stay out of the worse messes, and avoid the troubles.
That is a topic for another forum.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 25 2016 7:27:09

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmmenk)

I don't remember if I ever met Sydney in person but I did have a stop over in Philly going to Norfolk to my Coast Guard base in 1961.

After my one year in the USCG I contacted Sydney by phone and ordered a cheap Conde flamenco to play with, and wound up selling a few guitars for him. After that we lost touch and it was in the mid 70's that we talked about a possible job in his shop, but I came to the conclusion that it was too cold for this guy to live in so we lost contact after that.

I never made the effort to see him in person about the job, just decided not to because of the cold weather.

So, I'm sure that you had a better relation with him than I did, as I was separated by certain things that caused a lack of friendship.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 25 2016 13:14:06

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Well, here is the router guide on the bottom that works good from side to side. The up and down fixture works well enough so all I had to do was to have the router base fixed.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2016 20:10:18

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

I like the handle Tom, I think I may try and implement that on my routers. I can see it helping a lot for stability and general control. I've always thought these little trimmers are a little unstable.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2016 22:26:33

mmmenk

Posts: 54
Joined: Dec. 26 2015

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Nice, Tom you are going higher tech in your old age.
Good investment. The bindings and trim are the most tedious part of the job.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 5 2016 7:19:02

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to mmmenk)

I agree but the worst part for me is the neck and bridge, as far as time consuming work. This is the reason I have Manuel Adalid build them for me. He actually does a better job and the bridges are perfectly built for the Rodriguez and Reyes styles.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 5 2016 11:37:41

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: building Miguel Rodriguez style ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Here is the installation of the back purfling I do with masking tape and then clean the glue up with a sharp metal edge.

Then I glue in the binding purfling for the remainder and scrape it clean.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2016 18:22:10