Photographing the instruments for advertising means making sure the lighting, background and camera settings are just right. Tony and David have captured the harp guitar in the camera lens visible in this photo.
Tag Archives: luthier
Hanging out to Dry
Once the epoxy grain filler/sealer coat is applied, the instruments get to just hang out and rest until dried and ready for the next phase.
Smoothing
Making sure the surface is smooth
After the harp guitars are sanded, they are wiped with denatured alcohol to find any glue spots to sand and to remove any residual dust before the grain filler coat is applied. (Denatured alcohol or methylated spirits is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, extremely bad tasting, foul smelling or nauseating – thus the face mask).
North Idaho logs
Wood can be obtained by a short drive into the north Idaho countryside while equipped with chainsaw and pickup truck. The logs in the forefront were harvested from property belonging to fellow musicians, The Shook Twins. These are black walnut and will make some fine guitar parts. The logs in the background will be chopped and split for firewood to burn in the stove during the long, cold months of winter.
Whittling?
Crafting a piece of work as sophisticated as a guitar headstock requires intricate carving and shaping. You could almost say there is “whittling” involved. Here Tone is paring the wood to get to the perfect shape for the design, almost as a sculptor removes bits of clay to reveal the perfect image. In this case, one slip may move the process back to an earlier construction phase. Or it might mean a band aide is required?
Ripping Wood for harp guitars and guitars
Tone is ripping into some AAAA grade spruce we have been eyeing for years. You can see the tight consistency with the grain on this wood. Thanks to Arvid from Lundin’s Violins for cutting us the deal on this beautiful … Continue reading →