philosophy

Luthier stuff

I have been asked a few times to share my insight on the
acoustic guitar, so this page is an attempt to dispel some
common misconceptions about the instrument and also describe
some of my theories on the guitars that I build.

Instead of the “tap tuning” method, I describe my theory on
guitar building to be very similar to a speaker in a
sub-woofer. At the heart of the speaker you have a solid core
with some extra strength and mass ad toward the outer edges
of the speaker cone it gets progressively thinner and more
flexible. By driving the core of the speaker with an electric
current, it vibrates the core and moves air to produce sound.
In my guitars, you can consider the core of the speaker to be
the bridge area. The top of the guitar (in most cases spruce)
is then sanded so that it is thinner on its outer edges and
the vibrations induced with the strings allow the top of the
guitar to move air (creating sound). Perhaps this is why my
guitars project so well?
When possible, I like to use woods that are native to North
America. Some of this wood, like Ash, is common and most
people know what it looks like. It also makes for an
incredible acoustic guitar! Sycamore is another overlooked
tonewood. The guitars I have made using sycamore have ended
up sounding a lot like a mahogany guitar but perhaps just
slightly brighter in overall tone. Osage orange is another
tonewood that is often overlooked. Its appearance (bright
yellow) is not always favorable, but the tone is as close to
Brazilian Rosewood as you can get. I would challenge anybody
to do a blindfolded hearing test between two of the same body
guitars of Braz and Osage. I doubt that anybody could tell
the difference. Walnut, Elm, Hickory, Pecan, Oak….all good
tonewoods when used properly. I have also used box elder to
build a guitar. This wood is in the maple family, but is
outstanding looking because of its bright red streaks.

I guess what I am trying to say is that most any wood can become a
tonewood when it is crafted in the hands of someone who understands
how to use it. That brings me to another point about myself. I own a
portable sawmill and I enjoy sawing logs into lumber. Some of the guitars
I have built are from wood that I cut the tree down and then dried the
wood and made a guitar out of it. I doubt that you will find many luthiers
that can say that! If you go back a page or two and look at my gallery,
you will find a guitar made from Sycamore. That is one of the trees that
I cut down and made a guitar from the wood.

5. I build all of my guitars using parabolic bracing as opposed to
scalloped bracing. Perhaps it is because I don’t fully understand the
point of suppressing certain tones with the scallops??? I can’t say for
sure. The one thing I am certain of is that I get incredible sustain and
projection out of the parabolic bracing schemes I use in all of my guitars.
Of course each guitar’s bracing is slightly different than the others, but
this is due to the different densities of the woods used, and the
flexibility of the top. (every top is different). If I were a factory, I would
brace all of my guitars all the same as the others and hope that they all
came out sounding good. In fact, this is what most factories do and is
the reason that you can play a dozen of the same brand and model of
guitars and perhaps one or two of those dozen will be exceptional while
the others are just ….ho-hum?? I take the time to bend and flex each
top. I have a “feel” for what the wood needs in order to produce the
best sound but at the same time to withstand the rigors of being under
the stress of the strings for decades without mal forming or producing a
“belly” Guitars with a belly are my pet peeve. I do everything in my
power to try to make sure that the guitars I build don’t develop that
dreaded belly over time. All of the stock I use for bracing is tight grained
and exactly quarter sawn. I am meticulous about the small details that
you won’t see in the guitar. You will hear the difference it makes though!
6. I use reverse Kerfed linings in all of my guitars (with the exception of
the classical guitars). It makes for a MUCH stronger joint between the
back, sides, and top. While this takes extra time to install and costs
more than the traditional kerfed linings, I feel it is better so I take the
time to make it a standard on all of my guitars.
7. I love to use wood bindings in my guitars. This is one of the details
that the customer can choose when he commissions me to build a guitar.
My preference is to have a binding that contrasts beautifully with the
top and the back and side woods. Of course, if you choose you can
have some of the celluloid bindings as well. I keep them in stock, but
rarely use them. For the purflings, I prefer the ones made from wood
also. Most of the time, I make the purflings myself but on occasion I will
buy from other luthiers who have made an overstock of a certain type. I
also sell some of my overstock of purflings to other luthiers on occasion.
By doing this, I have a wide range of colors and styles to choose from.
You can also choose to have mother of pearl or abalone for purflings.
Installing those types is expensive because purchasing the material is
expensive and also the labor to hand inlay so many small pieces of the
natural materials is VERY time consuming. I DO NOT use “fake” pearl or
abalone purflings! (You will find this on some guitars.) While it may not
be apparent to the casual user that fake purflings are used, anyone who
is educated in the craft can spot it at a distance. I just don’t want my
name associated with fake stuff!
8. All of my guitar backs are cross braced with an x-brace. I feel this
adds to the resonance of the guitars, but that is not the real reason I
use them. On steel string guitars, the top is a dome. Even though they
are called “flat top” guitars, the top is not flat…it is a dome. The back of
a guitar is also a dome. You are going to have to put on your thinking
cap on this one, but here is the real reason I cross brace the backs:
Over time, the strings pull the neck forward. The back of the guitar feels
the pull and tries to straighten out the dome into more of a flat shape. If
allowed to do so, when the back flattens out, the neck is allowed to
rotate slightly which causes the need to do a “neck reset”. This is quite
common in acoustic guitars, especially guitars over 20 years old. What I
am striving to do is to eliminate that back from flattening out and
eliminate the need to have a luthier do a neck reset. I feel that using
taller back bracing in an x-brace style allows me to achieve the goal of
keeping the domed shape in the back of the guitar. I am actually saving
you money….20 or 30 years from now!
9. Top woods: My first choice for the top of a guitar is a hybrid
between Sitka, Engelmann, and white spruce. This wood is called “Lutz”.
I get the best tones from this wood and it produces the best overall
tone of any top wood I have ever used. Engelmann spruce is probably
my second choice with Sitka coming in a strong third. If you want a
really warm tone on your guitar, I would suggest western red cedar. If
an exceptionally bright tone is what you are looking for, then perhaps a
maple topped guitar would suit you better. Mahogany topped guitars
record well. By no means is this meant to be an absolute evaluation to
top woods, but in general this has been my findings over the years.
10. The most important thing that I do when you come to me to discuss
building a guitar is that I ask a lot of questions, and I actually listen to
what you are telling me. While I might have some suggestions for you to
consider, this is by no means a “pushy” type of discussion. By asking
questions and putting all of the pieces together about your tastes in
music, your playing style, and your desired “sound” that you are looking
for, I can then develop a good suggestion for your new guitar. If you
already know what woods you would like to use, this speeds up the
process considerably. I can help you decide on the other parts of the
guitar to achieve the overall goal of the “perfect sound” that you want.
11. I stand behind my work. If for any reason you have problems with
the craftsmanship or materials in the guitar you purchase from me, I will
either repair or replace the guitar (at my sole discression) for as long as
I am able to work as a luthier. Of course, as with any guitar, you are
required to take proper care of the instrument and guard it against high
heat and humidity changes beyond the 40 to 60% relative humidity
required of any quality wood instrument. Proper care of the fingerboard
using 0000 steel wool and either olive oil or mineral oil is needed also in
order to insure that the fingerboard remains clean and last a long time.
Wiping down he guitar with a lint free soft cloth occasionally is also part
of a good care routine. Keeping the proper guage strings on the guitar
will insure that the neck doesn’t prematurely warp.
12. I think I have mentioned it above, but this is important to telling you
who I am and what I believe in: First of all I am a Christian and I believe
in treating others in the same way that I want to be treated. I want you
to be happy with every aspect of the guitar that I build for you. I have
been blessed in life and I really don’t have to work for a living. I build
guitars to supplement my income but most importantly I build guitars
because I truly have a passion for the instrument. I want your
instrument to be something that brings you joy for the rest of your days
and then something that your grandchildren will enjoy playing also. God
has blessed me with the talents of woodworking and music and I would
love to bless you with a high quality guitar of your dreams at a
reasonable price.