2 ай бұрын
2 ай бұрын
2 ай бұрын
3 ай бұрын
3 ай бұрын
3 ай бұрын
5 ай бұрын
5 ай бұрын
5 ай бұрын
6 ай бұрын
7 ай бұрын
7 ай бұрын
7 ай бұрын
Пікірлер
@georgemckenzie2525 2 күн бұрын
Really good video , much gratitude
@scottflorea8788 3 күн бұрын
I heard one time about a luthier that used Sassafras wood. Have you ever tried it? I also heard it smells good when being dimensioned. Thanks.
@monday6524 4 күн бұрын
I have watched this video a couple times. I have emBRACED the bracing pattern approach. The sounding of the top was very educational.
@paladin1217 5 күн бұрын
Have you considered making a fingerboard from mesquite?
@patrickoleary936 5 күн бұрын
Are you planning another seminar in the near future?
@johngates5794 7 күн бұрын
Thanks for that overview! Very thorough. Does the naphtha remove the sharpie that identified the dull side of the cutters?
@ernierodrigues8853 8 күн бұрын
Thank you for the great videos - I’m preparing for my first build - a lot to learn - I intend to do a Douglas fir top - I don’t have a planer to get proper thickness do you sell blanks?
@thepragmaticluthier 6 күн бұрын
I don't see any materials. Of you can locate a "high end" lumber yard/builder's supply, you can procure quarter sawn Douglas Fir stair treads. You willed to look them over to get the character you want, but the yards will often cut them in minimum lengths of three feet or more. Getting them reason to thinner slices is another problem. For that you need friends with a big bandsaw or a professional wood shop/mill room. Final thicknessing of the top can be done as easily with a hand plane as it can with a drum sander, provided that the plane is sharp. The top does not need to be exactly the same thickness throughout. Great good luck with your first guitar.
@bookingboy 12 күн бұрын
I wonder, If you wanted to use a smaller diameter tube, if you could put the air-pressure-valve (shrader valve) in the treaded end cap. Would that work, you think?
@Ben-hu1xq 13 күн бұрын
Very helpful video, but what if the frets are not level afte they are installed? Is it necessary to buy a fret leveling beam and crowning file?
@thepragmaticluthier 12 күн бұрын
Absolutely. I go to great lengths to avoid having to level the frets, but it's common to do so. You could easily make a fret leveling tool for little or no cost as opposed to buying one.
@eriktosten4846 14 күн бұрын
10's of Dollars! Ha! I say that all the time. Love it.
@JaySmith-ly4iv 15 күн бұрын
Your videos inspire me more than most of the others on youtube. Guitar making is what I want to do when I retire in a few years. I already have a wood shop, but I'm trying to learn about the "specialized" tools. Do you make right handed guitars also?
@thepragmaticluthier 12 күн бұрын
Yes, the vast majority of my instruments are right handed. You see a lot of left handed ones in my videos because I frequently use instruments in my own collection to film with.
@patrickoleary936 16 күн бұрын
They turned out beautifully and i can hear the sustain even with that mic. Where do you source most of your wood?
@thepragmaticluthier 16 күн бұрын
I source my material fro backs, rims and necks as locally as possible, all Northeastern hardwoods. My Spruce and Cedar comes from Alaska, my Douglas Fir from the Northwestern U.S. I procure my white Pine locally also and frequently use reclaimed and salvaged material, the guitar with the Hemlock top is an example.
@Mike-r2b 18 күн бұрын
Thanks for a real education.
@myoldmate 18 күн бұрын
13:58. Lovely resonance, best of the bunch imo.
@Dave51262 19 күн бұрын
Kevin - great video. Thanks. Do you know how the "rope" bindings are made, sometimes called "cowboy rope"? I've been looking all over and cannot seem to locate an instruction. The binding is 3/8" wide maple & 3/8" wide walnut alternating pattern. A wood veneer or fiber veneer backer is used but I don't know how this would all work. Just a suggestion for a video or if you can point me to a book on how to do. Not much when I did a web search. Thanks.
@HBSuccess 20 күн бұрын
Kevin re: the Mic. You know better than to present your $10,000 guitars to the buying public with a $10 mic. Those guitars ARE YOU man...months of your effort and craftsmanship so don’t shortchange them. No way do you want us to hear them like an AM radio😂. For recording your guitars spend $100 on a good old warhorse Shure SM58 or 57...and another $50 for a little Behringer interface to get it into your DAW. Still not the ideal mic but it'll sound 1000% better than the typical “podcaster USB mic” and you can use it for PA work somewhere on the weekend 😂. I come through your area from time to time and fully intend to order a guitar from you before we both leave the planet.
@thepragmaticluthier 20 күн бұрын
Thank you so much for your comment and suggestion. In view of so many comments about the sound quality of this video, I have begun to do some research and it's telling me that your very suggestion seem to be the easiest, best results for the dollars spent, most practical. Thanks for you input.
@CreedeGuitars 21 күн бұрын
Really appreciate the time and energy you put into sharing your building expertise! Especially enjoy the thoughts and results you have with locally sourced non traditional woods. I know you have received WAY too many comments on your mic. I am a small builder and recently purchased an Audigo mic. I was looking for an inexpensive way to record my guitars as I finish them. It is a reasonable cost, and you don’t have to subscribe to pay extra monthly for enhancements. You can do everything you need without those. It allows you to process a video with nice audio quality just using a phone and the mic. Sorry if this sounds like an advertisement! I really like the simplicity of this recording/processing system, and it fits my budget as I only build 2 or 3 guitars a year. Thank you so much for the information you provide!
@thepragmaticluthier 21 күн бұрын
Thank you for your comment. It's one of only two that offers a suggestion.
@johnford7847 21 күн бұрын
A year ago, I moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and now I'm discovering I missed quite a few interesting videos. Do you think wood has the stability to make such a tool? Would it be better to use BB plywood and aluminum rods? You're an inspiration, Kevin! Thanks for sharing.
@thepragmaticluthier 21 күн бұрын
I think you could absolutely make this tool in wood. Baltic Birch plywood would be less prone to movement, but in the narrow widths that this tool would require, I doubt that you would have a problem. The base of the tool would be the largest piece, so plywood might be the better choice for that part. If you have a router or a table saw, you could make a sliding dovetail, even with a set of gibbs , assuring accuracy and providing adjustability. If you would like more specific information or have other questions, send an email through my website. Always willing to help if I can. www.ladueguitars.com Thanks for your frequent comments. I always look forward to them.
@tonyt.1596 21 күн бұрын
Thank you!
@thepragmaticluthier 21 күн бұрын
You're welcome!
@royforest6035 21 күн бұрын
Talk about your saddle material. Your 2nd guitar seems to have a brass saddle.
@thepragmaticluthier 21 күн бұрын
It does indeed and I'm inclined to use them more frequently. Brass seems to be expensive, but when compared to bone nut and saddle blanks, it cheaper, if cost is a factor in the equation. Aside from that, I use if for its ability to add to the brightness of the instrument. It's a component of that "shimmer " that I aim for in most of my guitars. I use bone. It's a standard and most people expect it, but I hate it. It's expensive and inconsistent in thickness, often too thin. "Corian" makes an excellent nut or saddle, but many cross their eyes when you mention it. It is more dense than most bone and is more consistent in density.
@hoytbasses 21 күн бұрын
The ash guitar has a lot of the qualities of JT’s guitars. A better mic ( even something as affordable as a workhorse SM58) will capture the basses and mids way better…. But you already know that. Lovely guitars, all!
@hoytbasses 21 күн бұрын
My favorite is the middle one
@thepragmaticluthier 21 күн бұрын
You're quite right. And i have one, or an equivalent, but I haven't figured out how to use it with an iPhone. Better do some homework.
@hoytbasses 21 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier I’d bet you sweetwater music has a whole section on the kind of adapters and software you need. I just get one of my 13 year old grandsons to show me 😎
@gerrittent8337 22 күн бұрын
you play your guitars left handed. Can they just as well bu played right handed? I see the “bridge (?)” to be not square to the strings. does that make a difference in sound?
@thepragmaticluthier 22 күн бұрын
The bridge saddle is set at an angle to compensate for the inherent sharpness of tones as one plays up the fingerboard. The inside of a left handed guitar is also different from that of a right handed instrument.
@jameshuntley428 23 күн бұрын
It looks like pony 533 double clamps are no longer made. Curious if anyone has found a replacement for the jig at 10:59
@thepragmaticluthier 22 күн бұрын
I don't think anyone makes a clamp like the one in the video, but you could make an even better one with a Pony, or similar brand clamp screw. By replacing the double clamp with a hardwood frame, the clamp screw could be mounted on the frame, configured the same as the jig in the video. Here is a link to the Pony brand clamp screw. I'm sure other, possibly less expensive screws are also available. www.amazon.com/Tools-6709-Heavy-Press-Screw/dp/B001DT3SXS/ref=asc_df_B001DT3SXS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693675560295&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11079447387583705986&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023209&hvtargid=pla-590217113718&psc=1&mcid=6211164389123071859bcfeb73d7e983&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693675560295&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11079447387583705986&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023209&hvtargid=pla-590217113718&psc=1
@monday6524 23 күн бұрын
Kevin, Happy to see you again!
@thepragmaticluthier 23 күн бұрын
Hey, thanks!
@hampshirepiano6383 24 күн бұрын
One would not need a Bridgeport, just a hack saw, couple files and a vise. "Good lighting and skill also" The brass is available in almost any shape and thickness. Strange enough! a couple months after having conversation with the "guitar notes and notions" person wondering why this is not done. The notion arose from observing someone putting a brass rod inside the guitar and passing it through the string grommets instead of bridge pins. LOL. what a joke. If you broke a string it was a big bummer. You have to take all the strings off through the sound hole. Anyways! I saw that someone made a 6 piece brass saddle and were bragging about it. I'll find it and let you see.
@thepragmaticluthier 20 күн бұрын
Many builders design and produce instruments intended to seek new height, better sound, push the limits. Such innovations are frequently impractical, even ridiculous, but they are the experiments and explorations that undergo evolution such that they become accepted, understood and incorporated in actual practice. Cases in point, X-bracing, adjustable truss rods, double tops. Sometimes those kooks and nutty professors come up with something good.
@MrDaveKC 24 күн бұрын
The do look beautiful. And I'm sure the sound is good, but the mic isn't so good.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
How TRUE! I've had a few offers of technical help to correct that problem, just in the last tay or two. I'm going for some improvement.
@matthewatkinson7558 24 күн бұрын
Maybe move that mic out front?
@thepragmaticluthier 22 күн бұрын
I'd like to move that mic out to the garbage:)
@keithvsapp 24 күн бұрын
I have been missing your videos.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
I appreciate that. It has been very busy here since last June and it's still pretty active in the shop, but i'd like to get back to being more regular with videos.
@lyndamcardle4123 24 күн бұрын
The sustain and "shimmer" on the second maple (?) guitar sounds exquisite Kevin...
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
Thanks. All three of those guitars are in my living room at all times and i sort of A, B, and C among them every morning.
@lyndamcardle4123 23 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier I love these non-traditional tonewoods you use too.....they certainly do "shimmer" !
@mariondorsett 24 күн бұрын
What is the purpose in getting the pitch you want in the top before creating the box? I would think once you make the box, it would change the sound.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
I'm sure the response does change when the top is assembled into a box. The point is, by comparing a voiced top to the end results (more than once) you can arrive at a fairly predictable end with much greater predictability.
@mariondorsett 23 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier that makes sense. As a new builder still working on their first guitar, what tone would you recommend... say for a parlor sized guitar? I would guess G or D since those would be the mid range... so G if you want a higher pitch. I will probably go for D. Thanks for the reply.
@2old4u 24 күн бұрын
#3 for the richness and warmth. Not woody, but a beautiful tone. Well done.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
Thank you. I'm looking forward to further improvement with this approach.
@Mister_G 24 күн бұрын
I love the information and presentation, and applaud your intent in making the video, however I don't think that the recording did the guitars justice - not so much the microphone, but the fact that it ended up in fairly random positions, very close to the back or side of the guitars. I would love to hear a recording made with a microphone at a consistent location in front of the guitars (even using the same microphone). Once again, thank you for the idea behind the video and for offering your insights - I find it fascinating!
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
Quality recording is indeed a problem. So many have mentioned it and a couple of local people have made infers to help me improve on that. And I'm looking forward to that.
@Mister_G 23 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier Me too :) Thank you
@DavorMatosevic 24 күн бұрын
Amazing video and insight as always. Unfortunately, all guitars sounded the same through that lavalier microphone you mentioned at the beginning. There are a lot of cheap, second-hand mikes, that I am sure would level up the production in terms of recording a good guitar sound. Thank you once more!
@thepragmaticluthier 23 күн бұрын
I tried that once. It sucked almost as much:) :(
@vincentrockel1149 24 күн бұрын
The last one was the most balanced in tone.
@hampshirepiano6383 24 күн бұрын
Hey!!good show! Butternut is beautiful, pianos before 1930 did use quite a bit of it, we find it in the framing and back posts especially. Good tone wood. We did find from extensive experiments that whatever pitch the tap tone on the back is,,, will affect notes in that frequency range, making those notes on the scale louder. Backs "i found out" are major contributors to tone and it doesn't seem possible to make a back correspond to the very high pitches and it's better to have low sympathetic vibrations than high ones. So--we've been making our back panels low in tone below A as close to low E as possible. Anything above A the guitar will respond and result in louder sympathetic tones. Causing out of phase chaos. We've been using Chestnut, it is a lot like butternut. "from old pianos" We made a couple with yellow birch and they were bass-e, one of which we changed the back panel to a laminated back panel and wasn't so bass-e anymore. Oh-well. Oh--back tapping must be done wit6hout strings.
@jacqueslapidieux3182 24 күн бұрын
Paradise for Southpaws...!
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
You should see my studio; 35 left handed guitars :)
@jacqueslapidieux3182 24 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier 🥰🥲😍
@hampshirepiano6383 25 күн бұрын
Congrat's on the brass saddle. There is no reason to not use it. What would they be??? I made this suggestion a little while ago to a popular U tuber and all I got back was traditional crap. No scientific reasoning whatsoever. Ohhhhhh it would "maybe" sound metalic and that was the end of it. just a lot of BS! After all the strings are metal. no--yes. I did suggest that 6 individual pieces would allow to make saddle adjustments easily. One "aliquot" could be changed or adjusted without taking all the strings off every time. And it is a dam better conductor. no bs. This tradition thing keeps guitars in the horse and buggy days. ---Oh well.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
I'm guessing that metal saddles of any kind are not in common use because they can be difficult to make, particularly getting them to the correct thickness. I can machine them if necessary, so it's doable in my shop. I'd like to see them in use much more, but as Ghandi said, " if you want to see change, be that change."
@ronmarkell4436 25 күн бұрын
I’ve had some trouble finding veneer sheet large enough for sides. I have used your technique on a violin that I made. Still haven’t finished it so I don’t know what it sounds like.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
If you can drum sand your own components, I think you stand a better chance, especially because the outer veneer can be made a little thicker than standard veneer and you can produce it from anything you want, book matched as well.
@ronmarkell4436 25 күн бұрын
Hemlock is quite a surprise. I have often thought that it would be a good choice for a top plate. And Hemlock taken from a barn provides it with some rich colors. I am considering it for a project coming up.
@thepragmaticluthier 22 күн бұрын
My experience with Hemlock has demonstrated that it has great potential, but is not easily trusted. It has great potential, but it is clear to me that the stability that come with age is a tremendous advantage, much more that with Spruce, Cedar and the other frequently used conifers. Eastern Hemlock is rarely if ever quarter sawn and that, combined with the fact that a log or section large enough to produce a two piece top either by sawing or splitting, is very rare. Four piece tops become the norm, with two piece tops being practically impossible to obtain.
@johnford7847 25 күн бұрын
Thank you. I found your comments and the bits of playing very interesting. I did feel that the aluminum bridge plate gave that guitar an oddly different tone - not exactly tinny, but like the difference between a player piano and a Steinway. Good video, Kevin. Thank you for sharing.
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
I agree. I just had to try that metal patch. It was like a bug bite that you can't stop scratching.
@JoshWard-g5i 25 күн бұрын
Very excited about the woods used on these 3. I'm in your camp! I saw right away the Hem and Pine.
@MrJohntheHarp 25 күн бұрын
Hi, I wish I was stood there in person as you demo'ed these 3 guitars. Fantastic stuff Kevin, well done & credit to you. Can you play them again through a better mic set up 👍 Love your work & ideas.. John UK
@waynechase4595 25 күн бұрын
What are your thoughts on alternative woods for bracing? Color contrast between back wood and braces would be interesting…..
@thepragmaticluthier 25 күн бұрын
I have used alternative back pricing, quite extensively ranging from white Pine to Walnut, cedar, and even cherry. I am of the belief that the more dense the wood you use to brace the back, the stiffer, the back becomes, and will become, therefore, more reflective, meaning a quicker startup response. With respect to tops however I only brace in spruce and have never been able to venture away from that. Clearly, I should try some other stuff. Another technique that I have use for back is laminated braces. It’s a good way to keep the weight down and the stiffness up .
@williamwoolcock 25 күн бұрын
Arent Doug Fir and spruce very similar?
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
They are both conifers and probably similar in weight, but that's pretty much where it ends.
@markkoukl8804 25 күн бұрын
I love your content and presentation. Please tell me what finish you have used on three guitars in this video. They really look good! I love the satin finish.
@thepragmaticluthier 25 күн бұрын
The finish is Mohawk nitrocellulose lacquer.
@photogazer 25 күн бұрын
Great content and information. I am a luthier here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I started building in 1992, and I always seemed to go against the norm in many ways. I like the use of unusual and sustainable woods lately, but I have a shop full of native and exotic woods that I can choose from. I will always listen to builders who take chances with non-traditional woods and building styles. I enjoy your content and I look forward to your upcoming releases.
@MalenyFieldsForever 25 күн бұрын
I'm building with Australian woods because that's what's local for me. I think there's a lot of value in experimenting outside the traditional materials.
@cbayardelle 24 күн бұрын
Beautiful guitars, why don’t you purchase a good microphone
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
The mic I use is fairly good for spoken word. And I need a lavaliere mic to do the videos that I normally put out. I don't play on my videos very much and so I'm very reluctant pay the price for a good one.
@stevecarver4906 25 күн бұрын
Nice shirt!😊
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
Thanks! 😁
@roycetownsend5576 25 күн бұрын
Your insights and originality greatly appreciated! Thx!
@thepragmaticluthier 24 күн бұрын
Glad you like them!
@mandolinman2006 25 күн бұрын
Would a deeper body be an option to get the sound you're wanting?
@markpell8979 25 күн бұрын
Ditto. Since an acoustic guitar's body is basically a mechanical amplifier and speaker similar to a drum, a deeper body reacts and projects more in the bass frequencies with more 'volume,' so as with typical orchestra/auditorium sized guitars with shallower bodies, there are some sonic compromises accepted in return for comfort and compactness. Kevin's theory about how a smaller sound hole can help make up for that missing bass range acoustically is interesting. These guitars would sit well in a mix with other more widely-voiced instruments. My somewhat unqualified opinion at 4:20am. Love to think and talk about this stuff!
@Malone67 25 күн бұрын
Are they all left handed?
@mandolinman2006 25 күн бұрын
@@Malone67 his person guitars are, by the looks of it.
@thepragmaticluthier 25 күн бұрын
Deepening the body of a guitar to increase the base response is a common method, but as the interior volume of the sound, chest increases, it reduces the compression and rarefaction. Increasing body depth, I think, has a limited ability, and if used needs to be used carefully. I have noticed in the past that by increasing the depth of the body you arrive at a less compressive sound almost as if the guitar had asthma at its worst. These are just my experiences and thoughts, nothing chiseled and stone here.
@thepragmaticluthier 25 күн бұрын
Yes, they are all left-handed. I have 35 of them.
@bigmuddy1 25 күн бұрын
Your guitars sound wonderful but that microphone is not doing them justice. I like your approach to guitar making and your taking time to make these videos.
@thepragmaticluthier 25 күн бұрын
I agree, that microphone pretty much stinks, but I’m not about to pay the excessive price for a top quality microphone at this point. Still, I guess I wish I could do better.
@SongSecretsMomNeverTaughtYou 24 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier you don't need to spend top dollar for a good quality microphone though. Even just a Zoom H1n portable recorder is less than $100 and will give you a great stereo sound. Even condenser mics can be had for less than $100 and the modern ones have USB interfaces built into them so you don't need an external recording device in between
@jacqueslapidieux3182 24 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier I'm hearing these weird phase effects which are not doing justice to your great work. Invest in the Zoom!
@daiprout323 20 күн бұрын
@@thepragmaticluthier firstly, thank you for the channel. The pragmatism is refreshingly familiar to the way I think when people tell me "it is this way". I started my career as a location recordist, and worked in event sound after that... So my first thought was that my ears had finally given up 😂 but clearly you're not happy with the sound. As someone else suggested the rode mics are affordable. Depending on what camera setup you have, the "wireless go" could be an excellent solution. However, I think boosting your output volume in the edit might help in the interim. The mic sounds clean, just overall level is low (on my device at least). I'm just finishing building a new workshop and watching you getting ready to have a play with some unconventional designs when I'm moved in. 👍