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Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=33925		 Page 1 of 3
Author:  Laurent Brondel [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I learned by repairing and restoring maybe three dozen vintage guitars before building my first, from simple neck resets to near total restorations. I just completed my 54th a few days ago. I don't keep the soundhole rings.
Author:  Stephen Boone [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
25 is FP'd and ready for final set up after some more cure time. 26 is on the Solera. I lost a couple of my soundhole cutouts along the way somehow. The guitars have started to sound real good in the twenties.
Author:  Chris Pile [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Oh, boy. I started doing repairs in the late 70's and built my first in the early 80's. Sometimes I was so busy I didn't even photoraph them for posterity. Maybe I should have kept better records or a journal.

It's probably repairs of all kinds in the ten thousands, and probably close to a hundred for builds.
Author:  TonyKarol [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I have numbers 97-101 currently in process .... ten years as a full time builder, 15 odd years before that building as a hobby, probably built 6-7 over that time.
Author:  Ziegenfuss [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I am almost done with 30, and have the next 6 in progress. Though I will say that the greater majority of these were electrics and basses, but most of my work is transitioning to acoustics. 8 of my 9 next orders are all acoustics.

Stephen
Author:  Michael.N. [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I built my first around 1979. It was many years before No.2 and up until around early 2000's I'd probably chalked up around 15. It's only in the last 6 years that I've making them in decent (for me) numbers. I've never numbered or kept count but I guess I'm close to 60. This year has been awfully slow though. . .
Author:  Darryl Young [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Stephen, I am so impressed that you have built this many this quick! Kudos for you.

Stephen Boone wrote:
25 is FP'd and ready for final set up after some more cure time. 26 is on the Solera. I lost a couple of my soundhole cutouts along the way somehow. The guitars have started to sound real good in the twenties.
Author:  jfmckenna [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I never kept count at first but I've estimated I have probably built about 40 acoustic guitars (Spanish and steel string) and a total of 60 instruments including bass's and electric guitars. I've done a few restorations on guitars and mandolins and have done countless common repairs including neck resets, re-top, cracks, bridges, etc... I don't accomplish nearly as much anymore but still crank out maybe 2-3 guitars a year.
Author:  JRessler [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Working on #35 acoustics + 4 electric

Have taught over 100 students in build classes at Marc Adams School of Woodworking
Author:  woody b [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
36 and 37 are in process now (acoustic steel strings). I've done a bunch of neck resets, re frets ect over the last 30 years, as well as over 50 re finishes on factory guitars. I've built a couple Violins, a mandolin and 1 electric.
Author:  Kent Chasson [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
#78 is delivered. #79-85 are underway. I've also built a bunch of necks and bridges for another builder, strung up at least 10 test tops, and done some repair work.
Author:  Alain Moisan [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I just strung #57 yesterday.
Author:  Daniel Minard [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
32 is finished. 33 & 34 almost ready for the spray room. 35 & 36 on the drawing board. Mostly acoustic steel strings. A few Irish bouzouki's, 3 Weissenbornes & one Appalachian dulcimer (built for my wife back in '82).
I built the first 4 in the early '80s & started up again in '01. In the meantime I have restored & re-topped half a dozen guitars & one archtop mando. A few casual students (Danny V for one) built their first instruments in my shop.
I am getting quite a bit of repair work, these days & really enjoy it. Always good when a customer hands over a small pile of cash & walks away with a playable instrument AND a smile.
I do guitar work in the off season & look after a fleet of bareboat charter vessels in the summer months. Soon, I hope to be able to drop the boat work & spend all year in the shop, but for now, the summer income is a necessity.
Author:  Jim Watts [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I started back in 94 and am working on #34, I'm slow but I reasearch a lot. Probably too much.
Author:  Mike Dotson [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Closing in on 40 (of various types, metal, wood, acoustic, electric, resonator) but I'd have to access my cranial structure to get an exact number. [headinwall]
I really should write this stuff down. :mrgreen:
Author:  John Mayes [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Working on number #183 currently

Plus another 50-ish electrics

Plus another 40-ish ukes
Author:  MacD [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Studied instrument repair at college, guitar making at university, built 7 guitars solo, worked on 300+ guitars, bouzoukis, citterns and mandolins at Fylde Guitars. Worked for four music shops over the course of 20+ years, done hundreds of repairs, the majority on electrics. Set up and repaired over 5000 steel-string guitars working for the distributors of Freshman guitars. Haven't built a guitar for about 9 years, haven't done any serious guitar work for over 6 years. Thinking maybe I'd like to get back in to it again...
Author:  kjaffrey [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I'm working on acoustic #24 right now, getting ready to close in the box, and have 1 electric and 2 electric basses with my name on them. For my acoustics I started getting happy with how they looked and sounded in the late teens, though there is still a lot of growth to experience.

Though I don't post here much I am certainly an avid reader and consumer of information, so thanks for all the help guys. [:Y:]

Kent
Author:  Marc Lupien [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
About 80 chambered electrics and 3 acoustics!

Just starting this year batch of 12 electrics.
Author:  the Padma [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Well about 5 years back me figured me has pounded in well over 12,000 frets.

A few of them instruments were guitars. And no that was not on an assembly line in some factory Truth is me really don't know how many boxes me has strung up. One day you get to a point were it don't really matter any more cuz me still don't know diddly about loofierizeming.


blessings
duh Padma
Author:  DannyV [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Daniel Minard wrote:
A few casual students (Danny V for one) built their first instruments in my shop.


Oh ya, and thanks for that Coach. I haven't been the same since. laughing6-hehe Seriously, I really appreciate all the shared knowledge and that goes for the rest of you lot too. You guys certainly make it a lot easier. [:Y:] Thanks!

Cheers,
Danny
Author:  Alan Carruth [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
Let's see, I'm up to just past acoustic guitar #110: not a lot in almost forty years. I've lost track of the numbers of some of the other instruments I've built: I know I got past 150 mountain dulcimers, and I'm pretty sure I've built about 40 harps and a similar number of hammered dulcimers. I must be close to that forty with fiddles of all sorts, too; maybe even as many as fifty. Not more than a dozen each of hurdy-gurdies, bowed psaltries, lutes, and the oddball individual English guittar, and other such, some, no doubt, forgotten. Oh yeah, one banjo (from a kit), and my only solid-body anything was an electric 5-string viola with frets (an example of the 'Golden Rule': 'He who has the gold, makes the rule'. The customer insisted on the frets). I also finished putting together a harpsichord kit for somebody once: voicing is a trip!

Anyway, the small number of completed instruments is no doubt a reflection of the time the 'science fair projects' take. The problem with science is that you're always doing something you're not good at...

Students take a certain amount of time too: I'd have to say that my students must have put together something like 75-100 guitars in my classes, along with a few fiddles, dulcimers, a couple of resos, some mandolins, and one 'guitar machine'. I don't do much repair any more, but that was a real time consuming item, especially the double basses...
Author:  alan stassforth [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 9:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I'm at about 17 elecs. and acoustics, combined.
Acoustics about 6?
Guess I shouldn't post on this thread.
I did though. gaah
I ain't gonna stop!
Duaracell battry here.
mispelled battery on purpose.
I don't care.
Author:  Steve Saville [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I just made it to 26 if I count 2 electrics.
Author:  Terence Kennedy [ Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Who is over the Quarter Century Mark?
I'm working on 48 and 49.
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