Official Luthiers Forum!

A while back I wrote a little series on my blog called "influences" - here's one of them:

http://nkforsterguitars.blogspot.com.au ... iture.html

Who are your influences? The "lutherie" ones and those outside the trade?

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nigel

http://www.theluthierblog.com

In the guitar world it's definitely Michihiro Matsuda. I just love how he thinks outside every box there is! As for influences outside guitars, I really like the art deco style and some of the modern interpretations of it, such as furniture maker Craig Thibodeau's work:

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars

Randy Wood.

Howard Kepler.


Sent from my walkie talkie using Tapatalk

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Groucho Marx!
More seriously, I love looking at what Burton LeGeyt does... really innovative, and inspiring.

Andy Manson and The Dude. Both great guys and very helpful, willing to answer any questions I have about building. I have a Manson Blarge and a Dude mandolin that I use as my main performing instruments. I strive to build to the quality of these instruments.

I've been talking with David Myka on the phone. I'm meeting him to have him critique my stuff. I expect he'll end up a huge influence.

I used to go to church with Kevin Ryan....25 years ago. I remember being in his home holding one of his early works in my hands, playing it, and KNOWING it was beyond anything I'd ever touched. Tone leaped out of it with little provocation. I can remember the first time I touched and heard a real instrument...THAT'S something. But Kevin's guitars barely compete with his gracious temperament.

There's a town...LaConnor, WA...it has a quaint main strip of galleries, specialty shops, some nice restaurants. I used to live near there. There's a woodcrafting shop there where artisans display every kind of specialty wood product. Rocking chairs, jewelry boxes, kaleidoscopes, fine furniture. Pure motivation to an artist.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet, Chagall.

Antonio Torres, Vicente Arias, Louis Panormo, Daryl Perry.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Quentin - Thanks so much! That means a lot to me.

I find myself looking mostly at much older instruments. This one in particular I love almost everything about:
http://www.vintagemartin.com/Martin1840Renaissance.html

The old 2 1/2 style I love too, as well as the Stauffer instruments.

Douglas, if we are going into painting then I am a Bonnard man myself. Saw a show of his at the Met that was amazing and made me realize again how limiting a reproduction can be when the work is not graphic-based.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Howard Klepper, classic work with modern improvements
Charles Fox, took his modern lutherie class, and his methods appeal to my production woodworking back ground.
Al Carruth, encouraging all of us all the time with practical wisdom based on research, he also is behind my desire to make other instruments.
David Myka, I have studied his pages while working on electrics, magnificent work.
David Burns, great jigs
The authors of all the books I have.
Antonio Stradavari, I have seen and held a couple of his instruments, I remember those experiences like seeing the Grand Canyon.
Outside the lutherie trade, I was inspired by the carvings at the Princeton University cathedral as a kid, I loved the doors which is in part why I was in the door and window trade for many years.
I know there are many I have missed from this forum who have made an impression, Stuart's electrics and methods, Fillipo's well organised space, Arnt Ryan's variety of instruments with a clean look, Virgil Mandacini's marketing and PR efforts. . . .Buton's work inspires as well, Hesh for his efforts to truly learn the trade.

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http://shastaguitar.com/
http://www.kalimbakit.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/comfyfootgr ... ature=mhee
http://www.facebook.com/robert.renick.7

Yeah! Bonnard, I was writing too fast.

And lest we forget Cezanne and Picasso. Oie! Can't forget those two.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

To make it just one name, and actually meaningful - i.e. both the work and the man caused a poignant, deep, long-lasting and cherished impression that is not subsumable into concrete concept - Jose Romanillos.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Wow, there are so many. I'll just stick to the folks whose works I have seen and held and have had the opportunity to scrutinize and admire.

Julius Borges - His work is traditional, and top-shelf. He's a perfectionist, as most of us are, but he actually makes guitars so good you can't really find any imperfections. When I listen to his advice, I carefully tuck the tidbits away in my brain and try to apply them, and I've improved in a number of areas due to his generous advice.

TJ Thompson - What can anyone say about this guy's work, but incredible.

Steve Spodaryk - Steve worked for Julius for awhile honing his already-great chops. Steve builds incredible Stauffer/Martin replicas that will knock your socks off, and pretty much whatever else he builds, OM's and such are top-shelf. He's not just a friend, but he's an influence and somewhat a mentor.

I don't want his head to swell any further, but I will add:

Burton LeGeyt - This guy isn't afraid to try anything, and he pushes the envelopes with his cool designs and his execution is remarkable. He's been building way less time than I have, but his work is superior in every way. He is innovative in his approach to construction technique, and he finds an exhaustive array of technologies to use to create unique design elements that a lot of people wouldn't probably even consider.

Sylvan Wells - If there's a better, faster way of doing something...Sylvan has already figured it out, and has probably perfected it. He's tireless, and can pump out so many instruments that it boggles my mind.

Kim Walker - His instruments are all they are cracked up to be. If you ever get a chance to play one, do so. It will raise the bar for you to levels you just didn't quite get until you actually see, hear and play one of his creations. I guess the same can be said for all the guys I've listed though.
Kim's finishes are second to none.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Sorry, sort of off topic, but Burton (or anyone else) do you know if this guitar is built using a mortise/tenon/dovetail heel block neck joint or the Spanish foot method? I see it has the Spanish foot but not sure if that's a "faux" foot or not.

Gil,

I do not know-

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

My automatic answer to that would have been to suggest some sort of shallow mortice - Stauffer/Viennese school but so much of that construction is straight out of the Spanish method - the fan braces, linings. It suggests slipper foot without the usual slot for the sides but?
Similar but slightly earlier Guitar by Lacote here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo6VJ0L5QKE

I am massively impressed by DennisK's work. Have you seen his build thread for "The Haunt" Harp Guitar. Wow.

Interesting question

Think I need to split into two camps -

Firstly, thinking of wonderful design and pushing boundaries, Michihiro Matsuda and Mr Kepler to name but two..there are many others whose work is inspirational from a design, craft perspective.

But perhaps as a newbie, the most obvious inspiration to me was David Whiteman, a well respected international class classical builder... simply because of his encouragement, help, motivation when I build my first under his mentorship. Sometimes its easy to forget those that gave us the 'bug' - caused us to spend too much on wood, (Can you spend too much on wood?) as they teach us to appreciate the material as well as the craft.

Finally have to say you guys. All the pros and Ams alike from the first build newbies to the masters at 200+. Not in some sychophantic love in, but simply having spent several years watching new builds from highly skilled pros and amateurs alike, you can see skills developing to an exceptional standard and that in itself is inspirational. Whether pushing boundaries in design, or carefully improving and replicating traditional models, the skill and passion folk show is ...well cool! .. Its a real community thing... Just a shame will probably never get to play any of these fine instruments

So Cheers!

Nigel, you've asked a few great questions lately. Thanks for stimulating the conversation.

For me it was Marc Beneteau that got my hobby started. Beside Santa Cruz, Martin, and others at the Ottawa Folklore Center, his were the guitars that really stood out and made me realize that one person working alone on an instrument can make a different kind of instrument.

When I decided that I should give building a try it was Daryl Perry, also mentioned by Douglas, who totally saved my bacon. He was generous with his time, looked at the plans I had purchased, and rewrote the proper brace dimensions to get me inside the ball park of good sounding instruments. Had he not done that my first guitar would have been a sonic clunker and I don't think I would have bothered building another guitar.

Since then Al Beardsell has been an informal mentor and inspiration. My tastes are way more traditional than his, but everytime I see his work I'm floored by his ability to see and create new things within a form that is really quite static in most of our hands.

+1 Definitely. He really inspired me to try out inlaying for myself. I love his simple, 'no-fancy-tools-or-jigs' approach too.

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars

So far...

David Myka
Mervyn Davis
George Downing

And Norm Abram

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David Morris

My mentors were cranky old men with sharp tongues and little patience for a young man's foolishness. They tolerated me at first because of my family and at least one used to exact revenge on me because my great grand daddy fired him from a job when he was a young lad. Stubborn, pigheaded Dutchmen, every last one. Through their hardness I learned, and while at the time they would tick me off severely, I now wish some of them were around so I could show them that I turned out much like them and could finally say "thank you" for everything they taught me. To name but a few, Mark & Warren Wierbach & Warren Miller. And the one lone Englishman, Phil Rainey.

As far as luthiers, years ago when I first tried my hand at guitar making it was electrics. Men like Wayne Charvell, Bernie Rico & Paul Reed Smith were the men I looked up to. Charles Kaman comes to mind also.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Tony Johnson, Jeff Elliott.

My first instructor from 1971, Garfield Clack. A wonderful British gentleman, who taught a night school class with an old blueprint (and I mean blue paper with white drawings and instruction) and a high tech (for the time) light bulb side bending machine. Grit Laskin, a man who is world class in every way, and always ready talk to an amateur without making you feeling you're in over your head.

Have any of you guys ever heard of Jimmy Foster? Jimmy lived down the street from me, I can't tell you how incredible of an experience it was to meet this man! Unfortunately Jimmy passed away over a year ago. He was a very genuine person and an incredible jazz guitar player, top-notch. Look him up on YouTube under Jimmy Foster guitars. After meeting Jimmy I was possessed with the passion of building guitars!
http://www.fosterguitars.com/