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Ken Franklin
 Post subject: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:11 am 
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Koa
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Location: Ukiah, CA
Here's some pics of my latest build. Thought you might like to see them. I was lucky to get some great wood and I'm quite pleased with this rosette.

tiger myrtle headplate, back and sides- Australian Tonewoods
adirondack spruce top- Colonial Tonewoods
ebony bindings, fingerboard and bridge- LMI
mahogany neck
birch, maple, gonçalo alves, cherry, tiger myrtle, dyed maple rosette.
25.4 scale


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Ken Franklin
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Flo
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:20 am 
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Walnut
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Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2009 5:18 am
Posts: 17
Location: Northern France
First name: Florian
Last Name: THOMAS
City: Bernieulles
Country: France
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
that's great !
you're work is wonderful and the design is nice.
well done
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Robert Dunn
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:24 am 
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Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:52 pm
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First name: Robert
Last Name: Dunn
City: Wurtsboro
State: New York
Zip/Postal Code: 12790
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
nice guitar. very unique rosette.

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SteveCourtright
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:20 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 6:17 am
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Location: Evanston, IL
First name: Steve
Last Name: Courtright
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Very lovely - I like the rosette, too, amazing - and the head plate treatment is unique.

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Robbie_McD
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:33 pm 
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First name: Rob
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Sweet! The back is simply breathtaking....
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Link Van Cleave
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:19 pm 
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I have been lucky enough to see and play more than a few of Ken's guitars and I can tell you they sound as good as they look and that is saying something. Another beauty Ken. [:Y:]
Link

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Parser
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 3:29 pm 
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Location: Crownsville, MD
First name: Trevor
Last Name: Lewis
City: Crownsville
State: MD
Zip/Postal Code: 21032
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
That Tiger Myrtle is something else...nice work!

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Zach Ehley
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:19 pm 
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Beautiful. Your rosettes are always ridiculous. I wish I could make one that nice.
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Ken C
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 6:34 pm 
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Location: SE Michigan
First name: Kenneth
Last Name: Casper
City: Northville
State: MI
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Focus: Build
Great looking guitar, Ken!

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KMartin
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:40 pm 
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Location: Hartselle, Alabama
City: Hartselle
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Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Tasteful and unique, too. How is tiger myrtle to work with?

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TrueAxe
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:11 am 
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First name: Adam
Last Name: Truax
City: Toronto
State: Ontario
Country: Canada
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Agreed! Mega awesome for sure!

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Ken Franklin
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:29 am 
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Thanks for the comments everyone.

Kent, tiger myrtle is the easiest back and side wood I have worked with. It bends like a dream without any spring back and there are no pores to fill.

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Jim Watts
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 2:00 am 
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Ken, Beautiful guitar and as many others have pointed out, your rosettes are always a treat and very inspirational!
Nice work man [clap]

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sanaka
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 3:03 am 
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First name: Rob
Last Name: Thompson
Focus: Build
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An extremely elegant instrument exhibiting an extremely mature design sense - Wow. I even like the cutaway very much and I don't usually like "pointy" cutaways.

And the wood! eek :shock: :o Literally my heart keeps racing a bit whenever I look at the full res pic of the back. OMG! I have dreamed of figure like that. I'd never heard of this stuff but I want it! Australian Tonewoods doesn't seem to have any more. Is it an "all gone" species?

Peace,
Sanaka

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Dave Fifield
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:39 am 
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Location: San Jose, CA
First name: Dave
Last Name: Fifield
City: San Jose
State: CA
Zip/Postal Code: 95124
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Excellent design and craftsmanship, as always, Ken! [:Y:] [clap] [:Y:] [clap] [:Y:]

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Laurent Brondel
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 8:12 am 
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Great looking guitar. I've always liked your cutaway design, very graceful.
What are the tuners?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/
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Todd Rose
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:50 am 
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Fabulous, Ken! Any impressions as to what the tiger myrtle contributes to the sound?

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Ken Franklin
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:55 pm 
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Location: Ukiah, CA
Thanks for the comments.

Sanaka, you can sometimes get tiger myrtle from our sponsors, RC Tonewoods or Colonial Tonewoods. The dark wood figure comes from a decay process similar to spalting though this set has some curl also.

Laurent, the tuners are Gotoh 510 minis with some LMI oval ebony replacement buttons that I modified to that shape. I found wooden buttons for standard size 510s, but not for the minis which I like more for their light weight.

Todd, I think the tiger myrtle supports the sound that the top produces without shading it much. The wood has a rather nondescript tap tone, but the guitar has plenty of volume and the adirondack top has a nice overtone set with a great deal of sustain.

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Ken Franklin
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Todd Rose
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 8:36 pm 
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Ken Franklin wrote:
Todd, I think the tiger myrtle supports the sound that the top produces without shading it much. The wood has a rather nondescript tap tone, but the guitar has plenty of volume and the adirondack top has a nice overtone set with a great deal of sustain.


Thanks for your response, Ken. The only guitar I've played with tiger myrtle B&S had a very big, strikingly reverby kind of sound (it was a mid-sized guitar). The maker of that guitar felt that the tiger myrtle had a lot to do with that quality. I take it you're not hearing anything remarkable in terms of a big, reverby sound from this guitar of yours...?

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Ken Franklin
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 8:54 pm 
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Todd, I'd say the sound is big, I don't know about reverby. Here's a link to page with a sound clip of my other tiger myrtle guitar with two close mics and no EQ: http://www.franklinguitars.com/Site/Firecat.html

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Ken Franklin
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Ken Franklin
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:41 am 
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Hi Chris,

It was great to meet you at Healdsburg. Thanks for the comments. You're right, I don't do this full time ... yet. I teach first grade.

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Ken Franklin
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burritosdaily
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:57 am 
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First name: Matt
nothing short of inspirational....
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Brock Poling
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:39 am 
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Very nice Ken. I always enjoy seeing your work.

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Columbus, Ohio
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Lars Stahl
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:01 pm 
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Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:26 am
Posts: 1041
Location: sweden
First name: Lars
Last Name: Stahl
City: Stockholm
Country: Sweden
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I really love your guitars ken. Your designs are awesome andthe color choices of the woods the same !!! thanks so much for showing.
how´re you making those great looking rosettes ?

Lars
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Ken Franklin
 Post subject: Re: Recent Build
PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:21 pm 
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Location: Ukiah, CA
Thanks for the comments, Lars. Here's a link to my tutorial on making those rosettes. viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=16350

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Ken Franklin
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