Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey, we're all "just doing it" one way or another, right?
Fast, slow, worried, don't care.......
Coming from the "don't care" spot,
since coming to this forum,
I do care a lot more about my work, so....
Take in the info and process it.

Yep, Heinlein's early work and juveniles are the best. Read him a lot growing up, a big influence on my beliefs in learning how to do as many things in this world as I could.

I think it's "grok", picky builder that I am!

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Damon Wack
https://www.facebook.com/LindamonGuitars

While there is certainly something to be said for actual hands on experience, if that were the only thing that were important there would be no reason to have a forum like this one. Posing a question to the group and getting responses from others sharing their experiences on the topic is of great value, especially to someone relatively new to lutherie. Answers like “just do it” and “all spruces are the same” are of little or no value to someone trying to learn from others’ experiences and knowledge or trying to feel confident in a wood choice they’ve made.

Additionally, when someone asks a question here, and others share their experiences and opinions, that information is available to everyone who reads the forum or searches for information on a topic. I would find it disappointing to search for info on African Blackwood as a bridge material, for example, and only be able to find comments like “just do it” or “you’ll only know if you try it yourself”.

For my own purposes, I have adopted the motto: "Just do it 5 minutes a day."

As an amateur, it's been hard to create the time and focus to build. I used to tell myself that I couldn't go down into the shop unless I had 2 or 3 hours of uninterrupted time, when I could really concentrate. Then days or weeks would go by and I'd lose momentum. The reality is that I have a lot of family, work, and community responsibilities and not as much time to build as I wish I had.

Some time ago I read a suggestion on this forum to build for at least 5 minutes a day, adopted it, and it's turned things around. I usually end up working for much longer than 5 minutes, but even if I work just a few minutes, I keep up momentum. Through practice I've trained myself to concentrate in short periods if necessary.

It's always fun to read forums, but when I'm not actively building it truly is mostly "Blah blah blah" for me because I'm not really retaining the information--it's just thoughts swirling. But--for example--when I'm sanding, reading forum comments about sanding really sinks in.

I guess what I'm saying is that there needs to be a balance of doing and talking or the words don't mean much. But I do really appreciate the knowledge people share, especially step by step descriptions with pictures, such as those posted by the Padma and the Todd.

Re Heinlein: I agree about the juveniles holding up. My favorite is _The Star Beast_. The gender roles are perhaps antique, but the insights into relations between races and cultures are at least as pertinent in 2011 as they were in 1954.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

Yo, Charlie,

me started building when me was 16

there were no books.
no loofier schools.
no mentors.

learned me self how to sharpen a blade
kick over a table saw
joint a board
bend wood and
do finishes.

Thats right..."Me just did it"

If some one don't know "how to" this that or the other...me answer them straight up. Simple!

For an adult who needs to be held by the hand cuz they be afraid of trashing a piece of wood or ruining the finish...well, me suggest they take up stamp collecting or sumpthin less stressful.

Me has mentored a lotta wood butchers in me life. Those that ran on fear were out the door so fast, the vacuum would suck the sawdust right out of the shop with them.


blessings
Padma

PS: Oh ya, Charlie, me still has some of that Mongolian spruce from the Gobie dessert if your interested.

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Tim, I work the exact same way and for the same reasons. I try not to get too frustrated when I can't get in a good block of time. Sometimes I'm happy to just peek into the shop. Other times I come out with a sore back and a satisfied look on my face.

Now I have to go out and get Stranger in a Strange Land. Been a long time since I read that one.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

How's the carved top jazz guitar coming Padma?

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Yo, Terence

Don't be holding your breath none...me just did a dry run for gluing on the back, and well then unexpected house guest from France showed up and ...and ...and then there are all the burnouts from the Shambhala Rave and and and this week me gotta do the marzipan and royal icing on a 3 teared wedding cake...and well making all them royal icing roses ain't no piece of cake

Then there is the wedding,
So next week maybe....


blessings

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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When I got the Rosewood I just did it. Did I do something wrong? I thought I was supposed to just do it and now you're telling me I've got big worries.

I'm confused.

$2,000.00 set ?? YOU ARE DA MAN !!!

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The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Didn't do anything wrong. But save the $2000 set until you are skilled. We sometimes refer to WAS (Wood Acquistion Syndrome) from which many of us suffer. This is the compulsion to buy up and store nice sets of wood for future use, perhaps far in excess of what we really need. If you popped for a $2000 set so soon, you might get a really bad case of WAS in the future.

Beautifull work ! " Just Did It " HUH ! Grins.

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Filippo: Whoah.....that is just fabulous.

A wise man learns from his mistakes. The wiser man learns from someone else's.

Thank God for the shared knowledge and experience here. True, rules in luthierie - like many other things - are made to be broken. But you need to have an understanding of the rules to know how to break them. There are many constants in luthierie and woodworking in general that don't change. You don't change engineering constants and wood properties by somehow "willing" them to change by sitting around cross-legged chanting to yourself. You learn how to work within these fixed rules and learn what "outside the box" variables you can bring into the mix.

"Just do it", huh? Guess there's nothing to stop someone from "just doing" a foam rubber and concrete guitar. Steering new builders off on a new course is bad advice, in my opinion. You at least need to have your bearings and a frame of reference before you set sail. What are considered some of the most outlandish and eccentric builders out there pushing the luthierie envelope started out building Martin copies, by and large.

_________________
Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Oh dude! Can I...like...borrow that idea?

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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

Dont know about foam one , but concrete block Guitar has been done , And I know someone who even makes bodys out of vey thin Corian with wood necks .

I would say foam wont be far behind !


BTW Zlurgh , I am curious what that means "Zlurg" dont mean to be rude , but I had a drink in NewOrleans that sounded somthing Like that and I dont remember a couple days !

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Yo, Zlurgh

Ya but at least he did it even if it took him 20,000, at least he did it.

And thats the point...the doing! ~ the learning. Not some chunk of biomas with strings hangin on your braging wall, thats gonna eventually self destruct.

well that me take on it.

blessings

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Through perseverance, yes....but guitars have already been invented. Had Edison access to the internet back in the day I imagine he would have used it to gain some insights and cut back the number of iterations by a thousand or two.



If the work of your hands finally has no value...then what is your learning really worth? The process of learning may hold value in the effort to find self fulfillment...but for me learning only facilitates a further, more important, objective...a fine instrument. Self fulfillment can only hang on real accomplishemnt for me. Maybe that's how we are different. The process of learning is work. The joy comes with the final result. I can't feel good about trying unless I'm doing my best. I do my best when I research and think prior to moving my hands around.

Best I can tell....I'm a biomass too and will go the rout of my instruments soon enough. My knowledge won't be worth passing on if it isn't refined and valid. I can say what I want but if I hand you an instrument...it can't lie. I want to be on the fastest track to that objective which requires me to listen carefully to those who have gone before me...and discern which of them aren't knuckleheads.

_________________
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

When entering "Zlurgh" as a user name....it's never already taken.

It's an efficiency thing.

_________________
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

R.e. Heinlein:

I was going to "plus 1" Howard, but his post got sucked into some sort of black hole. I never did acid, so I never got Heinlein. Over at the "Official Writers' Forum", they are wondering why Roth and Munro never post there anymore, and debating whether the later Yamahas are as good as Yamaha juvenilia.

Yo Zlurgh,

Although me may disagree slightly, that post of yours gotta be the bestes comeback to me B.S. me never heard. A1! Stuart A1!

blessings
Padma

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


.

I agree with "just do it." But, I think that "just doing it" has different meanings to different people. I have a good buddy who builds instruments and for whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration. He's able to just jump in and start making sawdust almost on a whim. He makes extremely interesting instruments, and lots of them. He isn't particularly worried about fine finishes and things like that--he's more interested in the tone and general karma of the final product. His instruments sound great and have great karma. He's a poet, and he "just does it."

In my case, I spend a lot of time on pencil and paper (or anymore, on software-based design tools) and thinking through the process before I make any sawdust. But there comes a time when I say "enough is enough" and jump into the actual woodwork. For me, this entire process is "just doing it." I'm an engineer and I "just do it."

At times, I really wish I could be more like my buddy--I can tend to overanalyze. But I realize that our personalities are so different that what works for him would be a disaster for me and vice versa. That's cool too. I think that the main thing is not to be afraid to make that "enough is enough" jump and make sawdust. There's no shame in asking questions before you do--that's what forums like this are all about. But there are way too many folks who end up just as "gear heads," and get a nice shop full of tools that never get an opportunity to get dull. As one of my early mentors told me, there's nothing much more basic to human existence than using a tool to remove material to create something useful and beautiful. Amen.

Dave