Ahhh beautiful guitars. Like beautiful women they're the stuff dreams and nightmares are made of.
A couple years ago I was talking with Nashville guitar guru Joe Glaser. Joe has made and maintains guitars for an elite clientele and I wanted him to make me a solid body that I could grow old with. Joe told me he had quit making guitars because despite his vast knowledge and considerable talent he just couldn't predict how the guitars would turn out untill they were finished.
Some had that magic resonance that inspires musicians while others were merely high quality, impeccably finished planks.
He gave me some great advice and it goes like this. If looks are all that matters, there are all kinds of pretty guitars to choose from but to find a soulmate you have to play alot of guitars till you find one that speaks to you. When you find one of those, buy no matter what it looks like.
Hey, thanks for stopping by! I think that machined guitars made to certain standards (Strats, RGs, etc) all have similar sounds. But I also think you're right in that sometimes one just really "has it."
I will just have to suffer with my Takamini acoustic:-(
Thanks for the education. Great illustrations too!
Wow, very interesting and gorgeous photos, Cullen!
Uzz,
My Takamini acoustic is the first guitar I ever bought.
When I first started learning, age 14, I had a hand me down classical guitar that I put steel strings on...heh. Then I had a cheap, like K-mart cheap, hand me down Strat. knock off electric.
Our guitar player at church had a Takamini 12 string that he would let me play after church. My God it was beautiful. He had it run through a chorus pedal and playing that thing through the sound board and what not.. Man.. I felt like a king. So I started looking for a Takamini of my own.
The local music store (Parker Music for Cullen) had them in stock. I went down with $100 in my hand, picked out the most beautiful 6 string, plugged it in to test it out, and then plunked down said money as a down payment. I think the thing cost me $650. I was 16 when I bought it, so that would have been back in 1989. It took me 6 months to pay the darn thing off. About once a week I would stop by and ask to see my guitar and to play it for 15 minutes. It taught me the value of money and of my guitar.
I still have that baby and it is a joy to play. I need to get some work done on the fret board and the neck could use some alignment, but overall it looks and sounds like it did the day I brought it home.
I have this sugar maple in my front yard that has had to fight everday for some sunshin, and as a result it is just burl after burl. I love this tree, but in one sense I really hope that I'm still in the house when it dies, because the grain from this baby is going to be mind-boggling.
Bing, if it happens, you better take pics. You better post them. And you better be kind with price if a pal asks for a veneer 
I'll take a few pics of the tree over the weekend to whet your appetite.
Well, I'd like to help you out on your PH issue, I'm actually making a guitar body out of it, and it's ver trying (ad a few setbacks with the router, but thankfully nothing threatening to the final product, I should have it finished (relatively) soon. I'm using the old pickups, switch, neck, etc from my old guitar (I like the neck, it just feels right in my hands), I can definately take pictures as the work progresses. I've got the body roughly shaped, the seat for the neck has been routed out, my next step will be the cavity for the pickups, knobs, and switch. I'm not yet sure if I'll be using my old pickguard or making a new one out of some sort of clear plastic (showing off the guts of the guitar is something I've been thinking would look nice, but I may just make a black pickguard (the white doesn't quite compliment the rest of the guitar as I'd like)). It's been a very hectic experience (and hard on the muscles, moving that lock of wood in the early stages was a workout to say the least) the wood being soo dense has dulled many a shop tool, and not out of carelessness. I'll be going with a clearcoat, high gloss finish to show off the wood.
E-mail me and I'll definately send you the pictures are I go.
Sincerely,
StaindFaith
"You might think then that any wood of similar resonant frequency should create guitars that sound the same. Well, I don't know why, but it's not true. Anybody can pick up an Alder body Fender Strat and a Basswood body Strat and hear a subtle difference in tone and color even though the two woods are very similar in grain, weight and resonant frequency"
Do you, does anybody, have information on what the resonant frequency of various woods are?
I've been looking all over the internet for some straight forward info. I'm failing miserably.
Dave In San Diego
Great article. I have to say that normally spalted maple is my favorite, but I love the look of the bubinga you have in your article. Gorgeous figure and striking color contrast. Very nice!
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