Guitar
Guitar making is a very different discipline to repair.
The repairer's day could involve anything from vintage instruments to brand new. Any sort of stringed instrument with any problem could walk in the door. Its certainly interesting and keeps you thinking.
The guitar maker chooses what they do day to day. The process is often more creative and hugely rewarding.
In some ways repair is harder - you work with what's there and of course you cannot afford to make a mistake. If a maker makes a big mistake they can start again with another piece of wood - its not that easy for a repairer especially with vintage instruments.
When I started off in the mid 90's I made a few guitars but ended up concentrating on repair. In the ensuing 15 years I've seen a lot of instruments, listened and looked hard and tried to determine what goes into a great guitar. There are so many interacting elements, so many variables.
I've now decided to start making again.
I'm making a pair of Dreadnought guitars to begin with.
Here are a few pictures of the progress so far:
This is a back getting thicknessed by hand. I've chosen Australian Blackwood for its acoustic properties - somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood. This is New Zealand grown.
The bookmatched halves of the back are jointed together.
Glyn
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Feel free to contact me about repair work (if you are in NZ). I only check emails weekly so the workshop phone is always the best 09 307 6501.
- Custom Acoustic Guitar
My friend and long time customer Shannon Coulomb (www.facebook.com/sematics) popped into the workshop late last year. He's a great player with a fantastic ear so I was keen to get his opinion on one of my handbuilt guitars. This was the one he played:...
- Gibson Songwriter - Neck Break
I got back to the workshop after my xmas break, the phone rang and this became my first job of the year. Ugly isn't it! The head has been broken in a fairly typical way - I see this a lot and it is a routine job. But this one has been...
- On Tour - Tales From The Back Line
There are a few different aspects to guitar repairing. All my work happens in my own controlled environment - the workshop. Touring Guitar Techs have to work wherever they find themselves - they need to be quick, have magician like fault finding skills,...
- Les Paul
. There has been a lot said about the life of Les Paul recently. I'd just like to say - thanks Les It seems like a good time to show some pics of one of my customer's guitars.Its a Les Paul Custom that has been carved by hand into a stunning...
- Repairing A Hole In An Acoustic Side
I have a lot of tools. There are so many different jobs I do on guitars I need a lot of tools. Most I buy, many I have to modify and a few I make. This little clamp I made for a specific job, it doesn't get a lot of use but when I need it it's...
Guitar
Guitar Making
Guitar making is a very different discipline to repair.
The repairer's day could involve anything from vintage instruments to brand new. Any sort of stringed instrument with any problem could walk in the door. Its certainly interesting and keeps you thinking.
The guitar maker chooses what they do day to day. The process is often more creative and hugely rewarding.
In some ways repair is harder - you work with what's there and of course you cannot afford to make a mistake. If a maker makes a big mistake they can start again with another piece of wood - its not that easy for a repairer especially with vintage instruments.
When I started off in the mid 90's I made a few guitars but ended up concentrating on repair. In the ensuing 15 years I've seen a lot of instruments, listened and looked hard and tried to determine what goes into a great guitar. There are so many interacting elements, so many variables.
I've now decided to start making again.
I'm making a pair of Dreadnought guitars to begin with.
Here are a few pictures of the progress so far:
This is a back getting thicknessed by hand. I've chosen Australian Blackwood for its acoustic properties - somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood. This is New Zealand grown.
The bookmatched halves of the back are jointed together.
My side bending machine.
Fitted back braces.
Carving and tuning the top braces using a thumb plane and chisels.
Working on the sides in the mould.
So the process is well under way. I'm making a pair of Dreadnoughts with Carpathian spruce tops, Blackwood back and sides with Honduras Mahogany necks. I'd love them to be finished by the end of the year but that really depends on my repair workload.
Glyn
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Feel free to contact me about repair work (if you are in NZ). I only check emails weekly so the workshop phone is always the best 09 307 6501.
Workshop Hours
Mon……. 8-6
Tues……. 8-6
Wed…….. Closed
Thurs …..8-6
Fri ……….8-6
Sat/Sun ..Closed
Tues……. 8-6
Wed…….. Closed
Thurs …..8-6
Fri ……….8-6
Sat/Sun ..Closed
Mr Glyn’s Guitars
21a Khyber Pass Road
Auckland
New Zealand
http://www.mrglyn.co.nz/
www.facebook.com/MrGlynGuitars
www.mrglyn.blogspot.com
09 307 6501, 021 912678
- Custom Acoustic Guitar
My friend and long time customer Shannon Coulomb (www.facebook.com/sematics) popped into the workshop late last year. He's a great player with a fantastic ear so I was keen to get his opinion on one of my handbuilt guitars. This was the one he played:...
- Gibson Songwriter - Neck Break
I got back to the workshop after my xmas break, the phone rang and this became my first job of the year. Ugly isn't it! The head has been broken in a fairly typical way - I see this a lot and it is a routine job. But this one has been...
- On Tour - Tales From The Back Line
There are a few different aspects to guitar repairing. All my work happens in my own controlled environment - the workshop. Touring Guitar Techs have to work wherever they find themselves - they need to be quick, have magician like fault finding skills,...
- Les Paul
. There has been a lot said about the life of Les Paul recently. I'd just like to say - thanks Les It seems like a good time to show some pics of one of my customer's guitars.Its a Les Paul Custom that has been carved by hand into a stunning...
- Repairing A Hole In An Acoustic Side
I have a lot of tools. There are so many different jobs I do on guitars I need a lot of tools. Most I buy, many I have to modify and a few I make. This little clamp I made for a specific job, it doesn't get a lot of use but when I need it it's...