Letters to Grandchildren

Dear Rose:


This is the "before" picture of your violin. As you can see, it is dirty, and very incomplete. My first step was to send for some basic violin repair tools, and a book on repair. My next step will be to clean it and take it apart, so that it can be re-assembled with fresh hide glue. It will eventually get a new Ebony fretboard, Ebony tailpiece, Ebony tuning pegs, and a Maple bridge. I will keep you posted as the work progresses.

Love, Grandpa

..........................................................

Dear Josh:


Some pictures on the progress of your electric bass. The first picture, with the light color wood, are the blanks for the prototype. The wood is Poplar. I will send the prototype to you, so that you can be sure that I've followed the drawing you agreed to.


The second picture, with the dark wood, is to show the wood I would like to use, if you agree. Both pieces are Honduras Mahogany, but acquired at different times. The piece for the body is a cut-off from wood I bought back in 1986 for furniture. It is plain sawn, and I would be reluctant to use it, but for the fact that it has sat in my shop for twenty-two years without twisting or warping. I think it has proved itself a proper piece of guitar wood. The other piece, for the neck, is quarter sawn, the "holy grail" of guitar makers. I went through all the Mahogany at Woodcraft in Roanoke, and pulled out all the quarter sawn pieces. I paid for them, of course, and then squirreled them away for future guitars.

The Mahogany is a dark red now, and will turn darker with exposure to sunlight. Should you want a darker red, I can accomplish that with a "toner" made of dye in the lacquer finish.

Love, Grandpa

Promise Guitar

This is the third guitar I started, back around 1980. I had finished a jumbo flat-top, and a large arch-top. I had been well bitten by the guitar bug, and was anxious to move along. I was aware of the shortcomings of my first two, and, as I remember, wanted to back up and work slowly. I had Irving Sloan's "Classical Guitar Construction" and "Steel String Guitar Construction", so I was confident I could overcome any obstacle.

I had joined the sides to the neck, using the traditional Spanish foot, when the obstacle came out of left field. In 1981, I quit my job, and after several frustrating interviews decided to work for myself. I considered franchises, and several other things. I finally decided on woodworking, since I had my Dad's machines and a two-car garage that would serve as a shop. I briefly considered guitarmaking, but realized I had more experience with furniture than guitars.

The incomplete guitar sat on a shelf or hung on the wall in the New Jersey and Virginia shops until around 2002. In the next few years I added the back and top to the sides, and prepared the fretboard. Other guitars have pushed ahead of it in the line, but it is a very patient guitar. It knows the first two guitars are in landfills, so that makes it the living grandfather of everything I have and will build. It has my promise of completion.