This project has been stewing for a couple years. Sometimes it takes that long to fully come to terms with all the details and background on special builds, before taking the plunge. There is a history for these kinds of instruments and their design that I have been slowly getting to know. Part of the joy of such a build is the feeling of connection to the past and an understanding of music and sound from that era. The modern guitar and the demands for the Luthier are worlds apart from these early guitars.
Here is the headstock for a Panormo, the distinctive shape spells...
Read more...
I am currently at the point of carving out the necks on this batch of guitars. While most of it is done by hand and eye using bladed tools and rasps and sand paper, one section is done using a machine called and overhead router. It is a large router that I can feed the neck into to create the desired roughed out profile.
Here is the neck after machining. The purpose is really to remove bulk in an accurate manner, to help with smoothing and reduce a little labour. It is a little stressful as I need to feed the entire guitar into the machine due to using a Spanish construction...
Read more...
Every now and then I get a commission that isn't guitar related. Often they are lovely little diversions from guitar making which are immensely enjoyable. Such is this little shelf made for an established artist friend Leonard Brown, to hold part of his very fine collection of works. It was small, simple and made hold his Deisis. It was made from Cedar and designed from a couple of photos provided of a similar shelf.
.
Read more...
Article written by myself, also published on Nicole Rogers blog Classical Guitar N Stuff
http://classicalguitarnstuff.com/2014/06/09/modern-mechanics-and-classical-aesthetics-by-lance-litchfield/
Modern Mechanics and Classical Aesthetics
After nearly 25 years as an Australian Luthier I find myself bridging between the most modern schools of guitar building, and the rich heritage of traditional guitar culture from around the world. Over these years I have steered my path mainly on instinct, trying to bring together the best of these worlds. This article is the culmination...
Read more...
Here is an optional extra for a client. Arm rests are pretty popular these days, and can be great, but are not for everyone. I have even been known to retrofit to my guitars and other guitars on occasion. My style of rest is usually smoothly curved to a large radius, and long enough to accommodate a large variety of arm positions. In this case it is made from the same timber as the body, namely East Indian Rosewood. It gets put on the guitar around the same time as the fingerboard, before I radius the edgings.
Read more...
Like most Luthiers, I do some repair work on occasion. As a classical guitar specialist, most of my repairs are on nylon string guitars, but occasionally I see steel string or electric guitars. Here is an unusual guitar that needed some TLC. It's the first Classical Bass guitar I have had in the workshop, and it was having some issues with glue stability and strength in our local environment. It was originally made in Germany, possibly with fairly traditonal glues. The bridge had come off fairly cleanly thank goodness, and a number of back bars were loose, creating a rather nasty...
Read more...
Here is the first short run of Compact style supports. Hopefully finished in a few weeks, and available alongside the standard range.
Read more...
I don't do many of these mainly due to limited requests and difficulty. The inlaying of the long veneer is difficult due to the fitting of the wrapping seam at either end, and that my guitars use a Spanish neck joint requiring me to veneer with the neck on the body. There are a few reasons for the veneer - the main reason is one of feel, and comfort. The raw finish is warm and nice to touch. Unlike lacquer which can feel grippy and cool, not that there is anything wrong with that. Some also like the aesthetic, and this kind of treatment is not uncommon on early instruments like...
Read more...
Kazu Suwa interviews me for his blog
http://kazu-classicalguitar.co.uk/blog/content/interview-classical-guitar-luthiers-litchfield-guitars-australia
Read more...
Campbell Diamond has just won the OPEN class in the Classical Guitar Society Victoria competition. A big congratulation is in order for his effort...he is also a semi finalist in the Tokyo competition and will be due to take part in that in the near future. Please check the "recordings" section for his winning effort. He is playing a 2010 C900 cedar top.
Campbell Diamond, photo by Remy Brand
Read more...
