Thought I'd post up this photo of Maximo Pujol playing Victor Matthews's guitar during a lesson in Buenos Aires last month....nice to see the maestro approves! Maximo will also be in Adelaide during the 2014 guitar festival so keep an eye out for him!
Read more...Grigory, his wife Olga, and his home country of Russia are not only very photogenic, but also share a passion for classical guitar. Grigory is an internationally renowned and award winning concert performer. He is also director of Matyaev's International Guitar Festival in Kirov (Russia). I am pleased to say he has used his new Litchfield guitar in the recording of his new CD and has concerts already planned. If you are interested in learning more about Grigory, he has a website under construction at: http://grigorynovikov.com/
Read more...This is a milestone for the build process, when the completion of the body chamber allows the maker to get a feel, or sense the nature of the instrument. It's the first real peek into the colour of the sound IMO. Tapping the top lightly in strategic places brings to life some interesting responses. I can even notice a marked change in tone after the first day or two of the top being glued in place. I am not sure why this is so, whether it is to do with glue cure, or some kind of settling in or equilibrium with the body. It seems to improve with sustain and range of overtones increasing.
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Some more photos for a few clients. The backs are on and all interior work on the body is done before I assemble tops. All of these are the C900 model. The other, perhaps more interesting photo is an example of workshop wildlife. Wonderful what crawls into my workspace...Upper Brookfield is known for such fluffy warm creatures...like Death Adders, and Eastern Brown snakes..
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That's right, you have seen it here first....everyone has been waiting for the low-down on the new series of Litchfield "Compact" supports. For some years I have been making the "Standard" support which has worked well for most people, but every now and then, someone will just want something different. It's not surprising, considering everyone comes in different shapes and sizes, and uses different techniques and positions. Funnily enough, the new designs are nothing new to me. They are actually based on my original support I started making close to 20 years ago. Karin Schaupp and other...
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The start of a new batch of 4 guitars. The number equates to the happy medium for me, with not too many, not too little. Making more than one at a time provides me with some feedback and sample size to observe the effects of any changes I make. It also makes things a little more efficient, which lets face it, is important since working full strap I only am able to make 8-10 guitars per year. Making more than four would probably overload me and I would start to loose focus on detail. Every maker has their own processes to follow with some faster than others - mine are very time consuming. ...
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Hi again, I should say something about what this blog is about and what you might hope to get out of reading it. I have started this blog as a way of sharing knowledge and having some fun with the guitar world. I've done some great travel as a guitar maker and this is a kind of continuation of those adventures. Since my time and travel budget are both limited, I hope this blog will allow me to easily interact with other people as I sit at my desk in Upper Brookfield. As someone who has been making guitars for over twenty years I am planning to start some discussions that draw...
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My first topic on my own Blog! Here are two new guitars getting close to completion for a couple of talented local players at the University of Queensland. They are about 1 week from completion, so close to the moment of first stringing when the true nature of my work is revealed. This photo is just after buffing which is the final process in the finishing except for some waxing by hand. The process starts with rough sawn timber planed and sanded to assemble, and then the surface preparation starts. Sealing and filling the grain with several materials, and then the main body of nitrocellulose...
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