Official Luthiers Forum!

I've done 4. 3 dreds and 1 OM. I have 2 more OM's and anothe dred started.

1 Electric - built in 1972, started doing some repair work in the mid 1990's. Began a little more serious study, reading books, built jigs, threw jigs in trash can, built more jigs, bought tools, threw some tools in trash can, bought better tools, built shop all done between 1995 - 2004. Began buying old and cheap guitars, tearing them apart and putting them back together. Have built 5 flat top acoustics since, have 6,7,8,9, going now that are J-35 style and 10 going as well and first attempt at a Classical.

Thanks to all you guys here on the OLF, they sure are getting better!

Mike

In 1976 I started building and over the next several years finished three acoustics, one classical, three hammered dulcimers, one banjo, and one appalachian dulcimer. Then I started doing repairs and restorations over the next couple of decades. In 1995, I started building again and completed one acoustic archtop, 36 archtop necks, one slim-line archtop, a 6-string solid body bass, and am currently working on a batch of 4 OMs. I am also still doing repairs.

just about done my 5th om. incredible hobby!! glad i got a start on it before we had kids. now with the young ones i'm lucky to have a few minutes in the shop at night before i'm exhauseted. don't know if i'd have had the time or energy it takes to begin something this involved with toddlers around. i've still got loads to learn, but nothing compared to the first 3 and how steep that curve felt.
phil

70-80 I dunno, lost count ... too lazy to check the book

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

One, but it sounds good. Starting number two now. I'd have gotten started sooner, but I had to build a shop, and buy a lot of tools.   

_________________
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Bout 50 coustic's, bout 5 lectric's, 1 arctop coustic, 1 & 1/2 mandolin's, 1 violin, 2 tube guitar amp's, 2 tube sterio's, 1 voice of the theatre, speeker system. Gotta hear them tunes over the table saw!!!

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Scott,

    I was intrigued by your comments in you post earlier in this thread.

    "In doing this work, I may have a slight advantage due to severe
hearing damage suffered in 1977. It occurred at the end of a gig, and
involved having my hands full as I prepared to leave, and being in front of
the new house sound system when a drunk manager dimed it. I am still
listening to that screaming feedback, and lost a big hunk of mids. Still, I
can hear all of the notes on a guitar, and no one has observed any
problem from that in the finished work.

Al Carruth recently posted that normal people can only distinguish a 3-4
db difference in volume, but tests then showed I can hear a spike of 51
over 50 db. The audiologist said that normal hearing needed a 60 db
spike over 50 to hear it. I forget what this proved, but I think it had to do
with determining if the damage was the result of a single event or chronic
r 'n' r. This sensitivity has come at great cost--a threshold of pain at
65-70 db, called hypercussis. Pete Townshend has it too, as do a number
of other musicians. It eventually forced me to retire from performing for a
living, as the volume in most venues has risen to intollerable levels, even
wearing ear plugs. Don't forget those hearing protectors around power
tools!"

    It's amazing that you can have that kind of damage and still sense a
very narrow 1dB spike that most audio measuring equipment can't even
read. Usually, hyperacusis will begin to decrease in its severity of
symptoms with time away from volume levels that exceeed the threshold
of tolerance for the person who has it. Pete Townshend's hyperacusis is
complicated by a case if tinnitis which is a much more serious and
permanent condition.

    The most common treatment for both is simple exposure to constant
sound, usually broadband noise, through headphones at normal listening
levels. I have friend who suffered with both for several years, but has
recovered almost completely through this type of self administered
treatment.

    We played together in a couple of bands in the 70s and 80s that were
notorious for our extreme volume levels in the New York and Boston club
loops. We actually got shut down on several occasions and even had to
start to rope off a 15 foot square in front of our mains when sound levels
were measured. I wore earplugs, but he never did...and neither did our
audience. During those years of shooting for concert level sound levels,
we always said, "You'd better come ready to listen because you won't be
able to hear anything but the band."

    I can't take those kinds of volume levels now and appreciate being able
to talk to the people I'm with when I listen to music live. Our sound was
always of the highest quality possible and we spared no expense on the
gear we bought. Huge stacks of EAW cabinets consisting of 8- 18 inch
subs, 6 each- 15 and 12 inch mid cabs and a large array of 60 and 90
degree horns on eac side of he stage all pushed by more than 30,000
wats of Crown power amps. we liked it to sound great while it was
practically taking the heads off of the audience.

     My stage rig for guitar consisted of three Marshall JCM 800 heads
running hot and six 4x12 cabs with a Bradshaw switching unit and two 27
space racs full of processing gear so my personal volume was rediculous.
My trusty earplugs probably saved me on many-a-night.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega GuitarsKevin Gallagher39039.5865740741

Kevin, what name did your bad go by?
I am very interested

This sounds very much like the gear that I use to use or (we) my band mates and I back in the 80's, I was however one of those none ear plug waring guys

_________________
Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance,
   I started the band as I was finishing up college under the name "The
Bad Boys" playing mostly in boston and surrounding areas, later changed
it to "Kevin Gallagher and the Works". Then once we had established a
nice following in New York City, we went through some personel changes
and took on the name "Kevin Gallagher and the Suspects" and finally,
dropped my name and just called it "The Suspects".

    We had a few recordings that did well (75,000 and 90,000 respectively)
in the northeast here and we also recorded eight TV commercials for a
major brewer whle working for an ad agency in the NYC area.

    The only reason my name was out front at any time was that I was
doing all of the writing, hiring and firing the musicians which were
rotated pretty regularly, and we did all original material for those years. I
surrounded myself with great players and we all made good money for
the time we played together.

   We had what we thought was a good time and got into loads of trouble,
but the years served as a time of learning that has helped me in every
area of life since. It seemed like it would last forever and looking back
now, it was just a blink of an eye and it was over and gone, my hair didn't
reach my belt anymore and I started to look for a quiet place to sit and
talk rather than asking them to turn it up.

Times change as we grow,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega GuitarsKevin Gallagher39039.5829166667

Hesh,
    I'll see if I can drag one up from somewhere. I haven't seen them in a long
time, but we do have some.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/ Omega Guitars

Cool!

Oh man. Maybe a "when I was a long hair hippie" thread?

_________________
nay

My blogs
Hand Made Gutar
Woodworker++

I think my count's on 9 electrics (or was it 10?) and 1 completed acoustic, number 2 is STILL waiting for binding, finishing and assembly/setup.

Let's not get into the other 6 (2 acoustic, 4 electric) I've got planned for next year. Hopefully mostly within the next few months.

2 from scratch. Did minor chores for a luthier friend and also helped with a walnut resophonic constructed from wood salvaged from a local walnut bowl factory.

My next one will be Granadillo - was going to use Khaya from Don along with the Waverlies that I ordered as part of the group, but now I'm psyched about the Granadillo from Hibdon. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Granadillo looks and works........

I also have backed off (for now) on building a mandolin - but may get into that in the future.harry39042.4987731481