Official Luthiers Forum!

Comon! This should be a SLAM DUNK!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Well, your not giving us much of a profile there but I'm gonna hazard a gues. Is it Mark Blanchard?John How38505.6715046296

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

You got it John!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I can't wait to try one of his guitars at Healdsburg. That is if I can get near one.

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

John if you get to, pick it once or twice for me

You just gotta love Mark's work....simply gorgeous stuff.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Pardon my ignorance, but what does Mark B. do that we haven't seen in the works of John How, Hank M., Lance K., The K-Bros, Don W., Matt G., Tim Mc. and quite a few others on the forum? I'm probably showing my naivete here.

On a scale of 1-10, and assuming I'm a 1 then who would be a 10? Where do others honestly feel they are on this scale...or is this too difficult to measure, or too controversial to even bring up? Then again, it may be totally meaningless to even consider at all, since there are so many great builders here who produce great looking and sounding guitars...any of which would delight the hearts of a buyer.

Soooo, what really separates the good from the great? Perhaps I'll know after visiting Healdsburg!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Pardon my obvious ignorance but "What's the wood!"

That finish, WOW!

Steve Brown

JJ, you pose interesting questions. The first time I went to Healdsburg, I was very dissapointed with the work some of the "greats" had at the show. I wouldn't say it was, for the most part, sloppy work. Just not much better than I produce and they charged about 5-10 times what I was at the time.
In this biz it's really hard to not compare yourself with others. As hard as I try I still find myself asking, "how does it compare to your Goodall or Collings or..."
And to be totally honest with you, it feels really great when someone says it's much better than one of those.

JJ,

PLEASE don't group me with those other folks! They're much better than I am at building. I consider myself a novice compared to the folks you mentioned. Except Matt Gage. My stuff is WAY better. (joke...just playin' with yer head Matt... we ALL know your stuff is better than mine) All I can say is I saw 3 or four of Mark's guitars up close and personal at the Newport show, and they were all awesome. The fit and finish on them was meticulous and perfect. The sound was consistantly excellent. People gain a reputation with their instruments more often than not for a very good reason. But you're right...I would certainly compare some of the work of those guys with Mark's work. Just not mine.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

[QUOTE=sfbrown] Pardon my obvious ignorance but "What's the wood!"

That finish, WOW!

Steve Brown[/QUOTE]



It looks like madrose to me.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

It looks like a light colored Braz to me. Not red enough for Mad.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

I have some madagascar sets that have virtually no red at all in them. only tans and light browns....

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Mad rose, maybe cocobolo....

Don, dont sell yourself short bud, I am always impressed with your work.

Don knows how to push my buttons, but that is because we all have concerns about how our guitars measure up to the "big guys". I am nervous about the asia symposium as I will be showing for the first time.

I have no idea where my guitars will end up in the "pecking order" but I am hoping you all will like them.

if you dont like them....dont tell me, I cant handle it.

Matt

its Mad Rose

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I've handled and inspected at lest one guitar (many times more) from
almost any "big time" hand maker that to can think of. With the
exception of a couple of them I could find flaws in all of them. I think the
real mark is not so much how well a miter-joint is executed, or if a
binding spot gets down to .045 instead of a perfect .060 all around. the
real mark of a great guitar is what it should be. The sound. We as
luthiers just get anxious about the little details when we are around each
other because we know that we will see each others mistakes. You'll find
90% of guitar players/customers will not notice those small little things.
Now that does not mean to stop reaching for perfection, but realize it is
an unattainable goal for sustained periods. And one reason is perfection
is subjective. Especially with guitars. A very well known luthier I know
once said "Perfection is boring. The mark of human hands is inspiring"

You'll find just what Paul said that your guitars will stack up quite nicely.
And in the same respect don't expect that "Big name" builder to have a
perfect guitar cause you'll be disappointed. Instead look at the big
picture of a beautiful instrument that is capable of making even more
beautiful music.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

John,

Beautifully stated.

Jeff

i second that john, well said thanks.

Matt

All I know is that Matt is going to have some very nice guitars at the ASIA Symposium, and I can't wait to get my hands on them to play. Matt has really made some great strides in his building in the last couple of years, and if the work I saw in his shop a couple months ago is any indication, they're going to be really great.
John, what you said really was great, but I still go "Ooh! and Ahh!" when I see a guitar where everything has come together just right. I would like to achieve that consistantly someday, but alas I haven't hit it once yet. Maybe someday...!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

John states it pretty eloquently. One other thing that sets the pros above others is consistency. While every guitar may not be perfect in every way, the level of consistency in sound and fit/finish is higher than those just starting out. I always find it interesting going to shows. Some of the new guys have almost perfect guitars, but they can be very sterile looking and sounding. And it turns out that some of them are great cabinet makers that have yet to put their personal mark upon their instruments. Some do copies, which I personally find boring. For me, I like looking at people like Fred Carlson, who have gone so far out on the limb with wild ideas. I like seeing how they have pulled it off. Some of the best designs were born from mistakes that had to be fixed. And how well they are fixed is a sign of a good luthier.

My .02 cents,

Lance