December 5, 2007. Finished a Rosewood/Lutz OM for Dan Mahar (www.danmahar.com)
Dan was a touring Nashville lead guitarist with Billy Dean and has been a professional player since he was 18. It was an enormous pleasure working with him and I learned a lot from him as well.
I also finished a Rosewood/Sitka OM for Charlie Broten from Bishop California. Charlie was a big fixture on the Minneapolis acoustic scene in the 60’s and early 70’s. He still plays out a lot and is a great fiddle player as well. He actually flew in to see his mother and pick up the guitar. It was great to have a chance to play with him a little
I am also working on a Rosewood/Sitka OM for Steve Herbeck from Mankato MN and a Mahogany parlor. I have converted to new headstock logo
January 2008
Steve Herbeck’s OM is ready to go to finish
I’m currently working on two more OM’s. A Mahogany/Lutz for Tom Walsh. It will have Rosewood binding with mitered purfling and an ebony backplate on the headstock.
Also a Rosewood/Sitka for The Podium in Minneapolis. I am using hot hide glue on both of these guitars and am excited to see how they sound.
March 2008
I got two back from finish. A Mahogany/Sitka OM with a 24.9” scale, and a Rosewood/Sitka OM. Addam Stark did a great burst on the Mahogany one. They are at The Podium now. I glued the bridges with hide glue and they sound great.
I also finished the parlor. Same as a Martin size 2. It’s a 12 fret slothead. 24.9” scale, and has a Target USL finish and a Tru-Oil neck. I love the feel of the neck, and this little guy is a blast to play. It’s hard to put down. It took a few weeks to open up but really sounds great now. I think I’m hooked on these little instruments.
Dan Mahar
Charlie Broten
April 2008
Steve Herbeck’s OM is back from finish and looks very nice. Neck is on, preliminary fret leveling done, and bridge glued on with hot hide glue. Ready for tuners and setup.
I’m using the StewMac bridge clamping system now and like it a lot. I’ve been routing the finish off for the bridge footprint about 1/32” inside the actual outline with a dremel using a 1/8” bit and a router base. It’s a very slick way to go. Not nearly as dangerous as one might think. I measure the finish thickness and use a technique shown by David Collins on Luthiers Forum to rout a small ledge in the bridge itself so it sits flush against the top. The bottom of the bridge is radiused to match the top
Tom Walsh’s OM and a Rosewood OM bound for The Podium are ready for finish. I’m doing a Tru-Oil finish on Tom’s neck and shipping out the body for Poly. The OM is getting nitro. I’ve been using industrial plastic shipping boxes and have been happy with the peace of mind they give.
I used veneers on the back of both headstocks for the first time on these guitars. It does not add all that much work and I like the look so far.
This is old news but I just remembered I never posted a shot of my good friend and band mate Bruce Kelly who received a Rosewood/Sitka OM last year as a gift from his partner Anne O’Flynn. This one has a Target USL finish that I did with an epoxy porefill. I’m always a little nervous about the durability of water based finishes but this one still looks great after a year of use.
Bruce and Anne
Production always slows down in the summer when these guys come to visit