Kennedy Guitars 

Well time for my yearly update.  Still kicking but going on 82 and working at a slower pace.  Since my last post I completed another Mahogany OM which sold at Willie’s and an Ovangkol double side OM with Maple inner sides.  It was a good guitar and sold locally.

About a year ago Tim Fast, a well known Minnesota singer songwriter stopped by,  Tim, by a somewhat complicated path, acquired the first OM I built from scratch after taking the Charles Fox course back in 2004 and it was his main axe for many years.  He wanted a shorter scale length neck made for it.  Also it had had a few misadventures resulting in three headstock repairs.  

It was a bit of a challenge to get everything right so it intonated well as the bridge/saddle position could not easily be changed.  I finally got it done and I think it turned out well.  The original neck did not have carbon bar reinforcement and the frets were not glued.   It was amazing what a stiffer neck with reinforcement and hide glue for the frets did for the tone.  

Tim just stopped up to pick it up.  So far so good!! Fingers crossed.

Check him out at timfast.com

My plan for the next six months is to finish a commission Maple OM with Rosewood inner sides and start another for Willies American Guitars in St Paul.  They will be numbers 95 and 96.  I hope to reach 100 before I meet St Peter!

I am starting two new guitars.  A Rosewood/Sitka single side OM commission and a double side Mahogany/Lutz OM for Willie’s American Guitars. I hope to have both completed in early 2025.

I recently did a two part interview with Nate Wesgor the owner of  Willie’s American Guitars in St. Paul MN.  It’s a fascinating store and well worth a visit if you live in or are visiting the twin cities.  I am honored to be hanging my instruments there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6gHctVnJ30&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDC8xBdfSbw&feature=youtu.be

Twin cities guitarist Lindsay Paine was up in October with his OM that I finished last year.  Everything looked good and we did a minor action tweak.  It’s breaking in nicely.   Besides playing in a larger band he has an acoustic duo called Oake and Paine that play around Minneapolis and St Paul.

Well it has a been a tough fall for Kennedy Guitars with major life changing health issues for both myself and my wife.  Shop work is gradually resuming at a slower pace but proceeding none the less.  I am confident I will be able to complete more instruments.  The two in progress have the bodies complete and the necks are coming along so it is very possible they could go to finish in early 2024.  They may be spoken for but if not, they will go to Willie’s American Guitars in St Paul.

Life throws you a curve ball now and then.  This was a big one.

Work continues on two OMs for Willie’s American Guitars. Both double sides/  One Rosewood/Maple inner  and the other Birds’s Eye Maple/ Rosewood inner.  I am planning a Cedar top for the Rosewood.  Hope to have them in the store October of November.

My friend Paul G picked up his OM last month.  The burst came out great!

Quite a few repairs floating through so things are busy.  Have a great summer!

It has been a while since I updated my blog.  My website software had an issue but I think I have figured a workaround.  I have just completed two commissions, both IRW OMs with Lutz tops.  Single sides with Brazilian fretboards.  They are off to finish.

I have also delivered a nice double side Mahogany/Rosewood OM commission with a great Adi top.  Finished in a burst.  Good sounding guitar.

I will be focusing on repairs for the time being, but will probably be starting another build in the relatively near future.

           Check out my instruments at Willies american Guitars in St Paul MN.

                           https://www.williesguitars.com/product/new-kennedy-om-80/

                            https://www.williesguitars.com/product/new-kennedy-om-85/