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Post by nkforster on Feb 10, 2015 17:09:48 GMT
Interesting stuff on the blog Nick After reading the previous post then this one I actually did laugh out loud. Oh dear, for once one of them awful text things (LOL) is appropriate. You know when I started the business, for some reason I thought "N.K. Forster" sounded good, very English. But people see the logo and read "Nick Forster" It's funny how the brain works. As it is I get around 2-3 emails a week addressed me as "Nick"...it was some time later that I realised if "English" was what I was after, I am called Nigel, and there aren't many names more English than that! Hay ho. Anyway, glad you like the blog. Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Feb 10, 2015 8:16:29 GMT
Ah the bridge.... I didn't come up with the idea but I did ask the chap who did come up with it if I could use it. The chap who came up with the idea is an amateur maker in Germany. I interviewed him for theluthierblog.com a little blog I run for makers. Here is a link to the piece. He's a great feller - a toy designer by profession. Don't know how he finds the time. As it is, a German scientist came up with a similar idea in the 80's. If you read the article you can download the paper which explains the science behind it. The main thing is this bridge design frees up a fair bit of soundboard "real estate" and allows me to change what's going on underneath significantly. nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Feb 9, 2015 8:24:40 GMT
Got an 'error' in the playing there, nkforster ... your link looks a wee bit messy.... edit: sorted, thanks Fixed! (I think....)
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Post by nkforster on Feb 9, 2015 8:22:41 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Feb 1, 2015 18:21:23 GMT
Some of you may know that Johnny Dickinson hasn't been so well the last few years, but the good news is he's in good form and playing a few gigs here and there. At the back end of last year I caught up with him and we chatted about his recent illness. Here is the interview: www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/johnny-dickinson/For those of you who aren't familiar with Johnny, he's one of the best slide players around. Here he is. And slide is just one of his talents. He's also a great singer and songwriter too. Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com/luthier-book/
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Post by nkforster on Jan 18, 2015 13:37:24 GMT
I've only got one acoustic guitar (Stanford OM), so I don't really have much choice! Nigel, I got the email from you about Model S you are selling. Have you thought about putting it into the classifieds part of the forum here? The guitar looks beautiful. Aye, it's a beauty! These days when something comes up like an ex demo or used guitar, I write to the mailing list first. If it sells, great, if not, it then goes to my " available now" page. After a couple of weeks there I often list it eBay too as often folk are looking for my stuff there, and the audience is huge. But posting to the classifieds here is something I might well try in the future. But the mailing list find out before anyone else. nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com/luthier-book/
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Post by nkforster on Jan 18, 2015 11:17:30 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Dec 16, 2014 21:10:40 GMT
... and in addition to the quality of the wood itself, there's how well that wood is worked to extract the maximum quality sound from that particular piece. I suspect we are being encouraged to focus on tonewood species partly because it distracts us from examining how much more the quality of the instrument and its sound can be affected by the skills of a builder and how little fine tuning goes on in the making of factory built guitars in general. So "quality" becomes a reflection of the scarcity and costs of the various woods being used. We are also being encouraged to think of quality design as being evidenced by appearance rather than sound. Or maybe I'm just an old cynic? Mark No - I think that is very well said Mark. My visit to Berlin made me feel very much the same way! Don't know if it's cynical or not, but I do know customers like to talk to me about tonewood. Many folk read stuff in magazines and forums. There is no end of "which tonewood is best" talk on the web. Imagining what the perfect combination of woods might be, and the sound they might produce is a stage many folk go through before they find out it's not that simple. Mind, not everyone likes to be told that there is more to it than that, so I wouldn't be too hard on makers who "talk tonewood" - it's often the best subject to find common ground with well read players. Some makers too, especially those relatively new to making may be inclined to think in the same way, as their views may be informed as much by reading as actual building. But this can work in a novice makers advantage in a "sales" setting like a big show as the maker and customer are likely to have similar views if they've been reading the same stuff. From past experience I've noticed whenever I do start banging on about design (structural not aesthetic) folk nod off, or get that "far away, glazed look" in their eyes. As one of me pals in the trade said "It's much easier to sell someone a guitar they already want then to try and educate them why this design is better than that one." Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Dec 15, 2014 21:42:46 GMT
I met these lads a couple of weeks ago whilst they were supporting John Smith. They're great. I'd like to say they were Geordies, but they're not. They're from Sunderland, which I believe is a place not to far away from Newcastle...
Anyway, one of the things I like doing with me videos is promoting local talent. The singer, and songwriter is Martin Longstaff, and I think he's an outstanding singer and songwriter. I'm not the only one - next month he's off to Nashville to record an album with Dave Stuart. Should be good.
Enjoy,
Nigel
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Post by nkforster on Dec 15, 2014 19:10:47 GMT
Its hard to know where to start (or when to stop) with the "which tonewood is best" game. There is a chapter about this in me book. In the end what one maker thinks or finds is always disputed, contradicted by the findings of another. That's because it's very difficult to ever know for sure what we have done right when we make a good'un. For many of us it's about recreating the causes and conditions again. I have to say from my own experience that one of the conditions for the best sound is using Brazilian rosewood, but that alone doesn't guarantee a good guitar. There is a lot more to it than that. What qualities good Brazilian has it's hard to say. That said, the law of diminishing returns very much applies to using fancy woods.There is nothing wrong with good Indian. If you can't make a great guitar with Indian and European spruce, something is amiss. The point about choosing the right luthier rather than picking the right wood is a great one: if you could give 20 makers 20 identical sets (and you can't, but let us pretend we can) we'd come up with 20 very different guitars. I really feel it is alot about finding a maker whose taste accords with yours. And then getting the best woods your budget allows. Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Dec 5, 2014 21:44:10 GMT
I've just published a piece on me blog folks. Some of you might enjoy it. The sound samples are really nice - played by a young lad, Tom Fletcher, whom I met a couple of weeks back. When I met him he was playing pedal steel in a great band called the Lake Poets (look them up). Turns out he's a great DADGAD fingerstylist. Here it all is: www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/howe-orme-replica-new-ebook/Enjoy. Nigel
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Post by nkforster on Dec 2, 2014 20:34:06 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Nov 16, 2014 13:13:15 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Nov 16, 2014 12:21:48 GMT
The last few weeks I've been clearing out a lot of stuff from my workshop. It's so crowded, at times it's like an episode of "It's a knockout" trying to negotiate around all the stuff in there! Anyway, much of the smaller stuff has gone (ebay) but a few of the bigger "projects" remain. Including a guitar body I made quite a few years back: It's one of my Indian/Brazilian mix bodies, a bound, cutaway Model S with a soundport. . It has a "standard" soundboard, rather than one of my "cylinder" tops. But there is a problem. The reason it got put to one side is I messed up. The soundboard was glued on off centre so the soundhole is closer to one side than another. By just a few mm, but enough to be "spot off!"
Now, there are a few options - I could get on and finish the guitar but I've orders waiting to be made, and in the end I couldnt ask full price for the instrument as it's a bit "squiffy" Mind, years back I was at Dream Guitars in the USA and they had a Manzer with the same issue - she'd done the same thing (so at least I'm in good company!) The guitar was great, but discounted because of the error. Cut the top off and start again - but again, lots of work and folk are waiting Ebay - see what it fetches and have done with it - I need the space! It's a tricky one. Any ideas? nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Nov 10, 2014 22:52:50 GMT
How are you Nigel? Haven't seen you since years ago at Stefan's! Following your progress of course via Ian Stephenson and Denny Bartley. Your story sounds like bitter experience. Must be heartbreaking to spend weeks on an instrument and then have it smashed. So have you got a recommendation of someone with REAL insurance? All the best, Alistair Very good, back at the bench after a long trip away. Opening a case to find a brand new smashed instrument must be very upsetting for the customer. It's not the thing anyone wants to experience. But, when insurance doesn't pay, I do, the customer pays for an instrument, and that's what they get, even if I have to make two! Basically, whichever shipper you use, my advice is to check the terms and conditions every time when shipping a guitar as they can and do change, and rarely in our favour. nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com/luthier-book/
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