It has been a while since I posted here on the OLF, but when my name is in the topic I guess I should chime in a bit
Mitch Cain wrote: John made me feel very welcome and he was ready for a full day of passing on knowledge to a mere rookie. We talked about all the aspects of building and also some of the finer points of the business end as well, and John very graciously answered the many many questions that I put forward without reservation. And we covered a LOT of ground...
Mitch it was my pleasure to have you here at the shop. Mitch caught me in the middle of my "experiment" guitars that I am preparing so he got to see some really fundamental things that I do with joining tops and bending sides etc. The "experiment" will start off with 3 or 4 OMs.
Mitch Cain wrote: John has a lot going on in the shop right now. How he manages the time between his teaching job and the guitars is pretty impressive. Here's a couple a guitars that will probably make their way to Montreal in June...
I don't know if I will bring both of those or not. I guess I will have to see what else I get done. It is a tough balance between the college and the shop. In a way though it is the best of both worlds as I like both jobs a lot. I do need to find a little more time to "play" though.
Mitch Cain wrote: Notice the rack of top wood in the background - really nice stuff!
Yea, I try to keep a good supply of tops on hand. Most tops I use have been in the shop for about 5 years before they get put on a guitar.
In this picture you can see the fixtures that we are using to do our static testing of our wood samples for our experiment guitars. With these we are testing tops (and backs) for the Modulus of Elasticity both along the grain and across the grain. We are also doing this dynamically with Chladni modes. I have 2 engineering students that are working on these experiments. They have been doing some mathematical modelling and things, but have really been pushing me with their questions.
Mitch Cain wrote: And I will be making this jig really soon for shaping the neck..
I saw something like this in one of my Martin books and borrowed the idea. It really sets the neck at the right height off the bench
Mitch Cain wrote: Here's John with the spokeshave, and a "scrap" neck he just happened to have on hand for "instructional purposes"
Yea that is an "old" neck that I messed up on. I had a little too much work in it to throw it out, so it has been sitting around here for years. It finally came in handy. I do use the spokeshave and chisels and scrappers, but the belt sander is also a tool I use quite a bit. Some might think that is "cheating" but getting the right moves on that machine takes some practice too. You can scrap a neck quickly on the samder.
Mitch Cain wrote: I also got to play one of his OM's that was destined for a customer. What a fantastic sounding instrument this was! Sorry I didn't get any pics, but if things persisted for four hours they way this guitar sounded, I would have been on the way to the Dr.! 
Here is that OM
Mitch Cain wrote: John also spent a lot of time trying to get me to understand what he is doing with Chladni testing. We went over all the different node points with a piece of top wood that he is using for some testing. I think I actually got it!  He's got a great setup for doing this kind of testing and he is working toward coming with with a way to make the process of selecting great wood for a top a little less "subjective".
Yea I still have a long way to go with this stuff. It is really cool and I continue to learn stuff every day. I hope it one day will help me make better guitars. It is certainly helping me in the decision process (hopefully for the better) along the build path
Mitch Cain wrote: And, of course, we spent a lot of time talking about what makes a guitar "good" and what makes a guitar "great". 
And I don't know if I will ever find that key ... but I am still looking.
Mitch Cain wrote: I also got to meet Rosalie, John's wife, and that was a treat in and of itself. I hope she and my wife will have a good time shopping in Montreal - By the way, John, if you are reading this, tell Rosalie that Tracy knows where all the underground shops are in Montreal and she's excited about taking Rosalie shopping!
Hey, she is supposed to be my assistant! (Like I could keep her away from shopping!)
Mitch Cain wrote: Overall, I learned a great deal today and I made a great friend that I am sure I will be seeing more often. John, thanks again for the patience and allowing me to futz up the schedule. I really appreciated the time spent and your willingness to share. I hope I can "give back".
Once again it was my pleasure to have you visit Mitch. I am glad you got something out of it
Lance Kragenbrink wrote: Hey! I know that guy! 
and ... it is not my fault that you admit it 
Terry Stowell wrote: Very cool Mitch. I met John at the MD. ASIA symposium a couple years back. I've always enjoyed his work, and look forward to a visit to his shop one day. I've saved as many pix of his guitars as I could find. SOOOO...Pm me if you have any other pix you took, I'd love to see more.
John I'd love to see more of your work here. I know that usually the best builders are too busy to post. Just want you to know you're appreciated! Till next time...
Hey Terry ... it has been a few years. You (and of course other OLFrs) are welcome to come by the shop. I wouldn't know about the "best builders" being too busy to post, but I do get really busy and I have found that I needed to take a break from the forums (all of them) from time to time. I still try to check in but sometimes just don't have the time to post. Regardless, I am still here (for good or bad )
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