Official Luthiers Forum!

[QUOTE=Colby Horton] Larry, not to change the subject, but are you really moving to Mississippi?[/QUOTE]

Colby, already done already! (We're in Southaven in an apartment while the home's being built, then down the road to Olive Branch).

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Bruce, thanks so much for the excellent edification! (Wanna buy an archtop? )...Seriously, I'm letting the guy work thru this on his own and maybe he'll answer my question for me...by not offering after all! But, if he offers to send me to archtop school it's a mutually beneficial situation whether he takes archtop #1,2,3 or none! Like Paul and the others have said tho, I don't want anything out there with my logo on it that doesn't aquit me well...so quality is the end-all if I do this.

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

And while we're on the subject Bruce, how would a Gopherwood archtop sound anyway?

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Larry!
      Your doing this guy a huge solid! Think about it, years from now when a Presnall is going for 20K a pop! Come on! Say this is the only Presnall AT built? Then what!

      A GOLD MINE I tell you! A GOLD MINE! (Hey, I think I know why Hash keeps his guitars!)

    Your client should be thankful your even talking to him!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Billy, you quack me up!

Larry, I missed the part about this guy sending you to shool? Literally or figuratively?

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Bruce, believe it or not, LITERALLY!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Here's my humble opinion on this Larry -

As long as this guy knew it was your first, and you didn't have to work under any kind of deadline where pressure would have you making bad decisions, I would consider it.  I would also make sure I did a prototype first, so that I had the experience of at least one under my belt.  The commission essentially pays for you to build a couple arch tops and add that to your repertoire...

I agree with most of what Hesh said - my take is that you don't want to misrepresent what you do, or who you are, but you also don't want to completely pass up an opportunity to learn and build your skills.  Would you eventuallty have built one had this commission not come along?  Well, here's your chance to grow...but do it ethically.  Don't mislead your customer into thinking that since you build flattops, you can just "crank out" an arch top -

Mitch

Larry, I sometimes go to Southaven. The east side I think, over on Goodman road. Sometime when you get a shop setup let me know.

Sure will Colby! Right now we're on the West end of Goodman in an apt...no shop But, when the house is done in March and the shop's in I'll hook up with you! Whatcha building right now?

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Sounds good!!
Right now I'm working on two commissions. A german spruce/koa small jumbo and a redwood/myrtlewood cutaway grand auditorium. I might post some pics of 'em pretty soon.

I really think that if you buy Benedetto's book, his plan, and possibly (ok definitely) his video, given your experience in building flattops, your first will be fine. Not for a commission, perhaps, but you should be happy with it.

I built my one and only for a client.   It's in the Acoustic Guitar Magazine "Custom Guitars" book.   I made a 12" lower bout 2/3 scale body profile of a 1934 Super 400, one of the great body shapes of all times.   It was a mando guitar with six courses of single strings tuned in 5ths: F, C, G, D, A, E, low to high. I used a fanned fretboard with the high E being about a 15" scale and the low F being close to 17 1/2".   It was a high wire act all the way, and it came out so good that I really didn't want to part with it.   

Kind of as per Al's advice, I terraced the top and back outside, but on a pin router, and then used a 4" angle grinder with 36 grit to blend the steps fair.   I then made a domed pin for the pin router and used a ball end bit to rout the inside surface to a constant thickness, and then refined that with anything I could grab...the angle grinder, gouges, violin maker's finger planes, etc.   It took a day to get the top and back about 95% carved and graduated.

That was when I said to myself, "Self, you ought to be making archtops. These guys are getting away with murder!"

Oh...the client was thrilled...