My name is Cy. I've played bass since I bought my 83 Ibanez in 83, with a long Haitus.
I've been a Talkbass member since searching for my Tacoma Thunderchief in 2005, and have since decided to finally pursue music as more than just a hobby.
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I only started building spring of '09 when I sat in on a guitar building class that a friend of mine teaches. His name is John Bigelow Martcyanov, and has been teaching guitar building for about 8 years. One of his earlier students is now producing an aucoustic guitar of her own original design.
I have since helped him out in his classes, and we are going to co-host a workshop this coming month. I will check with the TB Admins, and if they give me the OK I will advertise it here on TB. (don't want to break any TB rules)
I may not have extensive luthier experience, but I did grow up with a woodshop in the garage, I watched my dad cut Clear and VG out of old growth dougfir when I was a kid, and I split more chords of western maple, oak, alder, etc. then I could count. I also framed houses for a few years. None of that is building a guitar, but I do have a good 'handle' on wood tools, and wood it'self.
The more you study wood, the more the grain starts to stand out and you start looking at trees and imagining the grain inside. Whether it's straight and strong, or twisted, or rippled. And you can get an idea of which way a piece might bend as it dries, or how to re-saw it, in order to stabilize it. (I am still on the learning end of that curve)
I love trees and wood, and I love music so it just makes sense to build guitars.
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I had not listed myself as a builder before, because there are so many good and very experienced builders here, and my first two builds are still waiting for the final finishes to be buffed. And then they still need to be set up.
It turns out guitars are alot easier to start then finish!
So in total now I have 3 basses (2 neck through and 1 bolt on) that are in or near the finish stages right now.
I am also in the early stages of building 3 sister six string single cutaway guitars. One each for two of my friends that are helping fund my building projects, and one for myself.
They will have matching hippie sandwichs, in the middle of the neck throughs (neck blanks already glued up and dimensioned) But the main neck wood, fingerboards and bookmatched figured woods on the front and back will each be different. Each will have Port Orford Cedar body/wing cores, with hand beveled edges.
But first I am building a "little brother" guitar to the 3 sisters so I can figure out if my neckjoin idea will work, without taking a chance on ruining some AAAA POC, myrtlewood and walnut.
I am very enticed with Port Orford Cedar and will try it out as a neck wood at some point.
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I have also been hesitant to list myself as a builder here, for similar reasons to why Cleve stopped posting. I too have been raked over the coals a couple of times for stating something I either knew by experience or had learned by reading a wide variety of resources. And when I tried to engage in a discussion in order to figure out the truth of the matter, I was treated like a complete idiot.
So I have been spending more time at the shop, and out in the world, and less time here at TB.
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Now that said, I still think TB is one of the best resources for bass players and beginning guitar builders. I have recommended TB to all of the students in the classes I help in.
I stress the that they come here and use the Search Function, since most of the initial questions you have when building have already been asked, and to not search on this site, is to not take advantage of all the time, experience and effort that other people have already put in.
In fact it is down right dis-respectful to come here, post a question without searching, and then be snotty if someone doesn't answer quick enough. We've all seen it happen.
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I have been doing my power tool work at Shop People LLC in Portland, the same shop that the late David Minnieweather made some of his beautiful creations. He left right before I got there so I can't even say we used the same tools, but I hope that my guitars can have half the class that his did.
I am also starting to collect/salvage wood for craft work. I don't think I am going to try to start saving my own future guitarwood. But I have savlaged 6 holly trees, and cutting them into turning blanks and will try to cut some binding stock.
I figure if I can start finding trees that would otherwise be firewood, and get it into the hands of local crafts people it could start to help fund this whole journey.
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About me, I'm 46. 3 just grown kids. Bachelor lifestyle!
Unemployed software QA analyst.
Spend 15 to 20 weekends a year as a volunteer "Corner Marshall" or "Corner Worker" or "Flagging and Communications" or "F&C" as I like to say, at club and pro road racing events here in Portland and around the Pacific NW.
For those that only know NASCAR, when the cars turn in both directions around a "roadrace" track, there are stations near each corner where we use flags to communicate to the drivers about the track condition ahead. We also communicate with "Race Control" about incidents that affect the running of the race, and we are first response to cars/drivers that have accidents of mechanical breakdowns.
It is a ton of fun. And the people are awesome. There is a large extended family of people who have been putting on races for the past 40+ years. And since they are virtually all volunteers they are always training and looking for new recruits.
So this is my quick race worker recruitment spot.
If you have ever had an interest in racing, or competition, or just doing something on a different level with a wide variety of people, then please seek out your nearest SCCA, ICSCC, NASA, or other racing orginization, they will tell you where and when the next event is, and what time the morning meeting is. You'll have a hoot.
