What’s On My Bench

  • A Water Uke

    A Water Uke

    This tenor ukulele is instrument #3 in a series I’ve made from Mninga (Pterocarpus angolensis) reclaimed from old furniture in Tanzania. The customer, a for a water walker…

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    4 min read

  • They have a voice!

    They have a voice!

    I’ve been building two guitars with similar design, but different bracing. Once an instrument is structurally complete (but not varnished) I like to string them up to get…

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    4 min read

  • Sculpting a neck

    Sculpting a neck

    Carving the neck is one of my favorite steps in building an instrument. The many curves and angles each have a function, but when it all comes together,…

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    4 min read

  • A Reqinto is Born

    A Reqinto is Born

    Sent my first requinto out in the world. This is the 3rd instrument I’ve built from Mninga (Pterocarpus angolensus) wood that I salvaged from the top of a…

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    4 min read

  • A Sonic Fingerprint

    A Sonic Fingerprint

    The backs are on the two guitars I’m building to compare bracing patterns, and this allows me to measure the main frequencies of each guitar body. The results…

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    4 min read

  • More on Guitar bracing

    More on Guitar bracing

    Last month I described an experiment I’m conducting with 2 different bracing styles on 2 guitars I’m building.  The tops are now attached to the ribs, so I…

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    4 min read

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