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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
 Posted - 07/21/2008 : 09:10:43 AM
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quote:
He used black acacia, a very close relative of koa that grows in Australia.
And all over California, where it is considered a trash tree; as I learned from a wood turner who collected his stash from trees bulldozed to make way for shopping centers and tract houses in Central California.
Nice to see some luthiers are interested in using it. It can look like highly figured koa, and it is a great tone wood.
Nice guitar, too. |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 09:53:05 AM
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My dream guitar is from a New Zealand (where I'm from originally) luthier, Christian Druery:
http://www.christiandruery.com
He uses native woods (including 30-50,000 year-old Kauri) and Maori designs for the paua (abalone) inlays, resulting in some absolutely gorgeous results (including Weissenborn designs).
Are they the best guitars for slack key? Who knows, but they definitely meet my criteria in terms of making we want to pick one up and play it!
On the other hand, I currently have an equally beautiful guitar from luthier Jack Needham that is far better than my playing ability so I really shouldn't complain. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 07/21/2008 10:10:12 AM |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 10:11:39 AM
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Craig, I suppose you're aware of Laurie Williams? http://www.guitars.co.nz/
Mark, I haven't seen any California acacia that showed much figure, but I always assumed it was out there.
Keith, the ergonomics of the wedge were amazing. I sold my wonderful Martin dreadnaught because the depth of the body put too much strain on my shoulder, and I've always missed the deep piano bass of that large body (I can hear that Martin Dread sound on some of Uncle Sonny Chillingworth's recordings). Now with this wedge concept it looks like I can have a big body sound with small body playing comfort - all I have to do now is convince my financial manager that I _need_ something like this. <grin>.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 10:28:21 AM
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| Hi Fran, yes I've run across Laurie Williams' web site before. He's a lot more expensive than Christian and I like Christian's incorporation of Maori designs. Laurie definitely does beautiful work though! |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 3:04:45 PM
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quote:
He uses native woods (including 30-50,000 year-old Kauri) and Maori designs for the paua (abalone) inlays, resulting in some absolutely gorgeous results (including Weissenborn designs).
the wood is 50,000 years old? wouldn't that make it petrified wood? it might be a bit heavy to hold...
once while browsing the blue note in san luis obispo i came across one of ron saul's ukuleles. i've never seen one since, but i recall this one having the backs and sides made of olive. it sounded great.
aloha,
keith
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 3:30:28 PM
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since we're talking about dream slack key guitars (which, i guess, is a gretsch "paul atkins": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTxGsxqoEGQ): i've been playing my Pō Mahina Hali`a aloha o Kaupoa a lot lately. this is dennis lake's two puka nylon string guitar (if you go to the page on http://www.konaweb.com/mahina/ that describes the guitar, you can see mine: it's the one on the right at the top of the page, and on the bottom where we're showing off the backs of the guitars, i'm on the left).
i know that some of us play nylon string exclusively (raymond stovich, for example), but the kind of sustain one gets from steel string kept me in the steel camp for a long time. once i started playing nylon, though, i found that the sound is so attractive. and, this guitar has good sustain and great bass response.
... so, this is a vote for considering a nylon guitar for your stable.
aloha,
keith
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 4:56:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by marzullo
quote:
He uses native woods (including 30-50,000 year-old Kauri) and Maori designs for the paua (abalone) inlays, resulting in some absolutely gorgeous results (including Weissenborn designs).
the wood is 50,000 years old? wouldn't that make it petrified wood? it might be a bit heavy to hold...
Hey Keith, it's excavated from peat swamps, so the petrification process was inhibited to the point of barely affecting it. Carbon-dated to 30-50,000 years. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 07/21/2008 5:00:06 PM |
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Larry Goldstein
Lokahi
267 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 6:47:40 PM
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... so, this is a vote for considering a nylon guitar for your stable.
As a novice to this genre, and for that matter playing guitar, allow me to second Keith's consideration, and also endorse Dennis Lake.
I am the proud owner of an Halia Aloha O Kaupoa guitar, and love it.
Dennis Lake puts extraordinary aloha and craftsmenship into his instruments.
To my ear, wahine tunings just resonate better on a nylon string instrument.
But Mark, as always, succinctly sums it up, quote:
as long as you play from the heart.
This I have learned from Mark, Keola, John, Kevin and Chris at AMC.
Larry |
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JeffC
Lokahi
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2008 : 09:26:26 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by cpatch
Keith, it's excavated from peat swamps, so the petrification process was inhibited to the point of barely affecting it. Carbon-dated to 30-50,000 years.
No petrification at all, just preserved completely in the peat. As I recall from what I saw when in NZ, the outer layers may have been stained from the process, but the wood was amazingly unaffected. And beautiful! |
Jeff
Making Trout Country safe for Slack Key! |
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