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Topic: Clinesmith Guitars |
Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 16 Feb 2009 7:24 pm |
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Had a great visit at the Clinesmith Shop. Todd builds exact replicas of Bigsby pedal and non-pedal guitars. The craftsmanship is incredible.
Fellow forumites: Harley James, Russ Blake, and Ray "Skipper" Montee and I, all got to ogle and play these beauties. Russ brought his original Bigsby D-8 for comparative purposes. Aside from being shiny and new, the Bigsby and Clinesmith guitars are identical. Tone-wise....no difference.......Pix below
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Chris Bauer
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 16 Feb 2009 8:16 pm
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I've been losing sleep ever since I first became aware of these. Man... just one winning lottery ticket and I'm there!
I'll admit to having a bad, persistent case of gear-lust but these stay at the top of my list these days... Waaaaaay too cool. |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 7:10 am
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The smaller size pix don't relay convey the beauty and craftsmanship of these instruments so here's a couple larger photos:
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 7:22 am
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I notice that on some of the guitars there are metal keyheads and on others they are wood.
Is this just pecular to Todd's replicas or did Bigsby also have this option? |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 7:35 am
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Tony,
It was a pleasure having you guys down, and meeting Harley and Russ for the first time. Thanks for posting some photos.
Erv, I build them with Metal necks, wood necks, or the combo of metal key heads with wood necks. PA did all these as well. Bud Issacs had wood necks with metal key heads. That is one of the only originals I have seen that way, tho I am sure there could be others.
I will be bringing the D-8 pictured, as well as a D-10 with metal necks to the Dallas show next month. Also I will have a few Lap 8 string prototypes.
Todd |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 7:53 am
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Just beautiful Todd!!! Really dig those early style PU covers!!  |
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 9:10 am
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| What´s the changer system look like..?..McUtsi |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 12:37 pm
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.......more!
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 4:56 am
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Still curious about the changer system of the pedal-
equipped necks of those fine instruments...McUtsi |
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Doug Seymour
From:
Jamestown NY USA (deceased)
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 11:35 am maple
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| No prettier wood than the tiger maple, natural finish in these photos! |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 5:23 pm If I may.........................
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take the libery to mention...........
The BRILLIANT, HIGH LUSTER in the finish on these guitars IS NOT the result of some special camera trickery or from expensive, overhead jewelry store lighting.
The windowless, room's ilumination was nothing more than overhead, 12 foot length, flurecent(sp?) tube, shop type lighting.
The BRILLIANCE of the guitar's finish will be readily
recognized when you get to a point about 20 feet distant. The closer you get, the more beautiful they get. Be sure to come and see them in Dallas! |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 6:04 pm Now I do say there b0b!
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| I've broken more strings on my Emmons than I have ever broken on the Bigsby. NEVER experienced a string breakage problem with the BIGSBY. |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 6:53 pm Re: If I may.........................
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| Ray Montee wrote: |
take the libery to mention...........
The BRILLIANT, HIGH LUSTER in the finish on these guitars IS NOT the result of some special camera trickery or from expensive, overhead jewelry store lighting....... |
Ray's right. These photos were taken with an iPhone, which is only a 2 megapixel camera. |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 11:33 pm
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| b0b wrote: |
Do they break strings as good as the originals? 
Seriously, they do look beautiful.  |
Seriously #2: the string breakage on Bigsbys could be called an urban legend. Yes, it breaks the high G# more than usual if you are using one, due to the longer scale. BUT, no one was using a high G# to A change on a Bigsby back when PA was building them, so it wasn't a problem. I do have that change on mine but the tuning is D9 so there is no string breakage problem. The other tunings are C6 and E13 ( with five pedals ) and I've never broke a string on those.
Todd, is that stand up steel in the background Russ' guitar?? Do you make rods long enough to have a stand up pedal steel?? That's something I'd like to have, for the heck of it. |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 6:21 am
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Hi Jussi,
Thanks for the comments. Yes that is Russ' steel in the back ground. He was experimenting with rod heights for a stand up pedal guitar.I could make you up some rods at any height you need. I was using an original Bigsby .09 string for a high G# on one of my prototype D-8 . Russ stated he uses GHS roller wounds on his Bigsby and does not break the .11 gauge string on the G#.
Todd |
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Martin Weenick
From:
Lecanto, FL, USA
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 6:24 am Finish
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Tony G. A beautiful finish indeed ! Tony, can you tell us what was used to finish these guitars? Nitro, Automotive?. Thanks, Martin.
_________________
Several custom steels. NV-112 Boss DD-7 |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 6:56 am
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Ulric,
The pedal system is Cable and Aircraft pulleys connected to fingers at the bridge end of the guitar.
Martin, The finish is a base of Shellac , and the top coats are a true Varnish..... phenolic resin. The finish of the old world. It is pretty tough material to work with, but there is not a more beautiful finish out there that I have used. One coat per day for 11 days on those guitars. Then cure for 2 weeks. The reflection detail, and grain on the finish is just incredible.
I should note that on my customers guitars Nitro Lacquer is what I use.... with the Shellac base coats for color. Tho the first few were made with the Varnish . I will offer this finish as a option, but with an added cost for time.
Thanks
Todd |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 8:10 am
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I'm sure that the wire used for guitar strings today is superior, too. It's good to know that these old designs can still handle the Bud Isaacs pedal without breaking strings.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 8:10 am Re: Finish
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| Martin Weenick wrote: |
| Tony G. A beautiful finish indeed ! Tony, can you tell us what was used to finish these guitars? Nitro, Automotive?. Thanks, Martin. |
Martin I wish I was skilled enough to build these guitars........but Todd Clinesmith is 'da man! |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 10:11 am
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Todd, that's great!! I will shoot you an email about the rods soon!!
Ulric, here's some old 60's shots of the underside and bridge of my guitar ( Todd's guitars are just like these ):
Note the fourth string tuning key changer on the third picture! Todd, have you done any of those?? |
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Russ Blake
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 11:23 am
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Todd, thanks again for spending the time with us. I had very high expectations and your guitars exceeded them by far. The tone is definitely there. I can't say enough- they must be seen and played to be fully appreciated.
Jussi, I've been experimenting with different heights- those rods are just wooden dowels. It's fun but obviously very limiting and kind of hard to reach the pedals! Maybe Todd could make some pedal extenders in his free time.
And as Todd mentioned, I do have the high G# to A change on that guitar and after much experimentation with gauges and brands, and some judicious filing of the nut, I'm happy to say that string breakage is not a problem. I can't say that I tried every brand, but I found the GHS .011 PG (pedal guitar) to be the most durable. Some other brands wouldn't even get up to pitch! |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 12:06 am
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Hey Russ, I am actually tuning sometimes to E9 instead of the original D9 and use the same gauge you do. String breakage is not a problem, although a .011 does not last as long as on my Sho Bud.
Last edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 20 Feb 2009 2:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 2:06 am
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Thanks Jussi,that´s it...I´m all the wiser now,see...
I didn´t realize,at first,that the Clinesmith´s are
Bigsby classics REBORN,but I scrolled through the
info just now,more alert a beholder,and...it´s as
close to actual time-travel we may ever get,great...
I´m also intigued by Your fine guitar,just when did
You get into that fortune of an electro-mechanical
artefact..?..McUtsi |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 2:36 am
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Ulric, I bought in 2002 from the original owner's son. Stumbled on it by accident, so to speak. It had been in the case and in a closet for 23 years after the original owner passed away in -79. He kept it in pristine condition and it's 100% original. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the case for the first time, it was like looking at a brand new Bigsby. I'm sure I'd get the same feeling now by opening the case of a new Clinesmith 
And Tony and Todd, sorry to hijack the thread!! |
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