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Topic: Rosewood, Birdseye, and 8 Strings |
Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 11 Sep 2015 8:07 pm |
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I haven't posted one of my builds in a while, but I promise, I have been busy. To that end, here is my P8 Deluxe, 24" scale, cocobolo rosewood body and neck, birdseye maple trim, and a sweet sounding Lollar Horseshoe.
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 11 Sep 2015 10:52 pm
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That's a beauty Tom!
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Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Ralph Czitrom
From:
Ringwood, New Jersey
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 6:07 am
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| Wow! An 8 string version. Beautiful work, as always, Tom. I'd love to hear sound clip of this guitar. The sound of my P6 is so full; I imagine that the combination of Jason's eight string horseshoe pickup and your magic must make for a big sound. Congrats to the lucky recipient. |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 6:43 am
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Tom,
A little question on the design of the neck. It looks as if if may be semi-hollow? Just curious.
That just may be my dream Steel Guitar.  Love it.
Roy
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 6:49 am
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Man, that's nice  |
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Todd Goad
From:
Gray, Georgia, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 6:56 am
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Tom, I can only echo the previous guys comments. Simply beautiful. I too, would love to hear how this guitar sounds.
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Todd
Mullen G2 "THE SAVIOR" BJS Bars Peterson Stroboflip Tuner NV400 GoodrichL20 |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 7:07 am
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| Drop dead gorgeous! |
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Dennis Olearchik
From:
Newtown, PA
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 10:43 am
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Tom, that guitar looks phenomenal!!!
p.s. has anyone ever asked you to build a guitar with multiple pickups or with 6 doubled strings (like a 12-string guitar)? |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 11:26 am
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Just a gorgeous P8......the cocobolo rosewood body is rich looking. What kind of finish is that? What tuning?
Dennis...My Pettingills all have 2 pickups. |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 11:37 am
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Thanks everyone!  I am very happy with how she turned out. Not only easy on the eyes with a sweet voice, but she plays great too.
| Ralph Czitrom wrote: |
| ... I'd love to hear sound clip of this guitar. The sound of my P6 is so full; ... |
It is every bit the sister of your steel. While no two instruments will ever sound exactly alike, you would be hard pressed to pick the 2 out on stage. To that end, then I'll just link you back to your great video from the Maui Steel Guitar Festival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twDn-Q7Jvzg
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=264904
| Roy Thomson wrote: |
| ... question on the design of the neck. It looks as if if may be semi-hollow? ... |
No, it is a solid set neck design. A semi hollow might be a fun project sometime.
| Dennis Olearchik wrote: |
| ... has anyone ever asked you to build a guitar with multiple pickups or with 6 doubled strings (like a 12-string guitar)? |
I do builds with multiple pickups, though I've not been asked to do a doubled string / 12 string style. I'm always up for new challange
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 11:44 am
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| Stephen Abruzzo wrote: |
Just a gorgeous P8......the cocobolo rosewood body is rich looking. What kind of finish is that? What tuning?
Dennis...My Pettingills all have 2 pickups. |
Thanks Steve! The rosewood gets polished out raw and then sealed with a light wash coat of shellac flake. The birdseye is all Tru Oil. Tuning is G6, high to low, D, B, G, E, D, B, G, E.
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
Follow me on Facebook here |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 12:13 pm
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that is beautiful!
i always get a kick out of someone saying a lapsteel 'plays great'. why wouldn't it play just the same as any lapsteel with strings stretched between bridge and nut with no moving parts?
am i missing something? |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 3:21 pm
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| chris ivey wrote: |
that is beautiful!
i always get a kick out of someone saying a lapsteel 'plays great'. why wouldn't it play just the same as any lapsteel with strings stretched between bridge and nut with no moving parts?
am i missing something? |
Yes Chris, you are missing something.
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 3:42 pm
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ha ha...i'm missing more than you can imagine!
but really, from a builder's perspective, shed some light on this for me. obviously uniformity, level, spacing of strings would be part. pickup and response of the wood, etc. would be part.
what else is there?
no frets, no mechanics etc.
how do you and tom determine what is going to sound good before it's done? |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 6:18 pm
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| chris ivey wrote: |
ha ha...i'm missing more than you can imagine!
but really, from a builder's perspective, shed some light on this for me. obviously uniformity, level, spacing of strings would be part. pickup and response of the wood, etc. would be part.
what else is there?
no frets, no mechanics etc. ... |
Good playability probably means a lot of different things to different people, but when you boil it down, there is no reason a 2 x 4 with strings could not be a great player. It does not have to be fancy or expensive to play like a champ. It does need solid construction, proven geometry, and some attention to detail. You did forget a major moving part though, the nut holding the bar and picks.
To me, a great playing instrument is a combination of many things, both the real and mechanical aspects, but also just how it feels, how it responds to your input. I think a great player should have notes that ring true all up and down the neck. I want harmonics to jump off easy and be loud and clear. I want a well cut level nut so I don't have to use a death grip on my bar hand to mash down the strings to kill bar rattle.
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| how do you and tom determine what is going to sound good before it's done? |
That can be a pretty deep dive into the rabbit hole. For me, I think of it probably a lot along the lines that a chef might. An instuments sound and tone is a combination of the whole package. As a starting point, we have some well known recipes to start with. Bolt a P90 on a nice chunk of mahogany and the result is very predictable. Beyond that, its making educated choices of known values and sometimes a dash of just plain going with my gut.
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 12 Sep 2015 9:14 pm
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thanks tom. it's good to hear your perspective.
you and todd both build beautiful stuff! |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 13 Sep 2015 1:47 pm
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Thanks Chris and you bet, Todd does a fabulous job with his instruments. If I did not roll my own, a new Clinesmith would be on my very short list.
I was going through some of the pics and must have been obsessing on the cool side grain.
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
Follow me on Facebook here |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 13 Sep 2015 6:46 pm
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| Beautiful side grain shots. Nothing like premium woods to use in a build. |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 12:47 pm
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That's a work of art right there! Is that what a bakelite steel dreams of being at night? 
The "Wow Factor" of that one is right off the scale. |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 7:19 pm
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Steve ... it is a great chunk of wood, heavy too. I have not weighed it yet, but the neck and body blank alone started out around 16 lbs in the raw before shaping.
Thanks Paul
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| Is that what a bakelite steel dreams of being at night? |
LoL ... I would have thought it would be sandy beaches and grass skirts
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
Follow me on Facebook here |
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Hal Braun
From:
Eustis, Florida, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 8:26 am
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| As beautiful as that maple is (and it really is) it is almost a shame to cover up that rosewood. Before you routed the top and added the trim, did you hesitate and think maybe I will leave this one "plain" and route it from underneath with a cover plate like a Les Paul? I would love to see a picture if you took one at that stage of the build! |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Hal Braun
From:
Eustis, Florida, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 6:40 pm
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| Yup.. Definetely like the "plain" (not a chance) top. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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