Wednesday 12th June '08

Well, as you no doubt know by now I've been spending the last few weeks imbibing massively unhealthy amounts of day-time television while drowning my sorrows in pain-killers and web-design..(check out the instrument pages!!) yes, I broke my foot and can't put very much presure on it.. yet!! .. the biggest problem I have is that my brain does not function properly when the workshop is in a state.. and the last job I performed in there was the carving of Charlies next bass.. which shat perspex everywhere.. and the shavings are static and therefore are sticking to absolutely everything!!!! .. anyway, as the week has progressed I've started to find other work that can be done.. albeit rather more slowly than I'm used to..

.. Jonathan's PRS (but much better!) style custom guitar.. she's been having coats of lacquer applied for several weeks now..

and the time has come to rub her down again..

which takes rather a long time while trying to keep one leg elevated!!

.. my wonderful wif emailed me this pic.. the pig had a mud phobia until someone came up with the idea of giving it boots!! .. I want a pig now!!

though Giles is still the newest pet.. and is settling in very nicely now!!

some very good friends of mine are incredibly talented stonemasons and letter-cutters and we hobbled along to their open workshop champagne evening..

it never fails to inspire me, at heart I think of guitars as art..

..for scale the artichoke on the left is a life-size cast.. I was there when they started this.. just for the fun of it!!!  check out http://www.stoneformdesign.co.uk/

they should try carving one of these.. I've been eagerly awaiting my first Dahlia of the year.. this beauty will continue flowering right through to the first frosts of winter!! lovely!!

On to a design session.. the brief.. modern, pretty, ergonomic... baritone.. oh, and eight-strings!!! ... as with any design you start out with the centerline and neck dimensions..

and here she is.. there'll be some clever stuff going on at the back with the string through design.. the tension of the, extemely, low low string will need to be ramped up to allow for the super-low action we need!!

nonetheless she will be a very very pretty instrument!!

..in the orkshop for a bit, pretty much the only job I can do whilst sitting down is replacing this part of the compressor.. a task I've been meaning to do for about 6 months now!!

and on to Charlies bass.. the wiring cavity is drilled..

and then a day is spent sanding through the grits.. a good way to sit down, work and wear through your fingers in one go..

in the end she is looking rather pretty.. one day I may build one of these and leave it at this stage..

.. half polished.. just to show the contrast.. again, there are things to be done here.. picture the Union Jack masked off prior to polishing.. sort of like grit blasting a champagne glass..?

but she does look stunning in the end!!  (as do my potato's in the background.. nearing harvest time!!)

I thought you would like to see the group of gentlemen responsible for my broken foot.. it was a very very good stag do.. just a bit too painful though..

'till Friday.. all my best..

Ben

Crimson Custom Guitars UK