Gibson B25 Restoration Begins

Bought this little Gibson B25 online awhile back.  Decided to start restoring it today. Yes, I know that I haven't finished the Erhardt 2012 #1 that is in progress and I have tons of unfinished work to do to get the shop fully functional. Get over it.  This is what I do.  A guy has to do what he's inspired to do!

As you can see, there are a few minor flaws in this fine 1960's instrument, the worst of which was probably the result of a bad break up.  "I don't need nothing but my guitar!" he says.  "Fine!!" she screams, swinging it like a baseball bat into his melon.  His mom sells the guitar on ebay for parts while he's still in the coma to help defray hospital costs....

But, I digress.  Today, I spent two hours gingerly removing the broken, splintered, crazed top from the rest of the guitar.  I was very pleased to find the sides and back and neck completely intact and still solidly glued together in their vintage configuration.

Someday, this little darling will be better than new.  I say this knowing that I will rebuild it better than it ever was.  The new top will look like it did prior to the big break up, with a sweet cherry sunburst finish, but on the inside, the bracing will contoured and refined for best sound possible, something that wasn't bothered with when these "low-end" instruments were being cranked out of the factory during the 60's.  Who knew they would become so highly prized 50 years later?

Hand Split Cedar Guitar Tops!

Five years ago, I was kindly given a nice billet of Western Red Cedar by tonewood supplier Bruce Harvie of Orcas Island, Washington. He advised me to give it a few years to cure. I don't recall if it was Bruce, or someone else who recommended that the billet be hand split once it was properly cured. Ever since then, I have been on the hunt for an appropriate splitting implement. I've seen them in lutherie magazine articles, drooled over one at Cabela's in Utah last year (but decided it was just too much dough for a new tool when a vintage one nearly always feels better), then I waltzed onto the ideal one at Salem Collector's Market this morning. I could hardly wait to get home and give it a test run.

Let's back up for just a moment, or at least step to the side where I can share a small thrill. Most of my life, I have hated negotiating. I have taken multiple classes in negotiation, have been required to practice it at work, and have still generally paid more than I had to for things like... vintage guitars, mandolins, amplifiers, etc.  Well, for the last several months, Maureen and I have been watching episodes of American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, and Auction Hunters. When it came time to purchase my American made hand forged Briddell 10 inch cleaver, I did not offer the man the $95 he was asking for it. I calmly offered him $50 to which he explained that a very dear friend of his who collects cleavers had already offered him that much and how about $75? The old me would have quickly agreed, but no, the new me, the television-brainwashed-into-a-brazen-negotiator-me, counter offered $65 without a hint of trepidation. We split the difference at $70. Thanks Mike and Franky! Who says TV rots your brain? Not me.

After waiting five years to split my billet of cedar, the task took all of twenty minutes, owing to the right tool for the job.  My fancy chunk of firewood now looks very much like five sets of gorgeous guitar top-wood. Though I'm not typically an especially patient guy, I gotta say, this was worth the wait.

Erhardt 2012 No. 1 Update

Started this guitar three weeks ago and as of tonight, the mahogany back is almost complete.  What you see here in the foreground is what ends up on the inside. The two braces on the right will be visible through the sound hole.  A lot of time and steps have gone into getting the instrument to this point. I will refrain from including steps like rearranging everything in the shop to get it ready for electrical installation, working at my regular job each day, digging the trench to run the electricity from the house to the shop, and attending family gatherings.  Oh wait, I guess I included them....

> Decide on basic design
> Make full scale pattern
> Craft the body template
> Cut body form parts
> Assemble form parts
> Refine form contours
> Join gtr back halves
> Join gtr top halves
> Thickness sand top
> Thickness sand back
> Make go-bar deck
  (clamping apparatus)
> Cut/sand brace stock
> Glue back braces
> Scallop back brace ends
> Clean up sawdust, wood chips and glue drips between all steps

You can probably read my thoughts in the second photo "Always push the chisel AWAY FROM human body parts." To finish the back I will contour the long flat brace tops into long cathedral shaped tops, then smooth everything with fine grit abrasive paper. Of course, you can also hurt yourself with abrasive paper, but it takes much more effort than hurting yourself with a chisel.  Yes, I've done both, but it was such a long time ago, it hardly bears mentioning.

A few years ago, Maureen asked me to  briefly describe how to make a guitar.  Last night, I stumbled across my written description.

"You take a bunch of pieces of wood.  You bend them, shape them, cut away the stuff that doesn't look like a guitar,  You glue the pieces together, sand it, put a finish on it.  Then you install tuners and strings and you have a guitar." 

See? It's really very simple.  So, it's January 14th and I have gathered the wood and nearly all the required raw materials for the Erhardt Stringed Instruments 2012 Guitar Number 1 .  Look closely.  It's all there but the fret wire, some brace stock and a few chunks of abalone shell.  I'm asking myself "How fast can I build a playable guitar if I don't stress over the process, don't freak out over every last detail, don't worry about whether anyone besides me is gonna appreciate it?  Wouldn't it be fun to find out?"

I've read about builders who made a whole guitar (their first one) in a weekend,  I seriously doubt it really happened that way, but I suppose it's possible... even if only remotely.  I'm not going to try and build 2012 Number 1 in a weekend.  I enjoy eating and sleeping and spending time with other people too much to go that crazy.  What I do want to do, is work quickly whenever I can find spare time, and most importantly - have fun "whipping up a guitar."  Yes, I will draw up some plans, but no, I won't wait for "all the right conditions" before working on it.  So, the humidity is a bit too high.  So what!  I'm building it where it's going to live, it will be fine.  So, I don't have the right jig or the perfect tool for a specific task.  So what!  Builders in Mexico have been building guitars with a saw and a sharp handmade knife for centuries.  My list of so whats could go on and on.  No excuses!  Be without reason. 

Last summer, Charles Fox asked me how my latest guitar was coming along.  I explained that all my spare time has been going into building my guitar shop.  He said "That's great!  Just remember, you don't need a shop to build a guitar.  You can build guitars in your kitchen!  The important thing is, build guitars."  Okay then.  I'm on it!

Paintings by Cody Owen Erhardt

   My truly gifted and talented 2&1/2 year old grandson (what? you think I may be biased?) painted some new canvases for my workshop gallery.  The music is from the first song I ever  sang for him - Grandma's Feather Bed.

If this boy doesn't grow up to be a guitar player, I will be shocked and amazed.




 (A huge Thank You to Travis and Mary Erhardt for cultivating Cody's creativity!)

From Guitars to Kayaks

What does this kayak have in common with my passion for guitars?  For starters, both are hand crafted out of gorgeous tropical hardwoods. I swear, If I didn't already have two stringed instruments under construction right now, a kit for one of these sleek little babies would be on its way to my workshop today.  For now, I'll have to be satisfied with occasionally paddling one of these beauties built by my brother-in-law Kim, his daughters Amy and Emily, and their Northern Washington venturing club. Hmm... the only thing missing is a baritone ukelele in a water-proof case!  But wait, that would be yet another project,

Flashback to March 2010

I have had the pleasure of attending two classes at Luthiers School International in Sebastopol, CA. with the amazing Harry Fleishman (he's wearing the graduate robe).  March 2010 was a top bracing and voicing workshop.  I'm on the right with my cherry-pie-crust-sound-hole triple-O sized started-as-a-martin-copy-but-is-now-unclassifiable, well... guitar top. They say we should first learn to build in the traditional way. Once we've done so, we earn the right to experiment and be creative.  Thankfully, Harry isn't one of 'they.'  He asked us to describe the sound we were aiming for with our guitar tops.  I decided I wanted this one to sound like a black cherry pie. One of these days I will know whether we succeeded in creating that sound.