Today I started building my 2nd acoustic guitar with luthier John Whiteside of North Road Guitars in Freemont, NH. I was granted a three week sabbatical from my job in order to study with him. This new guitar will be inspired by my 1950 Gibson J-50... same shape, dimensions, and scale-length. I'm using some different woods: the top is a super resonant piece of Cedar. The back, sides, and neck will be made from some beautiful Sapele (a Mahogany relative). The fingerboard, bridge, and binding/purfling will be made from Wenge and Holly.
I’m excited ! !
The Old Laughing Lady
New RNS video project just completed! Please enjoy this video featuring Ken performing “The Old Laughing Lady” in support of Rust Never Sleeps, as well as the new Acoustic Rust project. Heartfelt thanks go out to the amazing team of people who helped make this happen in just under a week!
CREDITS
Film: Mark Battle / Sweven Films
Audio Recording: Sean Fitzgerald and Paul Harper / Riverworx Audio Productions - Nashua, NH
Lighting: Greg Hanawalt / Strand Sound and Lighting - Melrose, MA
Set Design: Pars Nalbadian / P. Nalbandian Oriental Rugs & Antiques - Andover, MA
Location Scout and Crew: B. Shakey Productions - Andover, MA
I made a guitar
Here's a picture of the guitar I just completed building earlier this year (2019). I built this guitar with John Whiteside of North Road Guitars in Freemont NH. I'll be starting my second guitar soon, and plan to spend the entire month of January working on it under John's supervision. I've added a few highlight pics of the build process. I hope to put together a more comprehensive page with detailed pictures and info about the build. For you guitar nerds out there, this is a 000 size guitar with a redwood top, black walnut back/sides/neck, and ebony fingerboard. The soundhole rosette took me the longest time to make. The design is inspired by traditional Mi'kmaq porcupine quillwork. The moon and star on the headstock comes from the Mi'kmaq flag. As for how this guitar sounds and responds, I couldn't possibly be happier. The mids and lows are rich, and the highs are crisp and articulate. The guitar is incredibly responsive to how it's being played. Overall, it's been a great experience, and I'm looking forward to starting the next one!