CLC Newsletter - February, 2010

Hello again from the west coast of Ireland.

Last week I spent a long day in Cork trying to buy some wood. I was looking for flat sawn and quartersawn utile in 2" for bodies, flatsawn sapele in 2" and 1", flatsawn hard maple in 1" for neck splices. I was also on the lookout for some 2" poplar which I have been interested in for a while as a wood for bodies. Poplar has a lot of good qualities in that it is fairly light weight yet has a high amount of stiffness for that weight. It also finishes easily. It has a slight downside in that it is a plain looking timber without features which probably why Fender used it for some of their coloured guitars and basses.

Because I am buying what is unselected timber I need to go through bales of the stuff to maybe find one or two suitable boards so having a good relationship with the yard manager is important since they prefer to sell the wood straight off the bale from the top. I have been lucky in that the places I go to have patience with me and allow me to spend time looking. In return I make sure that I re-build the bale as perfectly as possible so that I don't create any extra work for them.

So this day I was lucky to find some boards of every type that I wanted.

People in the Workshop

A few people in the workshop last month but pride of place must go to Pamela and John. Some of you may have seen the page on the website showing the Reacter 5B Custom that Pamela ordered last year as a surprise Christmas present for John. Work and weather conspired against them coming to collect the bass until February but here is a pic of John seeing the bass for the first time.

I think he liked it.

Waiting for Collection

Finished early in February this through neck Flying Vee style bass will be collected by it's owner soon. For more info see this page on the website

Conor Brady

I got a great suggestion from Conor after the last Newsletter. He said "why not get people to write something about their instrument?'' Brilliant idea I thought and asked him to be the first! This is what he came up with.

***"22 years is a long time- through out this I have always returned to this guitar- I benchmark all other instruments against it! The total comfort, balance, sound and playability I have yet to match- it just “feels” right! The neck and body joins are seamless- with no neck pocket to catch the back of the fretting hand. The body appears small- yet possesses huge natural sustain and tone. The eye catching blue sunburst is also detailed on the (pre shamrock) headstock. Some reconstructive surgery was required on the trem over the years- and the support from Chris is second to none- I dealt with an individual….not just a brand name!!! Amplified the guitars sound is unique- played clean it exhales a beautiful warmth that I haven’t found on any other guitar- the neck pickup giving the deepest of jazz tones- and then even more. The bridge pickup gives a rich crisp- almost driven sound. The middle position is full and bright- similar to a semi-acoustic. Add some drive and the tonal meter goes completely beyond the range of what would be perceived as the norm- the bridge pickup fills out with a full spectrum of colour- but never gets muddy. The neck pickup rings like a brass bell- rolling off the tone pot all the way gives this pickup a deep woody voice I’ve never heard on any other instrument. Here’s to another 22 years!!"
Check out Conor’s sounds on his Reacter with the band Donna & The French Kissin’ Cobras or catch them live around Ireland!!
Your chance?
If you would like to write a paragraph or two about your Chris Larkin and get a chance to shamelessly publicise yourself and/or your project in the Newsletter send your effort to me along with a suitable pic/video/soundclip/url/link, etc., and I'll see if I can include it. I already have one lined up for April. It does not have to be about how good your guitar is (even if it is!) but maybe something about a situation it got you into, a gig experience, the design process or anything related to it. Use your imagination!
Old Postcard and Colours.
Rooting around at home I came across this old postcard that I had made in the late 1980's and used to give away at trade fairs. There were several later versions of the postcard over the years as the model range increased.
***
Apart from the fact that the Reacter range has evolved quite a lot since then the other thing that struck me was the colours. I used to love doing unusual sunbursts mainly on figured maples and I'd like to do some more! The majority of orders these days are for a natural wood finish.
Stocklist plug!
Looking for an acoustic or a Jazzer? There's one of each on the Stocklist available immediately.
Email me for further details.