So, today is one of those magic, historic, mystical days. I got out to the shop around 8:15 and had my meditation- prayer time, and then checked to see if the epoxy had set on the brass piece I made to hold the strings on the tailpiece. Everything looked good and so I began the set up process, which consists of drilling holes to screw the tailpiece to the body and cutting and shaping the nut. I was done in two hours. I think the last guitar took me most of two days; I must be doing something right. The final outcome is that this guitar doesn't sound like a banjo, and I won't have to use it for a boat paddle, or firewood. As a matter of fact, to my ears, this is the best of the three. It has a very acoustic presence. More so than the other two. Probably as a result of accidentally carving it thinner and making the f holes larger. The intonation is perfect and action is excellent. I have to play it again before I go to bed, even though it's late and I have to work tomorrow. If anyone is interested in buying it, let me know. I'm new to this and can't charge a lot, so my loss is your gain. Comes with a life time warranty. Here is a question about design I'd like some help with: should I do cut outs on the tailpiece, like I did on the sunburst guitar, or leave it like it is? You can see the cut outs on the other guitar, by looking at the slide show in the corner. Let me know what you think. Your suggestions were helpful with the decision about dots or no dots on the neck.
I had a nice weekend with my friends Jon and Shannon. While I was there we talked about my question of what I should be doing with my life. In a post entitled Back in the saddle again, I talked about the grand distraction. During the weekend I finally understood what my dharma is. 51 years old, but I now know. This brings me great peace and makes every decision so much easier. It's like finally getting in the water and letting the current take you wherever it's going.
I'll leave you with this awesome bit of wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita "It is better to strive in one's own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one's own dharma, but competition in another's dharma breeds fear and insecurity."
3 comments:
looks great dad!
This is my first look at the dragonfly--very cool. It actually succeeds in being a subtle ornament, without being a non-committal one, As far as the tailpiece goes, I don't have any strong feelings one way or another. Can't wait to hear this thing.
The tailpiece decision has already been made. I made cut outs. I'll post pictures when I can get a camera.
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