Sign up

Blog on Michael Winston Dales Guitars
Text

Workshop diary: trying a new approach to headstock shaping

In addition to the bass-guitar build I’ve been writing about, I’ve got a couple of electric-guitar necks I’m building at the same time. Both of these are regular (to me) 25.5" scale-length guitar necks, so in theory nothing new here. But I know that for the bass-guitar’s nec...

Alexandru Marian Spanish Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Audio • chitaremarian

Romanillos hommage in Carpathian spruce and Indian rosewood

This is the first time I try a more parallel fan with all harmonic bars open, resembling the famous 1973 Romanillos used by Julian Bream. The plantilla is my typical medium/small I also use for Torres type builds. I can … Continue reading →

Blog on Michael Winston Dales Guitars
Text

Workshop catchup: Bass edition

In the previous update I talked about the process of designing my first bass guitar, my Delfinen Bass, looking at how it differs from a regular electric guitar design. This set of notes will catch us up on how the build of that has got going. Refinement Before we start in th...

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

SOLD! An Enjoyable Distraction

I had some spare time recently as I waiting for the lacquer I'd sprayed on my current batch of acoustic guitars to cure in readiness for polishing, and as I'm becoming a big fan of headless guitars, I put the guitar pictured together while I had the opportunity to do so. I'...

Blog on Michael Winston Dales Guitars
Text

Designing a Bass Guitar

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve been able to get into the workshop, which has happened before, but it’s always a little hard to get back into the swing of things. Mostly I’ve been dragging my heels on getting back into doing design work, of which I have a bunch to do...

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

Dry Sanding With Super Assilex and Super Buflex Abrasive Sheets

I put this East Indian rosewood/European spruce guitar to one side as I proceeded with my usual process of wet sanding and buffing four other guitar bodies, the motivation being that I wanted to compare wet sanding with the dry sanding alternative. There was an unavoidable ...

Fret Science
Text • Keith

Fret Science: Improv 101

A high level overview and detailed syllabus for the Fret Science: Improv 101 course

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

Some Silent Sanding


 Cheers, Pete

Blog on Michael Winston Dales Guitars
Text

Workshop catch-up: Maintenance and Repair Edition

This set of week-notes is a bit of a catch-up on one guitar I’ve been fixing up, and another I started reworking a little. Whilst it’s easier to get people excited about new builds, every luthier I’ve met does work to maintain, repair or restore old guitars. Even the best gu...

Blog on Michael Winston Dales Guitars
Text

Workshop photography 101

There’s an easy assumption to be made that because I’m always taking photos for this blog of the guitars I build, and because photography is another hobby of mine, then I must have lots of nice photos of the guitars I build. Alas, that’s not really the case. Whilst I enjoy p...

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

Sanding and Buffing Tips

I'm definitely not the most experienced finisher around, and thought it wise recently to undertake something of a personal refresher course by sifting through some relevant forums and Facebook groups with a view to improving the quality of my finishes. Here's a collection ...

Blog on Michael Winston Dales Guitars
Text

A Week in the Shop

Being back in the workshop last week for the first time in a month, I was keen to press on with the nearly completed Hästen. It got so close last month, so I was keen to see if I could get it playable this week. Pick-guards R us When I last wrote about progress on Hästen I’d...

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

On the Home Stretch

It's a fact of life that events and circumstances can conspire to delay and reshape our plans, and this has certainly been the case where the instrument pictured is concerned. Given that building guitars is such as passion for me, it's amazing - and even a little embarrassi...

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

Level Sanding and Buffing

I'm still chasing rogue sanding scratches and polish residue on this Claro Walnut/Port Orford OM body, but I'm calling it "done" for the time being. I'll return to it shortly with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm. It's been some time since I last level sanded and buffed a ...

Fret Science
Text • Keith

An invitation to join me on Patreon

As a way of releasing content much more frequently, and as a way to make motivate myself to make more progress on the future Fret Science book, I'm…

Fret Science
Text • Keith

Cowboy chord superpowers

Cowboy chords, often criticized by experienced guitarists, can unlock hundreds of chord variations across the fretboard by mastering just five of them. These chords are essential for AC/DC’s rhythm guitar sound, effective capo usage, and quick learning of triads across the fretboard. Check out the video for more details.

Fret Science
Text • Keith

The Big Picture

The Fret Science method connects music theory concepts like CAGED, 3NPS, pentatonic scales, triads, and major scale modes to master the fretboard. This approach provides a big picture view, enabling improvisation by visualizing the notes as a palette of sounds. Watch the video for a concise explanation.

Stories - Tom Sands Guitars
Text • Will Killen

‘Lucía’ - Tom’s Model S!

...

Stories - Tom Sands Guitars
Text • Will Killen

‘Regia’ - Adrian’s Brand New Model S!

...

Pete Brown Guitars Updates instantly via WebSub
Text • Wood With Strings

The Long Wait

As keen as I am to string these guitars up and wave them goodbye, I have no choice but to wait several weeks for the lacquer top-coats to cure before I sand and polish them. I know from experience that to give in to my typical impatience is an exercise in futility, so the long wait begins.



Cheers, Pete