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Building my 3rd Guitar: Always Learning

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My third guitar on my work bench. (Photo Credit:  Hannah Liddell Beyond the Treetops ) This project was all about growth . In the fall of 2015, my goal was to build a guitar similar to my first, but to apply the lessons I learned from my previous projects to improve on my design.   Improvements I used two TV Jones humbucker pickups instead of one.   Reason for the change:  I wanted to improve my tone.  It was worth the extra wiring. I used real guitar binding from stewmac.com . Reason for the change:  The plastic cabinet edgebanding I had used on my first guitar had started to peel off. I used a bridge with spring loaded intonation screws! As I mentioned in my previous blog post, it was a HUGE pain to adjust intonation on my first guitar because I had purchased a cheap bridge . CNC Work This project was a great opportunity to expand my capabilities with our shop’s CNC Machine (a computer-guided router).  I had experimented on this machine ...

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My Guitar Building Experience at AM Guitar Works

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I assembled this Telecaster-style guitar at a class at AM Guitar Works in the fall of 2015.  (Photo Credit: Hannah Liddell) In the fall of 2015, it had been two years since I completed my first guitar.  I was a year out of High School at that point and was wanting to find a way to keep moving forward in my guitar building dream.  At that point, I had been in contact with a guitar shop owner in Davenport, Iowa named Alan Morrison.  In addition to selling instruments and performing guitar repairs, Alan’s business AM Guitar Works offered guitar and amp building classes.  I decided that one of these classes would be a great next step. The class was held in the repair room at Alan’s guitar store.  The class size was small with just a few other students.  I had the option of choosing between a variety of guitar models and colors.  I chose to build a Telecaster style electric with a Sea Foam Green body.  The kit came with a pre-made neck, body, and ...

A Guitar Called Freesound Is Born

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This solid body electric was my first guitar build. Inspiration It was a beautiful day in the Iowa countryside.  I was a high schooler taking a run past open fields and Amish farms, dreaming about the future.  I asked myself, “If I were to open a business in this area, what would it be?”  Then the idea just came to me - a custom guitar shop.   I didn’t really know what the process of building guitars involved, but the idea was so inspiring that I had to try. Research Research Research Has anyone ever told you, “You can learn anything on Youtube”?  It’s actually not too far from the truth.  I spent countless evenings scouring the internet for information on guitar building, determined to figure out the process.  After viewing many Youtube tutorials and guitar forums, I felt decently confident to start designing my project. Design My guitar plans. This was where it started to get fun.  I set up my dad’s big drawing easel in our house and sketched up...

Why A Luthier?

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Antonio Stradivari in his workshop. (Photo courtesy of Wikicommons) According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a luthier is defined as “one who makes stringed musical instruments (such as violins or guitars).” As I reflect upon this definition, I have to consider, what is it about this particular trade that has so captured my passion and imagination?   This morning I came upon a picture that may offer some answers to my question.  The picture is of Antonio Stradivari, sitting at his work bench, holding a violin in one hand and resting his pondering face on the other.  After some research, I discovered that Antonio Stradivari was a luthier in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.  Many of his highly valued works are still in use today, over 300 years later.  His innovative designs broke ground in violin, cello, and viola design.  The name Stradivari still invokes ideas of expert craftsmanship to this day. The thing that first caught my attention in the pi...

My Story

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My first guitar build is being played. My third guitar is in process on the workbench in the background.  (Photo credit: Hannah Liddell)   Hello, my name is Ty Feigenspan.  I'm from Kalona, Iowa, a small town just a few miles south of Iowa City.  Growing up, I've always had an interest in creating things with my hands.  From an early age I made all sorts of creations with cardboard, paper, modeling clay and wood.   Being so creative, it wasn't long until I started working for my dad in his cabinet shop.  There, I learned to use basic tools and developed my Iowa work ethic.  My dad taught me how to focus on detailed cabinet work even when it got hard.  Eventually, I learned that time spent sanding, scraping, and finishing can pay off in big ways. I was a senior in high school when I had the idea of building a guitar.  By then I had developed an interest in learning how to get the perfect tones out of my instrument as I played electri...