Day 5 is a happy and sad day ... the "campers" are all thrilled with our mandolins (and it's important to note ... they aren't "finished" ... there is much work left to do as far as fretting, binding, final sanding, finish ... but for all intents they are mandolins "in the white" )and at the same time we are sorry to leave our new friends and the incredible learning environment we have been privileged to enjoy.
I think it is important to insert a disclaimer here ...
Roger, nor any of his team asked me to chronicle this week's lutherie camp. Until I signed up to attend, I had never spoken to Roger and we had only exchanged a couple of short emails. Once I was notified that I was selected as one of the attendees I called and asked Roger if I could take pictures during the sessions and perhaps post a few impressions to a web log ... he invited me to do so at will. My enthusiasm for this experience is heartfelt. If you have even an inkling of interest in trying it yourself I urge you to give in to the moment and give Roger a jingle ... you won't be sorry!
Like all of the other camp days today was jam packed ... but on a shortened schedule ... we were due to wrap up by 3:30PM to give people a head start on going home.
We started with demonstrations by Roger on various fretting techniques ...
Next Roger demonstrated his preferred method of binding ... first the fretboard since we would be doing that here at camp and then the body and headstock ...
... and then we all went to work binding our fretboards ...
Cutting the binding notch ... always a fun filled task ... sadly not a lot of short cuts around the scrolls ...
Roger showed us how he preferred to use a long cloth binding tape to secure the binding while being glued ...
Finally we had a really dramatic demonstration of staining and how to bring out the figure of the wood ... Roger used a "rough sanded body blank" and used rubbed aniline dyes and lacquer to transform a rather boring piece of wood into what could obviously become a beautiful carved back ...
And then all too soon it was time for "graduation" and goodbyes ...
Each of us got a picture with Lloyd Loar's Loar ... mine ...
I told Roger I would save the honor of the posting of the "class photo" for him on his website ... so that I won't reveal here ... but I CAN share shots of our incredible hosts and instructors ...
Ken, Kali, Rosemary and Roger ...
and the campers ...
Mike
Haustin
Chris (and his hide glue)
Annette
Carl
and me ...
I do hope my camp mates will post their thoughts and impressions and I invite any readers to please do the same ... at some point I'll be posting progress on my F4 as I work it towards completion but I don't expect to do much until after Christmas ... I made it clear I believe that I believe this was a worthwhile endeavor and an incredible opportunity ... I hope some of you readers are moved to give it a try.
Bade
Hi Bade,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the day to day details of the Siminoff Luthierie Camp. As one of the fellow campers, I can only say that thanks to the Siminoff's staff and the other campers (all fine builders and luthiers), this was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Can six students really build their own F5 Mandolins in five days??? No problem.... With the staff at Siminoff's Luthierie Camp and all my wonderful detail oriented classmates, there was just no way to stop us!
After years of building other instruments I finally had all my questions answered concerning the mandolin. There is so much conflicting information out there that I really needed a class like this taught by the world's leading authority on the subject to clear up all the confusion in an honest and unbiased way.
It was a perfect mix of mental stimulation, personal gratification, fun, and great food! Wow, what a week!.... I only wish we could have had an extra couple of days to complete the binding and few other minor details prior to leaving the camp. I guess that's good, though; always leave them screaming for more! Anyway, thanks to Roger, Ken, Kali, Rosemary, and all my fellow campers who really made it an enjoyable week that I will never forget. It's only been one day and I already miss everyone. An advanced class or reunion would really be something to look forward to.
I think we all appreciated all the extra effort that I'm sure went on behind the scenes to ensure we were all comfortable and were able to leave fully informed, fully satisfied, and with an assembled mandolin in the case.
-Mike
Just got done reading your blog. You pretty much sold it for me. Now for financing...
ReplyDeleteTyler ... go for it! You will be glad you did!
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