Healdsburg Guitar Festival random thoughts from

I managed to drag myself down to the guitar festival. It isn't held in Healdsburg but in Santa Rosa 25 miles away. It was great having many of the builders and inlay artists I look up to in one room. The fineness of Larry Robinson's work has reached the point of insanity. I don't think you could cut out the fine letters he has been doing on the best CNC. Absolutely amazing. Grit Laskins designs work is very artistic as well. I got all kinds of wild ideas after talking to Michihiro Matsuda and watching a video of him using gun powder to darken and give texture to a spruce top. Now I know what to do with the 4 pounds I have in my closet. Maybe mix it with different chemicals and metals to produce interesting colors, put some plants and found objects on the top before setting off the gun powder. Got to meet Rick Turner and many other fine builders. Rick had a few ukuleles but in general ukuleles were very under represented. To me the most beautiful guitars were not ones with a lot of bling but a little understated but had every thing else just right. Folks doing the buying seemed to agree, these were the guitars that were selling and who's builders were getting orders. Stehr Guitars seemed to have just the right formula.

I went Friday and attended Grit Laskin's seminar. Just an amazing man. Got some good technical tips from him as far as inlaying frets over the inlay. My sentiments exactly Michael. It almost seemed as some builders were trying to out bling each other. Some amazing guitars were showcased though. I was sorry to see only a few women builders though. And I guess this thread should be in the guitar section of the forum. Only a couple of ukuleles.

Another thing I found interesting is that many of the makers didn't do a final leveling on their lacquer finishes and opted for a spray texture finish.

Michael Smith said:

Another thing I found interesting is that many of the makers didn't do a final leveling on their lacquer finishes and opted for a spray texture finish.

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Would that be a lot of the cheaper instruments????

No, did not seem to effect what the makers were asking for their guitars.