This right here… this is what crimson guitars has always been to me. No background music, just Ben ranting and talking while Making a guitar that no one has ever seen, and making me envious and wanting to push myself to create something extraordinary. Been here since the days of the old shed in the back yard and would love to see more videos just like this.
Wow. Absolutely stunning series of videos, Ben. And the finished instrument looks and sounds fantastic! There's something kind of medieval about it, I think. Stunning.
Thank you for the kind words 😁 ( I'm the Charles In the video) Hopefully it's the first of many, I'm really looking forward to all of the work I will be doing with Crimson in the Future, they're all awesome people and I'm very happy and proud to being part of the team 🙂 hope your day is going great
I like the way you push your boundaries and then improve your build and quality at the same time as you learn new techniques to build your guitars and with your videos pass on your knowledge to people watching it's the only way to learn is to try because even if you get it wrong you've still learn no body should be afraid of learning something new it only improves your skill
Than you Ben! I am now possibly heading for months of messing and trouble. I have been wondering, as an ex-watchmaker how I might incorporate a 'circular Purlage' finish of some sort on a guitar top. Your gold leaf circles has both inspired and challenged me to come up with something on my next project! I may be in trouble, but then nothing ventured!
Beautiful instrument, Ben. The durability of that finish worries me a bit though: I could see that hairspray finish becoming a bit of a problem when a player has been sweating under hot lights while playing it for an hour or so. Exposure to warmth and sweat might make the hairspray become tacky and sticky again - particularly where the underside of the right wrist and forearm contacts the wood constantly above the bridge. I would worry that at some point, after a long piece, the player is going to remove his right hand from the surface of the instrument and he's going to have a bunch of gold leaf circles stuck to the underside of his wrist and forearm. But then again, finding out things like this are exactly what experiments are for! I've got friends who think I'm crazy for using olive oil for oiling bare wood finishes - but it actually does work really well; don't knock it till you try it! I'm really interested to see how this finish holds up over the long term.
This looks amazing. I hope that wax can keep the hairspray sealed in, as moisture could cause it to reactivate and lift the finish. It's used as a "chipping medium" in miniature painting and I've used it myself to get an interesting finish on a bass I built.
I have a guitar I put together 3 years ago that was finished with Crimson guitar oil and then some Renaissance wax over the top. It still has a lovely feel after all this time and I've not felt any need to refresh the wax. I suppose hair spray has it's place over things like gold leaf and maybe for general use too. It's certainly cheaper than acrylic rattle can clear.
11:30 is that glue squeeze-out I see between the top and upper side, that white glob? Additionally, I like the idea of the gold leaf rings, but perhaps a different shape, such as hexagons or ovals, would look less like "drinks left on a coffee table at a party" than do the circles.
Congrats Ben, looks fantastic. I went back and had a look at the bracing you put in. 2 x good size braces on a small body with a 5mm top (pretty thick) will be plenty strong enough IMO. Most acoustic guitars have a top around 2.5mm and the standard gauge is usually 12's although I generally swap em out for 10's for playability.
Ben. Firstly that looks and sounds awesome. If it was a poster it would be the equivalent of having the the lady tennis player showing a bit of cheek. 😆 But a thought about the clear finishes, what's stopping you from using a Matt, satin and gloss finish to make a pattern? You could have flames, a burst, a smiley face or many other things that are seen as the light passes over the guitar. 😀
For unit construction, ie hand finishes, then the economics would have to apply. I guess an automated application to simulate a brush finish could be developed, but would it have wide appeal? Still having different approaches to what can be done is not a bad thing.
Could you elaborate on the use of hairspray as a finish? What does that accomplish and how is its use in this case applicable in other cases? I ask because we have a couple guitar bodies at the shop from previous NAMM shows that have been signed by a lot of iconic musicians. We have wanted to apply a finish to seal the signatures, but we're nervous the sharpie will run and bleed with certain 2k poly or CA finishes.
4:24 I have been wondering how I should properly dispose of all the wood chips, sawdust, MoP dust, fret ends etc.? It shouldn't all just go in the kitchen bin to some landfill, right?
It’s been long thought that end grain glue up is a very weak joint. Some guy on RU-vid did very good video debunking that idea. One that dear for a very long time. Not to say that this neck joint needed end grain glue anyway.
Love the new neck rest. Hairspray? Really? I can't believe I never thought of that. I mean, it makes sense. Artists use hairspray as a fixing agent over pencil and charcoal drawings, so it's proven to work.
I was in a corner and it just popped into my brain.. I love the creativity that artificial restraints bring to the fore, I would have never thought of this in any other situation
Wouldn’t hairspray breakdown with moisture? It’s not even close to being permanent. Also, the smell…. If it works with the wax, that’s amazing and once again, you’re thinking out of the box is inspiring.
Me: "I wonder what crazy sh*** Ben will do this episode" Ben: "I'm going to use hair spray" Me: "Of course he is, why not?" It should really have been on an 80 power metal guitar however!
Would hairspray seal acrylic paint on a standard lacquer finish? I've painted a version of Hendrix's Love Drops guitar and was wondering how to protect the paint job.(I also had to convert it to play l-h)
It absolutely was, I wish I had used slightly stronger bracing last year, but even under heavy gauge strings it is holding well and sounds great.. Not ideal, sure, but really not bad for something built in a field, with hands tools over only 4 days?
Hair spray will not be durable. Ask someone who works with gold leaf regularly what varnish/lacquer to use, like a jeweller or a high end bookbinder. EDIT: also try asking a varnish manufacturer if they make something durable that is compatible with gold leaf.
The plan was for a small bodied and quiet guitar to take camping or to festivals, I'm really happy with the tone and volume.. That being said.. I wojd be lieing if I told you I wasn't tempted to put in a piezo and maybe even a neck mounted mini humbucker 🤔😉
That must have been cut out of the edit.. Sorry, my bad.. The lapel mic cable had one too many close encounters with my vice handle 😭 Hair spray was the only thing I had to hand in my home workshop that would seal the gold leaf without damaging it.. Poor planning on my part mixed with impatience to see the guitar finished. Hair spray is often used as an alternative to artists fixative and it came to mind, and worked.. Luckily!
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Thanks. Nice to know. I might need it to seal my gold bars onto my belt when going through customs. Chance would be a fine thing.....
Taste is subjective but, sorry Ben, that looks like umpteen people have put their dirty glasses down on it. The shape is not for me but, remember, taste is subjective.
Cant knock your innovation, but that gold finish is awful, I wont be watching any more of your vids, I cant be doing with all posturing and padding, Ive watched for the hand tools only build for months and its still not finished, keep innovating! These 4 films could have been one…
