cbcarlisle - Posted - 07/19/2013:  08:20:34

Yer Uther layeft.

reckon16 - Posted - 07/19/2013:  10:15:10

Got my Knowles mini-banjo a few days ago...a really nice instrument.  Good for carrying around and confusing small children.  Dan...it sounds great, light as a feather, and I promise to post a truly awful "Cripple Creek" once I figure out how to get the camera to record sound.

Goon with KMB

Labels, Attribution

KMB

 

DEmery - Posted - 07/19/2013:  15:17:54

Dan this new project has some beautiful material and work in it. I hope you can capture it in a good video when it is all completed. David E.

DEmery - Posted - 07/19/2013:  15:21:24

Oh yea Dan...I see you are closing in on 55K views on your thread. Amazing crowd you have gathered in just over 7 months of sharing "A Luthiers Life." David E.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/19/2013:  19:51:53

Ken & Curt,

!Em thguac aY

​Tony,

It looks like you are having a big time! I'm always happy to se one of my kids go to a good home!

David,

Thanks this is an instrument that I am quite excited about. It went into the spray booth today to lacquer the back, sides, heel & peghead. You'll be proud, there is very little decoration on this one.

Yes all the views are just amazing to me! I'm just glad folks enjoy it enough to keep looking!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 07/19/2013 19:58:54

Pick1949 - Posted - 07/19/2013:  21:52:35

quote:

---

Originally posted by DanKnowles

 

NECKIN'

I'm looking forward to today! I'll be teaching and as part of that I'll carve the neck for this Mandora d'Amore (as Tom Bergan calls it) or (as I like to call it) Woojo d'Amore! Also I will be going to Eddieville, KY to a water park with my son Sam and his family. But yet I realize that this post is about what I did, not what I'm planning to do!

For those of you near Murfreesboro, TN today remember that it is Uncle Dave Macon Day and they will be honoring Ricky Skaggs!

I got the neck blank all glued up today and here is how it went...

First a fingerboard had to be prepared. So a sandwich of the fretting template and a rosewood fingerboard blank were carpet taped together and the fret slots were sawn.

Next the fingerboard profile was laid out...

And sawed to shape...

This instrument will be using a tunneled 5th. so the groove for the tube was routed and the tube fitted...

The neck blank with glue and clamps...

Although this neck will get bolted on it is going to also have a mortise and tennon joint. Here I'm chopping out the mortise.

I just love this Clario walnut! What great figure! The body has a coat of shellac to prepare it for grain filler.

The first of the filler is applied...This BTW is made from sheetrock mud and tint.

SOON * SOON * SOON

---

Dan, what exactly did you use for the pipe here if you dont mind me asking?

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/20/2013:  05:22:52

Pick,

I use 1/8" copper tubing for my tunneled fifth strings. Years ago I used brass tubing and it worked very well. One day my supplier had no brass tubing so I went to the local plumbing supply store and started my copper addiction.,, I've never gone back. I like the thicker wall of the copper. It just feels beefier to me.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/20/2013:  20:07:00

FRIDAY & SATURDAY

Any day when you have your grandkids here is a great day. Today our 3 little ones that live in the Nashville aria were down and came over and visited the old folks. It might have been the birthday party for Ryland, but some how I don't think that it was the only thing. Anyhow I guess I ought to get onto shop stuff because I'm leaving out tomorrow for Paducah, Kentucky. I'll be riding the Queen of the Mississippi to Louisville, Ky. I hope to see another set of grandkids that live in Middletown (by Louisville) while I'm there. It should be a nice couple of days of traveling. At least I hope so.

What's happening with the Mandora d"Amore you ask? Well since our last post a whole lot! The neck is now glued in and...

*

Here the soundhole rosette is being glued to the top...

Braden came to the shop to help...

French polishing the back a bit, preparing it for finish...

Dawgone that was quick! Here it is in the spray booth getting some lacquer...

After spraying and a short amount of cure time the finish is dry sanded with 800 grit.

Here's Braden. He's composing using Tabledit. It turned out to be quite an interesting tune. I'm not sure that even Earl Scruggs could play it!

Sometimes I wet sand but on the d'Amore I decided to dry sand. I figured I could see my issues easier. I didn't think I could buff it yet...but I sure was surprised.

Buffing. This was a quick and way too early buffing but I wanted to be able to try this instrument out in front of an audience and see how they respond to its music.

I did this nut a bit different. I inlayed some graphite into the bone so the strings would move easier and not hang up.

MORE TOMORROW!!!

dbrooks - Posted - 07/21/2013:  07:07:53

I am in Destin FL on family vacation this week, so I guess I miss your Louisville visit. July 26-28 is Kentucky Music Weekend in one of our parks. I could get a spot for you on the program if you're hanging around for the weekend. I'm hosting a banjo styles workshop on Sunday afternoon.

David

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/21/2013:  09:51:17

David,

I wish I were going to be there on Sunday fo I'd sure enjoying seeing you and trading some licks!

Shucks!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/21/2013:  10:27:59

REGINA CANTUS CRASTINI

Here are some photos of the Mandora d'Amore as she is today...not yet totally finished but ready to face the rigors of a live audience. It will be interesting to see how folks respond!

By the way the title is her name, it's Latin for the Queen of Song.

The top is Bear Claw figure Sitka Spruce, the rosette is figured Spanish Cedar, the fingerboard Honduran Rosewood and the peghead overlay is Macassar Ebony.

The back and sides are figured Claro Walnut (outer) laminated to Sitka Spruce (inner), The heel cap is Claro Walnut, the neck is oil finished Silver Maple and the backstrap is Macasser Ebony.

The tailpieces are Macasser Ebony... I'm not sure that I'm not going to keep them...

I'm going to make a carved pearl logo piece and some type of  truss rod cover.

Here is the sympathetic bridge. It is bone

NEXT POST...FROM THE OHIO RIVER!

Paul Meredith - Posted - 07/21/2013:  11:34:47

Interesting instrument, I look forward to seeing it (her?) finished and a sound file.  Thanks for this thread Dan, I'm learning a lot.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/21/2013:  12:26:54

Paul,

I think that she is a very interesting instrument, a bit different from most banjo type instruments, but still in the family. My hat is off to Tom Bergan who if any one could claim the title of co-creator of this instrument should get recognition for his great idea! If it hasn't been ripped from my hands by adoring fans I'll try to make a recording when I return from Louisville.

BNJOMAKR - Posted - 07/21/2013:  13:36:05

Dan

As always, mighty nice ideed!!!

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 07/21/2013:  14:54:12

Pardon my ignorance Dan but I have never seen such an instrument before.

If you get it back after being "ripped from (your) hands" then I too will be pleased to hear it.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/21/2013:  19:29:27

Marvin,

Thanks! Your approval means a lot to me.

C Nyle,

Although there have been many other d'Amore instruments, this is the first of its type to exist. I'll be sure to make a recording when I get back home. 

Iaen - Posted - 07/21/2013:  21:40:42

Very interesting instrument.  Of course the first thing thru my mind was dang that's pretty.  I hope it sounds as sweet as it looks.  After reading this thread I can say I am looking forward to seeing much more of your work.  

jbalch - Posted - 07/22/2013:  03:57:46

BEAUTIFUL - video coming soon I hope... ;<)

I've been meaning to ask:  what is the impact of the sound hole rosette?  Does it affect the sound? Or is it mainly esthetic?

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/22/2013:  08:16:29

John,

Thanks! I really enjoy the strength and sweetness of this Mandora d'Amore. When I get home (later in this week) I hope to make a good clear recording of this instrument and post it.

John,

Originally the rosette was just decoration (an idea that I thought was so cool) I figured that it might change the bass response and it did. It acts much like a bass port in a speaker box. I played it with the rosette in and the out. It was amazing the change. The bass was a bit tighter and the overall tone was clearer with the rosette. The change really surprised me. I didn't expect all that.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/22/2013:  08:52:30

MANDORA D'AMORE IN REVIEW

I know that y'all may have seen some them but I figured y'all might enjoy a few photos of Regina Cantus Crastini's birthing.

Here are the original templates that were used as they are being laid out...

These are the outer veneers of Claro Walnut... Remember that the inner veneers (all of these are quite thick veneers) are of Sitka Spruce...

The side bending machine (made by Kevin (aka. Steve) Bailey and myself) in action.

Back and sides with end blocks glued in...

The top ready to glue to the rest of the body (with the most important cartoon!)

Glue goes on the sides to hold the top to the body...

The bod all together, I check the tonal response.

Oops... how'd this get in here?!? That's David Emery's banjo's tailpiece!

Chopping the neck mortise...

Truing the frets...

MORE FROM THE OHIO RIVER SOON!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 07/22/2013 08:54:06

Will1717 - Posted - 07/22/2013:  22:08:56

Dan: Real interesting! Any sound clips yet?????

Bill Rickard   

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/23/2013:  10:03:53

Brother Bill,

I'll try to get a good recording of this sweetie just as soon as I get home in Paris.

It has been interesting how the sound has opened up in the past few days of playing. It just keeps getting stronger and fuller.

I have tried several tuning configurations for the sympathetic strings and it is very interesting the different timbers created by each. Tom Bergan (with Orpheus) could speak more authoritatively about this but the tuning that has become my favorite so far is (from low to high) E F# AC, this is used with the regular strings in G tuning.

Yesterday during my banjo workshop I gave it its first public outing folks really seamed to enjoy her voice. Tonight I'm planning on performing Somewhere Over the Rainbow on the Mandora for the folks in concert. This should be a much better test. 

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 07/23/2013 10:05:15

Patrick Hanna - Posted - 07/24/2013:  18:14:17

Dan, I can't figure out how to ask you this without coming off like I'm judging your design decisions. I don't mean to sound that way. But, after looking at your extended nut way out there in space (and the sharp break angle on the sympathetic strings), aren't you worried about the nut deforming or breaking? Again, I'm not be critical, but I'm being VERY inquisitive. It seems awfully risky to me. I'm pretty confident that you've thought it all out. I would just like to know how you came to this design decision. (Not planning on any instruments like this myself right now, but who knows what will interest me in the future?) I'd really like to know your thoughts.

Please be assured, after following your long thread through 43 screens, I have a great deal of respect for you on a several levels: First, the quality of your work. Second, your devotion to teaching luthiery and banjo playing. Third, the sheer fact that you have carved out a living as a luthier and a musician when so many people are forced by circumstances to pursue this craft in their off hours.

Patrick

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/24/2013:  20:56:11

Patrick,

Thank you for your thoughtful question and very kind words.

I've never really been concerned about the bone of the nut bending. As a material bone is fairly brittle so much so that I've been more concerned with it breaking. Early on I thought about laminating carbon graphite between two pieces of bone or ivory to increase the strength but so far I haven't seen any real need.

Well it's almost 11 PM and I just got home from my travels...It is so great to be home!!!!!!!!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/26/2013:  18:21:23

FRIDAY...

My grandson Keaton came to the shop today to help his old grandpa. We worked and worked. After a while my favorite guitar student Munghi dropped in for a visit. They both became Great helpers! Here Keaton cuts a string...

Munghi tunes the banjo to Irish style tenor banjo tuning...

I checked it out and they did a great job!

Adjusting the string slots...

Keaton and Munghi watch me cut a piece of locust wood for a new bridge for the tenor...

Now the ebony bridge cap...

And glued...

Keaton was a great help! The boy really knows his way around a broom!

Moore Really Soon!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 07/26/2013 18:26:26

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 07/26/2013:  18:29:31

I love my grandkids too. Nice story Dan. Thanks.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/27/2013:  20:34:33

C Nyal,

I ditto that emotion!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/27/2013:  21:06:45

Saturday...

1. . Wake up to the sound of grandkids quietly coming in the door.


2. Get up and attempt to get ready for Saturday teaching.


3. Walk to work.


4. Build a couple of bridges.


5. Teach, wanting some of the barbeque cooking just down the street.

Here I'm sanding one of the bridges. This is for a Tenor and is Black Locust with an Ebony cap...

Filing the inside...

Cutting the string slots...

Fiknished...

On the banjo...

"Steve" working on his guitar neck!

Eric sanding his guitar body...

New bridges on the Mandora d'Amore

And the d'Amore's nut...

MORE SOON!

Mike Shipman - Posted - 07/28/2013:  01:15:30

Hi Dan - Ive been following this great thread for some time from the UK - its a fascinating insight to your work which I really look forward to seeing. I may have missed it but what is the tuning for the D'amore? Thanks, Mike

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/28/2013:  06:39:19

Mike,

The strings over the fretted neck are tuned just like a standard banjo. Right now I'm just using G.    gDGBD 

The sympathetic strings are currently at C (above the 2ed. string, A (above the 3rd. string) 

F# (above the 4th, string)

E (above the 4th. string)

Hay, Is that an old Morris in your avata

​With a house full of Grandkids I'm not sure when I'll be able to make a recording if this thing.

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 07/28/2013 06:42:17

Mike Shipman - Posted - 07/28/2013:  10:02:52

Hi Dan - thanks for that.

yes, that's my 1966 Morris Traveller "Benny", he's a great car!

cheers, Mike

CAPT Steve - Posted - 07/28/2013:  14:08:02

Dan--how does the bridge as you've put on the d'Amore sound on a standard openback or resonator banjo?  I've wondered about this as, unlike 'standard' bridges where some strings have a direct line to the head and some don't, this bridge doesn't provide a direct route for any of the strings.  Would seem to give a more uniform tone, but does it change the 'traditional' banjo tone?  Thanks,

Steve

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/28/2013:  20:21:08

Mike,

I have some great memories of a Morris. My first car was a little white 1960 Morris Minor 1000 convertible. I called her La Chika Rocha.

Steve,

I used to build quite a few bridges for regular banjos years ago. Properly done they can be used to even out the response of each string. This is probably more important in using a nonstandard set of strings. One positive they have is that they do not sag over time like most bridges. Here I used this style of bridge to even out the string response and I feel that it is successful. I will make a few other bridges (in this style) from different materials to see what I think works best.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/28/2013:  21:25:04

I just received this photo taken by Debby Bjurman a guest on the Queen of the Mississippi, I love it!!!

Thank You Debbie!

BNJOMAKR - Posted - 07/29/2013:  04:15:55

Dan, that picture kinda reminds me of the Alka Seltzer boy!  

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/29/2013:  07:09:47

SUNDAY

Yesterday we had all but one of the grandkids together and spent the afternoon in the Eiffel Tower park. Here are a couple group shots of the whole bunch.

They are (L to R) Ben, Katelan, Ryland,Braden, Anna, Chandan (the big one) Keaton, Abby, Alex (down low) Natile & Amber.

Here Debbie joined me with the bunch!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/29/2013:  07:10:49

Love it Marvin!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 07/29/2013 07:11:11

jbalch - Posted - 07/29/2013:  07:18:00

Great photos with the grandkids ... quite an impressive bunch.

tendogman - Posted - 07/29/2013:  07:43:55

Dan,

What a wonderful crew. Grand Kids and dogs are a couple of the most wonderful things God put on this earth.... :)

Kaelri - Posted - 07/29/2013:  18:41:49

What a happy looking bunch of kids! And how blessed you and Debbie are to have them! Love the smiles all around. 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/30/2013:  05:38:55

I thank y'all. We are very proud of the whole bunch. This was the very first time we had this many together.

Tomorrow morning I head out early for Hendersonville, Kentucky for a nice long trip on the Queen of the Mississippi. We will travel first to Paducah, Kentucky then off to St. Louis. After that on to St. Paul, Minnesota (with stops along the way) and then back to St. Louis. All together we'll be out until the 17th. of August. My wife Debbie will be traveling with me along with my bass playing friend Eddie Coffee. Wednesday night Eddie's son Josh will join in with his mandolin & fiddle to help make a joyful noise!  If the internet will behave itself I'll post a bunch of photos of the trip as we go along.

tendogman - Posted - 07/30/2013:  08:16:28

Dan,

I want to wish you all a safe and wonderful trip. How exciting....

Dan Knowles - Posted - 07/30/2013:  11:10:35

Bob,

Thanks!

Nels - Posted - 07/30/2013:  11:21:45

Have a great trip..looks like an interesting and enjoyable way to go!!  

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 07/30/2013:  14:22:49

Thanks for sharing your blessings with us Dan. Love the pics of the kids - what a joy to have almost all of them at once.

That Anna looks like a proper little monkey to me, full of fun!

The trip also seems exciting. We still have paddle-wheelers on one of our rivers here in Australia but they're 500 miles from me.

I find this thread very enjoyable Dan. Thank you.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 08/02/2013:  15:53:59

Nels & C Nyal,

Thanks so very much!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 08/02/2013:  16:30:15

HENDERSON, KY to PADUCAH, KY to SAINT LOUIS, MO

Tonight I am in Saint Louis on the Queen Of the Mississippi. I have just returned to the boat after having gone to the top of the Gateway Arch. It is neat to see everything get small...real small! In the next couple of posts I'll try to catch up with our trip so far...

We left my home town of Paris, Tennessee on a misty, rainy Wednesday morning headed for Paducah to pick up Josh & Eddie Coffee Then to hit the highway for Henderson, Kentucky to board the Queen for a ride down the Ohio river back to Paducah..

Here Debbie and I are driving away from Paris...

Josh lives in the Lowertown Arts District in Paducah. The city has offered special loans to working artists to buy, renovate and practice their art in this special part of town. This program has brought back life to a very historic aria of the city.

On my way to Josh's I spotted this home...

We boarded the Queen and got right down to pickin' and the nut on Josh's mandolin chipped. This gave me the perfect opportunity to practice a bit of Red Neck Tree Oge. Thank goodness for my nail repair kit. Not only has it kept me in nails but now I used it to keep the mandolin in business!

First I cleaned and scored the chipped edge of the nut...

Scoring the old nut edge...

Then I built up the missing aria with super glue and baking soda. With no accelerator I misted the glue with my breath...

I sanded the repair into nut shape (with a finger nail file) and re-cut the e-string slot with Eddie's knife...

It worked! What's more it allowed Josh to play some amazing mandolin that evening... Look at him smile!

More veri soon!

Kaelri - Posted - 08/02/2013:  17:08:14

When your stringed instrument suffers trauma on a trip away from home, it is good to find there's a "doctor" on the boat! What a neat little story of "how to improvise" . Was sure fun to read about. Glad you shared it.

Ellen

Dan Knowles - Posted - 08/04/2013:  05:27:05

Ellen,

I know it was strange but true...

SAINT LOUIS

This is nice, traveling with two of my best friends... my wife Debbie and Eddie Coffey the great bass and guitar player. It can get kinda lonesome when I am out by myself, Even with lots of good folks around.

Friday we arrived in Saint Louis. In this post I plan to get us caught up if possible! Here is our QUEEN OF THE MISSISSIPPI ported in Paducah, Kentucky. 

We departed Paducah around noon on Thursday headed for the confluence of the Ohio & Mississippi rivers. This is one of the more amazing sights on this river system, the meeting and mixing of these two waters. The rivers come together at Cairo, Illinois. There are perhaps a hundred or more barges moored here in the Cairo landing. This is a major stopping point for the barge fleet.

Here this is a harbor tending boat. Eddie and I rode this little craft out to the River Explorer from Wicliff, Kentucky several years ago. It was an exciting ride that we both remember well!

Cairo point. The photo didn't really capture the two colors of the rivers as they boil together. Blue for the Ohio and muddy brown of the Mississippi. The city of Cairo maintains a park here and in years past there was a bluegrass festival here. There is an observation tower here and I loved to sit and watch the rivers when I was here to play the festival.

Teaching banjo on the Mississippi... This group really caught on well to the "frailing lick"!

Sunset just before our show...

Eddie and I pickin' and singin' in the evening show...

You know Busch Beer? Well this is the Anheuser Busch estate, just south of Saint Louis.

One of the very enjoyable things I am able to do is teach "Red Necked Coffee Roasting". Here I show my rig... a stainless steel carafe and a Harbor Freight paint stripping heat gun... total cost, $37. HARBOR FREIGHT are you looking? I'd be a great endorsee!!!

Fresh roasted (and I mean fresh) coffee is being served! It is really much better the next day but it's way fun to make some when the beans are still hot!

We tried to talk Debbie into going up the Saint Louis Gateway Arch but she was having none of it so Eddie and I waited for about an hour and a half to go up to the top in this little "clothes dryer" gondola!

Eddie shoots a picture from a observation window at the top of this 650 foot tall arch.

The Mississippi river down below and riding small but proud our home away from home near the freeway bridge...

The Queen at ground level...

Next stop Alton, Illinois...