Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/02/2016:  18:13:52

TEACHIN' TUESDAY

Today was a teaching day so not many photos were made.

But I feel that a couple are in order.

Here my Pharaoh banjo peghead getting re-engraved. There was something in the finish up in the sun aria and I forgot to re engrave my name in the shield, so....

The white oak 000...

  

And ole' Yin & Yang...

More soon!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/02/2016 18:15:09

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/05/2016:  05:43:26

THURSDAY

Last evening was the second night of my Art of Inlay class over at the Lee Academy for the Arts here in Paris. Being evening two, we checked out everybody's design work (done since the last class), cut a couple of practice pieces, prepared and began to cut their designs.

The students took cutting boards home along with some extra pearl so they could finish cutting tonights designs and one more. Next week we will rout and glue the pieces in. These folks are doing great!

I really get an immense amount of pleasure watching folks learn... perhaps  in a former life I was a teacher!

Here are my studious students successfully softly surly sawing stuff!

This has to be the most laid back pearl worker that I've ever seen! I taught them that the key to cutting pearl was relaxing and Jeff really took it to heart!

More Soon!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/05/2016 05:45:09

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/05/2016:  06:36:05

Looks like the correct student to teacher ratio.    Relaxing is quite often the key to many activities.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/07/2016:  17:23:09

SATURDAY

The Pharaoh banjo is heading towards the finish line and it feels great to be knowing I'll be playin' it soon again. Not only is the finish being redone & the rim thinned but I'm changing the White Lady tone ring for a Tubaphone. Hopefully I have it back in business tomorrow. 

So here I'm doing some buffing...

On the rim...

The neck...

Here I'm scraping the fingerboard edge over spray away...

Saturday's Guitar Building class everybody there, Jeff sands his sides to fit the top...

& Kevin worked on the plan for a new mandolin, Thomas his inlay and Zeb wet sanded his finish...

And Chris worked on inletting his braces into his sides....

More Soon!!!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/07/2016:  17:29:22

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/08/2016:  18:28:37

MONDAY

THE PHARAOH CAME HOME TODAY!

Oh yes, yes, yes! I finally got her together and got to do some pickin. In fact I'll make this short so I can go do some more!

I've got other banjos, but this one has been my voice for the last 16 years and it feels like home!

Here go some of the new bracket shoes...

And the Rickard tuners...

And in the case ready to head home!

More Soon!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/08/2016 18:29:03

kwl - Posted - 02/08/2016:  18:50:27

Welcome home Pharaoh! I'm sure you are happy to have it back. Enjoy (which I am sure you will).

Ken

kvdkieft - Posted - 02/08/2016:  19:07:44

Mighty fine!!! Lookin' good!!!

60spicker - Posted - 02/09/2016:  05:31:26

That's a banjo built for a showman, which is certainly appropriate for you. Congratulations on the restoration.

jbalch - Posted - 02/09/2016:  05:33:16

Dan:  What is the impact of the changes?  Do you like the sound with a thinner rim & tubaphone ring? 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/09/2016:  11:06:02

Ken, Kenny & Terry,

The Pharaoh is certainly glad to be back in business! Thanks!

John,

That is a difficult question to answer... but I'll try.

After several hours of playing, the banjo is beginning to settle down and start to feel its self.  What I mean is that the Pharaoh had so much stuff done to it that it's almost like a new banjo (all be it with old wood). Refinish, refret, new tension hoop & tonering.

The old tonering was a (Stu Mac) White Lady, the new a  (Rickard)Tubaphone. Also the tonering has been mounted a bit different that is usual for a Tubaphone. The ridge that the square piece rests on has been scalloped to decrease the wood contact and thus allow the tonering more freedom to ring (that sounds pretty slick on this US election year!). 

The first thing that I notice is that the banjo responds quicker and the notes are much clearer. This is marked. The tone change is subtle, the bass is clearer but not quite as round. The bass response I would expect to change and improve as everything is broken in. This has become a more nuanced instrument, it just responds better. Oddly the volume of the instrument doesn't seamed to have changed at all.

In general I am quite pleased with the changes. It feels and plays like the same old banjo (without a sticky finished neck  and fret buzzes) but with a new supercharged motor under the hood. It will be interesting to see how its sound changes in a year.

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/09/2016 11:08:40

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/09/2016:  14:47:07

Dan

I put one of Bill's Tubaphone tone rings in a banjo that I built, it was great right out of the gate.  It's hard to beat one of Bill's Tubaphone tone rings.



Supercharged motor, sounds about right!!  

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/09/2016:  19:10:27

Dave,

I am so tickled with the Pharaoh now! Not only is it pretty but that Rickard Tubapaphone really pushed it over the top!

dr4dpet - Posted - 02/10/2016:  00:39:15

Banjoists have a treasure in the author of this topic. The denizens of BHO should do all in their power to let him know how appreciated he is. (My rendition of Captain Obvious.) Those have been following this thread for a time know the truth of this statement.

 

I am an extremely new banjo player. My time in the fraternity extends back two days past the beginning of the year, if you don't credit the hours I spent learning a single roll back in '81 to my account.

I stumbled into contact with Dan Knowles just two days ago in a round about way.  I live in a rural area with a small population, the largest town in the county is 5000 people. There are only three times that number in the entire county. I have been searching for other banjo players to associate with but have yet to find any. The only musical resource I have learned of is an old time bluegrass and fiddler's jamboree held each spring. In an attempt to do more than ape youtube videos I have been exercising my google fu, but to no great profit. The closest jams I learned of were 100 miles distant.

Last week I learned of SPBGMA, I had never heard of it before, and that its annual convention and awards event was this past weekend. I went, not knowing what to expect. I started a conversation with a man in the trade/exhibit area. From him I learned there was a luthier in a town about 40 miles distant. He described Dan Knowles as "having an interesting clawhammer technique." He wasn't able to provide a phone number, so there was still searching ahead of me. I found the relevant number and an address in an old tri-county phonebook late Saturday night. Knowing I wouldn't make contact until Monday or later, I spent more time with Google and found this topic on BHO. Somehow I jumped in at page 50 and probably made it to page 80 by Monday. After speaking with Dan, I wholeheartedly concur with ohers that he is a warm, caring, helpful, giving, extremely talented artist.  Thank you Dan for your assistance and your invitation to visit.

Thank you Tom Nechville for the "introduction".

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/11/2016:  05:39:46

Dr4dpet,

Thank you for the oh so kind post. I feel honored.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/11/2016:  05:59:03

WEDNESDAY

Today was a repairing & sanding day. Also a playing of the Pharaoh day. I've had to move it at the house last night. It was interfering with my work toooooooooooooooo much!

I did get a few photos of work on the Yin & Yang guitar. By todays end it along with the white oak 000 should be ready for the spray booth. 

Here I'm hand sanding with 120 grit, making sure everything is nice, flat & smooth....

Now 220...

And power sanding with 400. I don't usually power sand many of my guitars with any courser  grit.  Years ago I had a palm sander get much too aggressive on me and ruined the box.

Getting ready for tonights Art of Inlay class. It's easier for me to think this stuff through and get ready a day or two ahead of time. I feel more prepared and don't usually miss bringing stuff I need...

More Soon!!! 

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/11/2016:  06:33:21

Dan

I do under stand how a "new" banjo can change your thoughts on what is important to do right now!   Enjoy your "new" Pharaoh.



The Yin/Yang guitar is looking very good, I think it will be fabulous when finished.



Dave

Edited by - Dave1climber on 02/11/2016 06:37:40

rubicon - Posted - 02/11/2016:  07:09:30

Dan the Ying and Yang guitar is looking really nice looking forward to its completion !!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/11/2016:  20:36:52

Dave & Rubicon,

THANKS!!!

guitarman8491 - Posted - 02/12/2016:  03:39:35

Dan that guitar is really looking great...watching it progress from a few hunks of wood into a piece of art...which will make some sweet music is a real treat!

..Doug

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/12/2016:  05:31:09

Doug,

Thanks!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/12/2016:  05:49:52

THURSDAY

Busy, busy,busy... like a little bee buzzin' 'round the flowers. First workin' in the shop all day and then teaching the Art of Inlay class last night. And now it's 7:30 AM and I'm just up writing this and drinking a cup of coffee (which was roasted yesterday!). I'll get goin' in a bit and go over to the school, pick up and clean up from last night's party!

But here from in the shop yesterday...

On the Yin and Yang guitar I applied some dark shellac to the walnut areas to deepen the color and increase the contrast. I also applied some clear to the maple to seal it...

Makes the grain pop, doesn't it...

On the maple side of the back, near the center is a bit of grain which started showing through in sanding and working that I found particularly unattractive. So going back to my old instructor Don McCarty's teaching , I decided to make an inlay in that spot. 

Often I like to just stick something like this in... just cause I can and the instrument seams to call for it.

So here I'm starting a symmetrical design by gluing two pieces of pearl together. And in keeping with the theme of the guitar they are black & gold pearl...

Clamped...

Jointing one side on sandpaper faced glass...

After cutting out the designs, I use a couple of dots of yellow glue to stick them in place...

Wala!

Here I'm adding a bit of orange shellac to the white oak 000 to even out the tonal color...

More Soon!!

DEmery - Posted - 02/12/2016:  11:47:29

Dan the 000 is looking great. After watching the French polish top come live with color - this will for sure bring the contrast nicely in range. My guess this will be true even moreso after it heads to the spray booth. I will keep watching - but assume there is some cure time between shellac and the booth.... David E.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/12/2016:  19:09:05

David,

I still have a bit of grain filling tomorrow and then shellac again, then spray time! Perhaps Monday or Tuesday...

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/12/2016:  19:19:26

THURSDAY EVENING

THE ART OF INLAY 

Class

We had a great time! Wish y'all were here.

I'm thinking about doing another class this summer during a touring break. Perhaps 4 back to back days of inlay instruction. Anybody interested?

Here's Joe & Kevin doing great work!

Jeff said that he gave is inlay homework away to a girlfriend. The tough teacher made him do another!!!

Jeff, Chris & Carla intently at it!

Carla & Chris concentrating...

Joe, Kevin & Thomas preparing their pieces to inlay...

More Soon!!!

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/13/2016:  05:07:21

Looks like a good group!!  

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/17/2016:  18:29:48

Dave,

It sure is a great group. It's hard to believe that tomorrow evening will be the final night of this class. I will make sure to make some photos of their projects.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/17/2016:  18:40:58

Here is an interesting experiment I'm conducting.

I received a very nice email fro Ken LeVan about his use of Corian for bindings. Oh my but that set my mind to running. You see the nails I use for pickin' are made from acrylic so is Corian. I'm not sure that I'd want to make Corian, but binding is another story.

This is what I've done...

First I cut  a channel in a piece of poplar...

I mixed some of my acrylic liquid with some leather dye and mixed that with some acrylic nail powder. Ten jammed it into the channel...

We'll see how it looks tomorrow...

Meanwhile the oiling of the neck of the 000 is underway...

Rub it on...

Rub it off...

Just in case you havent gotten your tickets to Saturday night's show...

More Soon!!!

DEmery - Posted - 02/18/2016:  06:56:08

Hey Dan..., she has been French polished on top, shellac washed on the sides and back, and oil finished on the neck.., I assume there wasn't a spray booth somewhere in there. So, all this cures and then off for a bit of spray lacquer. I know you told me that shellac needs to cure to keep the lacquer from moving around.

Neck looks great. David E.

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/18/2016:  10:28:14

Dan

David Emery is absolutely correct, that neck looks great!!  

dr4dpet - Posted - 02/20/2016:  20:45:04

WOWZA, Life is great.

I conversed with Eddie.
I held Pharaoh.
I held Scarecrow.
I shook hands with Dan and Tyler.

I may never wash my hands again.

Dan, those are some beautiful instruments. Seeing them in real life is the only to get the full impression of how great they are.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/22/2016:  19:45:32

David,

Watch the photos from today...

Dave,

Thanks!

John,

I'm glad you enjoyed the show!

Here are some photos & videos for everybody else....

Kickin' the show off, (L-R) Eddie Coffey (bass), Josh Coffey (mandolin), Nathan Blake Lynn (guitar), Tyler Andal (fiddle).

Eddie & me...

Eddie on his Irish drum....

Jim Along Josie

facebook.com/martin.paschall/v...55614094/

Sam Knowles (bass) & Tyler...

Josh & his daddy Eddie (The Coffey Brothers)

The Wheelhouse Rousters...

Where Was You Last Night? The Wheelhouse Rousters

facebook.com/martin.paschall/v...09887952/

Martin Paschall...

Talk Backwards, Martin Paschall

facebook.com/martin.paschall/v...88762424/

Jordan Shepherd  playing a Bach Cello concerto...

Lastly we sang everybody home with Will the Circle Be Unbroken...

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

facebook.com/martin.paschall/v...92700019/

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/22/2016 19:46:26

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/22/2016:  19:54:26

Here is one more video from the show that I just found....

Froggie Wen A'courtin'

scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/h...=576FF157

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/22/2016:  20:07:32

MONDAY...

AND SOME SATURDAY TOO!

I made an inlaid truss rod cover for the white oak 000. It will have no screws holding it in place, just a magical force called...

Magnetism

Drilling for the magnets...

Saturday AM's guitar building class...

Today Dave Emery's guitar is ready for the spray booth...

Spraying. Yes I do learn and take advise! 

What? Me?

More Soon!!!

DEmery - Posted - 02/23/2016:  01:32:53

Well Dan..., what can I say? She sure is pretty and that oak is special. I get all the talk about traditional wood; but this is uniquely beautiful. Hope to hear er' all strung up and making noise in a few weeks. David E.

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/23/2016:  06:02:23

Looks and sounds like everyone had a high old time at the show!!  

All of the students focused on their projects Saturday.

Dan you look mighty pretty in that pink respirator, and the oak special is looking even better.    

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/24/2016:  18:26:51

David,

I'm looking forward to hearing her too!

Dave,

Do you think I'd look better with a white oak respirator!?!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/24/2016:  19:12:23

WEDNESDAY

Sunday Tyler Andal and I had some fun...

 We decided on a luthier challenge.

What was the challenge you ask? Well we attempted to construct a cavaquinho ( a Brazilian steel string uke like instrument) in one day!

We tried... About 12...13...14 ... well who cares how many hours...and we managed to create a body. It has a spruce top and cocobolo back and sides. This weekend we plan on trying to make and fit a neck

Here filling the rosette channel with acrylic...

Gluing linings to the ribs (sides)

Tyler cleaning up glue squeeze out...

Filling butt strip and starting to fill the binding channel with acrylic...

Filling butt strip and starting to fill the binding channel with acrylic & turquoise... 

Filling the binding channel...

Tyler took the body home to Nashville and started French polishing on Monday... 

Monday's top view... 

A nice shot of the back on Tuesday...

Today! This weekend... makin' a neck.

More soon!!!

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/24/2016:  22:12:26

Do you think I'd look better with a white oak respirator!?!

Dan, if you were to build one of White oak, I am sure that it would be a work of art.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/25/2016:  18:18:47

Dave,

I do wonder how it'd work though.... Tyler might just make sound files or a video... just ask him!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/25/2016:  18:52:07

LUEFFIN' ON TURZDAY

In and out of the spraybooth today... well I guess it was more out than in , what with all the finish sanding and such.

You can't say that I'm not a happy sander, and here is proof.

Perhaps it was my friend Joe Snow's joke. I just don't remember.

Here I'm sanding the finish on the back. This is flatting the finish is between coats. I used 220 & 400.

There were just a couple peck holes in the finish so I fill them with some shop made filler...

Wiped it off...

And then sanded the surface...

This SG had its peghead broken several times so I've repaired it with a backstrap. Here I'm shaping it...

And drilling the glue andclearing the pegholes...

Preparing to fo some leveling of inlays that I added in later. I don't want to cut away any more wood than necessary, so I stick some tape down to protect the back while sanding...

Sanding...

More Soon!!!

DEmery - Posted - 02/26/2016:  03:09:50

Dan that oak 000 just couldn't look any better. If the guitar has a voice like its looks - it is going to be something else. David E.

Edited by - DEmery on 02/26/2016 03:10:33

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/26/2016:  06:13:18

David,

Thanks!

Here are some updated cavaquinho photos from Tyler as of yesterday...

tylerandal - Posted - 02/28/2016:  09:27:06

I'd love to share more with you guys about Dan and my's last two visits together!  We had a blast putting together a cavaquinho in 2 days!  Here's a photo from the "finished" product.  There are many more here  facebook.com/tyler.andal/media...mp;type=3 if you all would like to check more of them out :)

 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/28/2016:  11:33:37

MORE FRIDAY-SATURDAY PHOTOS

This may take a coupe of posts to get all the photos that I'd like to post.

So I'll start right now! 

The Yin & Yang guitar received its first coats o two part finish today but before finish was sprayed I brushed on a couple of coats of shellac to warm the colors...

And applied a mask where the bridge will be installed...

And masked the fingerboard ... we want no finish there!

And into the spray booth for the first coat...

Then off to sanding between nitro lacquer coats on the white oak 000...

Saturday morning for the guitar building class Zeb wet sanded his creation. He is not very far away from stringing now. The excitement builds...

Saturday afternoon, ROUND 2 of the ANDAL - KNOWLES MATCH!

Another 10 hour marathon in the afternoon- evening trying to finish building the one day cavaquinho in two days!

Here Tyler is truing his fingerboard...

And flushing the top of his peghead overlay to the plane of the neck...

I drill for pins to locate the fingerboard during gluing...

Hummmmmm................

Frets in, Tyler files their ends...

The GHOST OF LUTHIER'S PAST....

First song....

I get a turn and am accompanied by Kung Fu Panda!

It really is amazing to think of just how much two luthiers with a common goal and a whole lot of super glue can get done! 

More Soon!!!

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/28/2016:  15:03:12

I find it hard to believe just how much you can get done at such a very high standard.  "They" say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and here are the pictures chock full of wonderful words.

Dave

rubicon - Posted - 03/02/2016:  18:07:56

Gotta love that Ying and Yang guitar can't wait to hear it

Dan Knowles - Posted - 03/02/2016:  20:17:13

Dave,

Thanks!!!

Rubicon,

It won't be too long now.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 03/02/2016:  20:37:28

WEDNESDAY

Is it Wednesday night already? Boy howdy but the time has sped by!

This was an interesting repair. 

It is a Spanish classical guitar (and a nice one I must say!) that walked in with a buzz that was ony heard when the b note was played. Only the b, but it had this noise no matter where the b was found. Odd, no? 

Well after looking and listening it was found. A very unusual brace crossing the bridge plate was cracked (more on that later). I searched in every way that I could. and although I did find it with my fingers I did employ my handy dandy Harbor Freight inspection scope...

This is a shot of the scope looking into another guitar. Notice the X-braces in the viewer...

Here is the problem child. It is a break. It's that dark line just beside the arrow...

Here is one of the coolest braces I've ever seen. It actually had a couple breaks that hac to be glued....

Fixed! The arrow points to the repair.

If you are anywhere near Paris, Tennessee this Saturday night and you miss this you'll be soooooo sorry. These guys are GREAT!

Here is a link to a youtube video:youtube.com/watch?v=E-fIt4tBBp4

Meanwhile off in the spray booth with Yin & Yang, I get down to spraying some blender before more clear...

Selfie time!

More spraying...

And sanding out the white oak sweetie between coats...

More soon!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 03/02/2016 20:41:08