The title is not in the least misleading. This is an incredibly relaxing video. Perfect for de-stressing after dealing with idiots at work. And the guitars are breathtakingly beautiful as always.
I'm the very happy purchaser of the very first of your KP-L5s, Isaac. After a year of playing she now sounds full and sweet and compares very favourably (actually a bit louder and sweeter...) alongside my 1947 Epiphone Emperor and my 1941 Gibson L7... in fact, she's my go-to guitar for practice and acoustic gigs. If anyone is in the vicinity of Banbury and would like to hear and test the guitar, please let me know and we'll arrange a meeting.
I'm still amazed that the weird neck mounting holds solid. I 100% thought "That is gonna bend under tension and sound like crap" and then it just...worked. I dont know if he uses light gauge strings or if that is just a way stronger joint than i ever imagined but here we are and it works perfect. Learn something every day.
Great video, thank you for putting the time in. Been watching a bunch of different methods of FP, and it's interesting to see the different approaches. Guitar is beautiful. The egg white trick looks interesting. It's the binder for tempera painting pre-dating oil paints. Never thought to use it this way.
Came out great! I did my first telecaster last year in a White nitro finish. I had planned on staining it but the blank I got ended up not being as visually appealing as I'd hoped. It's all mahogany except the fretboard which is maple. The mahogany on the neck actually looks great and has some flames running from the 3rd fret all the way up the rest of the board towards the body on the back of the neck. I learned a lot from my first complete from scratch build but overall I'm really happy with how it came out. But I'll certainly be using poly on my next build for color (if there is any) and especially for the clear. Maybe even a wipe on poly I'll make myself. The Nitro finish on the neck is excellent but the body is already showing a good amount of wear after only a year. And while I was fully aware of nitro being much less durable than poly I was expecting to get at least a couple years without much wear before it started naturally relicing. I was talking with some professional builders who say they often see checking with nitro before they even get it out of the shop. I guess if you want more durable nitro it needs to be pre cat? I was really tempted to touch up the areas with wear (mainly where my right arm runs on the corner edge of the lower bout) but if I do that it will be an endless pursuit. So I've just decided to let it naturally relic and enjoy it as such. And it's worth noting I was using the expensive colortone Nitro too from Stewmac. It came out really great it just hasnt held up well to getting played everyday a minimum of an hour. I also have used some of the cheaper Nitros and out of them the minwax nitro held up much better, ain't that some shit? I even got a much better spray from the min wax can tips then I did from any of my aftermarket montana cans tips or stock colortone tips. I wonder if that has something to do with why its held up much better. But anyways I also really like the idea of using shellac cause it has the repairability of nitro but is likely easier to touch up. But theres the downside of it not protecting the wood as much as say a hard thick polyurethane or epoxy would be. I've also experimented with using Cyanoacrylate Glue as a finish material on one of my fret leveling file handles. It actually looks and feels great, nice and thin nut hard and buffed out to high gloss rather easily compared to poly. Only thing is I imagine doing a large piece of work would be difficult and it would have to be done on small sections. Anyways, looking forward to more videos!
I’ve just built my first electric guitar using a highly figured yellow elm. I’ve spent a lot of time struggling with what finish to use to complete it, but after watching your video, I believe I’m sold on shellac. If my results are half as good as yours, I’ll consider it a success.
That was very cool, beautiful job. I've done a lot of finishing of wood work, one method of getting an even stain on certain woods that normally go splochy is called glue sizing where before you apply the stain, mix wood glue and water, mostly water and brush it on , let it dry and light sand. I don't know if this would work for you on the spruce tops given all the other steps you do but might be worth a try
The Bob Ross of guitar finishing. Felt like I had a buzz when it was over. That finish is stunning. I just told my wife she was eating bug poo on those jelly beans. Her reaction was epic.
Dear friends, I want to ask if the guitar is shipped to Vietnam, Tay Ninh province, how much is the shipping fee, please check is out, thank you very much!
Dear Cranmer - a kind observation... you have +60k subscribers and only ~230 comments. Perhaps they are like me, they are just speechless! You have shown and taught me so much in a few minutes versus the TH-cam trawling I've done for many months to try to find this same amazing outcome. I can see the parallels with the egg white to its use in grand master paintings as a stabilizer - intentional or not, this proves the use here is also to be considered in the same light. Many thanks, I really enjoy and appreciated your amazing art.
Love the video. It inspired me. My father died when I was 18. That was 37 years ago. He left me an old Gibson arch top with F holes. I dont know the model. There is a crack in the finish and the tuner have disintegrated. I saw your video now I'm inspired to restore it. I have no 8dea where to begin. Please help, I appreciate it. Thanks
@@CranmerGuitars It seems that way. I employ a technique that I call, Polish polish, on account of my father having been born in Poland. Keep up the beautiful guitar work.
Wow that neck really sits way above the sound board. I’ve read about doing something similar to this but I’ve never heard the finished results. Very interesting.
your work is amazing, I'm here to watch it until it's finished and I'm interested in your work, greetings from Indonesia. May your family always be given health s ❤️
Well, if it can’t smell like nitro cellulose or shellac, lemon’s pretty good! Beautiful beautiful work sir - sounds gorgeous, looks stunning (although I’d prefer a lighter set of burst colours), and I adore your neck joint!
Hi Isaac. Only just found this video. Nice build. Cake is good. Hope you're well and hope to come and see you next year, I have a vehicle again. Miss you buddy.
Looks amazing. I'll try this out soon myself! May I ask what grits of sandpaper you have used to take the colours off inbetween? I'd say 240? Higher grits would close the pores too much I guess.
Translate text with your camera Is it pigment powder paint applied to the guitar? At what temperature did you add it to the hot water and did you start applying it to the guitar after it cooled? Can the same color pigment paint be applied to painted guitars?
This is a real piece of art, congratulations! I was wondering if you use a pore filling process before starting the french polishing (pumice stone powder over a shellac base?) or if you go straight with this. Maybe with open-pore woods other than maple?
How did you get to know all this stuff? I must ask if you apprenticed under someone great like Benadetto. I think that's how to spell his name. I built guitars in the past but a lot has changed in just a few years. Your guitars are awesome. I had to stop building guitars because it became an idol to me. Great voice to your guitars and a large contributing factor are the finishes you prefer.
I'm at a lost I don't under stand the beetle poop It must be some kind if inside joke. anyway it is a beautiful finish and looks fantastic. The sound of this guitar is amazing. You are a true craftsman and artist.
Two questions please. 1) Did you use olive oil (or any oil) in your french polish formula? My understanding is the oil helps to apply the shellac evenly. 2) If you used water stains, did you have any issues with the top-plate bookmatched glue-joint separating? If you used titebond-original glue to glue the two halves then can the center-seam joint be affected by water stains since titebond original glue is a water based glue? Thank you for the very educational video.
Great questions! 1) I try to use as little olive oil as possible (none during the bodying stage, and a little during the final few sessions.) It's just there to act as a lubricant and stop the pad from sticking. 2) I use water stains as alcohol stains would be reactivated when applying shellac. I've not run into any issues with centre joints, and I wouldn't expect to unless I was dunking the body in a bucket of stain ;)
Great finish on camera. No comments as to why sanding is against the grain, seems counter intuitive but there must be a reason to expose the grain. The French Polish finish is to die for, luxurious but will not last the test of time. Beautiful job.
I disagree. If it's taken care of properly it will last just as long as any other finish, and it can be restored incredibly easily. You'd be shocked at the dampening effect modern finishes have. Either way, entropy consumes us all.
Beautiful work. I FP most of my guitars too; nothing beats it. How long did you let the finish on the sides dry/harden before re-clamping the body in the holder to do more coats on the top or back? I'd be worried about leaving imprints from the clamps (yes, it's happened to me!)
I can't remember exactly how long I left the sides to harden, but I was polishing three guitars when I filmed this (so at least an hour between polishing the sides and putting the body in the cradle.) I do remember planning my polishing order very carefully to avoid that problem. I think the best way is to make a fake neck and clamp it in a vice so nothing ever touches the body
Am I right in my understanding that in the french polishing stage that the shellac is then melting out the scratches in the previous coats that have been sanded flat?
A work of art my friend ! I always thought that any sunburst or flameburst finish was done with a guitar pick shaped template and a spray gun. ( Actually the mass produced ones are, ) but this is like a Rolls Royce and the result is magnificent ! The pronounced floating neck is unique too, producing just wonderful tone. How much in USD ?
The wood looks magnificent. The finish looks great, but the dye job was mediocre. You need to work on that technique.
You may think the dye job was mediocre, but personally I thought it looked like an abstract piece of art.
Donny, you are out of your element.
@@l.k.1011 Who's Donny?
@@timhallas4275 A quote from the best movie in human history.
Watchu talkin bout Willis
The title is not in the least misleading. This is an incredibly relaxing video. Perfect for de-stressing after dealing with idiots at work. And the guitars are breathtakingly beautiful as always.
Hah, I meant the title as a joke, but I'm glad you liked it! ♥️
For sure !
Beautiful work! I used to practice french polishing on offcuts for relaxation... I think it's time to start that habit again.
That is one of the sweetest sounding guitars I've ever had the pleasure of hearing, thank you.
I'm the very happy purchaser of the very first of your KP-L5s, Isaac. After a year of playing she now sounds full and sweet and compares very favourably (actually a bit louder and sweeter...) alongside my 1947 Epiphone Emperor and my 1941 Gibson L7... in fact, she's my go-to guitar for practice and acoustic gigs. If anyone is in the vicinity of Banbury and would like to hear and test the guitar, please let me know and we'll arrange a meeting.
I am soooo blown away by the shellac finish !!! Gorgeous guitar, Craftsmanship and a True Piece of Art that sounds Fantastic !!!
This is unreal.
It's absolutely beautiful.
Love it
Magnifique, le vernis à la française fait effectivement de très belles finitions 👍💙
Great video! Feel free to make these videos even longer - I could chill out to this for at least half an hour!
I'm still amazed that the weird neck mounting holds solid. I 100% thought "That is gonna bend under tension and sound like crap" and then it just...worked. I dont know if he uses light gauge strings or if that is just a way stronger joint than i ever imagined but here we are and it works perfect. Learn something every day.
The guitar looks great and sounds even greater, and the process of finishing is surprisingly pleasant!
Great video, thank you for putting the time in. Been watching a bunch of different methods of FP, and it's interesting to see the different approaches. Guitar is beautiful. The egg white trick looks interesting. It's the binder for tempera painting pre-dating oil paints. Never thought to use it this way.
Bravo, this is not only a beautiful guitar, but an instrument with a wonderful sound, congratulations from the bottom of my heart
I've always struggled with getting a beautiful, mirror like finish on my guitars and you made it look so effortless.
Incredible work!
Shellac polishes up nice. It's not real durable and not particularly suited for guitar necks.
here's a video to inspire you..
th-cam.com/video/vKFQ8B4cx64/w-d-xo.html
a good marble-like gloss finish requires a lot of work and patience
Came out great! I did my first telecaster last year in a White nitro finish. I had planned on staining it but the blank I got ended up not being as visually appealing as I'd hoped. It's all mahogany except the fretboard which is maple. The mahogany on the neck actually looks great and has some flames running from the 3rd fret all the way up the rest of the board towards the body on the back of the neck. I learned a lot from my first complete from scratch build but overall I'm really happy with how it came out. But I'll certainly be using poly on my next build for color (if there is any) and especially for the clear. Maybe even a wipe on poly I'll make myself. The Nitro finish on the neck is excellent but the body is already showing a good amount of wear after only a year. And while I was fully aware of nitro being much less durable than poly I was expecting to get at least a couple years without much wear before it started naturally relicing. I was talking with some professional builders who say they often see checking with nitro before they even get it out of the shop. I guess if you want more durable nitro it needs to be pre cat? I was really tempted to touch up the areas with wear (mainly where my right arm runs on the corner edge of the lower bout) but if I do that it will be an endless pursuit. So I've just decided to let it naturally relic and enjoy it as such. And it's worth noting I was using the expensive colortone Nitro too from Stewmac. It came out really great it just hasnt held up well to getting played everyday a minimum of an hour. I also have used some of the cheaper Nitros and out of them the minwax nitro held up much better, ain't that some shit? I even got a much better spray from the min wax can tips then I did from any of my aftermarket montana cans tips or stock colortone tips. I wonder if that has something to do with why its held up much better. But anyways I also really like the idea of using shellac cause it has the repairability of nitro but is likely easier to touch up. But theres the downside of it not protecting the wood as much as say a hard thick polyurethane or epoxy would be. I've also experimented with using Cyanoacrylate Glue as a finish material on one of my fret leveling file handles. It actually looks and feels great, nice and thin nut hard and buffed out to high gloss rather easily compared to poly. Only thing is I imagine doing a large piece of work would be difficult and it would have to be done on small sections. Anyways, looking forward to more videos!
I’ve just built my first electric guitar using a highly figured yellow elm. I’ve spent a lot of time struggling with what finish to use to complete it, but after watching your video, I believe I’m sold on shellac. If my results are half as good as yours, I’ll consider it a success.
It takes a lot of time to get a finish as good as this - an awful long time - but isn’t this result worth it!
Thank you for a great video. Your skill and patience brought out a amazing finish.
beautifully done. I'm going to have to research french polishing more. it looks fun and the results are beautiful.
That was very cool, beautiful job. I've done a lot of finishing of wood work, one method of getting an even stain on certain woods that normally go splochy is called glue sizing where before you apply the stain, mix wood glue and water, mostly water and brush it on , let it dry and light sand. I don't know if this would work for you on the spruce tops given all the other steps you do but might be worth a try
The Bob Ross of guitar finishing. Felt like I had a buzz when it was over. That finish is stunning. I just told my wife she was eating bug poo on those jelly beans. Her reaction was epic.
I told my wife the same thing lol
Simply stunning. Thanks for showing!
These guitars are available to buy - either through reverb or on my website!
Dear friends, I want to ask if the guitar is shipped to Vietnam, Tay Ninh province, how much is the shipping fee, please check is out, thank you very much!
Amazing work! Beautiful!
you know what? We use the same air filter too, at this point, nothing surprises me anymore (also I learned so much in this video)
We might as well be the same person at this point. A wise man once said: "The most knowledge can be gained at the bottom of the TH-cam description."
@@CranmerGuitars hahaha you imbecile. I smell, but not beetle's poop. What's the plural of manchild anyway ?
Beautiful results, and fascinating to see the process. Masterful finishing! And now I know why I never liked jellybeans. 😅
A true craftsman at work … beautiful creation
Awesome work. It was enjoyable and informative to watch. I love the finished product also.
Perfectly beautiful finish love it!
Unbelievable sound and craftsmanship 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Dear Cranmer - a kind observation... you have +60k subscribers and only ~230 comments. Perhaps they are like me, they are just speechless! You have shown and taught me so much in a few minutes versus the TH-cam trawling I've done for many months to try to find this same amazing outcome. I can see the parallels with the egg white to its use in grand master paintings as a stabilizer - intentional or not, this proves the use here is also to be considered in the same light. Many thanks, I really enjoy and appreciated your amazing art.
Thanks Mark, glad you found it useful 🙏
What a BEAUTIFUL guitar!! Fantastic job!
This is increbible!!! Thatnks for your content, sir!
Magnifique!
I really enjoyed this video. Beautiful guitar!
Love the video. It inspired me. My father died when I was 18. That was 37 years ago. He left me an old Gibson arch top with F holes. I dont know the model. There is a crack in the finish and the tuner have disintegrated. I saw your video now I'm inspired to restore it. I have no 8dea where to begin. Please help, I appreciate it. Thanks
Wow what a fine looking guitar thanks for sharing this with us I learned a lot
Incredible work. Thenks for sharing.
You have my respect sir , a fantastic work by spectacular skill !
The Stradivarius also had crushed gem stones in the final finish coat .
I French polish almost every guitar I build. It's cool watching another version. Same results. Beautiful archtop work, man.
The fun thing about French polish is how many ways you can apply it. I don't think I've done it the same way twice!
@@CranmerGuitars It seems that way. I employ a technique that I call, Polish polish, on account of my father having been born in Poland. Keep up the beautiful guitar work.
It's so satisfying that one stucks stared watching this work of art : )
Wow that neck really sits way above the sound board. I’ve read about doing something similar to this but I’ve never heard the finished results. Very interesting.
Thanks for posting - I learned something ! 😃
I've French polished two acoustic guitars so far but it never occurred for me to wax them afterward. I'll have to do it on my next one.
your work is amazing, I'm here to watch it until it's finished and I'm interested in your work, greetings from Indonesia. May your family always be given health s ❤️
Really beautiful work. Very nice.
Beautiful guitar.... and the tone!! I best get saving 😀
Nitrocellulose lacquer is used instrument finishing. M&M candy used it in confectionery sugar, adding a little water and sugar
Well, if it can’t smell like nitro cellulose or shellac, lemon’s pretty good!
Beautiful beautiful work sir - sounds gorgeous, looks stunning (although I’d prefer a lighter set of burst colours), and I adore your neck joint!
Beautiful work!
How do you prepare your pigments?
What products are they mixed with?
Do you have a brand to recommend?
gorgeous guitar sounds great too, I like the finish as well.. I'm looking for secret recipe Stradivarius used on old violin finishes..
That's a lot of time,but it is very stunning finish.
Such an awesome finished guitar!
Beautiful craftsmanship!
Beautiful instrument. Bravo !
Outstanding work, sir!
Beautiful guitar!
Cant stop watshing it again and again. You build a Goddess. Thank you for sharing.
Incredibly Beautiful!!
came out beautiful. I was leery of sanding across the grain in the beginning though.
What a pleasure to see this. Exquisite workmanship. How about freshening up my Martin D 28? Any advice? Besides sending it to a luthier.
Very very nice!!! Compliments!
Beautiful work!
What sort of dye are you using here? I just ordered a bunch of tie dye powder to try my own burst on a kit guitar. Looks amazing btw!
That’s top o the notch! Dang good stuff for certain!
Hi Isaac. Only just found this video. Nice build. Cake is good. Hope you're well and hope to come and see you next year, I have a vehicle again. Miss you buddy.
I was thinking of you when I wrote the part about cake 😉 Hope to come to Newark for the next graduation show!
Wow, you are truly an artist.
It's a genius work of art !!!
What grit did you use to sand the eggwhite? Also, in case of other types of wood, would you use pumice over a first coat of shellac to fill the pores?
Looks amazing. I'll try this out soon myself! May I ask what grits of sandpaper you have used to take the colours off inbetween? I'd say 240? Higher grits would close the pores too much I guess.
Yep, p240/320
@@CranmerGuitars Thanks 💪!
Beautiful and sounds sweet too!
Beautiful result, lovely tone. Which stains are you using? All water-based?
Great work, good video editing
Translate text with your camera
Is it pigment powder paint applied to the guitar? At what temperature did you add it to the hot water and did you start applying it to the guitar after it cooled? Can the same color pigment paint be applied to painted guitars?
My life goals now include owning a guitar like this
This is a real piece of art, congratulations! I was wondering if you use a pore filling process before starting the french polishing (pumice stone powder over a shellac base?) or if you go straight with this. Maybe with open-pore woods other than maple?
Thanks! Yep, for woods like mahogany I'll use 0000 pumice, but there's no point with maple since it's not very porous
You can tell this dude takes fuckin pride in that masterpiece.
How did you get to know all this stuff? I must ask if you apprenticed under someone great like Benadetto. I think that's how to spell his name. I built guitars in the past but a lot has changed in just a few years. Your guitars are awesome. I had to stop building guitars because it became an idol to me. Great voice to your guitars and a large contributing factor are the finishes you prefer.
I studied acoustic guitar making for 4 years, but I'm mainly self taught with archtops. Lots and lots of research/ trial and error!
Absolutely stunning 😍
I'm at a lost I don't under stand the beetle poop It must be some kind if inside joke. anyway it is a beautiful finish and looks fantastic. The sound of this guitar is amazing. You are a true craftsman and artist.
Thanks! The gloss finish (shellac) is literally excrement from a beetle - no joke!
WOW thanks I never knew that
It looks and sounds amazing.
замечательно! гитара похожа на гибсоновские арктопы...которые я видел только на фото! спасибо автору за его искусство!!!🙂🙂🙂
Two questions please.
1) Did you use olive oil (or any oil) in your french polish formula? My understanding is the oil helps to apply the shellac evenly.
2) If you used water stains, did you have any issues with the top-plate bookmatched glue-joint separating? If you used titebond-original glue to glue the two halves then can the center-seam joint be affected by water stains since titebond original glue is a water based glue?
Thank you for the very educational video.
Great questions!
1) I try to use as little olive oil as possible (none during the bodying stage, and a little during the final few sessions.) It's just there to act as a lubricant and stop the pad from sticking.
2) I use water stains as alcohol stains would be reactivated when applying shellac. I've not run into any issues with centre joints, and I wouldn't expect to unless I was dunking the body in a bucket of stain ;)
It's just a fairy tale, a dream! In my next life, I want to be a guitar maker.
great job! how many different colours did you use?
Great finish on camera. No comments as to why sanding is against the grain, seems counter intuitive but there must be a reason to expose the grain. The French Polish finish is to die for, luxurious but will not last the test of time. Beautiful job.
I disagree. If it's taken care of properly it will last just as long as any other finish, and it can be restored incredibly easily. You'd be shocked at the dampening effect modern finishes have. Either way, entropy consumes us all.
Your guitar turned out very beautiful what kind of stains are you using
That is beautiful!
Nice! Thanks for sharing 😀👍
I really enjoyed this video ❤
Beautiful work. I FP most of my guitars too; nothing beats it. How long did you let the finish on the sides dry/harden before re-clamping the body in the holder to do more coats on the top or back? I'd be worried about leaving imprints from the clamps (yes, it's happened to me!)
I can't remember exactly how long I left the sides to harden, but I was polishing three guitars when I filmed this (so at least an hour between polishing the sides and putting the body in the cradle.) I do remember planning my polishing order very carefully to avoid that problem. I think the best way is to make a fake neck and clamp it in a vice so nothing ever touches the body
I'm told Super Nicko should be used in a well ventilated area. True?
Is it possible to sealing mahogany pores with that egg technique?
Thanks
This is the on an only way, to relic a new guitar.
gavent seen a skill parallel to this - amaizng
That must have been very rewarding for you.
After "goma laca" how many time we can put some creme polish?
A true masterpiece !
Am I right in my understanding that in the french polishing stage that the shellac is then melting out the scratches in the previous coats that have been sanded flat?
A work of art my friend ! I always thought that any sunburst or flameburst finish was done with a guitar pick shaped template and a spray gun. ( Actually the mass produced ones are, ) but this is like a Rolls Royce and the result is magnificent ! The pronounced floating neck is unique too, producing just wonderful tone. How much in USD ?