As a child, I looked forward to a bowl of Frosted Flakes and Saturday morning cartoons. Now, I look forward to eggs and bacon or scrapple and a Ben Crowe build video. Ben, thanks for the inspiration to get out of my comfort zone and trying something different!
i think this is my most favourite build to date, loving the old school style and really can not wait until it is finished, I know its going to look outstanding
Ben , I know you originally planned on having it done by last Christmas. I think the added time is giving us the chance to see a truly stunning instrument being made. Keep up the great work.
❤ that as part of the hand build, you have _drawings!_ - _hand_ drawings, not CAD, not computer generated - _sketched!_ As a draughtsman in a previous career, who learned their trade using ink, lead, film, tape, benzene, meths and a whopping big mechanical drawing board, seeing that drawing being unfurled was ... YES!
Regarding your gap fill. I learned a new technique recently. Just fill the crack with glue (pva) and sand over it. The heat of sanding cures the glue quite quickly. Useful for small cracks. I was very impressed with the results.
Loving this build series - but also loving the slight twist in editing style with no background music and the ASMR-like "pureness" of scalpel on wood. Awesome!
Your enthusiasm for this build shines through. it’s great to see a real craftsman at work! I don’t whether it’s more exciting to follow the progress or to anticipate the stringing up!
I've been waiting a flipping year for this thing to be done! ;) thank you for putting out another video. Thank you for leaving the numbers visible (from the post) on the inside, that sparks a cool story. Cheers from Texas! Michael Francis
Shaping up to be a beautiful intstrument. I can't wait to see it finished, and I would love to hear it played. I think the tones are going to be amazing!
"Death by a Thousand Cuts" may be a proper title for a Crimson Guitar build vid serie as the pace of issue and the number of episode is often really agonizing. Chinese Dripping Torture would equally fit... This very guitar is very nice , simple and elegant. I really like the one species, one block of wood build. Can't wait for the final result.
Excellent! Exactly the technique I needed to move forward on a scratch build that is testing and elevating my personal skill level. Thank you Ben, your craft and skills are very appreciated, cheers mate!
There's a traditional Scandinavian technique that you could have applied here called Kolrosing. Basically cut lines with a suitably thick blade to force the fibres apart then rub a suitable contrasting material into the cuts. Coal dust was originally used (Kolrosing literally means 'coal writing') but coffee works well as does cinnamon powder, copper powder... you get the idea. Once the contrasting material is in then you burnish the cuts to close them up. Mind you, knowing your thirst for knowledge I'll bet you already have that one filed away in that labyrinthine mind of yours :)
Ben, I’m just a hobbyist wood worker who can’t play a guitar and can’t even read music BUT I have learned so much from your videos/tutorials...thank you.
Ben , That guitar is looking amazing now your adding carving inlay details 🤞👍 I would of asked you to round off the bottom sharp corners if it was mine purely to stop them getting squashed during normal use..😳
I'm gutted you're keeping this one XD I've always wanted a handmade acoustic instrument and a chance at winning this beauty would have been incredible!
Ben Crowe: "I have a thousand builds and deadlines on my hand." Also Ben Crowe: "Let's add all this complicated detail that will take countless hours to make." Just kidding. Builds like these show your love to detail, and the myriads of sources for inspiration to draw from. And it's coming together quite nicely. Well Done, Sir!
I always loved the Purfling on the back of a Hofner Congress! The modern German made Hofner President is a thing of beauty BTW, I recommend you try one! I have side by side compared one to a Gibson L5 a friend owned and we both agreed the Hofner was superior in quality!
Love the old tobacco tin, best drill & screwdriver `Bit` containers there is! Becoming quite rare to find nowadays as smoking becomes more & more socially (& domestically) unacceptable!
Do you have very steady hands Ben? Or is it a matter of technique? Your design fits perfectly with the lines of the instrument and (as all good design) adds to the beauty of the instrument. Incredible work Ben.
Such a simple technique, but WOW! What a stunning and elegant result! As always, I enjoyed seeing the evolution of the design too. On the subject of not attempting perfection, my Mum (usually an unimpeachable source of factual information, but occasionally she'd tell some outrageous whoppers, like being so old her pram had square wheels) told me that during the building of the Taj Mahal, it being a Muslim mausoleum, the craftsmen working on it would always include a slight flaw in their work as only God/Allah was capable of perfection.
Ben have you ever used a wood burning tool to do the purfilings ? When one saw your layout I thought it would be beautiful done that way but then I realized I'm not sure I have ever seen it done with a woodburning tool. Thanks. Great video
Seeing that book reminded me that most of those surviving instruments only survived _because_ of their ornimintation and _not_ necessarily because of any inate tonal qualities of the instrument. Of course there are those quite notable exceptions. We still, pretty much, have the same values today. Although, no one really wants to admit it.
Great. So calming and partly nerve-wracking at the same time with the sound of wood crackling under the blade. Are you going to fill the lines with contrast wood dust (ebony?) or just schelack it?
Please use a proper Spirit based Deep Red Mahogany Stain on the build, you won't regret it and you never use spirit stains! It will be a more traditional finish and the stain will bring out the best in the wood! Then use a wax to finish! You need as much flexibility as possible on such a small shallow body! 👌
Love the engraving idea it’s looking super, question how thick are the plates and how deep are the engraved incisions? I think I may try this myself on a flat topped tear drop mandolin …
Technical question.. is your scalpel blade a standard Swann Morton, or is it thicker than usual? The pressure you can put on it would result in a lot of broken blades for me!
Ben Have you ever played with french curves to do curves. I know you are extremely talented but to develop your eye did you use something when you started to help?
That's the beginning of a restoration play If ever I heard one: Come gents and ladies to this tale of woe Of a struggling luthier by the name Ben Crowe. In his shop we meet him As time slips fast And he curses decisions that he made in the past. "Multiple builds, multiple stuff Multiple words I talk to much!" Exeunt narrator
I thank you for your contribution to my personal growth as a luthier over the last decade.
I often wonder how many people are building guitar today because they saw Ben doing it.
@@rauschguitarsi'm literally one of them
You're welcome
As a child, I looked forward to a bowl of Frosted Flakes and Saturday morning cartoons.
Now, I look forward to eggs and bacon or scrapple and a Ben Crowe build video.
Ben, thanks for the inspiration to get out of my comfort zone and trying something different!
just the sound of the wood under the tools has been the absolute best part of this build
that is some stunning lines on the purfling ! it just takes the instrument to a brand new level
i think this is my most favourite build to date, loving the old school style and really can not wait until
it is finished, I know its going to look outstanding
Ben , I know you originally planned on having it done by last Christmas. I think the added time is giving us the chance to see a truly stunning instrument being made. Keep up the great work.
Doing something properly takes as long as it takes. Doing something absolutely mad takes a little longer. :)
❤ that as part of the hand build, you have _drawings!_ - _hand_ drawings, not CAD, not computer generated - _sketched!_
As a draughtsman in a previous career, who learned their trade using ink, lead, film, tape, benzene, meths and a whopping big mechanical drawing board, seeing that drawing being unfurled was ... YES!
Really cool lines! A well balanced baroque tribute with a modern twist. Love it 😍
I absolutely love the patterns. Would be nice to fill them with colour.
😍😍😍 I could watch a four hour episode of this and it would seem like ten minutes.
…. the steady hands of a surgeon! It’s a good job you fast forwarded some of the engraving, I couldn’t hold my breath for much longer!
A lot of work, but the result is stunning. Straight lines in a well designed pattern, seems so simple and yet complicated.
This has been the best 4 videos I've ever seen for a project 😂
Scalpel-on-wood ASMR is my new favourite thing.
Regarding your gap fill. I learned a new technique recently. Just fill the crack with glue (pva) and sand over it. The heat of sanding cures the glue quite quickly. Useful for small cracks. I was very impressed with the results.
Loving this build series - but also loving the slight twist in editing style with no background music and the ASMR-like "pureness" of scalpel on wood. Awesome!
Wpid be nice to "fill" the engraving lines with a mixture of black wood dust and glue, making them a really nice contrast with the mahogany.
ASMR wood scribing. I feel so relaxed now!
Your enthusiasm for this build shines through. it’s great to see a real craftsman at work! I don’t whether it’s more exciting to follow the progress or to anticipate the stringing up!
Speaking of stringing up…. Are you going to finish this build? We need closure!
I've been waiting a flipping year for this thing to be done! ;)
thank you for putting out another video. Thank you for leaving the numbers visible (from the post) on the inside, that sparks a cool story.
Cheers from Texas!
Michael Francis
This travel guitar started mad, its travelled to Bonkers, and now it Crazy-Bonkers-Mad. But as always, its truly amazing.
I'm a weekend woodworker and I feel very inspired right now to go build something and engrave it or put in some inlay. Great episode. Thank you sir.
Shaping up to be a beautiful intstrument. I can't wait to see it finished, and I would love to hear it played. I think the tones are going to be amazing!
"Death by a Thousand Cuts" may be a proper title for a Crimson Guitar build vid serie as the pace of issue and the number of episode is often really agonizing. Chinese Dripping Torture would equally fit...
This very guitar is very nice , simple and elegant. I really like the one species, one block of wood build. Can't wait for the final result.
The engraving looks freaking awesome. Didn't think I was going to like this one, but I was definitely wrong. Looking great!
Well that's a cliffhanger ending - looking forward to seeing how that engraving "pops" out with the application of a finish.
Even though those lines are traditional, they still feel contemporary, lovely.
From the get go, however, I got Star Destroyer vibes, which is nice!
These videos make for such a nice Saturday morning. Thanks so much, Ben!
Excellent! Exactly the technique I needed to move forward on a scratch build that is testing and elevating my personal skill level. Thank you Ben, your craft and skills are very appreciated, cheers mate!
Reminds me of Kolrosing but without the coffee, you always need coffee! 😁
There's a traditional Scandinavian technique that you could have applied here called Kolrosing. Basically cut lines with a suitably thick blade to force the fibres apart then rub a suitable contrasting material into the cuts. Coal dust was originally used (Kolrosing literally means 'coal writing') but coffee works well as does cinnamon powder, copper powder... you get the idea. Once the contrasting material is in then you burnish the cuts to close them up. Mind you, knowing your thirst for knowledge I'll bet you already have that one filed away in that labyrinthine mind of yours :)
Ben, I’m just a hobbyist wood worker who can’t play a guitar and can’t even read music BUT I have learned so much from your videos/tutorials...thank you.
Love this geometric patterning! Thanks for sharing!
Wow..... This is turning into a work of art
Ben ,
That guitar is looking amazing now your adding carving inlay details 🤞👍
I would of asked you to round off the bottom sharp corners if it was mine purely to stop them getting squashed during normal use..😳
Great design and then the way you draw it. You are rightly a master luthier!
I think I'll have to borrow some of those designs for a couple boxes. Loving the look
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is just insane!
Absolutely gorgeous ! Can't wait to see the results
Ben, this has been a joy to watch. I'm inspired to try a similar project. I bought Cumpiano. This is all your fault. Congrats.
Beautiful already, can’t wait for the next instalment.
Watching this inlay take shape is like watching Ben give the guitar a version of his head tattoos.
I'm gutted you're keeping this one XD I've always wanted a handmade acoustic instrument and a chance at winning this beauty would have been incredible!
I love this build so frickin much!
When you consider the design influences and what its made from, I would classify this a Post-Lute instrument.
Ben Crowe: "I have a thousand builds and deadlines on my hand."
Also Ben Crowe: "Let's add all this complicated detail that will take countless hours to make."
Just kidding. Builds like these show your love to detail, and the myriads of sources for inspiration to draw from. And it's coming together quite nicely. Well Done, Sir!
I always loved the Purfling on the back of a Hofner Congress! The modern German made Hofner President is a thing of beauty BTW, I recommend you try one! I have side by side compared one to a Gibson L5 a friend owned and we both agreed the Hofner was superior in quality!
Dude, you're a wizard.
Love the old tobacco tin, best drill & screwdriver `Bit` containers there is! Becoming quite rare to find nowadays as smoking becomes more & more socially (& domestically) unacceptable!
Do you have very steady hands Ben? Or is it a matter of technique? Your design fits perfectly with the lines of the instrument and (as all good design) adds to the beauty of the instrument. Incredible work Ben.
Ben, you need a set of French curves I’m your shop. Lol Looking great!
OMG! BEN, YES!! YES!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH, AMAZING WORK.
that looks amazing im loving it, your amazing and have proved that yet again
so i've been catching up with this series this week. now my pizza arrived and i see this waiting for me.
Such a simple technique, but WOW! What a stunning and elegant result! As always, I enjoyed seeing the evolution of the design too.
On the subject of not attempting perfection, my Mum (usually an unimpeachable source of factual information, but occasionally she'd tell some outrageous whoppers, like being so old her pram had square wheels) told me that during the building of the Taj Mahal, it being a Muslim mausoleum, the craftsmen working on it would always include a slight flaw in their work as only God/Allah was capable of perfection.
Listen and watch this artist at work
Now you’re talking. Wasn’t that impressed with the build so far, but now tou’re showing your skills again, i like that!
Bravo! A true masterpiece and Master!
Wonderful!
Stain, sand then shellac perhaps, or it would be jumping out too much?
Ben have you ever used a wood burning tool to do the purfilings ? When one saw your layout I thought it would be beautiful done that way but then I realized I'm not sure I have ever seen it done with a woodburning tool. Thanks. Great video
Over a year in the making, inching closer to the final now!
All I can see is a Star Destroyer!!! (Sorry Sir)
I really love the look. I have enjoyed this build.
Cheers
Seeing that book reminded me that most of those surviving instruments only survived _because_ of their ornimintation and _not_ necessarily because of any inate tonal qualities of the instrument. Of course there are those quite notable exceptions. We still, pretty much, have the same values today. Although, no one really wants to admit it.
Looking really good Ben! Like it alot!
Absolutely keep it. It’s gonna be a beauty! It’s sounds like it might have a great tone too. Hope the volume is good. LR Braggs pickup?
Great. So calming and partly nerve-wracking at the same time with the sound of wood crackling under the blade.
Are you going to fill the lines with contrast wood dust (ebony?) or just schelack it?
Oh no, another skill I need to work on. Drawing!
Love these patterns!
That's a very nice design!
As another level of Ben I think he should go full kohlrosing and fill the lines with coffee for contrast!
And for those who doesn't know what I'm talking about: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrosing
Beautiful
Looking good!
In a word, WOW!!!
Sweet patterns.🤘👍
yes i do need to watch you cuttinf wood Mr Ben.
Ben, that's beautiful
very well done
I would suggest filling the lines with glue and ebony dust, just to make it more.
Stunning
fantastic work...
Please use a proper Spirit based Deep Red Mahogany Stain on the build, you won't regret it and you never use spirit stains! It will be a more traditional finish and the stain will bring out the best in the wood! Then use a wax to finish! You need as much flexibility as possible on such a small shallow body! 👌
Lovely work sir!!!!
Love The lines .
Love the engraving idea it’s looking super, question how thick are the plates and how deep are the engraved incisions? I think I may try this myself on a flat topped tear drop mandolin …
I wonder what proportion of Golden Virginia baccy tins remain in workshops. I have at least three and have never smoked
I still still have a couple from the 1960’s. Drills and taps from one of my earlier lifetimes! (Non metric)
Future project idea: a violin-inspired fretless electric guitar.
i.e. uses violin concepts for the construction of the neck and fingerboard
Technical question.. is your scalpel blade a standard Swann Morton, or is it thicker than usual? The pressure you can put on it would result in a lot of broken blades for me!
I had expected a knot work effects with some lines terminating to give the effect that they go under the others.
Ben Have you ever played with french curves to do curves. I know you are extremely talented but to develop your eye did you use something when you started to help?
That's the beginning of a restoration play If ever I heard one:
Come gents and ladies
to this tale of woe
Of a struggling luthier
by the name Ben Crowe.
In his shop we meet him
As time slips fast
And he curses decisions
that he made in the past.
"Multiple builds, multiple stuff
Multiple words
I talk to much!"
Exeunt narrator
Why don't you roast or dye some dust and use it like inlay powder? That is a lovely thing though, I'm looking forward to hearing it played
"it's coming together rapidly. no, that's a lie... it's coming together"
It would be really cool if you filled in the cuts you made with a white or light colored apoxy resin.
Fella, you think those lines would look nice green and red painted?
Would it not have been easier to do the long straight lines on the edge with a marking gauge?
Ben, have you been working out? Looking trim.
Magnificent.
This channel is easily my favourite source of competency porn. It's just so satisfying to watch somebody doing something they're really good at
Any news on the plans for this beast? I need a Christmas project!
Please email shop@crimsonguitars.com. Rikki should be able to let you know the status. DC
thank you