new member - hello

[nkforster]

Hello folks, I've just discovered this forum and it seems really rather excellent. So I thought it a good idea to join. My name is Nigel Forster, and I'm a professional maker based in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the NE of England.

I make a variety of instruments - mandolin, cittern and bouzouki, these days much of my bench time is spent divided between making "cylinder top" instruments and my new design of archtop guitars.

No idea what I can contribute to the forum as you lot seem a lot more astute than I, but you never know.

Nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/#

[Tod Gilding]

Welcome Nigel, Some very nice work on your site, pleased to have you along.

[kiwigeo]

Welcome to the forum Nigel and tanks for the introduction.

Im sure you can bring plenty to the forum. A few pics of some of your instruments would be a start.....pictures of instruments under construction are even better.

Cheers Martin

[woodrat]

Hi Nigel, Welcome to our Antipodean Lutherie Asylum!....People from the Northern Hemisphere are very welcome here too. Its a great place and I am sure that you will enjoy our little community as much as we all do.

Cheers

John

[nkforster]

Welcome to the forum Nigel and tanks for the introduction.

Im sure you can bring plenty to the forum. A few pics of some of your instruments would be a start.....pictures of instruments under construction are even better.

Cheers Martin

Here is one of my archtops:


and a recent cylinder top guitar bouzouki:


nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/

[steve roberts]

Hi Nigel
Welcome to the forum your instruments look fantastic.
Looking forward to your imput
Regards Steve Roberts

[EricDownunder]

Welcome Nigel, truly great workmanship on your site, love the archy light color with black bindings, may I ask what timbers you used?

[Mark McLean]

Hi Nigel
I have been admiring your work for a while. I followed one of your youtube videos in my first attempt at side-bending. I also used your technique for soundhole binding from another video, and most recently have pinched your idea of the headstock back-strap that extends down the back of the neck - very elegant. So, you have already had a bit of antipodean influence.

You will find that there is a lot of expertise here at anzlf - and very good-natured exchange of ideas. It will be great to have you as part of the gang.

By the way, I can also commend to the brothers and sisters a nice little book that Nigel has published (called Between the Ideal and the Possible) which has great photos of his work and some interesting essays on lutherie. A copy has been sitting on my bedside table, and then workbench, for a while now.
cheers
Mark

[nkforster]

Welcome Nigel, truly great workmanship on your site, love the archy light color with black bindings, may I ask what timbers you used?

sure!

top: European spruce
b&s: American sugar flame maple with quilt in the middle, strips of Indian rosewood between
neck: Honduras mahogany
binding and head veneers: Indian rosewood
fretboard, bridge and plates: Sri Lankan ebony
linings: poplar (I think, can't remember)



nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/

[nkforster]

Hi Nigel
I have been admiring your work for a while. I followed one of your youtube videos in my first attempt at side-bending. I also used your technique for soundhole binding from another video, and most recently have pinched your idea of the headstock back-strap that extends down the back of the neck - very elegant. So, you have already had a bit of antipodean influence.

You will find that there is a lot of expertise here at anzlf - and very good-natured exchange of ideas. It will be great to have you as part of the gang.

By the way, I can also commend to the brothers and sisters a nice little book that Nigel has published (called Between the Ideal and the Possible) which has great photos of his work and some interesting essays on lutherie. A copy has been sitting on my bedside table, and then workbench, for a while now.
cheers
Mark

Thanks Mark - internet is amazing really eh? Folk trying out me ideas the other side of the world - great! Can you point me towards some pics of your work? There are quite a few folk doing the rear head veneer thing now, of course it's been around for decades on archtops and mandolins but I can't recall seeing it on any flat top guitars in quite the same fashion. Looks smart, and adds a LOT of strength with the long grain, I've never head a head come off in an accident. The look reminds me of snooker cues too.



Yeah, there is a lot of good stuff on the forum here. I came across the forum when I was searching about adjustable neck guitars - there was a fascinating thread here a while back about them.

And thanks for the book mention too - it was a real labour of love. I've just started a second one too - this one is just about working with the cylinder top/Howe Orme design. It's a total design classic and so little known. Crazy situation.

nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/

[EricDownunder]

Welcome Nigel, truly great workmanship on your site, love the archy light color with black bindings, may I ask what timbers you used?

sure!

top: European spruce
b&s: American sugar flame maple with quilt in the middle, strips of Indian rosewood between
neck: Honduras mahogany
binding and head veneers: Indian rosewood
fretboard, bridge and plates: Sri Lankan ebony
linings: poplar (I think, can't remember)



nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/

Wow Thanks Nigel

[P Bill]

Welcome Nigel,

Fantastic work ! I really enjoyed the Samois audio. How does the Charley, Oscar and Samois neck/string/bridge interact with the body ? One photo shows a kind of defacto sound post contacting the saddle. Would this be pressure adjustable ? It looks like a good spot for a piezo tab film.

[christian]

Welcome Nigel,

Your work is fantastic!!!
I'm sure you will have plenty to offer.

Cheers,

Christian.

[ozziebluesman]

Welcome Nigel,

Just superb workmanship and innovation.

I am sure from your experience you will be able to give some valuable information at some stage.

Thanks for the pictures. I love your Archie design.

Cheers

Alan

[Kim]

Welcome to the ANZLF Nigel

Thanks for sharing some of your exceptional work with us...perhaps you could include an 'all angle' shoot of your incredibly drool worthy archie in our gallery forum.

viewforum.php?f=25

Cheers

Kim

[nkforster]

Welcome Nigel,

Fantastic work ! I really enjoyed the Samois audio. How does the Charley, Oscar and Samois neck/string/bridge interact with the body ? One photo shows a kind of defacto sound post contacting the saddle. Would this be pressure adjustable ? It looks like a good spot for a piezo tab film.

The neck is long (goes all the way to the saddle) and attached with bolts to the block. The joint is very strong and fixes the distance at which it "hovers" above the soundboard. A fairly regular bridge is then put in between. The height of the bridge is greater than the distance the neck is fixed at - it's a wedge. Down pressure results, there is no end to end pressure. You could adjust the down pressure if you wanted - by slackening and tightening the screws or by shaving the bridge.

It's funny - the design can really throw people and even experienced makers and repairers have told me "it cant possibly work" and "you can't get enough down pressure" and such like. Then they've tried it. mmmm.... The ribbing stops!

Yes, it would be a great spot for a piezo, but I really don't like the sound of them. Whilst the current fashion for jazz players is to mix piezo and mag pickups, I think it's the wrong direction and makes for a less mature sound. To be honest that piezo sound makes me wince! So I don't offer it as an option. The only piezo pickup I fit these days is the RMC as I think it's the best of a bad lot. You could fit an RMC to the archtop but I've never been asked to so far.

Acoustically I feel it works better as a shallow instrument - the shallow ones I've made have been really full and surprisingly loud. Though recently I took the "Samois" to be road tested by a great player called Frank Vignola - he saw the first one I made and made a few really helpful suggestions - he was totally blown away by Samois. It's a pity I don't give guitars away as Frank and Vinny (his sideman) would be great endorsees.

nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/#

[nkforster]

Welcome to the ANZLF Nigel

Thanks for sharing some of your exceptional work with us...perhaps you could include an 'all angle' shoot of your incredibly drool worthy archie in our gallery forum.

viewforum.php?f=25

Cheers

Kim

done!

nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/#

[Nick]

Welcome Nigel, wondering if you can add to the forum????
Are you kidding? now that archie is different. Beautiful work & looking forward to your input from the topside of the globe .

[nkforster]

Welcome Nigel, wondering if you can add to the forum????
Are you kidding? now that archie is different. Beautiful work & looking forward to your input from the topside of the globe .

I suppose my reticence comes from not really having much knowledge of the science behind most of what I do, despite having made instruments for nearly 25 years. There are folk out there who know more about nodes, modes and lord knows what else than I do - who are already involved in this forum - I've read some fascinating things here from Trevor Gore, Rick Turner and many others who really understand instrument making in a very profound yet quite different way to me - or at least that is how it seems on the surface. It may well be that if you scratch below that surface, common ground is found.

Time will tell. I'll chip in what I feel may help.

nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/

[Clancy]

G'day Nick.
I too have perused your website & youtube posts over the past whatever time it's been.
Glad you've decided to join us.
Grab a coldie & pull up a seat!

Oh, & like the the others have said - talk about eye candy!!

[Wayde Christie]

G'day Nigel,

I'm from Newcastle Upon Hunter (Australia)

Have admired your work for a while, and I just picked up a copy of your book - which is great.

Really enjoying the luthier blog too. It has some of the best writing of any blog I've read. Seriously yours is the *only* email newsletter I receive that I actually look forward to

Cheers,

Wayde.

[nkforster]

G'day Nigel,

I'm from Newcastle Upon Hunter (Australia)

Have admired your work for a while, and I just picked up a copy of your book - which is great.

Really enjoying the luthier blog too. It has some of the best writing of any blog I've read. Seriously yours is the *only* email newsletter I receive that I actually look forward to

Cheers,

Wayde.

Glad you're enjoying the blog Wayde. Writing keeps me out of trouble when I'm travelling. Going by the emails I've been getting the content there seems to be helping folk beyond the usual "how do I do this?" questions.

Back to the bench soon though.

Nigel
http://www.theluthierblog.com
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com