Crazy times

[simso]

So wow, the world has changed so much so quickly.

For me..

We have closed our workshop to walk in customers, should be happy that we are still being allowed to work for schools here in WA, 50 jobs a week typical workload, last week one job came in.

My eldest son is currently not working, his partner does not have a job either now, he is a mechanical engineer, she is a cancer research scientist, their wedding two weeks ago was cancelled, my daughter who is a chef is on part time work, her partner a storeman is still working, my youngest son is a mechanical apprentice he has been kicked down to part time and the business he currently works for has announced they are permanently closing.

My sister is unemployed, her husband a builder is now unemployed, there son is studying from home with no part time job and now relying on them to pay the bills etc, my mum 75, is in self quarantine on family farm by herself in central NSW, my dad died last month (not covid).

Had of told me 4 months ago this was possible I would have called the person a doomsdayer.

Stay safe / things can only get better, be a half full glass person not a half empty glass person, if we have health and family can ride anything out

Steve

[kiwigeo]

Stay safe Steve. If it's any consolation...quite a number of studies have concluded that sales of musical instruments exhibit a significant increase during times of crisis. Once this is all over yo'ure going to have a flood of repair jobs coming in

[simso]

Mate all good, I am more than fine and in a far better position than many others, I am just astounded in retrospect how things can change in the space of weeks to months.

Steve

[peter.coombe]

If it's any consolation...quite a number of studies have concluded that sales of musical instruments exhibit a significant increase during times of crisis.

That is interesting. I have been wondering if sales will tank or people would get bored at home and buy another instrument to learn in order to kill the boredom. I was leaning strongly towards tanking, but so far I have had the best start to a year ever. Sales have been 3x faster than I can build. Maybe they are right.

[blackalex1952]

"Dear pessimist and optimist. While you were both arguing whether the glass was half full or half empty, I drank it! Signed, The Opportunist!"
Definitely challenging times, but we all have two incredible things...1) LIFE because we are ALIVE. 2) the POWER of APPRECIATION! So appreciating the simple gifts that come with these two human attributes is the way forward in any situation. If I place frustration or boredom or any other negative in front of my "appreciator" that's what it will respond to...so the simple things are what we have...all the rest is crazy stuff! It's hard in the best of times as a working or should I say "used to be working" muso and luthier to cope with all of the issues we all face, the fact is that none of us know when our appointment with death will come..eg a guy who's name was Leondis Grover. Leondis was peacefully sleeping in bed when a meteorite went through him! Why worry? Tap on tonewood and look at the figure in the back and sides! Sharpen your blades, clean the workshop and keep the sail of your heart ready for the wind when becalmed! Cheers! Ross

[Dave M]

+1 for the opportunist!

We are the lucky ones with a workshop (well sorry Martin!) and an intense desire to create, so lockdown is not really so bad - I refuse to call it an opportunity but we can certainly find plenty to do.

[kiwigeo]

+1 for the opportunist!

We are the lucky ones with a workshop (well sorry Martin!) and an intense desire to create, so lockdown is not really so bad - I refuse to call it an opportunity but we can certainly find plenty to do.

Its not all bad. I'm currently sleeping in the workshop...it's kind of nice drifting off each night surrounded by piles of tonewood and half finished instruments.

[ozziebluesman]

I have been having a wonderful time but I don't have to make a living from guitar repairs and building.

There where some projects in the workshop that needed my love and attention. My health has been great for some months now touch wood and that fact makes a big difference to life.

While I was sick I attempted to build a few instruments but issues arose in four of the builds so they where stashed in the dry box to have a go at sorting out the problems at a later date. Well that date started with the past 5 weeks in isolation. A necessary thing to do to protect others first from the virus and yourself.

I usually have four guitar students a week and that had to stop. Then I received a phone call for one of them requesting a Bill Withers song as she wanted to learn one after she found out he had passed away. RIP Bill. So I used my zoom vid recorder and uploaded a few songs lessons for my friends and students. I also did a OM shoot out as the 2 OMs where an experiment with top bracing so I thought I would do a rough recording and see if my facebook friends could guess which was the mahogany and which was the blackwood backed guitar. Just go to youtube and type in Hamley Fine Guitars if you would like a listen.

So 2 concert ukuleles had been built but needed finish. One for my cousin and the other sold to a friend in NZ. Done! A mini maton copy project developed a hugh issue when I was thinking in 12th, 14th fret to the body mode. I knew the mini matons had a 15th fret to the body however I was not in the right frame of mind at the time and built it as a 14 fret to the body. When it come to locating the bridge I realised what I had done so out come the jig saw and I cut the top out of the body. Re-topped the guitar and set it up for a 14th fret to the body and it has just had the shellac finish applied and was put aside to dry last week. Done! Two OMs also built had issues with intonation so it took a bit of sorting to get one of them them right. A complete shift of the saddle slot. Good job I thought as I put in a small wafer of rosewood in the old saddle slot and you would not know it is there unless I pointed it out to you. One I built in 2016 the head block had moved and the action was bad but after close inspection the neck, a laminated style, had moved when I screwed the bottom bolt up too tight into the insert the laminate split and that where the problem was so fixed and playing good. I have also started the shellac finish on my first classical and it will be ready to string up soon as the finish dries.

A friend also gave me a Ditson Concert acoustic guitar kit to measure up all the parts and make a template of the brace positions as per the cardboard template supplied in the kit. I still have a few things to document in the kit but that took care of a few days.

I have had time to think about my building process and there are going to be a few changes take place to try and take the stress out of mistakes.

It's a privilege to be alive.

Stay safe everybody and it will turn around soon and we Ozzies will fire up the economy again no worries mate.

Cheers

Alan