I’m back in my shop and starting to get into a bit of a rhythm there. It was a busy farm season even though there wasn’t much soft fruit due to a January freeze (-10F). Garden vegetables, apples and various other fruits, nuts and honey carried us through the market season. I’m enjoying the Winter break.
Still working on some banjos that I started last Spring, getting close to completing them. Two are made from local maple (bigleaf), and the other from Douglas fir. The fir rim will have a fir neck, and one maple and one English walnut neck on the maple rims. I’m very curious about how the fir banjo will sound, I’m sure someone has tried it already, but I’ve never seen one. (Actually, I haven’t seen many banjos..)
Also starting on a couple of guitars, one Weissenborn and the other a ‘plectrum’ guitar, which is a four string relative of a tenor guitar, but with a longer scale length. Both made with Myrtle back & sides and Port Orford cedar tops. I’m excited to be working with both of these woods, they both grow in a fairly limited range on the southern coast of Oregon and coastal northern California. The POC (Port Orford cedar) is harder than red cedar and has a rich resonant tone (and a strong, wonderful fragrance, at least to my nose). The Myrtle wood seems to be a bit denser than black walnut with quite a bit of various coloring and figure, a milder but distinct perfume, and an excellent tonewood. I’ve dabbled with both woods before and am looking forward to becoming more familiar with them.
More to come.. Happy Solstice and happy holidays to you all.
Peace
Hampel Guitars 