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I’m now living my first winter in my Civil War log cabin heated primarily by a wood stove in the mountains of western North Carolina. I absolutely embrace living this way and enjoy the peace and serenity. The atmosphere here is perfect for making music, and I’m playing more than I have since I was a teenager. However, the dryness of winter and the wood stove have made it impossible for me to keep my guitars hanging on the wall; even with three “whole house“ humidifiers running. Feeding them 12 gallons of water a day, I cannot get the cabin to stay above 20%. This comes as no surprise to me as for years I’ve repaired cracks in the guitars of people that heat with wood, and forced hot air is just as bad. I have had to begrudgingly resort to keeping my instruments in their cases this winter, where they can be protected by D’Addario Humidipaks. These wonderful inventions originally come to us from NASA. They maintain a consistent 45% humidity by either emitting or absorbing moisture. That said, I really don’t like having my instruments hiding their cases. Here’s why.

As owner of Dream Guitars, many people might think that I’m a collector of instruments, but I’m really not. I do have a number of them but they’re all tools for songwriting. I play guitar in order to write songs. And I want them around me all the time so that when

inspiration strikes I can grab the right tool for the job. My baritone for something very emotive, or an electric guitar when only volume will do. Most of

my life, I’ve been able to do this because I have lived in modern homes that were built tight, so a quality room humidifier was all I needed to keep my babies safe. This winter, that’s simply not the case. if I want to play a guitar, I have to search for the right case, twisting three or four latches, remove the Humidipaks, then tune it up and make sure nothing’s wrong–all the while hoping the original burst of inspiration is still within me. In practice, I’m mostly playing my carbon fiber guitar that hangs ten feet from the wood stove without issue or complaint. I recognize this is a first world problem, but even though the carbon fiber X20 is a fine guitar, it doesn’t inspire me like my McConnell or Mountain Song baritone. So if you keep your guitars in cases and you’re finding that they don’t get enough sunlight, I’d like to suggest you find a way to keep them out and within arm’s reach. Just try it see how much more you play, and how much more you smile.

There are several ways I’ve achieved this over the years. If you own your home, for about $1,000-1,500 you can install an evaporative humidity system directly to your furnace. This is by far my favorite approach. It’s a healthy humidity, it saves you having to carry water every day, and there are huge benefits to the human body having moisture in the air around us. Depending on where you live, in the summertime you simply disconnect the unit. All winter you’ll sleep better, feel better, and your guitars will too.

Idylis 4-Gallon Console Evaporative Humidifier

If you don’t own your home, or for any reason cannot install the above, get a quality whole house humidifier, even if you’re only humidifying one room. Don’t believe the square footage that they tell you they will cover. They will not! Make sure that it has a automatic humidity sensor so that you can set the percentage you want and forget about it. 40 to 50% is the range you want all year long. I would also get one that holds the most possible water, five or six gallons. You’ll be amazed how much water it takes to keep the room at 45%.

Guitar Habitat®

If you have just a few guitars, a great option is a humidified display case like our friends at American Music Furniture (http://americanmusicfurniture.com/humidity-matters/) offer. These are not only gorgeous pieces of furniture, but they can maintain a perfect environment for your dream machines. Since your instruments will still be in plain sight, you will continue to grab them all the time. Another big benefit of having your instruments visible is that you’ll be able to take better care of them. When a minor issue arises you can deal with it then, rather than two years later when you open the case to discover a major problem. I myself am the extremely satisfied owner of a case from AMF that can hold 15 guitars. One winter down and the next one starting up, I feel completely at ease about the safety of my collection.

There are so many guitars that have been decimated after being stored in the case for long periods. Dryness and inconsistent temperature are serious problems: just ask my repair team. If your only option is to to keep your guitars in their cases, you should definitely use something like the D’Addario (https://www.dreamguitars.com/product-category/accessories/humidification/) solution and force yourself to take them out and play them. They miss you.

Dream Guitars is happy to announce that we’ve embarked on a custom build with a luthier we’ve been following with interest for several years now, Mr. Stuart Day of Stuart Day Guitars. Stuart is known for both his archtops and his flattops, and his unique design features and inlay techniques. The SD1-VC he’s begun building for us will feature Cocobolo back and sides, a Sitka Spruce top, and a taste of Day’s latest aesthetic flair. We couldn’t resist the urge to chat with Stuart about what’s going on with him in life and lutherie these days, and we discovered some fascinating projects he’s recently embarked on, including building a permaculture farm! See below for our conversation with Stuart, and stay tuned for a separate blog post to chronicle the build process for our in-the-works SD-1VC. We’re grateful to finally start this project with Stuart; thanks so much!

1. Who are some of your favorite guitar players? Have you built instruments for any of them?

A perk of working with Tom Ribbecke for so many years was that I got to work with a lot of exceptional musicians. Including some Grammy winners. But the first time I built an instrument for an artist whose music I personally really enjoyed for a long time is happening right now. I’m building a semi-hollow carved top instrument, similar to a Gibson 335, for a guy named Mike Love. I guess you’d say he’s a reggae musician, although I think he’s much more than that. He is a one-of-a-kind talent in musicianship, arrangement, vocals, and guitar. It’s exciting building for him because he’s such an adventurous player that I know he will find every nook and cranny that my guitar can take him and then some. 

Other than Mike, I would really like to work with Kinloch Nelson, George Benson, and Julian Lage.

2. What builder(s) inspire you today?

So many. 

Michihiro Matsuda for his courage in pursuing his unique style. 

Jason Kostal and Michael Greenfield both for being examples of how to succeed in this craft, in business and in life. 

Bryan Galloup and Sam Guidry for their relentless work on understanding the physics of instruments and education. 

Michael Bashkin for having this immense knowledge and skill in the most humble and gentle personality. 

And all the young bright and über talented makers who keep me on my toes and inspire me to continue to better myself. Tyler Robbins, Tyler Wells, Maegen wells, Tom Sands, Ben Paldacci, Jeremy Jenkin, just to name a few. 

So many more…Everyone seems to bring something to the table that is admirable.

3. Please describe your goals in voicing an instrument. How did you first find your voice, and how do you continue to experiment?

Well, there are certainly some parallels but the answer to that question differs greatly depending on whether I’m talking about archtop guitars or flattop guitars. The two are extremely different in both the end tonal goal and also the approach. 

Having the privilege to be exposed to Tom Ribbecke and Ken Parker, as I’ve developed as a builder has allowed me to really understand how the archtop guitar can be so much more than so many people believe. So, in archtops I’m really trying to create truly exceptional acoustic instruments with a lot of the dynamic range, responsiveness, low and mid-range response and texture that you would expect from a truly great flattop, but with the precision, projection, focus, and separation of chorus that you would expect from an archtop.

That process is much more intuitively based. Lots of feeling and listening. 

On my flattops, I’m trying to achieve a piano-like balance and depth. I like instruments which have range, drama, and balance, but that do not sound too sterilized. I like a little throatiness in the mid range, and some texture and thickness in the trebles. I use a lot more science and data in my flattop builds to try to achieve some consistency and control. 

I think my flattop building approach and philosophy is really informed by my archtop building experience. So I’ve been told that my flattops tend to have very even and flat response rates up the fretboard which make many players feel they are very versatile. I had a musician from Spain borrow a 12-fret OM for some gigs he was playing on the east coast and he remarked when he returned it to me that he found himself playing a lot of Jazzy and Spanish kind of things that he normally would stay away from on his flattops. I thought that was interesting.

4. You have a distinct aesthetic that sets you apart from other builders. Could you describe your aesthetic approach, and how it has evolved over your career?

It’s been important for me from day one to establish a unique voice for myself both in tone and in aesthetic design. I have a background in fine art and design so I’ve always approached lutherie as a mixed media art form. It’s a craft that is impossible to excel at unless you are quite exceptional in skill and vision. Which means that your fellow luthiers all pose some pretty significant competition. It’s like an industry full of Michael Jordans. So I think differentiation is important. 

Earlier on I really just let myself go wild…I had a lot of fun pushing my hand skills to their limits, trying to bump up against that edge where I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull it off. As time has gone by, I’ve tried to pull things back a bit, take the ideas I felt that were really worth pursuing, try to perfect them and bring them down to a refined level. Occasionally giving myself an opportunity to do something fun and different like my faceted cutaway, which is my very challenging, slightly masochistic, version of a Florentine cutaway. 

My interest right now is in taking this great wealth of traditional techniques and methodology from generations of lutherie and furniture making and coupling it elegantly with a contemporary aesthetic and use of material and techniques. Hence my new rosette I’m making for my first instrument with Dream guitars. Using that contemporary offset vibe mixed with pretty traditional classical and steel string rosette elements.

To me, aesthetics are not just decoration. They’re a form of communication. We are communicating our values, ethics, skill level, creativity, etc. through our aesthetic design and execution. If people would like to hear more about my thoughts on this, I have a two video series on my YouTube channel discussing my thoughts in more detail. 

(http://www.stuartdayguitars.com/OnTheBench.asp)

5. I know you’ve started a permaculture farm, and you’re moving your shop out there soon. What changes would you like to implement to your shop arrangement and workflow in the new location?



Yeah, and I can’t wait to end the days of my long commute. 
The first few years of being on my own were pretty nuts. Shops, designs, tooling, jigs have all come and gone. I’ve been working on finding myself as a builder while at the same time trying to survive as a business owner and run a full service repair and restoration shop. It’s felt chaotic at times, and as I’ve experimented trying to find what it is I want to be building, it’s been difficult for me to hit my goals in terms of production. 

So, I think this next chapter will see things calming down a bit. I know what I want to build now, I have a few years of tooling and shop building under my belt, my wood supply has been steadily growing, as well as the health of my business. So, I think in terms of work flow and things I’m ready to start refining my process so I can hit my production goals more efficiently. 

I do everything by hand. Partly out choice and partly out of necessity. To make that efficient I really need to make sure I’ve designed my processes as well as I’ve designed my instruments. Now that I know I’m on my right path as far as my designs, I can start to do that.

6. While we’re on the subject, why permaculture? Do you have any plans to marry it with your guitar building?

Well, that’s a long discussion. Farming was not something I planned for myself. It sorts of came out of nowhere in life when my partner, Jade, and I moved to the farm that she grew up on. I just started looking around at my surroundings wondering what we could do with it all and I discovered permaculture and agro-ecology. The more I researched and learned the more I felt like it was a perfect fit for me. It offers me the opportunity for self-sufficiency, to contribute positively to my community, to work outside and be physical and to work positively towards a better environment.

Permaculture is essentially a farming style which tries to use evolutionary aspects of the local ecology to create food. You are facilitating a healthy ecology and thereby reducing the work load and input needed on your end. For reasons I haven’t been able to put my finger on yet, I feel like there is something about good permaculture which mirrors good lutherie. Maybe it’s the fact that a great guitar is essentially a perfectly balanced system. It’s my belief that a sustainable career in lutherie also requires a very healthy balance of work and life. So, in a way, good lutherie is a parallel to a healthy ecosystem.

Time will tell. We are still very early in the planning phase of all of this. We haven’t actually officially started the farming business yet. My first priority is obviously just getting my shop moved in March and getting back to work as soon as possible. But yes, the ultimate goal, which I think is possible with a good plan and time management, is to marry the two trades together so that they both strengthen each other. Both have their own inherent instabilities and I think it may be possible to merge them so that together they create a good stable income and career for people in trades like lutherie. I’m excited to see what this adventure brings. 

One of my goals is to start sourcing a lot of my own timber. We have a lot of maple, walnut, and cherry on the land. A lot of it comes down in storms and so there is a lot of possibility there for me to begin milling wood for furniture making and hopefully for a lot of instruments.

7. If you had not become a guitar maker, where do you think life would have led you?

I really have no clue. I’ve always been really into nature and animals, so I assume that if it weren’t for lutherie I would have gone in that direction. I was always pretty interested in marine biology. I was also pretty happy as a finish carpenter and high-end deck builder so who knows.

8. What music are you listening to right now?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Neil Young ever since he put his whole song library online for free.
I’ve also been pretty addicted to Kendrick Lamar’s new album DAMN. One of the best hip hop albums I’ve heard in a very long time.

9. Heaven forbid, your shop is going up in smoke. What’s the one tool you’d grab?

The fire extinguisher 😉

Stay tuned for the upcoming build thread to document Stuart’s process of building our SD1-VC!

With so many great builders to choose from, you’d think it would be hard for Dream Guitars owner Paul Heumiller to pick the proper luthier for his next instrument. However, if you’ve ever played one of Leo Buendia’s masterpieces, you wouldn’t be so surprised to learn that one of Leo’s 12-fret Jumbos was in Paul’s sights. A Buendia is the complete package: rolling curves, flawless fit-n-finish, sensuously colorful voice, unflinching projection. We took a minute to chat with Paul and Leo about the process of working together for Dream Guitars’ owner, rather than one of our clients. Scroll through, and don’t forget to check out some photos of the bulding process below!

PAUL: “After being incredibly inspired by several of Leo’s instruments, I decided that he would be the maker to add a large-body instrument to my collection. We had a jumbo of his a few years ago that simply rocked my world, and I knew it was a voice that could inspire me to write. I had the great opportunity to play eight or ten of Leo’s guitars before ordering my own and I sat with Leo last summer with two of his guitars in hand. We discussed what I liked and didn’t like about them, and I described in detail the voice I was wanted to get out of the next instrument for my music. Leo and I are brothers in guitar, so I knew he understood what I wanted and I’m super excited to finally have the instrument soon.

“My role in this process is exactly what I do when I help any of our clients build a custom guitar. I understand completely what the player wants and make sure that the maker gets that message. I know enough about lutherie that I can talk in detail with the builder until I’m confident he understands what we’re looking for. In this case, I asked Leo to make sure that it’s a little tighter and more focused and that I can hit it very hard and have it hold up and be extremely resonant. Being a large body I did not want the top too thin or floppy. I made sure he knew the tunings and strings that I like to play and I asked for a custom longer multi scale fretboard similar to my personal favorite guitar by Jordan McConnell, so it will be 25.5 inches on the treble to 26.25 inches on the bass. This is scale that I’ve found works for me over the years through trial and error. I’ve had the pleasure of playing thousands of guitars, and each one teaches me something that I can use to help others, and myself, create great instruments with great builders.

“One unique story about this guitar: Leo and I were together at a show and were able to choose the master grade Adirondack top together from my friend Randy Lucas. Randy had a special stash with him and we found one that rang like a bell. I can’t wait to record this guitar and share it with you all. And thanks in advance to Leo! It’s been so nice to be able to trust you completely in your passion and understanding of the guitar. I have complete confidence that once I hold it it will be love at first sight.”

LEO: “I’m in love with this guitar, and I’m happy I’ll be able to play it in the future [once it’s finished]. Honestly, I’m expecting a very unique-sounding guitar. For sure, it has a different character than other guitars I have made. I’m very much looking forward to stringing it up soon. It was such a pleasure to make a guitar for Paul, who has a vast knowledge of guitars and such passion for them. We had the good fortune of having time together in person at The Swannannoa Gathering last summer where we were able to spend a long while playing and sussing out just what he was looking for. He had a very clear vision and it was really gratifying to go back to the shop and bring it to life.”

Specs:

Base Model, Small Jumbo #034/2017
Soundboard, master grade plus Adirondack Spruce
Back and sides, old growth Brazilian Rosewood
Cutaway, Florentine
Rosette, custom segmented broken w/green burl Maple tiles
Neck, Brazilian Rosewood
Bridge, hand-carved Brazilian Rosewood
End graft, custom green burl Maple
12-fret to the body fingerboard
Bridge pins, ebony with Abalone dots
Binding, Ebony with black/white purfling
Top braces, Sitka Spruce
Back Braces, Mahogany
Saddle, 2 1/4” string spacing in compensated bone
Nut, 1 3/4” width, scalloped, in compensated bone
Head-cap veneer, Brazilian Rosewood (curly with curve inlay beside triangle)
Back of headcap veneer, Ebony
Tuning machines, Gotoh 510 Stealth in antique bronze and black buttons
Fingerboard, Ebony with Ebony binding and white Maple purfling
Fingerboard, custom inlay at 12th fret w/green burl Maple
Scale length, multiscale 25.5” to 26.25”
Truss rod, double action
Fret wire, medium nickel-silver 18%
Fretboard radius, 16”
Case, custom carbon fiber Karura hardshell case
Wedge, Manzer-style tapered body
Back strip, interrupted, green burl Maple
Strap buttons, Cocobolo
Finish, French Polish

Buendia’s graceful multiscale bridge

Paul’s personal Brazilian Rosewood

Old-growth Adirondack Spruce from Randy Lucas, Multiscale from 25.5″ to 26.25″

Manzer-style body wedge

Paul’s personal Brazilian Rosewood

Paul’s personal Brazilian Rosewood

Florentine cutaway, body wedge

2/2/18: Strung up and shining like a diamond, Paul’s Buendia made the rounds at NAMM with some great friends. Next stop, Dream Guitars!

Baker Rorick, founder of the Woodstock Invitational

Lance Allen

Leo at the booth

Paul’s at the booth!

What happens when you put Al Petteway in the same room as one of our long-time client’s personal guitar treasure trove? Something like The Collector’s Passion! Al sets down a permanent record of some of the finest guitars we’ve ever seen, from Somogyi & Traugott to Greenfield, Lowden, Olson, Martin—the track list goes on. Al’s fingerstylings render Tony’s exquisite collection in full technicolor, a rare glimpse of what must surely be guitar heaven. Available now at Dream Guitars!
https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/guitar-accessories/music-cds-tab/the-collector-s-passion-by-al-petteway.html

We’ve sat Al down with Paul to discuss how this CD came about, Al’s recording process, and how the various guitars complemented each piece. This interview is an excellent companion to the record.

Here’s the interview! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxaYC_1TznA