Martin-haaste ja haaste Anssille / Martin D-45 cover song contest

Otin osaa Anssi Kelan Martin-haasteeseen livelooppausvetaisulla Kuolleen miehen kitarasta. Heitin Anssille oman haasteen: Jos voitan Anssin kitaran, rakennan puolestani Anssille akustisen niin, ettei tule Marttia ikävä. Käyhän siis kuuntelemassa versioni ja laita jakoon, kiitos!

I attended a cover song contest by great Finnish singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Anssi Kela. The task was to make a video of one of his songs from his latest album Nostalgiaa.

Being a guitar builder, I threw in my own challenge for Anssi: Should I win, I'll build a guitar for Anssi. Tempting, ha? Go check my version and please share!



The song was recorded with iPad mini 2 camera with stereo USB audio straight from TC Helicon Voicelive 3. "Live Drums" come from my Beat Buddy midi drum pedal in sync with VL3 looper.

Sunny pictures!

It's always nice to take a wooden guitar out to the sun and shoot some pictures "in the nature". Here we go, with the bass and guitar, #12 and #13.

Instrumental with Kenosis #12

Two finished instruments

This spring I have been working with two very different ukulele based instruments: A concert Ukulele with redwood top and flamed maple back/sides and a U-bass with sapele/maple/walnut body with koa top and maple neck. Both are now finished with eye and ear pleasing results! Thanks Olavi and Miika! Next up: Summer vacation!

Necks got Tru Oil finish. Bodies french polish

Short of one string that I broke
accidentally before tuning. 

The U-bass truly is tiny! Yet it plays in the actual bass register.
Polyurethane string magic!

The player with his bass, this time with
Aquila Thunder Red strings.

The bass is equipped with L.R.Baggs under saddle pickup
and active electronics

The tiny headstock barely fits the tuning machines.

Bridge and fingerboard are ebony. The cocobolo binding
kind of complements the color scheme. Well picked, Olavi!

BGM Electronics Elevation system
with 2 discs installed inside

Lisää kuvateksti

Grover Sta Tite 14:1 uke tuners

Flashy flames!

Uke progress

It's been a very busy spring time at the Luther front, and too quiet here at the luthiery front. Anyways, some progress has taken place with Olavi's uke project. Just some gap filling and tedious sanding and we're good to start the finishing sessions. In the two last pics you see the reason for slow progress. One must study New Testament Greek to be a good Kenosis-luthier!

Headplate is flaming orange Cocobolo

Here is a Norwegian gem stone that will be seated in visa birch/cocobolo.

13 frets clear to the body

Coco binding creates a strong contrast on redwood/mapple

Masking tape to prevent cocobolo bleed into maple. The binding is coated first with several coats of shellac. This should keep the colors clean.

My son started a little solid body U-bass project at school and home with me. 21 inch scale and THICK polyurethane strings. Neck is flamed maple, body is laminated of sapele, walnut and maple and will receive a figured redwood top once it arrives. Nice project!

Two songs with Kenoosis #12

I made a new video with the latest build.

Soundpath: Elevation system EV-1.3 pickup – Archangel X5 preamp – TC Helicon Voicelive 3 with BodyRez preset – TC Electronics Konnekt48 audio interface – Presonus Studio One 2 DAW.

Uke progress

Ukulele sides were thicknessed and bent Monday. Now they're glued to their blocks and shaped. Top-side kerfing got on just a few minutes back. It's progressing, Olavi!

Gluing the sides to the top 

Top trimmed to the sides. The back will be glued once I get the pickup installed.

Cocobolo binding on maple will make a strong statement!

The headstock with traditional square shape, cocobolo top veneer and black-white sandwich in between

Nice orange-black striping

Elevation system being installed 

In case someone should crack the uke open...

So many clamps in so little space...

Here we go! Ready for routing for the bindings

Norwegian gem stone in silver, surrounded with Cocobolo leafs.