Extra curricular activity
What our students get up to after they have done the course
Bailey custom acoustic from 40,000 year old Kauri
Apr 14th
…Amazing honour bestowed upon us!…
- mahogany and rosewood neck laminates
- Rosewood back
- ‘Ancient Kauri’ soundboard
- spalted maple rosette
- cutting the rosette
- gluing the rosette
- planing the headstock
- The angled headstock
- rosewood sides
- The sound hole is cut
- routing the truss rod slot
- scalloped bracing
- gluing the heel block
- gluing the sides
- centre-seam reinforcement diamonds
- Three piece rosewood back
- inscription
- ‘The Southern Cross’
- ‘closing the box’
- sealing the body of the guitar by gluing the back on
Sandy turned up about five weeks ago to tell us he was moving to New Zealand and he had some wood he wanted me to make into a guitar for him before he leaves. He has been on the course twice and then went on to build several more very nice guitars at home for friends and family, so I’m pleased that he wants one of mine. It’s always an honour to make someone a guitar but this one even more so, as he supplied some extra special wood he had collected over the years during his guitar making adventures.
The soundboard is 40,000 years old (!) Ancient NZ Kauri- he explained how trees had fallen into peat bogs and been preserved…just….waiting to be dug up turned into a guitar! It is the only piece I have ever seen, so I will need to be extra careful. It is quite soft and light, like cedar or spruce, but I will be able to tell more when I have worked it some more. It is quartersawn, golden in colour with a faint ripple, has a great ‘tap tone’ and should make a great soundboard. It is a rare priviledge to be making it into a guitar.
The rest of the guitar body is rosewood as supplied by Sandy. The back was not quite wide enough for the shape he wanted (bootlegger) so we decided to make a three piece back. Two glue lines means two centre-seam reinforcement strips as you can see in the picture..
As if that wasn’t enough he also gave me a side-bending jig and a pile of wood that he didn’t want to take with him, so BIG THANKS for that as well!
The ‘box’ is complete and ready for binding and I’ve already started the neck so I think I am over half way there with the wood work- hope you enjoy the pics…
Bailey Guitars on Second Life
Feb 7th
….is it me or is life getting weirder?
While you are saving for a real one why not get a virtual Bailey?. Great idea -I have to confess that I don’t understand most of this but a friend of ours has created an animated Bailey guitar on ‘second life’. This is him playing it in his band – he’s the one with the ‘lectrik blue’ guitar…..weird…. I should mention that he has already made several REAL guitars here at ‘Bailey world’ on our build your own course – but I think it has been harder and taken longer to make a virtual one! Thanks John….see below for details of how to get yours!
- bailey-guitar-eagle-lektrik-blue
- bailey-guitar-eagle-motor-red
- bailey-guitar-eagle-rocknrolled-gold
- bailey-guitar-eagle-slash-black
- Get your virtual Bailey here!
QUOTE
Hi gang
I enclose a picture of the wee shop I run on Second Life which is called “Metal’s Guitars”. It’s in a place called Wajo Hill on the south coast of the Jeogeot continent – Clicking on that SLURL will bring up a map and you can teleport you there if you’re in the game. (if not you are prompted to signup)
You’ll notice 4 boxes on the floor of my shop… well these are the guitars I make on here. I call them “Eagle” on here and I retail them on SL for L$500.. L$ is Second Life speak for “Linden Dollars” which is the game currency on here… Roughly L$400 equals £1 so basically my guitars retail for £1.25. Bargain eh… lol
I make 4 colours so far with a flame maple cap:
Lektrik Blue, Motor Red, Slash Black, Rock n Rolled Gold
In the video, I’m wearing an Eagle with a custom texture I call “Mad Blue”.
Each colour comes with 3 versions…
Chrome hardware no trem, Chrome hardware with trem, Black hardware with trem
Each of the boxes contains 1 of each version, which means L$500 gets 3 guitars, not just 1, in a particular colour.
For L$100 I can change the texture on the guitar body (ie replace the flame maple with a picture of their choice) if they supply the texture, although I will recolour the existing flame maple texture to any other colour for nothing.
Bit of SL speak now, each guitar is…
Full Prim…. Prim count is between 163 and 175 depending on the version,
Non animated, Non scripted, Non particle emitting, No music, Unmodifiable, Untransferable, Copyable
I hope to offer in the future a scripted resizing and colour changing option.
OK I hope to catch you guys soon….Oh by the way, my Second Life name is “Metal Bookmite”:
It’s not raining – by Marcel
Nov 10th
(Marcel)
I wrote this song during my holiday in Scotland July and August 2010,
It’s dedicated to Carol and Mark. No matter what the weather is like, their kindness, and hospitality make you feel like it’s a warm and sunny day.
Thanks Marcel -
That fair warmed the cockles of our hearts. Looking forward to the sequel – ‘Its not cold’
Duffy’s Cafe Orchestra – On Amazon!!
Oct 23rd
…Duffy plays his Bailey Bouzouki….Buy it NOW!!!!
- The Bouzouki is on the cover!!
- The famous Bailey Bouzouki in full colour!
- Based on a gypsy style guitar…strung like a bouzouki….
- She’s a beauty……
Nice work John – Thanks for the credit….
Great to hear one of my instruments going global.
Click here to hear audio snippets on Amazon UK…If you like it buy it….Do it….NOW!!!!
My Dads Guitar
Aug 24th
…Dale credits us as the inspiration behind his book!
Coming Soon….
Dale came on our course when we were back in Coventry. In fact he is in our film ‘Guitar Magic’ building the very guitar which inspired the book! At the time he was a manager for a well know soft drinks company. Look at him now…..
Check his website for release dates…and we’ll keep ya posted!
BIG THANKS and hope it goes well Dale!
































