14 Oct2018

State of the Ark technology #3 – neck carving

Necks can now be shaped by CNC routers.  These necks will be absolutely consistent and identical one to another.

Hand carving a neck takes much longer, especially in a hard and uncooperative wood like Wengé.  But hand carving tells me a lot about the particular piece of wood the neck is made from.  And the profile can be adapted to suit the wood used, to suit the fingerboard and also the preference of the player.

There are companies who could shape necks for me, but mine are all individually hand carved to suit the guitar they are part of, and always will be.

13 Oct2018

State of the Ark technology #2 – bubble wrap


Bubble wrap jacket protects newly laquered latest Steinbeck S while bridge is glued on and frets and fingerboard are checked and cleaned.  Because the jacket moves along with the guitar there is no possibility of scratches.  And any sharp particles that might get in fall into the gaps between the bubbles and can cause no damage.  Very simple and very effective.

05 Oct2018

State of the Ark technology – clamps

Gluing the soundboard on my latest African Blackwood and German spruce MS S model development guitar, with modified bracing and soundboard. I love the cam clamps, such simple technology but lightweight and effective.

Steel spring clamps holding bottom lining in place while glue dries.  Fixing linings is the only process I use them on; useful here but I don’t love them.

23 Sep2018

Interview and demonstration by Michael Watts

Michael Watts has a blog https://www.michaelwattsguitar.com/blog in which are clips of interviews he has done with various luthiers.  Last month he visited my workshop in Whitley Chapel where we chatted and he played four of my guitars.


The first was a six string arch-top built in 1981.  It was in fact my first guitar, built after a decade of building first Appalachian dulcimers and then citterns, bouzoukis and mandolins.

Next he played a figured Sitka and Malaysian Blackwood D guitar, then my latest Martin Simpson S model, and finally a Steinbeck S.

All these can be heard in the blog clip, along with our chat at

https://www.michaelwattsguitar.com/blog/blog/luthier-workshop-visit-sobell-guitars-uk

My thanks to Michael for taking the trouble to visit and interview me.

15 Sep2018

Steinbeck S for sale

Steinbeck S Model guitar for sale.  Details on my Available Now page

30 Jul2018

Darrell Scott in Perth

Darrell Scott is a truly outstanding singer, songwriter and guitarist.  His songs have been covered by internationally known names, his singing is immensely varied and completely riveting, and his guitar playing is out of this world.

Due to play a one off concert for the Southern Fried festival in Perth, he asked to borrow a guitar so as to avoid the hassle of bringing his from the US for a single gig.

I took him my latest development Martin Simpson S model, a slightly slimmer bodied version of his standard MS, with a German spruce soundboard and African Blackwood back and sides. It was fitted with a Highlander pickup, and he also had a microphone in front.  Combined with Darrell’s playing the sound was phenomenal.

After the first couple of songs, complete with dazzling guitar breaks, he paused, looked at the audience and said ‘Does the guitar sound good?’  There was a huge roar of ‘YES!’

‘That’s because it was made by Stefan Sobell’ he said.  A great compliment.

It was a great concert, given a wonderful reception by the audience.

 

On stage at the Perth Southern Fried Festival with the MSS guitar

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During the concert Darrell several times re-tuned between standard and dropped D tunings.  He said  ‘Another thing about Stefan Sobell guitars, you just tune them and play, you hardly have to tune them again.’

As well as playing so quietly that the audience almost hold their breath, he also likes to ‘dig in’ as he puts it, putting more energy into the guitar in a couple of minutes than most guitarists would in an hour.  It says something else about his playing that after over an hour of this, the guitar is completely unmarked.

 

Having now been thoroughly road tested, this guitar will shortly be for sale and will appear on my ‘available now’ page.

Darrell with his MS in 2010

26 May2018

Highlander pickup for Mark Knopfler’s MS Model

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Mark Knopfler didn’t want a pickup in his MS Model when he collected it from me a couple of years ago.  He planned to use it in the studio and for song writing, and wouldn’t even let me fit a tail strap button.

More recently he asked me to fit a pickup so he could play it live.  So I took a tool kit to his amazing state of the art studio in Chiswick and fitted a Highlander pickup there.

Mark was seriously impressed with the combination of the MS Model and Highlander, was very happy with the amplified sound.  He told me he planned to use it in live concerts, so I also fitted a strap button to the guitar heel.

I haven’t driven in London for several years; I knew driving there would be slow but found the traffic congestion shocking beyond my expectations.  My sympathy to all who have to live with it.

 

PS  How time flies, it is in fact not a couple of years, it’s five years since Mark came to collect his MS!


Mark in his studio with his MS. Sorry about the poor phone photo.

Mark collecting his MS Model in February 2013

11 May2018

Water damaged Octave Mandolin

Brian Potts brought his octave mandolin back to me after it had suffered from extreme damp.  When I asked him how, he was evasive, eventually saying the OM had been involved in a canoeing incident while on holiday with his son.

Despite my pressing him, he declined to say more.  From the state of the instrument I concluded he had either overturned the canoe or used the OM as a paddle.

Right, let’s have a look.

Wow, just look at the damage!

You did this?  It’s vandalism!

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The middle back brace has come away on both sides, the tail block is now separated from the back, and the sides, complete with binding, have pulled away from the back where it tapers towards the neck.  The binding has come away from the back at the tail.

The fact that the label ink has run indicates there was plenty of water sloshing around inside.

Fortunately, the soundboard appears to be undamaged.

Brian has been a customer and friend for many years.  Suitably penitent, he took us for a meal later, calming troubled waters with glasses of red wine.

08 Mar2018

Steinbeck S to Martin Simpson

A few weeks after talking about a new combination pickup system with Martin Simpson, I fitted it to two guitars.  These were a Steinbeck model and my new Steinbeck S.
After comparing the two, I sent the Steinbeck S for Martin to evaluate.  Here is the email he sent me:

Hello, I just did 3 gigs with the guitar and it’s a massive success, audiences, sound men and particularly me!!!! I raised the action with a quarter turn on the truss rod and it’s just a joy.

Martin will keep it and use it on gigs from now on.  He plans to sell one of his existing Sobells to make room for it, this should be on my ‘available now’ page in the near future.

 

 

Martin with prototype Steinbeck S prior to pickup installation