Michael Fred Johnson

Well... how about: from pristine condition, to magical workshop?

(?!?!?! did l really just say that?!?!?!)

my sons in-laws live in Newcastle ,Angie was most upset the power was out while she wanted to watch the soccer....:)

Thank you for your compliment!

Wow, that black sixer is a knockout!

Sadly there's no story behind the afrifans pictures, i just found it on the net!

But you work verry well, are you a stringed instrument maker ?? wood worker?

Or is it a passion and you'r self educated ?? Personaly i try to learn everyday, cause i'm so far to the kind of masterpiece you make!!

Thanks, I'll be interested to see if my mando conversion can hold all the pressure or if it is going to implode with six long strings on it!

Hello Michael. Welcome across the pond. I really don't know if we are going to run into each other. I not going into NYC probably until Sept. 12th. I'm in New Jersey about 30 minutes outside of Manhattan. Regardless, enjoy your holiday, Keni Lee      

Hello Michael, Sorry for the delay getting back to you. I've been trying to shake this flu I caught. How long are you going to be in NYC? It might be easier if you write to me at kenileeburgess@aol.com Thank you, Keni Lee

Hi Micheal, Thanks for the tip, I'll definately try it this way next time. I'm planning on getting a new saw so that should help too.

I'm actually looking a getting a small band saw, depth of cut is around 6 inches so should be plenty, it would really be a time saver. I use my friends band saw when I get the chance and it really makes some great cuts.

many thanks for your comment Micheal, nice photo!  - you hit on the key word there "lightness" - though i found most cheap materials satisfactory and resonant, spending the next few months experimenting with all kinds of materials (-:

Thank you Michael.

What is the difference in sound? What is the reason you do it this way? Really interesting...

Hey Mike, Your block looks plenty sturdy to me. I'm going to try one with my band saw. I've got a funky pine neck made too short for a pass through and your kind of joint should work nice. Thanks...

Hello Michael : ) yer i dont know anyone from the northeast who's into cbg's. Ah great stuff.

Works of art michael.. Amazing really !!!! I'm mostly a singer/songwriter but i started making them to match my playing style and sound i wanted. The 6 string guitar has been in the loft the past 2 years. It's all cbg's and slide nowadays. Do you know of anyone from the northeast on here who is into this sort of thing.

Thanks Michael

I like the cluny.. Seen some great Alt/Blues uk and american artists there. Yer i dont know of anyone either here in the northeast. How did you make the top of the copperpot. Its so simple but looks great.

That would be great michael. I have a thin copper table top it has things scribed into it. I saw it at the tip. I'ed like to do the same with that. Love your box corners aswell !!!

Thanks michael i'll try that : ) into making dowel guitars at mo. Its getting an obsession. Experimenting with different boxes and hardwood dowels. Gonna use that copper table top on a build soon.

There like broom shanks but you can buy them in hardwoods. My favorite being oak. Have you tried making your own pickups yet michael.

mmm, i'll keep a lookout for one of those....

Go for it!   Mine sounds great!

Thanks for the offer Michael but I got a guy to do it for me..Sorry I was a bit late answering your post but only just noticed your post.

I'll bet it does, can't wait to see the final product. I went back through you're photo files and you do amazing work!

I'm in the same boat Michael, time is not my friend right now.

micheal carin and i think u r very gifted

yes i fancy taking the cigar box guitar up 

Michael

Thanks that's useful, do you fix the cross piece to the neck?

David

No problems .. seems pretty friendly place here. Hoping to pass on as much as i can and learn an equal amount =]

I Have found that one after you mentioned.

I reckon a lot of cbg builders are of the right sort of age to have once loved the classic Dr period.

Hi Michael,

Thank you! I really like some of the photos of your guitars, especially this one:

http://tinyurl.com/bstqacb

I'm a new builder but my tool selection and knowledge is only fair. Instead of the traditional "neck- through" designs, I'm thinking I might try some bolt-on ones. 

In the above instrument, did you simply bolt the neck to the outside of the box with some reinforcement inside the box, or did the neck go partially through the box?

Also, I like how this style allows one to put a more traditionally placed sound hole, in the center, like the one in the above instrument.

1. Is the neck-through norm, to your knowledge, form or function? It seems it might strengthen the build, but it also forces your hand on sound holes, puts several holes in a nice box, and might change the acoustics of the box.

2. For bolt-on necks, can you give me any tips or advice? I guess the most important thing is to make sure the neck is reinforced at the box and the box is somehow braced on the interior?

3. Have you had good luck with more centered sound holes? The usual ones in the corner look strange to me, so I'd like to try it your way.

Thanks again,

Sincerely,

JC

Thank you very much, Michael, this was a great help.

dang , bummed,If u ever get two or three extra,feel free just send me one and I'll showcase it fer u...lol.Just keep up the awesome stuff Fred....salud

MFJ - thanks so much for your advice! I'm still waiting for the wood to arrive but hopefully I'll have a chance to mess around with it next week.

As I use a 'neck through' design, will this cause any structural weakness to the soundboard as the sheets is glued down the middle? I usually use a 1-2mm recess between the soundboard and neck so there won't be much room for bracing.

Anyway, I can but try, and I'll post some pics on the process. Cheers!

Thank you!

Hi Michael, I was just having a look through your photos and saw that you have some small metal plates on the back of some of your builds - I'm guessing this is to access the electronics inside... given that I've had to glue shut the top and bottom of the box I've made, this seems like the way to go. Where do you get them from?

Thanks again Michael - I'll have a dig around. Here's a pic of the finished build - thanks for your help and advice with box building. This is definitely the way I want to go, the sound and tone is far better than anything else I've tried!

Thanks! Nope, not a lot of pub time, but as I only work on my guitars when my daughter is napping I think I've done OK to get finished in a month!

They look great, I especially like the skull design.

Your welcome, Michael. Fabulous build!

Thanks, Micheal.   Neat to know the history of how and why a build goes the way it does.  I certainly do the same.   My specialty seems to be overcoming mistakes.  My own mistakes.

Ha.  I don't know what an earthed saddle is, but will see if I can find it.

Good to know,thank you :) ....ahw... so many ideas but not enough time....

You have made some super nice guitars. You must be a master cabinet maker or some kind of wood working heavy weight,. I want to learn some things from you, Hopefully Sonny

Nice! I had simla ideas!concept%201%20008.jpgconcept%201%20019.jpg

I had the same feeling about lack of volume with my dog bowl box, but i'm very curious about a "real" come, I suppose the bought cone would be originally for  a yuke ?