banner

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #91
    Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

    Did you ever try the piezo bridge through a D-TAR Mama Bear?
    Evan Skopp, Inside Track International
    Sales and marketing reps for Musopia, Reunion Blues, and Q-Parts.

    Comment


    • #92
      Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

      Very nice of you to answer all of our questions!

      How do you feel about the differences between neck construction types, as in bolt-on vs. set vs. through?

      How about 21 vs 22 vs 24 frets?

      What do you think of carbon rods in guitar necks to increase stability?

      Have you done any fretless guitars?

      How important do you find the acoustic tone of a guitar to it's amplified tone?
      There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless—boys and women, and I am neither one

      Comment


      • #93
        Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

        Originally posted by playas View Post
        Thanks to both of you for putting this together Peter and Evan.

        You told us a bit about your early builds Peter and from your comments on the bandsaw it sounds like you´re a harsh critic of your own work.

        Do you remember the first guitar of your own design you completed, smiled to yourself and thought yeah this is a guitar I´d be proud to sell? Could you describe it?

        Of all the guitars you´ve built are there any that really stood out to you as being something special?

        Was there any one guitar that stands out because you really learnt a lot from building it?

        ...and if it´s not too much to think about at this time of night, what personality trait do you think has been most helpful in your profession?

        Lastly how many hours are you planning on sleeping for when this is over?

        yes I do remember the first one, it was actually 2, I built them together. Both sold fairly quickly.
        I felt as if I had fulfilled my dream. What I had done was take the first steps.

        Not any one particular guitar, they all teach you something individual. What they ALL teach you is patience.

        I think Madness is the personality trait that best describes nearly all the luthiers I have met !!!
        but seriously it is a patience thing, being able to walk away from tinkering when tinkering will do more harm than good.

        I'm supposed to be packing up a guitar to send to a bloke in New South Wales tomorrow, so as many hours as I can get in before the courier arrives !!!
        www.crossleyguitars.com

        Comment


        • #94
          Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

          Two more hours, Pete. Keep the coffee coming!
          Evan Skopp, Inside Track International
          Sales and marketing reps for Musopia, Reunion Blues, and Q-Parts.

          Comment


          • #95
            Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

            [QUOTE=Lazarus1140;2254116]
            Originally posted by Peter Crossley View Post
            I use a 10 degree headstock angle. this allows the strings to have a nice but not severe break angle to the machine heads. I use Sperzel locking heads, they have a fairly low profile above the headstock. again helping with string break angle QUOTE]


            Thanks for staying up for us, Peter!

            Is it a matter of pure aesthetics, or do you consider it to be advantageous for either tone or tuning stability that the line of the strings per your headstock design, except for breaking down at the nut, remains straight from bridge to tuning posts?
            Good question.

            Yes I do think that a dead straight string pull is advantageous for tuning stability. I havent done it on my headstock, but I have been thinking about a slight re-design to incorporate it.
            and you have just jogged my memory to do something about it!!!
            www.crossleyguitars.com

            Comment


            • #96
              Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

              Originally posted by Jet-Jaguar View Post
              Interesting. When you're visualizing this, do you have an idea of a particular kind of player or music this guitar will be for, or do you try to make a guitar to fit many styles and players?
              If the build is a custom build , then yes, at several points I visualise the player, how he plays the notes on the neck, and how his hand shapes on the chord patterns and scale progressions.

              If its a generic build, that is included to make up the build numbers, then I visualise myself playing it!!!
              www.crossleyguitars.com

              Comment


              • #97
                Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                Originally posted by Evan Skopp View Post
                Did you ever try the piezo bridge through a D-TAR Mama Bear?
                No.

                Must give that a go next time.
                www.crossleyguitars.com

                Comment


                • #98
                  Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                  Thanks Pete for staying up so late!

                  1. Can you estimate how many hours of work goes into each guitar, from selecting timber to sending it out the door?

                  2. How much of your work time is taken up with business tasks (basically anything other than guitar design or production)?

                  3. 22 fret vs. 24 fret guitars: some say that the neck pickup placement on a 24 fret guitar makes for weird tones. What are your thoughts on this?

                  4. Related question: What do you do differently on the 24 fret models (other than add two more frets, of course) vs the 22's? Different template, wood choices, neck joint, etc.?

                  Thanks again. Your instruments look fantastic, and I would love to play one someday.
                  Band: www.colouredanimal.com
                  Twitter: www.twitter.com/mrperki
                  Blorg: mrperki.tumblr.com

                  Read my Seymour Duncan blog posts

                  Comment


                  • #99
                    Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                    Originally posted by Johtosotku View Post
                    Very nice of you to answer all of our questions!

                    How do you feel about the differences between neck construction types, as in bolt-on vs. set vs. through?

                    How about 21 vs 22 vs 24 frets?

                    What do you think of carbon rods in guitar necks to increase stability?

                    Have you done any fretless guitars?

                    How important do you find the acoustic tone of a guitar to it's amplified tone?

                    I like set necks on guitars. Thats just me, when you consider all the great music that has been played on bolt on neck guitars, there seems no real reason...
                    But, I like set necks.
                    I just like the feel of a nicley shaped transition of neck to body, the bolt on necks never quite feel like that.

                    I have made 21, 22 and 24 fret guitars. The 21 fret guitar has a nice advantage in that the neck pickup can be placed directly under the second harmonic E. This can give some killer blues tones.
                    22 frets are good as is 24. I personally like 24 frets, because I like to play stupidly high notes!!
                    But really its just personal choice.

                    I put 2 carbon stiffening rods either side of the two way truss rod in all my guitars.
                    I do this for climatic stability.
                    Here in Melbourne the climate is very dry. Excellent for guitar building, but I send quite a few guitars to more Northern warmer humid parts of Australia.
                    So the guitar has been built in an "ideal" climate, it then moves house to a more humid part of the world. It is going to re-adjust. The carbon rods are there to help ease the neck into its new climate.
                    I reckon they are a good thing, they add no weight, but a great deal more stiffness to the neck

                    Havnt made any fretless guitars....yet.
                    but the idea is very appealing to me. Perfect intonation everywhere on the neck..

                    I love listening to the acoustic tone of an electric guitar.
                    It tells me what the guitar is going to sound like amplified. It lets me know whether it has good sustain, good note separation in chords, and a balanced volume across all the strings and frets.
                    very important.
                    www.crossleyguitars.com

                    Comment


                    • Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                      Originally posted by ratherdashing View Post
                      Thanks Pete for staying up so late!

                      1. Can you estimate how many hours of work goes into each guitar, from selecting timber to sending it out the door?

                      2. How much of your work time is taken up with business tasks (basically anything other than guitar design or production)?

                      3. 22 fret vs. 24 fret guitars: some say that the neck pickup placement on a 24 fret guitar makes for weird tones. What are your thoughts on this?

                      4. Related question: What do you do differently on the 24 fret models (other than add two more frets, of course) vs the 22's? Different template, wood choices, neck joint, etc.?

                      Thanks again. Your instruments look fantastic, and I would love to play one someday.

                      not a true hour estimate, I like to get 4 guitars out of here every 12 weeks.

                      2 a surprising amount, things like going to the hardware store for sandpaper, superglue, PVA glue, stanley knife blades etc etc etc. Doing Manuals, I also take photos of the build as it progresses for the clients to remain in touch with their new babies. so I would estimate an average of one - 1.5 hours a day doing all that stuff.

                      3. Yes to some degree a 21/22 fret guitar does allow the neck pickup to sit in an "ideal" spot under the harmonic, however we dont seem to think that this should also apply to the bridge pickup??
                      I personally play a 24 fret guitar, and have a 22 fret guitar, and I dont notice any great differences, although my ears have been hammered over the years !!!

                      4. Not a lot, I spread the difference between the neck/body position and the bridge it doesnt account for a great deal. the distance from the nut to bridge is still constant.
                      a lot of this stuff I actually do automatically, the numbers are there in my head for when I need them.
                      www.crossleyguitars.com

                      Comment


                      • Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                        What's the future for Crossley Guitars? If you could become a major international brand, would you want to? Or do you like keeping it small and custom-made? What are the advantages to each in your mind?

                        And how much coffee have you actually consumed during this session?
                        Evan Skopp, Inside Track International
                        Sales and marketing reps for Musopia, Reunion Blues, and Q-Parts.

                        Comment


                        • Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                          Originally posted by Evan Skopp View Post
                          What's the future for Crossley Guitars? If you could become a major international brand, would you want to? Or do you like keeping it small and custom-made? What are the advantages to each in your mind?

                          And how much coffee have you actually consumed during this session?
                          I would like to think that I could take Crossley Guitars up a couple of notches, I do want to do it slowly so that the control of the business stays within my grasp.
                          I have seen businesses fail due to too rapid expansion, and i would hat for that to happen,
                          The other thing that is a worry, is maintaining quality control if the company grows to employ several people. Will they care about the guitars as much as me??
                          I know to survive I must grow, I would just like the rate of growth to be a controlled curve, if at all possible.
                          I really admire Paul Reed Smith. He made his name as a small production luthier and then went on to the next stage almost seamlessly, whilst still maintaining great quality control.
                          They are still are the standard bearer in a mass production environment,

                          I have lost count of the coffee consumption. but its not good!!!!

                          poor kidneys....
                          www.crossleyguitars.com

                          Comment


                          • Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                            This is kind of an add on to evans last question. I remember inquiring about the price of one of your guitars a little while back and while i couldnt afford it at the time, it was a really amazing price for a fully custom guitar from a one man shop. Do you think there is something about the way you do things that allows you to offer these kind of prices? For example, do you think that if you expanded and brought on other people, you would need to raise the price even though you would have more guitars going out the door? Or do you look at your current pricing as still "introductory" while you further your reputation.

                            There are a whole lot of custom luthiers out there (i wont name any names) who are charging 6-10k per guitar.
                            Originally posted by Empty Pockets
                            yngwie sounds like an orchestra of cartoon bees.

                            Comment


                            • Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                              To follow up my previous question:

                              What's one memorable job where the sum was just "what do people THINK is possible?!" *ie: pickup wirings, body stylings, and which one was the most interesting?

                              Can a person supply his / her own pickups (ie: a set of duncans that are really liked, etc.)

                              Are there any woods (besides the endangered BRW) or parts that you simply will not use

                              What part of the guitar, that most people would think is insignificant, do you feel is the greatest factor on tone / sustain / resonance? (ie: pound for pound, which is the most important?)

                              What types of caps and pots (companies) do you find brings out the best in a guitar, and with the greatest consistency, and why?

                              Jason
                              <--- these guys fight, so we can enjoy large tracts of land

                              Comment


                              • Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

                                Originally posted by scottish View Post
                                This is kind of an add on to evans last question. I remember inquiring about the price of one of your guitars a little while back and while i couldnt afford it at the time, it was a really amazing price for a fully custom guitar from a one man shop. Do you think there is something about the way you do things that allows you to offer these kind of prices? For example, do you think that if you expanded and brought on other people, you would need to raise the price even though you would have more guitars going out the door? Or do you look at your current pricing as still "introductory" while you further your reputation.

                                There are a whole lot of custom luthiers out there (i wont name any names) who are charging 6-10k per guitar.
                                I am a little old fashioned in that I believe in an honest price for my labour.
                                However, certain components are rising in price, and quality timber is rising even faster.
                                I do belive that because I have conciously kept the business at the size it is, I can still sell guitars for a good price. I would hate for my guitars to be bought exclusively by the rich !!!
                                It is always a fine balancing act. I dont want to charge too much, I want to produce the finest guitars I can, and I know that one day in order to continue this I will have to raise prices, just to survive.
                                so good thought provoking questions...

                                what will I be dreaming about when I finally hit the sack ..hahaha
                                www.crossleyguitars.com

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X