Guest Luthier Series - Peter Crossley (Crossley Guitars)

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

Thanks for doing this, Peter and for your answers to my questions.

all good Luis
I'm really digging it!!

bit tired though its 4.33AM according to my clock!!!

 

[stevie_bees]

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

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

This has been a great read, and props to you for staying awake and providing great answers all the way through!

What goes through your mind/how do you feel at the start/completion of a guitar?

Are you tempted to keep tinkering, or do you know when a guitar is right?

I presume as an Aussie Rules fan you didn't have much interest in a certain Ashes series??

 

[J Moose]

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

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

You know I actually reckon that the fretboard has more immediate impact on the tone of a guitar than either the body or the neck.
Having just said that, I really like combining different timbers to get a balanced sound. I have found that the guitars I have made with 3 or more laminates in the neck sound a bit more balanced than single timber necks.


Yes good point here on scale length.
we all know how fenders sound "twangier" than Gibsons
Fender 25 1/2"
Gibson 24 3/4" also 24 7/8" 24 5/16" etc.....
the longer the scale length, the sharper the tone. and also the more tension on the strings.

Interesting... so you feel the fretboard has the most impact? I can see that... I think. Knowing the differences between maple & rosewood on Fenders...


Right now in the planning stages of a guitar that's going to be a mix of Fender & Gibson... basically a Firebird of sorts with mini-humbuckers.

I'm pretty well set on having a maple neck (flat or quartersawn?) with pau ferro board because every guitar I've played with pau has felt & sounded great. Plus its different then everything else I own...

For the body wood, the choice leading the pack is korina (limba). I've always dug korina and it is one of the 'typical' Gibson woods plus again, I don't have a korina guitar. This monstrosity WILL indeed have a trem, likely 6 point non-floating. Dive only.

Second & third choices for body wood are mahogany & possibly alder... unless you have another suggestion.

Maybe basswood with a top?

Need something that'll sound great with the mini-hums and be optimal for them... which is also leading me to think that a 24 3/4" scale is best here.

Any thoughts before I build something truly horrible?

Thanks again for doing this. Great reading... wish I had time for it all right now!

 

[dd12939]

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

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

Have you (or have you thought about) incorporating piezo bridge pickups on any of your guitars? Also I'll be very interested to see what you come up with when you get started on bass-making!

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

This has been a great read, and props to you for staying awake and providing great answers all the way through!

What goes through your mind/how do you feel at the start/completion of a guitar?

Are you tempted to keep tinkering, or do you know when a guitar is right?

I presume as an Aussie Rules fan you didn't have much interest in a certain Ashes series??

Its good to plan a build, and then see it through, I really like the timber selection stage. Its at that point I start to visualise what it will look like and what colours/stains/tints are going to be applied.
You know when any stage of the build is finished. It just feels done.
The setup can be a tinkering process that can keep going on and on if you let it..
I like to setup the guitars. play them for half an hour each, then put them on a stand for a couple of days, to see if they need a further setup.
Actually the playing of new guitars, that have never been played is a total buzz. Thewy are all subtley different

No mate. cricket doesn't do it for me. But goodonya's bout time the Poms won it back !!

 

[playas]

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

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

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?

 

[Lazarus1140]

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

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

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?

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

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

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

Its good to plan a build, and then see it through, I really like the timber selection stage. Its at that point I start to visualise what it will look like and what colours/stains/tints are going to be applied.

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?

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

Interesting... so you feel the fretboard has the most impact? I can see that... I think. Knowing the differences between maple & rosewood on Fenders...


Right now in the planning stages of a guitar that's going to be a mix of Fender & Gibson... basically a Firebird of sorts with mini-humbuckers.

I'm pretty well set on having a maple neck (flat or quartersawn?) with pau ferro board because every guitar I've played with pau has felt & sounded great. Plus its different then everything else I own...

For the body wood, the choice leading the pack is korina (limba). I've always dug korina and it is one of the 'typical' Gibson woods plus again, I don't have a korina guitar. This monstrosity WILL indeed have a trem, likely 6 point non-floating. Dive only.

Second & third choices for body wood are mahogany & possibly alder... unless you have another suggestion.

Maybe basswood with a top?

Need something that'll sound great with the mini-hums and be optimal for them... which is also leading me to think that a 24 3/4" scale is best here.

Any thoughts before I build something truly horrible?

Thanks again for doing this. Great reading... wish I had time for it all right now!

I reckon the Limba is a great idea, and yes Pau ferro is a great timber, its very closely related to Brazillian Rosewood, and we all know about the legendary status of that stuff.
I had an LP deluxe with mini hums on it, and I actually removed the bridge one and put a full sized bucker in there. But that was just me... I love a big bridge sound.
24 3/4 is a good scale, and it lets you go up a size or 2 in strings without killing your fingers, I used to use 12's on the LP's

Good luck with the build !!

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

Have you (or have you thought about) incorporating piezo bridge pickups on any of your guitars? Also I'll be very interested to see what you come up with when you get started on bass-making!

yes I put a Schaller Piezo bridge on one of my hollow H series guitars.
Its sounded OK, provided it didnt go through a guitar amp, and went DI into the PA. It was a passive Piezo and it was very noisy through a guitar amp.

 

[Evan Skopp]

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

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

Did you ever try the piezo bridge through a D-TAR Mama Bear?

 

[Johtosotku]

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

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?

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

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 !!!

 

[Evan Skopp]

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

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

Two more hours, Pete. Keep the coffee coming!

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

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!!!

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

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!!!

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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

Did you ever try the piezo bridge through a D-TAR Mama Bear?

No.

Must give that a go next time.

 

[ratherdashing]

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

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.

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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?

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.

 

[Peter Crossley]

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

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.

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.