Rarebird Guitars!

Kevincharles

Kevincharles

New member
recently i saw an ad on craigslist of a luthier selling wood and guitar parts. so i called him up and asked if he needed any help around the shop, snagged me an apprenticeship!

He makes "Rarebird" guitars under the name of Cherokee Guitar Works, I got to play a couple and plugged one up, sounds and plays amazing. he mainly makes hollowbodys with no f holes and man..the sustain is unbelievable.

anyway...ever heard of them?

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Re: Rarebird Guitars!

EDIT: NOw it works.

THey look sort of PRS-esque to me. I do like that Hollow Singlecut's finish. It looks so exotic...
 
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Re: Rarebird Guitars!

Just looking at them the instruments don´t really "convince" me, but the tune-o-matic bridge with integrated tailpiece looks interesting...

Definitely something to try when the chance arrives...
 
Re: Rarebird Guitars!

I know that guy. Bruce Clay! Not my brother, Bruce Collins. He's in Arvada, Colorado and has been around forever. At least twenty years. He does do nice work. That bridge tailpiece thingie is not his creation. Maybe it's made by Wilkinson or Hipshot or somebody.
 
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I don't remember who makes the bridge (Gotoh?) but it's called the Baby Grand. I think it's Hipshot though.
 
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Can anybody answer this for me?

Why do some handmade guitars look like those pictured - really soft edges, sort of waxy/smudgy/dimpled finishes... And then some from other builders look totally crisp and clean, like Thorn, McNaught, etc.?

I never hear anyone say anything about the former like "They're not really pro-level" or anything, so I'm not convinced that it's a lack of craftsmanship or finishing skill.

Is this just the difference between using machines like CNC vs. pure hand tools? Is it just a different aesthetic taste? Is it bad photography?

I'm not being a hater, I just always wondered that.
 
Re: Rarebird Guitars!

sosomething said:
Can anybody answer this for me?

Why do some handmade guitars look like those pictured - really soft edges, sort of waxy/smudgy/dimpled finishes... And then some from other builders look totally crisp and clean, like Thorn, McNaught, etc.?

I never hear anyone say anything about the former like "They're not really pro-level" or anything, so I'm not convinced that it's a lack of craftsmanship or finishing skill.

Is this just the difference between using machines like CNC vs. pure hand tools? Is it just a different aesthetic taste? Is it bad photography?

I'm not being a hater, I just always wondered that.
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Bottom line:

ATTENTION PAID TO DETAILS.

Some guys go with the "it's great" aspect, and some guys go with the "this guitar will forever change the way you think about quality and craftsmanship for as long as you are a player".
 
Re: Rarebird Guitars!

beandip said:
Bottom line:

ATTENTION PAID TO DETAILS.

Some guys go with the "it's great" aspect, and some guys go with the "this guitar will forever change the way you think about quality and craftsmanship for as long as you are a player".
Click to expand...

That sums it up pretty well. Some builders accept and work around minor errors they make and imperfections in the wood, others like myself kick themselves in the ass and start over from scratch because a customer paying for the best deserves to receive it.

Of course some of that is also price point, if you´re taking 500$ for a guitar you´re probably not going to start over, if you´re taking 2,5k you **** well better be starting over...

And some of it is of course "image", kind of "how flawed does a guitar have to be relative to your personal expectations before you will no longer sign your name to it?"... for me that point comes pretty fast, I would not be proud to have built about 50% of the guitars I own. ;)

This is of course assuming that any issue being discussed wasn´t done that way on purpose. The body finish on the guitar displayed is one of the things that didn´t convince me, it seems to be carelessly sanded and filled in places as well as insufficiently buffed....

I don´t mean this as a dig at a colleague or to taint the joy of garnering an apprenticeship, but it does strike me as odd that somebody building and selling guitars from an actual shop (or even garage) does what appears to be lower quality job of grain-filling and clearcoating than I do with rattle cans in my 180 sq ft apartment... :eek13:

But again, it could be the photos or the intent, so I can´t really pass judgement farther than "I`m not convinced but would try one" ;)
 
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sosomething said:
Can anybody answer this for me?

Why do some handmade guitars look like those pictured - really soft edges, sort of waxy/smudgy/dimpled finishes... And then some from other builders look totally crisp and clean, like Thorn, McNaught, etc.?

I never hear anyone say anything about the former like "They're not really pro-level" or anything, so I'm not convinced that it's a lack of craftsmanship or finishing skill.

Is this just the difference between using machines like CNC vs. pure hand tools? Is it just a different aesthetic taste? Is it bad photography?

I'm not being a hater, I just always wondered that.
Click to expand...

That's the thing about Bruce's work: his guitars do look like they have "really soft edges".

I like him and he does good work but I've always thought his stuff looked very hand made and lacked a certain tight precision.

Doesn't matter if it plays and sounds good I guess. But his work doesn't look as tight and precise as that of some other builders.

It's just his personality and style I guess.
 
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Re: Rarebird Guitars!

sosomething said:
Can anybody answer this for me?

Why do some handmade guitars look like those pictured - really soft edges, sort of waxy/smudgy/dimpled finishes... And then some from other builders look totally crisp and clean, like Thorn, McNaught, etc.?

I never hear anyone say anything about the former like "They're not really pro-level" or anything, so I'm not convinced that it's a lack of craftsmanship or finishing skill.

Is this just the difference between using machines like CNC vs. pure hand tools? Is it just a different aesthetic taste? Is it bad photography?

I'm not being a hater, I just always wondered that.
Click to expand...

Wow. That makes two of us. Clearly these are "nice" guitars, but the "OMG, I gotta have one" factor is not there for me like a Thorn or McNaught.
 
Re: Rarebird Guitars!

sosomething said:
Well, I guess there's my answer. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

It's a style and personality thing, IMO. And the truth is, some very talented people lack the gift of doing things in a super precise and super skillful way.
 
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^ +1.

And the sculpting of the wood on the doublecuts reminds me, for whatever aesthetic reason, of a Bass guitar. Like a non-Fender bass guitar.
 
Re: Rarebird Guitars!

The guitars look really cool, but I agree with people saying he needs to work on his finishes more. I like the style of the guitars and assuming they play and sound nice he's 80% of the way there.

Perhaps your apprenticeship will be more valuable to both of you if you bring some helpful suggestions along with you about finishing (made in a non-critiquing way of course).
 
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