Stefan Sobell

[antares]

You guys have endured me eulogising about my Sobell before. Today I stumbled upon this video (that I remembered I'd seen before) and it made me realise where a few of the things I reel off about Sobells came from! The interviewer in the video (Martin Simpson) influenced me with both the Sobell and a fair raft of his material, together with alternate tunings in general for which I am eternally grateful.

youtu.be/qmCx8Q2OvQU

I broke a "G" string on the Sobell during a jam with a handful of like-minded friends on Saturday. It's inevitable when one constantly cranks strings up and down through half a dozen different tunings. They always go at the machine head capstans. I replaced the other five strings on Sunday. It is always a joy to pull out of the case, but with new strings- flippin' 'eck it sounds so good, I must spend more on strings!

でつ e&oe ...

[Deleted]

Have seen this video at some point. I like his cool lay back way. Nice looking acoustic guitar. I so would like to build one. But I just don't know if a can. I keep on slipping away. Getting harder and harder to do the things I love to do. Oh, well... Not going to go there.

 I looked at the acoustic kits you can get online. But heck, the cost of them to me is high. Most of the kits I have seen start with the back and sides and are flat. Then you have to buy the top, then buy the neck. By the time I buy all that, I can go and buy an acoustic made of the same woods I can buy online.

 By the way things look in this video, he has enough woods to last him the rest of his life. LOL! Well, I'll have to see what happens this summer and my health. But I sure would like to build one acoustic somehow.

Looks like you have a winner!

 As far as braking strings, I have not broken one in a long, long time. When I was teaching people how to play guitar, I tried hard to break them of cupping when strumming or strumming in a circle. One guy I used to play music with had a real bad problem with that. He was always breaking the "G" string. After I watched him play, I could see he was doing the thing I try and unlearn others from.

 I showed him how to break himself of that. He did what I had showed him, and he stopped breaking strings. Plus, he also used to hammer his guitar while strumming. Not good. I worked with him, and he started to not just play better but sound better as well.

 Acoustic guitars to me sound so much better if one does not hammer on them.

It's kind of like playing with no dynamics, if one is playing at top volume then there is really no place to go if you need to have that cool dynamic when needed.

 Not saying this you. Sometimes it is not using a good string to start with or playing on strings that should have been changed a year ago. LOL!

 There was a time when I was playing so much I could tell if a string was going to give way just by the way it felt to my fingers.

   But if your string is always giving way at the same point, there could be a small bur on the peg head that is working on it. I have found them even on high-end guitars or tuners. May not hurt to run a small file in the tuner string holes. Even you don't see a bur does not always mean there is not one.

 I did have a guitar that was breaking strings a lot (years ago) At the bridge. I looked at the saddles and could not see any reason for the problem. So one day out of frustration I filed the saddle of the "G" string slot. Guess what? Never broke another string. Funny how that worked out.

 Cool video and cool guitars!

EB

[dnic]

As one who really dislikes the look of the acoustic guitar arm bevel I'm intrigued by the curved top of his guitars. Really would like to have seen the inside to see the bracing.

Thanks Steve, appreciate the video. Also I'd give a kidney for some of that Brazilian rosewood.

[antares]

I was having my six-monthly dewey-eyed perusal of Stefan's website and I happened upon this:

www.sobellguitars.com/brazilian-rosewood-for-sale/

There are some beautiful sets of timber there with prices to match. I note that many have already been spoken for. In particular, you can see an image of his back struts. I wonder what the sound board struts look like? He's not about obfuscation so I guess there's an image or two somewhere on his website. Some of the prices for the Brazilian rosewood are eye-watering and together with the construction time go some way to explaining why high end instruments are so costly. Anyone who loves wood ought to get a tingle on the skin just ruminating about "what if?".

でつ e&oe ...

[dnic]

Thanks for the link Steve. That's some very amazing looking BR. All that's left are ones that didn't appeal to me. I was thinking at my acoustic guitar experience level that's a lot of money to spend on wood. Then I thought well I could save it till I was very sure I was good enough. But then I didn't see any pieces that made my heart fluter. Also been watching this guy called the Pragmatic Luther named Kevin LaDue. He makes a very good case for using Locally sourced lumber instead of all the traditional woods or even the truly expensive sets that are out there. Some off the top of my head are Cocobolo, Tansmaian black wood, figured Koa. Now I'm drawing a blank. I think you get what I mean.

[antares]

Sure do Dane. Also, it was unfair of me to dangle the carrot, because reading again I noted in the accompanying text that Stefan said he's done jumping through flaming hoops for all the job'sworths to export the stuff, so I guess transatlantic sales are off the table.

でつ e&oe ...

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Thanks for the link…very nice.

John

[dnic]

Apr 27, 2023 5:42:11 GMT -6 antares said:

Sure do Dane. Also, it was unfair of me to dangle the carrot, because reading again I noted in the accompanying text that Stefan said he's done jumping through flaming hoops for all the job'sworths to export the stuff, so I guess transatlantic sales are off the table.

でつ e&oe ...

I didn't read that but I was thinking that would be the case.

[antares]

The thing that's missing here is the opportunity to get your hands and ears on one of these guitars. I deliberately leave mine in the case often for weeks at a stretch, and like us all I hear so many great sounding guitars on line (admittedly often on a cell 'phone) and then I get mine out and it just floors me time after time. I did buy the Tacoma Guild F512 after this guitar, but that is a case queen. I found my cure for G.A.S. and sure- it came at an obscene price. That said, I've not had one iota of buyer's remorse.

Sorry to go on a bit guys.

でつ e&oe ...

[Deleted]

By pricing alone, I would never build an acoustic guitar. Seems to me, you don't get much wood for the money. I don't care how old the wood is or what kind of wood it is.

 I listened to some YT videos the other day on high-end acoustics. I was not all that impressed by any of the videos.

 I have played a lot of high-end acoustic guitars. One of them was like a $15,000 acoustic guitar. For me it was hard to play, it really didn't sound any better than an EPI Master built. That includes another one that was $10,000 and it needed a neck reset.

 But woods to me are way over the top overpriced! I also have had the chance in my life to work on countless acoustic guitars. Now, I will say that, yes, I can tell the deference between a lower level and upper level guitar.

 

 But at a certain price point to me there is not that much of a life changing tone/sound in any guitar. Sorry, I just can't get excited over expensive guitars. Or woods. To me, some people have more money than they do since.

 It's not just in guitars, but everything! Here in the USA and Canada, people are shelling out a lot of money for cars and housing. I do not see ho someone would want to spend $14,000 dollars on a rusted out piece of junk to have to spend another $100,000 Just to get it back on the road. And that is if they leave the patina on it. LOL!

 Then there is the housing. What the heck? Over a million dollars for a house that needs to gutted and redone before someone can move into it and live? WOW!

 So when I see people spending thousands and thousands of dollars on guitars, I have to ask why? Is it really worth that, or is it all a bunch of hype? Is it all for the sake that I can brag on spending a lot of money?

 I know of a guy that has spent more in buying stuff just so he can impress people. He will spend over the top for stuff, so he can say he owns it and will swear to ya that it's the best thing on the planet! When all he really did was over pay for items.

 I wish people would stop and see how this kind of spending is hurting a lot of people. My wife and I cannot even look at buying a house. I can o longer buy me an old hot rod. Now it's getting to where I cannot afford to order wood online.

 I am a hobby guitar maker. I am also on a limited income. I cannot buy woods that coast more today than ever.

 I cannot pay to have a better way of making videos. Not going to happen.

 On YT I see so many with what looks like they have money to burn. Even the car videos. Most of the people though money at car projects like it's nothing. A long time ago, I used to street race. But my cars cost me nowhere near what they cost today for the same cars. WOW!

 So where does it all end? How many millionaires are out there? How many people can afford a $10,000 house payment? Or a car payment of $4,000 a month or more and still afford to go out and eat or buy food and pay for electric and gas and so on.

 Yep, I am mister grumbles today. Getting to be like that every day. Going to go back to doing things simple. I cannot compete with others in the videos or making guitars.

 All of it is starting to remind me of working. I retired so I would not have to work. I moved to where I am at to have a simple life (for however long I have left). I have grown tired of the prices of things and people that can't let someone have a little fun in the things they do, like making guitars and or videos.