KIM WALKER | Tap Tone Wood – Part 3
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Loading ...Posted on: September 6, 2009
Posted in: Acoustic Expert, Acoustic Luthier, Custom Acoustic Guitar, Custom Guitar Making, Custom Guitar Video, Featured
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“I see my guitars as evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary.” What sounds like overstated modesty is, in truth, the core of Kim Walker’s guitar building philosophy. Watch Kim’s hands-on demonstration and listen as he generously shares a plethora of knowledge on tonewoods and techniques. Wether archtop or flattop, finger-style or flat-picker, the beauty of tone and the mastery of craft will leave you breathless.
Tapping tone wood is an old craft luthiers used over centuries to determine the tonal properties of a certain piece of wood. Master Guitar Makers use it to pick the right choice of spruce, cedar or cypress for the soundboard. They also use the knowledge to find the matches for back, sides, neck and fretboard to give the instrument a good head start in the sound direction. When the guitar progresses in the building process tap-tuning is the way to find the perfect thickness of a top and the braces underneath. There is nothing more disappointing in sound than an overbuilt instrument, which gives the maker peace of mind in warranty issues, but delivers only 65% of the sound performance it possibly could. Understanding the tonal properties of different species of wood make it easier for guitar lovers to find the right choice of guitar they are going to acquire. See and hear this impressive custom guitar video how master luthier Kim Walker taps on tone wood to find the perfect choice for a custom acoustic guitar. Kim Walker is one of the sought after guitar makers in the world of high-end Gibson and Martin-style custom acoustic and custom archtop guitars. His waiting list is between 8 and 10 years. He gathered his impressive knowledge by restoring numerous vintage Lloyd Loars, pre-war Martins and some of the most prized D’Angelicos and D’Aquistos. Kim Walker was the head of the repair department of Gruhn’s in Nashville before he opened up his custom guitar shop in North Stonington, MA.
