In 1975, in high school, Jack bought his first guitar sight unseen through the mail: an Ovation Legend for $329.
“I thought it was a good thing when it came. It seemed like a nice guitar until I touched a Martin D-28 in a store in Syracuse. I went: ‘Oh…..wood…’
Summer Temperatures in Cars
Heat in vehicles kills kids, dogs, and destroys cherished instruments every summer. Because of the human deaths, a variety of studies have been done that are instructive.
The Care & Feeding of Froggy Bottom Guitars
Part III: Cleaning and Protecting Fingerboards and Bridges
Given an intact finish, the outside of the guitar is reasonably well protected and, with a sound hole cover humidifier in dry environments, will stabilize the interior raw surfaces of the instruments.
But, humidifying the inside of the body of the guitar, however, isn’t going to help protect the fingerboard or the bridge, which are unfinished.
The Care & Feeding of Froggy Bottom Guitars
Part II: Humidity Basics: Protecting the Instrument Body
These are not fragile instruments; they are responsive. There are a lot of Froggy Bottom Guitars out there in the world. They move around and respond to their environments as they respond to your touch. We can’t limit their environmental responsiveness without sacrificing their musical responsiveness.
Once placed in your hands, the care and maintenance of these fine instruments will be a part of the continuing joy and responsibility that comes with owning, playing and passing them on into the hands of the next generation of owners and players.
In mid-April, Froggy Bottom Guitar founder Michael Millard presented a one-day workshop with a dozen budding guitar builders at Brattleboro’s new Whetstone School of Lutherie. Michael brought five roughed out guitar necks and spent the day hand-shaping them – teaching, musing, puzzling, and chatting over the philosophy and techniques involved in shaping and finishing necks at Froggy Bottom Guitars.
