When I finally found the courage to start build guitars and mandolins I made a point of visiting a number of established makers to ask for advice and hopefully some support or mentor ship.
Since they all loved their work they were very encouraging and prepared to share their knowledge.They also had a few other things in common. It was continuously suggested to me that there is more money to be made building instrument cases.
It may also be coincidental that all the luthiers I visited made excellent coffee. Maybe I am joining invisible dots but it has been important for me to make the best coffee. That is until recently when I decided to forgo coffee for atleast 3 months. Up until this point I was drinking 1 to 3 double shots a day.
The immediate effect was headaches and fatigue. For the first time in my life I needed to stop and rest for a while in the middle of the day. Fortunately this only lasted for a week.
There are however some more subtle and possibly permanent changes in relation to my work as a luthier. I have noticed a more “measured” or careful approach. This is a good thing however my approach towards unresolved design issues is no longer perceived as an exciting opportunity to do things better. I now see problems or issues as just that. . . things to be fixed. In short my caffeine fueled enthusiasm for a brave new world has at the very least been curtailed.
Coffee has influenced the instruments I have built and the experience has been relished. However, the main reason for this journey has been the sound! There will probably be some small incremental changes to my instruments with things like gold plated tail pieces. However, the fundamental design is established.
The hope is the final distillation will be of value and ultimately assist in the creation of music.
Thank you and always happy to discuss things!
Richard
Leave A Comment