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Thread: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

  1. #1
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Smile Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    This will serve as a continuation of this thread ... http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...-advice-sought

    For those of you just tuning in, I wanted to get Lawrence Nyberg to build us an Octave Mandolin as a family instrument and approached him earlier this month. Both my kids play mandolin and guitar and this will give us a different voice in the house. We went over to his place on Hornby Island, BC a couple of times now and have discussed ideas. I met up with Lawrence again last week and he was very gracious and lent me his personal bouzouki (24 inch scale length), and a Koa/Sitka mandola to play over the holidays. I'll be meeting him again this coming weekend and will try to nail down a few more details.

    What a great way to help decide on what you want by having one of his instruments in your hands to start with. I guess one of the best ways to describe this instrument is that I don't want to stop playing it. It's that good and I've gotten lost with it for hours. Time just seems to be on a different level. Lots of new things coming out of me and I really like the voice. Lot's of sustain compared to a f style mandolin.

    I've had these 2 instruments for a week now and they are still blowing me away. I find myself playing the bouzouki most of the time capo'd at the 2nd fret. Lawrence has the best finish (gunstock oil) on his necks that I have come across. Smooth as silk and fast. These should be the industry standard as varnish and nitro seem sticky in comparison. I'm thinking 22.5" scale length should be just right.

    Some details that I have considered:
    22.5" scale length
    turquoise fret markers
    Engelmann spruce for the top
    Hand carved top
    Silver Waverly tuners with ebony knobs
    back and sides: ?
    Binding: Something dark with contrasting purfling
    Laminated neck ~ mahogany/maple/rosewood/maple/mahogany at this point
    Soundport: ?
    Inlay?

    I really like way he uses maple, but I'm thinking of leaning towards a rosewood. The sound clips on his website are great to get an idea of the different characteristics each tone wood brings to the instrument. In the end, they all sound wonderful with a different flavour. I don't generally like maple guitars as they can sound cold, but this bouzouki sounds wonderful. Some things to think about this week.

    Here is what I'm talking about with having turquoise fret markers. I saw this on a previous build that he did and we all fell in love with it.

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    Lawrence asked me if I wanted an inlay and I never really considered one ... that was until I saw this one he did ...

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    If you go to Lawrence's Facebook page, there are nice photographs of some of his beautiful instruments to look at. Great attention to detail. The harp guitar he built is way cool!

    Here is a shot to show the size differences

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    I'll try and post a video later this week of one of us playing. Time to get out and chop some wood before it rains. Hope you are all having a great and festive holiday season.

    The McGillivray's
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

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  3. #2
    Registered User Mike Anderson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Very inspiring post as always John. Hope you and the family enjoy a fine New Year's Eve, in and cozy while the rain falls.

  4. #3
    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Denman John View Post
    I really like way he uses maple, but I'm thinking of leaning towards a rosewood. The sound clips on his website are great to get an idea of the different characteristics each tone wood brings to the instrument. In the end, they all sound wonderful with a different flavour. I don't generally like maple guitars as they can sound cold, but this bouzouki sounds wonderful.
    If Lawrence has an OM with a rosewood back at his place for you to try out, I'd suggest that you do so before making your decision. I agree that the rosewood will give you more warmth, but it will probably give you more sustain, as well. An oval-hole OM already has lots of sustain even with a maple back, and you might find that one with a rosewood back has more than you would like. However, a sound clip of someone else playing it won't tell you that as clearly as your own playing will.
    still trying to turn dreams into memories

  5. #4
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Mike ~ thanks for the warm holiday wishes, and yes, we had a good one!

    Marcus ~ Unfortunately, Lawrence didn't have any rosewood instruments there at this time, but he had a lovely Koa mandola that we got to play for an extended period and I think that is the way we are going to go. Just love the tone of that Koa mandola, so that is what we are going to shoot for. Fantastic tone, playability and sustain.

    I was over at Lawrence's place last week and we nailed down a few more details, so far this is what we have:

    1 Octave mandolin, carved-top or flat top (will be decided on Wednesday)
    Engelmann spruce top
    34mm neck
    koa back and sides
    koa headplate (to be confirmed)
    binding (TBC)could be ebony,braz rosewood,indian rosewood,or...?
    Laminated neck
    Waverly or Alessi tuners
    turquoise 'lozenge'shaped fret markers (Bashkin style)
    soundport (maybe bound)
    soundhole binding
    custom Nyberg tailpiece
    Headway active pickup
    scale length: somewhere around 22"~22.5"

    I was very fortunate to have his carved sitka top/maple bouzouki and a outstanding Koa/sitka flat top mandola for an extended period of time to play and get to know. Both stellar instruments that anyone would be proud to own, but that mandola was a real siren that sang so beautifully. Top shelf craftsmanship all the way around. I'll be seeing Lawrence again this week and will talk to him about flat top vs. carved top. I really liked the tone of the flat topped mandola, so we'll see what happens.

    There are still a few details that I have to work out/think about, but enough to give Lawrence a go ahead. We are looking at an April delivery date as of now.

    I tried to record a couple of videos, but all I have is Photo Booth on the mac, and the sound quality really lacked in comparison. That is one thing that I want to look at (recording) when I get the new OM.

    Pickups ~ Lawrence has had great success with Headway pickups and I haven't read a bad thing about them. Any suggestions/recommendation regarding an active or passive pickup? I have a K&K twin pickup in Tai's mandolin, but I'm not all that impressed with it. As of now, it will be going into a Fender Blues Jr amp, but I will probably pick up an acoustic amp later in the year.

    There is a lot to think about, but it is so much fun having a custom made instrument built to your own specs. I never really got that before when I saw other threads about custom built instruments. I always figured that there are so many nice instruments out there that you can buy used ... but OM's are as rare as hens teeth around these parts.

    Good times
    John
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

  6. #5
    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Koa should be great on an OM! I have a spruce/koa cittern that Richard Beard built, and it has incredibly rich tone and sustain. For me, it's a total CAS killer! I think that rosewood might give more warmth and koa might give more brightness. If you liked the tone of koa on the mandola, you'll probably be a happy camper with it on your OM.

    Enjoy!!!
    still trying to turn dreams into memories

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  8. #6
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    I went over to Hornby Island and met up with Lawrence this week and we nailed down a few more details.

    I think we'll be going with the Koa head plate and having the headstock bound.

    We are going to go with Braz. rosewood for the binding and there is an interesting story behind the wood. It's probably been on the island since the 70's.

    We got a set of Alessi tuners and that is just the icing on the cake for me. Kinda like putting a Campagnolo Record groupo on a bicycle.

    We thought we had a set of wood picked out, but it looks like we missed it. We'll be working on getting a set of Koa to make all this happen.

    Not really related to the OM, but here are a few videos of the kids who will be using it, along with myself. They were taken at the open mic here on Denman Island on Thursday night. I also passed them along to Lawrence so that he can see our playing styles. We have played for Lawrence in his living room, so this will be a little more insight for him when he's putting the instrument together.

    Blues in G ~ Ekou, Tai & Kevin (teacher)


    Si Bheag Si Mhor (Sheebeg Sheemore) Tai & Kevin


    Copperhead Road
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  9. #7
    Registered User Markkunkel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Gotta love love, and gotta love music, and when they're all mixed together, gotta be grateful. Enjoy that Nyberg!

    MK

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  11. #8
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    A little developmental update...

    Early in the week Lawrence found a plank of koa ready to be cut. It was from the same supplier that we had initially expressed interest in. This was the first image that he sent me.

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    I told him that it looked like an awesome piece of wood and I'm sure we could work with it if thought it was OK. Today Lawrence sent me these pictures and I am quite smitten with it.

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    I am really pleased with the piece selected visually. It has a nice rich colour to it and and an interesting grain pattern. Nothing over the top about it and has character. So far I am pleased.

    As far as I know, the Alessi tuners are on their way from Europe as I write this. I really want to have a look at these as they will be first ones I've seen in person. I think Lawrence is a little excited as well.

    Now the waiting begins. Lawrence thinks that by mid February he'll be ready to start building. Fun times.
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

  12. #9
    Registered User Mike Anderson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Denman John View Post

    I am really pleased with the piece selected visually. It has a nice rich colour to it and and an interesting grain pattern. Nothing over the top about it and has character. So far I am pleased.
    Nothing quite like koa! I've owned two ukuleles in koa, both treated very differently - one had a high gloss finish, the other just an oil rub. Very different character (and design), both stunning in their own way. I'm sure your OM will be a beauty.

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  14. #10
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Part 1 (only allowed 10 pictures per post)

    We hadn't been over to see Lawrence in about a month and were very pleased to see him and how things were coming along. In that time we were confirming the details and waiting for the materials to arrive. The first thing he showed us was the 5 piece neck that he had glued together. It's mahogany/maple/braz rosewood/maple/mahogany and I think looks fantastic.

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    Next was the engelmann spruce top that he has started carving and has the rosette inlaid. He tapped it in different places and showed/heard us the sound it produced. Lawrence said that he was really happy with it and that the piece was "lively". The grain is straight and uniform and looks beautiful ~ nice and creamy. As you can see in the middle photo below, it is going to be X braced. I know very little about bracing, but I do know that I love the sound/tone of his instruments and trust him fully in this respect.

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    Moving onto the back and sides, the set of Koa we selected proved to be even more beautiful than we expected from the original pictures. When we wetted it, the colour really popped out. Again, Lawrence was really happy to work with the wood selected. He gave us a couple of options on how best to utilize the wood and we chose to go with how it was cut (left side). You can see on the right piece where he drew the template outline and little farther away from the center.

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    Lawrence had a few pieces of Koa that he showed us that he thought would be nice for the headstock overlay. The one we chose has a nice flame to it. It will be bound with braz. rosewood and maple. Lawrence explained how he would cut the neck down to size and shape the headstock. The kids were kind of lost at this point, so Lawrence got a neck to show the kids. Seeing the 2nd neck in the pictures below really helped the kids understand what was going on and how it was going to happen.

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    Last edited by Denman John; Feb-20-2014 at 4:39am.
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

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  16. #11
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Part 2

    Lawrence had about 10 pieces of ebony for the fretboard that we could chose from. Ekou, my youngest son, chose the wildest stripiest piece, while Tai and I chose the blackest piece. We voted on it and chose the blackest piece. Ekou understood and was happy with the decision. I think they are happy because we have done our research together and they feel that they are part of the process. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture of the piece of ebony for the fretboard, but here is a picture of the turquoise that we will be using as the fretboard markers, ala Bashkin style.

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    Below are a few pictures of the hand engraved Alessi tuners with ebony buttons that we got. Beautiful craftsmanship that I'll allow the pictures convey. They will tie in nicely with Lawrence's custom tailpiece. We are all super happy with these!

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    To top off a wonderful day, here are a few pictures of Lawrence's workshop. We were mainly in his climate controlled building room and will take more pictures when we go back next week. He is hoping to spray it by mid March and let it cure while he's away for a couple of weeks. We are still looking at a early to mid April delivery date.

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    Thanks for looking.
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

  17. #12
    Registered User Mike Anderson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Yes, that is a gorgeous and rich-looking koa set, well done!

  18. #13
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Thanks Mike for the kind words. Yes, we are really happy with the choice we made. Hopefully it sounds as good as it looks

    Tai and I went over to Hornby Island on Wednesday and checked in on Lawrence to see how much progress has been made since our last visit. We were pleasantly surprised. On the ferry on the way over I asked Tai what he thought Lawrence done. "The headstock" he replied. I said probably not and listed off the things I thought he might have had time to work on. Sure enough, the headstock had been work on and looked even better than we imagined.

    Here are some pictures that we took. We'll be going over again this coming Wednesday and we'll post more pictures then.

    Thanks for looking.

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  19. #14
    Registered User Karl Keating's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    John:

    Lawrence made an octave mandolin for me last year. He will be able to tell you the particulars. It's a lovely instrument--and very loud. I certainly don't need amplification to keep up with guitars.

    Most of my playing time is on my Brian Dean bowlback or my Phoenix Neoclassical, so I haven't become as comfortable yet with the octave as I'd like to be. I've been using diatonic fingering, which requires a fair amount of jumping about; perhaps I should emulate my guitarist friends and go to chromatic fingering. I haven't decided.
    Brian Dean Baroque Mandolino
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    Nyberg Octave Mandolin
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    Lapini Bowlback
    Selkie Strings Micro Mandolin
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    Stoneman Backpacking Mandolin

  20. #15
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    It was such a great day. The weather is warming up and the ferry trip over to Hornby Island was filled with birds, seals, sea lions, eagles amongst more birds. The herring run just finished up and it's a feast for them right now. When we got to Lawrence's place, we were pleasantly surprised with how much had been done on our octave mandolin. We thought that maybe he had the sides and back put together, but this is what we found ...

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    I'm so impressed with how everything is coming together. Although still in the rough, the bindings look wonderful. I like how tight and crisp they look while at the same time feel fairly simple. I think they go very well with this set of Koa.

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    Although the picture of the back body doesn't really show it, there is quite a bit of flame in it. It looks really cool when you change the view angle in the light ~ kind of like dancing waves. The sides are also going to have some nice flame going on and I think will look really nice when it's hit with finish.

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    From the ring count on the top piece of engelmann spruce, Lawrence figures it's about 300 years old. The first thing I think when looking at it is very clean looking. Nice tight straight grained wood. Holding the body up and tapping on it sounds like a drum and sounds lively. The fretboard in the last picture isn't ours, but was used to give us idea how things were going to tie together. I'm really looking forward to sitting down with it for the first time.

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    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

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  22. #16
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Hey Karl,

    I mentioned to Lawrence that you posted to this thread and he told me about a bit about your OM. Sounds like have a nice one! I'd love to see the crossed keys inlayed on your headstock. I on the other hand decided to let the wood speak for itself and forgone without any inlay on the headstock. Please feel free to add any pictures of your OM to this thread!!! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your OM. Yes, the scale length does take some getting used to, but I'm sure you can still make yours sing.

    Enjoy it in good health!
    John
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

  23. #17
    Registered User otterly2k's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Stunning. thanks for posting!
    Karen Escovitz
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    Otter OM #1
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    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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    Registered User Karl Keating's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    John:

    Here are images of the octave mandolin that Lawrence made for me last year. The close-up shows the crossed keys.

    Karl

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    Brian Dean Baroque Mandolino
    Brian Dean Roman (Embergher) Bowlback
    Nyberg Octave Mandolin
    Phoenix Neoclassical Mandolin
    Lapini Bowlback
    Selkie Strings Micro Mandolin
    Sparling Pocket Mandolin
    Stoneman Backpacking Mandolin

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  27. #19
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    This week we got over to Lawrence's place and had a peak at what he's been up to. He was away for the March break with his family, so I wasn't expecting much work to be done. The previous e-mail from him said that he had started working on the neck, but I wasn't sure how much had been done. He was having a bit of trouble with the binding on the sound port and we discussed what options were available. Sure enough, he surprised us again when we got there. The build was pretty much finished and was just waiting for our approval before putting it into the spray booth. Here are some pictures ...

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    What you can't see in the pictures is the amount of silking on the top ~ beautiful. I can't wait to see what it looks like once the finish has been put on. The neck was carved, but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the back of the neck. The 5 piece laminated neck looks wonderful and I am looking forward to seeing it when it's done. Lawrence uses gunstock oil on his necks which make them feel fast and smooth.

    Tapping on the top, it sounds like you are tapping a drum ~ very lively and resonate! We took a picture with the custom tailpiece to get an idea of what it will look like (you can see the pattern of the paper towel that it was wrapped in ~ should of wiped it before the picture instead of after). The bridge still has be to made and we are going to go with ebony for strength and ascetics.

    When we were leaving, he said that he was going to put it in the spray booth later that afternoon. It should be in our hands in a few weeks time if all goes as planned.

    Thanks for looking
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  29. #20
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Keating View Post
    John:

    Here are images of the octave mandolin that Lawrence made for me last year. The close-up shows the crossed keys.

    Karl

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    Thanks Karl for sharing the pictures with us. Very nice! What string gauges are you using? Do you find that the harmonic sting suppressors (grommets) helpful/needed? The whole instrument is very tastefully done.
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    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

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    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Denman John View Post
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    Is the rosette on your instrument John? Didn't know that was an option. Just a stunning OM...

  34. #23
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    Thanks Mike! No, the top picture is mine and the picture with the carved sound hole cover is a 9 string lute/cittern that he is making for someone else. I was so impressed that I had to take a picture

    Lawrence sent me this sound file last night. He just string it up and tuned it to gdae and hit record. The recording is its first voice after only a few minutes of being strung up. I wanted a sound file right from the beginning so that I can compare it later and see/hear if or how much it "opens up" in the future. I'm blown away at how good it sounds right from the get go and imagine it will only get better with age.

    He still has to set the action and install the pickup, but it looks like I'll be able to go over to his place on Tuesday and pick it up It's going to be a very long weekend!

    Hope you enjoy,
    John
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    It's done!

    I'll be going over to Hornby Island tomorrow to pick it up with the kids.

    It's going to be a long day/night ahead of me

    John
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    Default Re: Lawrence Nyberg OM Build Thread

    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

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