Steve Klein - master luthier that thinks outside tradition

[ken cierp]

If you want your projects to sound great and look different "google" Steve Klein. Some of his guitars are legendary, like the one made for Joni Michelle -- adjustable neck joint --for open tunings its said to have no peers

http://jonimitchell.com/Library/view.cfm?id=143

[Dave Bagwill]

Very interesting article and instrument.

I was struck by the following: "It was designed for Mitchell's low open tunings, and the removable soundhole rosette/ring allows the guitar's air resonance to be tuned accordingly for different amounts of bass."

Along with other things I've read, I'm now thinking that the Chas. Fox soundport with the adjustable baffle is a real step forward. It's like adjusting the size of your sound hole to fit the tuning you are using.

I'll have to look into that baffle idea and see if someone has written on the construction aspect.

[Ken Hundley]

I fell in love with the bridge design years ago, but have not the skill nor the tooling to easily make one. I have always felt the split bridge can really separate the sound....gut feel, no real thought justification there. I felt that the higher mass on the bass side of the bridge helped to transfer more bass energy to the soundboard. Again, gut feel. I also have always loved the idea of individual saddles for the acoustic, but again, have not gained the skills nor the tools to easily make them. MAybe I should hire a dentist....looks a little like teeth. Anyway, I remember seeing his guitars in the past, and forgot about them. Thanks for pointing them out!

[ken cierp]

I believe there are many outstanding ideas and concepts that grew from the Michael Kasha, Steve Klein, Richard Schneider era of guitar design. Unfortunately much was defamed when Gibson tried to mass produce the design using methods that did not take into account the required artistry and delicate adjustments required to extract the acoustic benefits.