Graduation for Class #240902

It had taken more than a year and finally the guitar is done. While I am eager to know how they perceived the learning experiences, I would not compel my students to write reviews for my classes. It is always completely voluntary.

The testimony below was written by the student from class #240902. He made a S7 model, Full Honduras Mahogany with Nyatoh neck acoustic guitar.

TESTIMONIAL FOR THE GUITAR ITSELF

The 4 most immediately noticeable things about this guitar are:

1) Warmth

From the first time I started playing it, I noticed it had a beautiful warmth - a rich bass, and a high end that was clear but never shrill/piercing. It has an overall mellowness, which is very pleasing and non-fatiguing for the ear.

2) Sustain

The next thing that struck me was sustain. I found it very easy, for example, to make main melody notes ring out clearly over arpeggiated chords in a fingerstyle piece. The strong sustain helped to easily achieve the kind of 'singing' characteristic that I find so desirable when playing lead lines.

3) Projection/dynamics

Somehow, for a guitar with a relatively compact body, it has a huge dynamic range. You can get it to play really soft, or really loud, while maintaining good clarity and separation of the notes.

4) Ease of playing

Lastly, it is so delightful and easy to play, all the way up and down the neck. I have really enjoyed playing this guitar for long stretches of time without my left hand getting tired.

TESTIMONIAL FOR THE GUITAR-MAKING CLASS

There were many things that I deeply appreciated about Adam's guitar-making class. Here they are, in no particular order:

1) All questions welcome

As Adam guided me along the many steps of guitar-making (all of which were completely new to me), I constantly bombarded him with questions. I asked questions about tools, techniques, materials, acoustics, aesthetics, and so on.

I never felt like any of my questions were too silly or too basic. No matter what, my questions were always followed with detailed and insightful discussions.

2) Hands-on approach

I was involved in basically every part of the guitar-making process. I didn't want to just watch - I wanted to do. And I'm very grateful that that's exactly what I got.

I learned to use many woodworking tools and techniques that I was unfamiliar with, and ultimately I became more skilled with my hands as the sessions progressed. This was a deeply rewarding process in and of itself.

3) Fun!

While it is evident that Adam treats this craft of luthiery with utmost seriousness and diligence, I would describe all of our sessions together as filled with fun and lightness.

We would enjoy great music, have entertaining conversations, and laugh a lot - in between stretches of deep and quiet focus. We would work hard, but it wouldn't feel very hard at all.

4) Flexible scheduling

I was very grateful that Adam was flexible enough with scheduling, such that I could incorporate these classes into my normal weekly routines.

This allowed me to keep making progress on the guitar at a steady and sustainable pace, amidst all of my regular commitments with work, family and so on.

5) Deep and vast knowledge

It is very clear that Adam loves guitar-making with a passion. He has clearly invested a great deal of time and energy into studying this craft, improving his workmanship, refining his processes, and deepening his understanding of every facet of the instrument.

I am in awe of his knowledge, and I feel deeply humbled and grateful that I have gotten the chance to learn from him.

At the end of this long journey, I have brought home what is clearly the highest-quality acoustic guitar I have ever owned - and I can hardly believe that I've made it with my own hands. This is all thanks to the steady and sure-handed guidance that I received throughout the process of making it. Thank you so much, Adam.