tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893416427170305602024-02-20T11:50:58.414-08:00While the glue dries...Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-619000807953257842013-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:002013-08-06T19:51:17.593-07:00The Art Deco OO-12 is done!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thursday morning I'll be hopping on a plane and heading west for sunny California with my most recent guitar, an Art Deco themed OO-12.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few pictures...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm2Jzt-V9gZjVfy1e7f6a4RnTdcpYNn7WSFpIuuD6CmWHeL91-COg3FIQ7e14VZpnDE1mCQg_tzuB2acegy5OAVRyn0eVIbqFL8KvVYzVUnAfMgWxdL346Rznu4ttpQM7SK6GNhPO5K0g/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm2Jzt-V9gZjVfy1e7f6a4RnTdcpYNn7WSFpIuuD6CmWHeL91-COg3FIQ7e14VZpnDE1mCQg_tzuB2acegy5OAVRyn0eVIbqFL8KvVYzVUnAfMgWxdL346Rznu4ttpQM7SK6GNhPO5K0g/s400/front.jpg" width="193" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxouYgKx1pp07hsjL6aUpK1AF0uOm9Im0nVMNHJs-WEhxqAchDz5O5UkDQ4Q1zg7658x6QPYxe6GLiOwKP-qJkdzbqUFiuWdH89b2mkbgLAOfcHS1kZt_HTt-TnHtRZy-dyLkmq2KFliN/s1600/rosette_bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxouYgKx1pp07hsjL6aUpK1AF0uOm9Im0nVMNHJs-WEhxqAchDz5O5UkDQ4Q1zg7658x6QPYxe6GLiOwKP-qJkdzbqUFiuWdH89b2mkbgLAOfcHS1kZt_HTt-TnHtRZy-dyLkmq2KFliN/s400/rosette_bridge.jpg" width="232" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnch92uHx4Yxg-W7fOBRqw7UPrB3pmWSTwG-5FcXrDcDywH6KmDu1EsiCiLYjgNRarNr9w3o3pcHTA0mFKfUcwCGEG-mHOmoLUHcFzcdlx-Hkqz1KNnJz2RmnG94ThPMNFfqfteR0xNNpF/s1600/side_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnch92uHx4Yxg-W7fOBRqw7UPrB3pmWSTwG-5FcXrDcDywH6KmDu1EsiCiLYjgNRarNr9w3o3pcHTA0mFKfUcwCGEG-mHOmoLUHcFzcdlx-Hkqz1KNnJz2RmnG94ThPMNFfqfteR0xNNpF/s400/side_front.jpg" width="218" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtra7yDWXbNYUlEQ9i0jp5H1JN_OxPvmH1dtNpWJPBTStt-JJlB3UR98j_gmWXaEkf0EixTaliW-HYn9NCiLMec9FSROtO5qz7Y0w9pWI348mAJ-XqCBCj7SAFMDGZ4ot_Tfe8PP3qQta/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtra7yDWXbNYUlEQ9i0jp5H1JN_OxPvmH1dtNpWJPBTStt-JJlB3UR98j_gmWXaEkf0EixTaliW-HYn9NCiLMec9FSROtO5qz7Y0w9pWI348mAJ-XqCBCj7SAFMDGZ4ot_Tfe8PP3qQta/s400/back.jpg" width="187" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDVx1n2ey4sLCztP1YLnVEC9ftxXcQz-_LQK-7SLxLcqpeEntfREjPkgR-Zcwu1vVJuxEU3TBc5anvsTj2UaxcqNNTTC3Q7DVzBUfZ2CnDLY90-L_MEhUy7rK6biQHvQBkoCWqmUqX49d/s1600/end_wedge_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDVx1n2ey4sLCztP1YLnVEC9ftxXcQz-_LQK-7SLxLcqpeEntfREjPkgR-Zcwu1vVJuxEU3TBc5anvsTj2UaxcqNNTTC3Q7DVzBUfZ2CnDLY90-L_MEhUy7rK6biQHvQBkoCWqmUqX49d/s400/end_wedge_front.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Is0zuLxKnlgJus2rJVVTwclqVRwyFQTaU4K7xZyhfZFrfqfANVRmnBWGwDivBQbrUbb3Tuaj8IRuVZ7iAF571pt-brNWY-KUN2HG8LkpzZ13MDspZVbJhwMPxMSEHFPlzi8-paPBN9Nq/s1600/headstock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Is0zuLxKnlgJus2rJVVTwclqVRwyFQTaU4K7xZyhfZFrfqfANVRmnBWGwDivBQbrUbb3Tuaj8IRuVZ7iAF571pt-brNWY-KUN2HG8LkpzZ13MDspZVbJhwMPxMSEHFPlzi8-paPBN9Nq/s400/headstock.jpg" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And once again </span><a href="http://www.mikeobrienmusic.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike O'Brien</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was kind enough to come by and record a couple of videos...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WBBiR4USolA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zdiDoTtPLxY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guitar has definitely been one of the most (aesthetically) challenging guitars I've built to date and I'm extraordinarily pleased with how it turned out (sounds <em>killer</em> as well!). Hopefully some of you out there will get a chance to see it at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival this weekend!</span> </div>
Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-21766535930095415462013-04-10T07:44:00.000-07:002013-04-10T07:44:10.356-07:00Symphontree Music<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a nerve-wracking week of a (temporarily) lost package, one of my guitars has finally arrived at Symphontree Music in Vancouver! Having a dealer on the west coast is fantastic; even better is the fact that Symphontree is located about 4 blocks from Sophie's Cosmic Cafe and their mind-numbingly delicious black bean and corn bread eggs benedict. I think I may have to hand deliver any guitars I send out there...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevin at Symphontree just received the guitar yesterday, but he already has some pretty great things to say...</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"This is the beginning of something incredible. This guitar is without a doubt one of the finest guitars I have ever played in my life. It is amazing and I have a funny feeling you will be reading more about this guitar while I’m cast under it’s seductive sonic spell."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read the full account of his first impression here... <a href="http://symphontreemusic.com/first-night-alone-with-indian-hill/" target="_blank">First Night Alone with Indian Hill</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-30825603072843227102013-04-02T18:11:00.000-07:002013-04-02T18:11:23.580-07:00Curly Mahogany OO-12<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My latest guitar has just made its merry way across the pond and arrived safe and sound at the Acoustic Music Company in Brighton, UK! This is my first guitar sent to Europe and I'm hoping it will lead to several "business" trips in the coming years. Here's a video I recently shot playing it...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NNeDinsAZ54?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here it is listed on the Acoustic Music Company's site...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.theacousticmusicco.co.uk/index.php/guitar-luithers/indian-hill-guitars.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indian Hill OO-12</span></a>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-82650979819730818142013-03-15T09:07:00.001-07:002013-03-15T09:07:20.926-07:00OO on the go..<span style="background-color: #f5f5ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Recently started on one of two guitars I'll be bringing with me to the Healdsburg Guitar Show this coming summer. Being a show guitar, I thought I'd do something a little bit different. I spent a few weeks in Arizona over the holidays and was lucky enough to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's workshop/school/home Taliesin West. I really enjoyed seeing his various screens and windows and thought it would be interesting to try and incorporate that type of design into a guitar. I've also been thinking about Art Deco style recently and with those two thoughts in mind I decided to just go for it....</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f5ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1h60ynQUkG5bp716z-Hn0_lB_lCFNBGbRQ6Lb8uRtIbNjngi-fNqHHFkzH7TuUV-oTjW8EMbOkqkW9uuTtG-r4hotk2sXxNhzbV9FXZ_TT6w6q9XjdgY5YPikwdSvqdExM6NUoG4rhLF/s1600/IMG_1371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1h60ynQUkG5bp716z-Hn0_lB_lCFNBGbRQ6Lb8uRtIbNjngi-fNqHHFkzH7TuUV-oTjW8EMbOkqkW9uuTtG-r4hotk2sXxNhzbV9FXZ_TT6w6q9XjdgY5YPikwdSvqdExM6NUoG4rhLF/s400/IMG_1371.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwMUpEBATLi17qoVX7zoaq_3XEPpKNlE_VJifFoUEv79s3E3Beirsv9E3VAT9ltTvfSZSP6tLxVDgatlpvLQ7XddWhnZBsm-5VI6zIZjmCVKFC2oM6hBvwPW__Y8U7Px_lax8puahIF2v/s1600/IMG_1450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwMUpEBATLi17qoVX7zoaq_3XEPpKNlE_VJifFoUEv79s3E3Beirsv9E3VAT9ltTvfSZSP6tLxVDgatlpvLQ7XddWhnZBsm-5VI6zIZjmCVKFC2oM6hBvwPW__Y8U7Px_lax8puahIF2v/s400/IMG_1450.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f5f5ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-74448664038512936942013-02-16T08:32:00.001-08:002013-02-16T08:32:28.032-08:00Jonathan Kreisberg<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm incredibly excited to announce Jonathan Kreisberg as a new member of the Indian Hill Guitar Company family! Jonathan is an absolutely stellar guitar player from New York City that plays worldwide with his quartet and as a member of Dr. Lonnie Smith's band. Jonathan contacted me last summer after trying one of my OO's at Rudy's Music in Manhattan and told me he had to have that guitar. Within a few months he recorded a brand new solo guitar album, "One", and used my guitar on two of the tracks!</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODBzMuw-hNpNizPtSrkt_m-E-YcTS_i18XZtGkcCHZKp0DaO-47iJd_j_1Ce4sCtyopKpzYiq_DQgHvITGhus1PU-Sy-rFVYt4-iJ2R94aISf58Vo5ESXEodf7JWyqxoS_YTJVwJ5JNWy/s1600/IMG_1312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODBzMuw-hNpNizPtSrkt_m-E-YcTS_i18XZtGkcCHZKp0DaO-47iJd_j_1Ce4sCtyopKpzYiq_DQgHvITGhus1PU-Sy-rFVYt4-iJ2R94aISf58Vo5ESXEodf7JWyqxoS_YTJVwJ5JNWy/s400/IMG_1312.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a video of Jonathan talking about the new album (note the guitar he's holding!)...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/OjjKIe_OagI/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OjjKIe_OagI&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OjjKIe_OagI&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Find out more about Jonathan at <a href="http://jonathankreisberg.com/">jonathankreisberg.com</a>!</span></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-29195940874897539032012-11-10T09:49:00.000-08:002012-11-10T09:49:04.181-08:00My latest...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's my attempt at Leo Kottke's arrangement of Wonderland by Night on my most recent guitar. This one is an East Indian Rosewood back/sides and Sitka spruce top Grand Concert. Sound port, 12-fret body joint and elevated neck -- a bit of a prototype but I'm <u>really</u> happy with how it turned out!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GfQbX1dS-GA" width="420"></iframe></span>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-79900071135702488022012-09-30T08:59:00.003-07:002012-09-30T09:06:12.325-07:00Sound Ports 101<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a theory. Sound ports are awesome. I have another theory. Sound ports allow guitar tops to vibrate more freely and with less energy loss. The first theory may be a bit hard to disprove seeing as sound ports <u>are</u> awesome. As for the second theory, well, let me explain...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The primary function of sound ports is to make it easier for
the player to hear without any noticeable difference out front. The secondary benefit, and potentially more important, is the increased freedom it gives the top to vibrate. How does it do this? Imagine pouring water out of a bottle.... the water glug-glug-glugs as it fights the vacuum created inside the bottle. What happens when you poke a hole in the side of the bottle? Air flows in and the water pours smoothly out. Now think about a guitar top vibrating after you pluck a string. As the top pumps up and down there will be some resistance as air is pulled or pushed through the soundhole. Poke a hole in the side and voila! Smoother airflow and less energy wasted!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a school of thought amongst guitar makers concerning how the air inside the guitar interacts with the top and back. Through bracing and careful tuning many builders attempt to couple the top and back together as one system to maximize efficiency. In theory I think this would work, but in practice people like to play standing up, leaning back on a couch, on stumps around a fire, and basically all sorts of positions that introduce a giant damper (ie. your belly) on that precision tuned back. For this reason I like to make my backs stiff and focus on the tops. And what can I do to eke out as much energy from the tops as possible? Sound ports!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;"></span>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-74011262706039065992012-07-04T10:06:00.001-07:002012-07-04T10:06:38.274-07:00I'm famous!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, not really. But here's a nice video segment Luke Loseth made about me for <a href="http://www.openfile.ca/montreal/story/video-profile-mile-end-guitar-maker-mike-kennedy" target="_blank">openfile</a>...</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/44837895" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></div>
</div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-6313324374293395992012-04-19T20:47:00.001-07:002012-04-19T20:47:26.752-07:00And the award goes to....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago I was asked to design and build a trophy for the Montreal Guitar Show Tribute Award. Here's what I came up with....</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/581341_333723996680867_245899965463271_822659_126669550_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/581341_333723996680867_245899965463271_822659_126669550_n.jpg" width="215" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's what I built....</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/522883_333724223347511_245899965463271_822660_1399275925_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/522883_333724223347511_245899965463271_822660_1399275925_n.jpg" width="232" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's the album I listened to while finishing it...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/522637_333724513347482_245899965463271_822661_1928309758_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/522637_333724513347482_245899965463271_822661_1928309758_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(it's Led Zeppelin's "Presence")</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So who does the award go to? I have no idea, but the past winners have been George Benson, Paco de Lucia, and Jeff Beck! </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-47099978207288525612012-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:002012-04-09T08:00:46.427-07:00It's April?!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently, it's April. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how this happened, but it appears that the inexorable march of time is, well, inexorable. (Don't worry I just looked up inexorable too) As per usual, shop life has been humming along quite nicely with all sorts of activity. The guitars shown in the previous post are much closer to being fully finished and strung up. As proof, here are a few shots of the wee tenor taken at some unknown point in March (though<span style="text-align: left;"> now it's a whole lot shinier and has neat little elevated neck eagerly waiting to be attached)</span> ...</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/421213_307946575925276_245899965463271_762067_172503683_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/421213_307946575925276_245899965463271_762067_172503683_n.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430706_307946625925271_245899965463271_762068_675426564_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430706_307946625925271_245899965463271_762068_675426564_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/432235_307946792591921_245899965463271_762071_1146212243_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/432235_307946792591921_245899965463271_762071_1146212243_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420916_307950495924884_245899965463271_762073_574366272_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420916_307950495924884_245899965463271_762073_574366272_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do these pictures look familiar? If so, congrats! You are well on your way to receiving the full internet assault of the Indian Hill Guitar Company! These pictures were previously posted on my facebook page which can be found..... <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndianHillGuitars" target="_blank">here</a>. But wait! There is also the little know Indian Hill Guitar Company youtube page (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/IndianHillGuitars?feature=mhee" target="_blank">here</a>) where you can see videos of my guitars in action as well as lots of videos from our in-shop concerts. Let the internet domination begin!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-77943188650585077572012-02-05T10:37:00.000-08:002012-02-05T12:49:06.206-08:00Eventually....they all go barefoot<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having spent almost no time in other peoples woodshops I can not definitively say how our shop compares to most, but I have an inkling that we might be just a wee bit more casual than the norm. Much to the surprise of most visitors, scraggly clothes and bare feet are the unofficial shop uniform. Over the years as new members have joined our little collective, the amount of time to adopt our unique style has varied but in the end... they all go barefoot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the close of last summer we were all quite sad to see our good buddy and shopmate <a href="http://dionguitars.ca/" target="_blank">Dion</a> head out west to set up a shop of his own in Edmonton. Dion was the third member to work with Jeremy and myself and he was a perfect fit right from the get-go. Anyone who shows up for their first visit with a bag of whole oats was a-ok in our book. With that in mind our newest addition, Martin, had some big shoes to fill (despite having nearly a foot on Dion) when he first set up his bench last fall. It took a few months, but we're proud to say, Martin is now working barefoot!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(At this point I'd ask that we all pretend there was some witty and poignant segue into this next section. Okay? Good.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij652O-hnT3S9-WDzPnVxnmoBLk-lRbKsCS9nLxhZdBDe0uuBDybLyINFyOhihi1nTTEmp7Y3eF6mMK0GmdRCjNY3Yf5MP-hM2t0Hb3OAn59Z5_UG7ijWZcA9jQ3lAHI_jKouNUKGE4U9j/s1600/Tenor+and+Concert+Grand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij652O-hnT3S9-WDzPnVxnmoBLk-lRbKsCS9nLxhZdBDe0uuBDybLyINFyOhihi1nTTEmp7Y3eF6mMK0GmdRCjNY3Yf5MP-hM2t0Hb3OAn59Z5_UG7ijWZcA9jQ3lAHI_jKouNUKGE4U9j/s400/Tenor+and+Concert+Grand.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The above picture shows a bit of what I currently have on the go. On the left, we have a nifty little tenor guitar with a calla lily inspired back destined for the <a href="http://montrealguitarshow.com/" target="_blank">Montreal Guitar Show</a> this summer. To the right, a new shape! I'm calling it the Grand Concert model (or Concert Grand?) and it is my take on a jumbo/dreadnought sized guitar. I'll have more details and an explanation of how I came up with the shape soon, but for now, here's a more detailed picture of the tenor...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcL7jJJhjCpozvz7uXQCUp2JGm_W5P2QRVdbQdemnOpnkYOz1qDmmzu5TwjRbB64wHo5ySzV4PizX6vBM2AQ2jQQ7SjR-ZbTEt7H9ZwlQmW4d_rCFiDy6yYUIAJHwo-yGm9MkHojsHdlr/s1600/Tenor+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcL7jJJhjCpozvz7uXQCUp2JGm_W5P2QRVdbQdemnOpnkYOz1qDmmzu5TwjRbB64wHo5ySzV4PizX6vBM2AQ2jQQ7SjR-ZbTEt7H9ZwlQmW4d_rCFiDy6yYUIAJHwo-yGm9MkHojsHdlr/s400/Tenor+Back.jpg" width="372" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ps. For the full on internet assault of Indian Hill, visit my facebook page!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndianHillGuitars"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/IndianHillGuitars</span></a>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-20184084204131876962011-11-07T19:58:00.000-08:002011-11-07T19:58:36.416-08:00Those Other G's....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rest easy -- the long awaited second installment of the much-hyped 'G Series' is finally here! In my younger days I often dreamed of making my way in the wilds of the Yukon in that elusive quest for gold. It's a dream that began nearly 14 months ago when Kaitlyn and I talked about how much fun it would be to go camping in the wilds of the Yukon to look for gold (I never said it was a complicated or old dream) So, in between guitar shows, Kaitlyn and I spent a few weeks in an around her hometown camping, panning, and hiking in some incredibly beautiful spots...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j0Wl7w4OwNMfces2TB0Rfrxm3uThazZoFgLRNU0MfA7aQ490HQyfNbc_FNA2ZPBNsuXsuMcsCHjFs407ztBCoCCS4rz-kaq-AmlKyTQ5qKYD69y0RsrHLlJO1DoigyQZXpHzV8H7NViJ/s1600/IMG_2414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j0Wl7w4OwNMfces2TB0Rfrxm3uThazZoFgLRNU0MfA7aQ490HQyfNbc_FNA2ZPBNsuXsuMcsCHjFs407ztBCoCCS4rz-kaq-AmlKyTQ5qKYD69y0RsrHLlJO1DoigyQZXpHzV8H7NViJ/s400/IMG_2414.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm hidden in the bottom left</span></i></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHuJH9LWKt9rNCMbbimVDLOzquR-lJ3wILuzXxdx2UEkGFUHre6IkE8ZEOPIn9K64bjm3-2AjucGQt74Wml4rwTuk9poUG99wy_Z6S_BAYxCt_S-xJoEugTWCI5CqGZbmMABnaIxBzeE8/s1600/DSCF2155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHuJH9LWKt9rNCMbbimVDLOzquR-lJ3wILuzXxdx2UEkGFUHre6IkE8ZEOPIn9K64bjm3-2AjucGQt74Wml4rwTuk9poUG99wy_Z6S_BAYxCt_S-xJoEugTWCI5CqGZbmMABnaIxBzeE8/s400/DSCF2155.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few miles from Kaitlyn's childhood home in Atlin, B.C.</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And what about that final 'G'? Growing a beard? Not a chance I was going to risk panning for gold with a clean shaven face. So, solely for authenticity's sake, I grew a 2 month beard and dove right into character...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE36JsElivmqO5ZiMc19oUDkZUeRTG_FZSnriSyXJkPNsCWwxp8-VM8wCR4SEiJZHeGLXFGNoxnGlz8CK6rT0orVxchKYVJ4ajSPvHgmK14cPEU4uiMfqZ-SPThIO3IiApjDQcJClQot7a/s1600/DSCF2188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE36JsElivmqO5ZiMc19oUDkZUeRTG_FZSnriSyXJkPNsCWwxp8-VM8wCR4SEiJZHeGLXFGNoxnGlz8CK6rT0orVxchKYVJ4ajSPvHgmK14cPEU4uiMfqZ-SPThIO3IiApjDQcJClQot7a/s400/DSCF2188.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canadian Gothic?</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The real question is, what does this all have to do with guitars? Absolutely nothing. Speaking of guitars, <a href="http://mikeobrienmusic.com/" target="_blank">Mike O'Brien</a> came into the shop the other day to record a bunch of videos. The guitars and Mike both sounded fantastic! In the video below, Mike is playing one of the show guitars from this summer. It's a stunning set of cocobolo for the back and sides, sitka spruce top, cherry neck, with cocobolo binding and rosette. Lots more videos coming soon! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9EoBEkCX3A8" width="400"></iframe>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-68200503276323107202011-09-28T20:10:00.000-07:002011-10-02T14:40:17.587-07:00Guitars, Gold and Growing (a beard)<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">This is to be the first in a series of at least one post(s) about just exactly what I've been up to these past few months. Seeing as this is a hip internet blog, I thought it best to sum up my experiences with a snappy catchphrase -- Guitars, Gold and Growing (a beard). First, the guitars...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">For the third year in a row I've been fortunate enough to display some of my work at the fantastic <a href="http://montrealguitarshow.com/">Montreal Guitar Show</a>. It is a truly top-notch show and I also happen to live 10 minutes away. This means I not only had to spend less than $5 ($4.79 USD) in transportation costs, but Dion (<a href="http://dionguitars.ca/">dionguitars.ca</a>) and I also got stay up working in the shop until 5 am the night before the show started. In this case, the ol' chestnut <i>'If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done.'</i> didn't really apply. More fitting would be the new chestnut, <i>'If it weren't for punk rock christmas carols at 3:30 am, nothing would get done.'</i> Let's just say it was a fun night.</span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The guitars looked and sound great, and once I again I was lucky to have the incomparable <a href="http://mikeobrienmusic.com/">Mike O'Brien</a> play a demo concert for me. I'll post some videos and more details about the guitars soon, but for now here are a few pictures from the weekend...</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-cYa74XL6_QkoOvyfT9cEU15aZf5pe-uGYBRn6U-0ClEq-gi_1W-v1mEREjiP7oeSLIHzmICmquHdooNQoOeUp_B1P0Ks0BaIHgiatyTm22bVa3XHYy3_k0RIdB7IKKUDF-uFfaepOZe/s400/-205.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659009528800418082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquD3W0fLvUIms7nS_myGb_62LJtcbyF8dt7stl25vWKHQh0sF7OoUFNRoW-CuIu8btu4UNqAbpFh7xi_F2RlPtmArRDDHLmrJi5RQwnRcs9EdgIkYdQWSXXZ8M0ZHau1b_T5r7XFo4Imn/s400/-346.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659010216979040002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></span></span></div></div></div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBva1-87YKUfUbhEW0bPR654rxgSBJ2cl5SnqE5y0WRKzRNJX7XmrqZDAFsG5hQxAkrTfmQp3txaOs_y1ZbPWgyUYu_Hia7btm5AupNnF6alknw5-N3I1BYXkklyXdj8Sqsc2NqjUNX_n/s400/-344.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659003202574309618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">photos courtesy of Tom Schneider</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Fast forward a month and half and we then found ourselves at another world-class guitar show, this time in Santa Rosa, California at the <a href="http://guitarfestival.lmii.com/">Healdsburg Guitar Festival</a>. I had been to Healdsburg once before while apprenticing with Sergei de Jonge, but this was my first chance to display my own work. All in all it was quite similar to the Montreal show, but being on the west coast meant a lot more ukuleles and a lot more guitar print Hawaiian shirts.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I'd say that takes care of a good portion of the first G, so I think I'll leave it at that for now with more exciting installments, such as the great unbearding of 2011, on the way soon!</span></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-35999314148048422782011-03-06T09:07:00.000-08:002011-03-06T09:52:04.900-08:00Bonk<div style="text-align: left;">It's time to come clean -- I've started bonking my guitars. Despite all appearances of an amorous allusion, this is purely a single entendre. In the never ending quest to produce consistently wicked sounding guitars, I've started keeping track of how a finished guitar acts when, well, bonked. Hang the guitar up, stick a mic in front of it, bonk the bridge and record the sound. If you run that sound through a fancy filter, you get this....</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqXJlsXqQwwk-HzIaTaGTESyMm0I7BdTuqZkBYZFKRPYCdvuytOcQZdUDgW79sU3q6w8mEi0Qh6CAVaYXw5vQ8LvI0njRHuPPdcgu7tC7NJc4qK1e-4RF-k9ndLUFIB6BD1ydjjHP4AV4/s400/bonk.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 269px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581026128022408706" /></div><div><br /></div><div>That, to my eyes/ears, is what the sound of a great guitar looks like. Each part of the guitar tends to naturally vibrate at a certain frequency and the peaks in the chart above show those points. Three of the key points are the frequencies for the top, back, and air chamber. In theory I could build another guitar that had those same points and it would sound just like this one. In reality? Ask me again in 30 years.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a bit of post-bonk revelry I decided I should record some actual music on this guitar before shipping it off to Dream Guitars early next week. Here's my attempt at Don Ross' "First Ride"...</div><div><br /></div><br /><object width="450" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9nuOGZeRtpo?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9nuOGZeRtpo?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="283"></embed></object>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-82755110786068147732011-02-14T10:15:00.001-08:002011-02-14T10:42:44.799-08:00Go forth and prosper...<div style="text-align: left;">It's an odd mix of excitement and sadness when one of my guitars leaves the warm cozy comfort of the shop and strikes out its own into the harsh world. You build up a relationship with each guitar -- an endearing, sometimes contentious familiarity with these funny little boxes of wood that you'll (hopefully) never see again. On the other hand, rent is due and I enjoy eating every day so sell sell sell!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's one of mine at the <a href="http://www.12fret.com/new/Kennedy_OM%20Zircote_pg.html">12th Fret</a> in Toronto....</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtcJTOD55LrUZitP6D-IULVpcVS8hvntaQ_qOezeO3TLdFBw7pH-PtKdXBwdeOg_Ut9jw6RTZfZyMBPt4N3t7Uaq7YwQ0CP38RBiiyd3RFDZm1BEyLDZHFnVbvL3T7Rx18SPhFEzrydQB/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573617212807736370" /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><a href="http://12fret.com/new/Kennedy_OM%20Zircote_pg.html">Click here to see the full write-up....</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div>And another at the <a href="http://www.themusicemporium.com/product-detail/product/indian-hill-cedar-concert.html">Music Emporium</a> outside of Boston...</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.themusicemporium.com/product-detail/product/indian-hill-cedar-concert.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdb5N0ub1_hcRJPi0YpDQVA3_jf7FGscE-6ngsyhToWBNpASpcLcFiZ6RiPUPv0URwJSvB0OQ4pDg6PPinebhUs5VRra3z9B3GFIJXdJ0p4CHUmhsiOWdpFLpmixTt-e2WZQnN-VXNHTq6/s320/temp+copy.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://www.themusicemporium.com/product-detail/product/indian-hill-cedar-concert.html">Click here for the full write-up....</a></i></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-37075756398831964842011-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:002011-02-07T09:38:59.706-08:00Music promoting for dummiesSince starting the shop, we inadvertently stumbled upon a rather profound and paradigm-altering method of music promotion. Perhaps this is being careless, but I'm going to share with you this sure-fire secret to success -- don't take any money for yourself. Through no fault of our own, the shop has developed into "Montreal's hottest new venue"<sup>1</sup>. A few months ago Michael Jerome Browne contacted me about playing in the shop. My position as object in the previous sentence should be of note -- people are now asking US to play. And not just any people; people like Michael Jerome Browne! Here's some evidence as to why this is good news....<br /><div><br /></div><div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="283" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jJtU7oQ-DWs?rel=0&hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><br /><div><sup>1</sup> So, I may or may not have been the one to say this.</div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-62258398429023285902011-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:002011-02-04T19:15:19.670-08:00The Best Restaurant in the WorldIf sitcoms have taught me one thing about addressing the public (besides imagining a less than fully clothed audience -- congratulations dear internet, you are now naked) it's to start with a joke...<div><br /></div><div><i>What's the difference between a guitar maker and large pizza?</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>A large pizza can feed a family of four.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Bam! There we go. Now onto the business at hand, which is, well, business. One of the pleasant side affects of making guitars is the need to sell them. This provides ample excuses for extended "business trips" camouflaged under the guise of a "sales trip". So, part of my travels this past year were spent visiting various guitar stores and dealers in an effort to gently thrust my name into the public consciousness.</div><div><br /></div><div>Passing through Asheville, North Carolina meant several things -- beer festival, roller derby, contra-dancing, old-time music, Dream Guitars, and the best restaurant in the world. Just north of Asheville the folks at Dream Guitars (<a href="http://dreamguitars.com/">dreamguitars.com</a>) have an incredibly impressive collection of instruments and were rather smitten with one of my tenor guitars. It has since sold, but here's a video they posted to help in the effort...</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="450" height="283" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dGb4qp-9x1Y?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>So, what's the best restaurant in the world? <a href="http://www.salsas-asheville.com/">SALSA'S</a>. Hands down, no questions asked, it's SALSA'S.</div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-87359295117870317252011-01-26T08:34:00.000-08:002011-01-26T08:51:44.120-08:00Mary Stockland<span class="Apple-style-span">I don't know what it's like outside where you live (where exactly do you <i>live</i> internet?), but in Montreal it's snowy. And cold. In nothing short of a heroic effort to delay my descent into said weather I decided to post another song from the Old Time for a New Year concert we had in the shop a few weeks ago. This time it's an original from our friend Mary Stockland. Mary is a wonderful person with a wonderful voice who writes wonderful songs. Enjoy...</span><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="450" height="283" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RjicdodFRAc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-27411247570782813962011-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:002011-01-17T08:56:02.014-08:00First of many....Great music, great crowd, great beer. Lots more videos on the way....<div><br /></div><br /><object width="500" height="306"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YpeAV8mZHqI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YpeAV8mZHqI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="306"></embed></object>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-89354931674851775082011-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:002011-01-09T19:11:48.103-08:00Old Time For A New Year<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >We broke in the new shop with our grand re-opening concert a few weeks ago, so it's about time for another party! Come join us for a night of fiddle tunes, ballads, old time songs and original music performed by Montreal's finest ballad singer Mary Stockland and old time stringband The Bogghoppers. Mary has an absolutely incredible voice that'll leave you weak in the knees and the Bogghoppers burn through old time music like it's hot off the presses! (I know that metaphor doesn't really make sense -- just trust me that they're GREAT!). This is a pay-what-you-can event and doors will open at 8:30 with music getting started at 9:30.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Mile End Guitar Shop<br />#712 5445 de Gaspe<br />Saturday, Jan. 15th</span><div><br /></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLZ5gA5p-Go8q41XcUbzUr4ZZ_Trf2KGjWQmZ3oMoBtIVS1ABB2Pw1wpSgKzyjZY1GDURglsJOuAs7LN9XSZhWCkzDLBSKWaHj5MJtPJWxmOOSGRuvwoTyxJMUnCAr3x2HrW-LN1GOJYN/s320/oldtimeposterwithpattern+%25282%2529.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560389100699707474" /></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-43574120175106796682011-01-07T09:06:00.000-08:002011-01-23T21:08:05.481-08:00Mike O'BrienA key item on the agenda of our first shop (re)opening party planning committee meeting was a serious discussion as to whom we should ask to perform. As per the by-laws, an exact transcription of the meeting was recorded -- a segment of which I've reproduced below...<br /><br />"So we should probably throw a party, huh?"<br /><br />"Yeah, maybe get Mike and a bunch of other people to play."<br /><br />"Ok, sounds good."<br /><br />Fascinating. Really though, there was no doubt in our minds that we should get Mike to play. He was a big part of concerts in the old shop and one of the best thrills as a guitar maker is to hear someone who can <i>really</i> play have a go at one of your creations. For the first song in his <i>second</i> encore Mike plays an original, 'Josephine' ...<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="450" height="283" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hRM2XD1Mb18" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-29739128619732883172011-01-06T08:59:00.000-08:002011-01-06T10:11:53.947-08:00Is there anybody out there?<span class="Apple-style-span">Hello internet!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><br /><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">This will be the first post in a series of at least one recounting the past few months in the life and times of the Indian Hill Guitar Company (aka. me). A lot has happened since we last spoke -- squatting at City Park in New Orleans, oud repair at a Virginia commune, moose sightings on Cape Breton, rolling a skidoo in the Yukon, and an unexpected shop relocation to name a few.<br /><br />That last little tidbit came about when our old building was (temporarily) condemned by the powers that be. The reasons for condemnation are somewhat suspect and full of potential political intrigue, but the end result was a less than thrilling packing up and moving 450 feet down the street. It was unplanned and generally a royal pain, but building a new shop allowed us to (theoretically) learn from our mistakes and expand in bold and exciting new directions. For what could be more "bold and exciting" than gaining an additional three members to the shop?! Well, probably a lot but we're rather pleased so don't question it.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">As expected, we seized upon an excuse to throw a big party and had our grand shop (re)opening gala a few weeks ago. Lots of music, friends, and Jeremy's delicious beer made it a resounding success. Here'a video from the first act of the night, The Boghoppers (with special guest and new shop member Kaitlyn)...</span><br /></span><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C0xTGxVog9I?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C0xTGxVog9I?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div></div></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-84238401330296156062010-03-20T15:41:00.000-07:002010-03-20T16:02:41.884-07:00Nuit Blanche Videos<object height="385" width="480"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">We hosted our second Nuit Blanche event a few weeks ago and had an absolutely fantastic night. Here's a video of The Shambles performing a cover of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings' "Caleb Meyer" with more videos from some of the other performers on the way!<br /><br /><br /></span></span><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g9BU4FTvMcQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g9BU4FTvMcQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-78913160959554682612009-09-27T17:33:00.000-07:002009-09-27T17:48:55.286-07:00Thanks Ken and Jay!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Here are a couple of songs from the shop concert last night...</span><br /></span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ozkI9Dxa9Y&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ozkI9Dxa9Y&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><p><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bDLSVBSkJOQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bDLSVBSkJOQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p></span><br /></p>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789341642717030560.post-29032044762227111932009-09-22T05:48:00.000-07:002009-09-22T17:09:13.638-07:00He's Back!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's been a long and crazy summer with a precious few days left before the first snow hits, so what better way to celebrate these last fleeting days of warmth than by having our friend Ken Whiteley back for another shop concert? I'll tell you a better way -- by having Ken Whiteley back with harmonicanist* extraordinaire Jay Sewall! If Ken's concert in the shop this past April is any indication, we're in for great and bluesy night. We've already told you all about Ken; the real deal, Jedi master of the guitar, Canadian folk icon, yada yada yada... but what about Jay? Jay is an integral member of the Quebec blues community and a winner of the Lys Blues Lifetime Achievement award for 2008! Guitar, harmonica, blues, delicious homebrew beer... what more could you want!?<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Details:<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Saturday, Sept. 26th</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> 5555 de Gaspe #304<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> Doors at 8 pm<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> $15</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://indianhillguitars.com/uploaded_images/Tremblant-769959.JPEG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://indianhillguitars.com/uploaded_images/Tremblant-769957.JPEG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Ken and Jay at the Mont Tremblant Blues Festival</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">*Just to clarify, a harmonicanist is someone who plays harmonica; not a member a fringe musical religion. And yes, I made that word up.</span></span><br /></div></div>Mike Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03292496853902817516noreply@blogger.com0