It’s been some time since I weighed in on this kinda hybrid weblog/website. Weblogs beg frequent entries and websites contain information and the mechanics of the biz. I have been remiss in both. The daily statistics, when I check them, have been heartening and I truly appreciate the many visits. I have kept up with the frequent requests for information and advice but haven’t had a lot of new content to post about my work.

Sadly, for some folks, their career path interferes with their life. For me it has been the opposite. Family responsibilities, home and hearth, and other important distractions have placed a limit on my workshop time.

It hasn’t been as bad as my web absence  would indicate. I have managed to build a prototype of a large zither type instrument and complete a couple of custom autoharps from my growing “wait and wait list”. I hope to report more frequently as some of life’s distractions give way to the work I love.

I built this F/C diatonic for a musician in New York state whose mother, by coincidence, resides here in Darke County. It was so nice that she traveled here to take delivery as it’s not often that I meet my clients face-to-face.

The black soundboard and back next to curly maple trim creates a striking contrast.

The musician’s name means “bee” so she requested and choose a bee as a soundboard rosette. As luck would have it, Etsy had a laser cut bee ornament of the appropriate size.

Thirteen chords with two lock bars cover this two key arrangement. This “Bowers” setup has the majors in the center row, minors in the bottom row, and sevenths (+sus) in the top row.

Daigle fine tuners with an onboard fine tuning wrench complete this very nice instrument.