Specimen Products

Guitar & Bass Setup and Maintenance Weekend Seminar

nadine — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:58:34 +0000

This course will explain the fundamental mechanical operation of the guitar and all other stringed instruments. This includes all types of guitars (acoustic and electric) and bass guitars. From here the student will gain the knowledge and techniques necessary to put any stringed instrument into balance for optimal playability and tonality.

Course Description

Each class is divided into part lecture, part demonstration, and part hands-on workshop. Acoustic and electric instruments will be provided so students can experiment with adjustments and nut and saddle fabrication. While not necessary, students are encouraged to bring their own instruments to class for use during demonstrations and hands-on work. Useful handout materials will also be provided.

In this course, we will address different instruments, playing styles, and the pros and cons of various products and hardware. Other topics include:

string height
intonation/saddle compensation
neck relief
neck pitch
truss rod adjustment
string break angles
selecting string gauges and types
height of strings at nut
nut and saddle making
fret wire
tuning systems
various tremolo systems
bridges
finish care
tooling

A wealth of information will be covered in this course. Armed with this information, you will be prepared to handle many unpredictable circumstances that for most musicians would be show-stoppers. Learning the elusive craft of setting up a stringed instrument for optimal playability and tonality will reward every musician with a greater understanding and appreciation of their instrument. Whether or not you decide to perform your own maintenance in the future, taking this course will enable you to deal confidently with the local luthier and to have the best interests of your instrument in mind.

Workshop Materials and Supplies

The school provides each student with their own individual workstation and all necessary tools. The school also provides instruments to any student who does not wish to travel with their own.

Specimen Aerosel Horns on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

nadine — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:13:22 +0000

On Monday, April 30, 2012, Andrew Bird appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing two songs from his newest album. With him on stage are two of the four Specimen Aerosel horns he is touring with and his Specimen Janus spinning horn speaker. Mesmerizing!

Devoted fan and his Hornlet tattoo

nadine — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:05:21 +0000

Yesterday we received an amazing email from Felipe Bravo who lives in California and has been a big fan of Andrew Bird and Specimen for more than a decade.

He spoke of how much the Sonic Arboretum inspired him and of a tattoo design he had been contemplating for a couple years.

On March 30th, Felipe sat down at Traditional Tattoo in San Luis Obispo, California, and with the help of tattoo artist Jake Schroeder, made it real. This is his first tattoo!

We at Specimen are flattered beyond words.

Sonic Arboretum Guggenheim Poster

nadine — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:07:54 +0000

Guitar & Bass Setup and Maintenance Course

nadine — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:21:55 +0000

Course Description

In this course, we will address different instruments, playing styles, and the pros and cons of various products and hardware. Other topics include:

string height
intonation/saddle compensation
neck relief
neck pitch
truss rod adjustment
string break angles
selecting string gauges and types
height of strings at nut
nut and saddle making
fret wire
tuning systems
various tremolo systems
bridges
finish care
tooling

Workshop Materials and Supplies

The school provides each student with their own individual workstation and all necessary tools. The school also provides instruments to any student who does not wish to travel with their own.

Proxart

nadine — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:38:44 +0000

Ian Schneller featured in Spring 2012 issue of Proxart Magazine
by Gianna Hughes

A craftsman and an artist, Ian Schneller discusses building guitars, viewing them as art, and displaying his horns at the Sonic Arboretum.

Guitar & Bass Setup and Maintenance Weekend Seminar

nadine — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:14:18 +0000

This two-day seminar will teach the fundamental mechanical operation of the guitar. This includes all types of guitars (acoustic and electric) and bass guitars. From here the student will gain the knowledge and techniques necessary to put any guitar into balance for optimal playability and tonality.

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION

This is an ideal seminar for those working as a guitar technician, roadie, music store employee, touring musician or for anyone interested in working on instruments. Useful handouts will be provided and a Certificate of Completion will be awarded to all students who complete the course. Enrollment is limited to 9 students.

This seminar is divided into part lecture, part demonstration, and part hands-on workshop. Acoustic and electric instruments will be provided so students can experiment with adjustments and nut and saddle fabrication. While not necessary, students are encouraged to bring their own instruments to class for use during demonstrations and hands-on work. Useful handout materials will also be provided. Useful handout materials will also be provided.

In this course, we will address different instruments, playing styles, and the pros and cons of various products and hardware. Other topics include:

string height
intonation/saddle compensation
neck relief
neck pitch
truss rod adjustment
string break angles
selecting string gauges and types
height of strings at nut
nut and saddle making
fret wire
tuning systems
various tremolo systems
bridges
finish care
tooling

Workshop Materials and Supplies

The school provides each student with their own individual workstation and all necessary tools. The school also provides instruments to any student who does not wish to travel with their own.

Blake Mills plays the Specimen Tiple on tour with Fiona Apple

nadine — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:44:39 +0000

Fiona Apple returned to the stage at SXSW last week. Her first tour in 5 years, she is backed by a quartet of amazing musicians including Blake Mills who is also opening up for Fiona on this tour. Blake plays Specimen’s Electric Tiple, a 10-string instrument about the size of a baritone uke.

The Tiple was made out of a sense of curiosity and enchantment with the concept of double-triple-triple-double courses and until Blake called its fate remained uncertain as it is a rather bizarre instrument. I’d like to suggest that Blake’s mastery of the negative space in his music has contributed to his ability to tame this crazy thing. A lot of players just ‘rip the licks’, but Blake has a special talent to integrate rather amazing runs and chord bends into the music. It’s like the sounds are underneath and not on top of the song. He certainly put it to good use at the show we saw in Chicago last Sunday. So far the tour is receiving rave reviews: Rolling Stone, Chicago Tribune

Video of Fiona Apple’s SXSW show on the NPR stage at Stubb’s BBQ

Specimen Spinning Aerosel Horns touring with Andrew Bird

nadine — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:39:57 +0000

Last week Andrew Bird kicked off his US tour at SXSW playing a sold out show on the NPR stage. For this tour, Specimen created several spinning Aerosel horns that Andrew has incorporated into his stage show. The horns are completely handmade in our shop using the ‘stick and tissue’ method, which is similar to building vintage airplanes. Check out our Blog Post and see photos taken during the building of these spinning beauties.

Photos courtesy of How’s My Living

Below are You Tube videos shot at the SXSW show in Austin, TX and in Atlanta, Georgia.

Aerosel Horns Taking Flight

nadine — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:52:22 +0000

The Aerosel project began back in the summer of 2010 after our Sonic Arboretum show at the Guggenheim in NYC. Part of that trip included a visit to Coney Island. Inspired by the beauty of structures like the vintage Cyclone roller coaster and remnants of the old parachute drop and other death-defying structures which haven’t been used for years, Ian set about creating an aerodynamic version of his horn speakers that would not only recall these inspirations, but take horn shapes to a radical new level.

Incorporating his beloved octagon, he set about making the new horns using dowel rods, fiberboard, and plywood – a method similar to building ‘stick and tissue’ airplanes from early aviation. He covered part of the first Aerosel horn in aircraft covering, tightly shrinking it across the horn’s vertical planes.

The resulting sculpture was to be the form for a mold, but it became clear that is was far too beautiful to sacrifice (as forms can be destroyed in the mold-making process). Hanging in the shop, the undulating horn captivated many people, including our dear friend Andrew Bird. Ian discussed various uses for the Aerosel horns and sent a movie of it to Andrew’s Lighting Designer, Ryan Murphy, who immediately saw the potential for shadow play on stage. In January, Ian and the Specimen crew began generating six new shapes ranging in size from 4 – 7 feet. The first two are going to Europe tomorrow as Andrew begins touring in support of his new album, Break it Yourself. The other four will join the US leg of the tour next week. It should be spectacular!

Guitar & Bass Setup and Maintenance Course

nadine — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:28:18 +0000

Course Description

In this course, we will address different instruments, playing styles, and the pros and cons of various products and hardware. Other topics include:

string height
intonation/saddle compensation
neck relief
neck pitch
truss rod adjustment
string break angles
selecting string gauges and types
height of strings at nut
nut and saddle making
fret wire
tuning systems
various tremolo systems
bridges
finish care
tooling

Workshop Materials and Supplies

The school provides each student with their own individual workstation and all necessary tools. The school also provides instruments to any student who does not wish to travel with their own.

Guitar Electronics Workshop

nadine — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:10:28 +0000

This workshop teaches students how to design and build their own guitar circuits, read schematics and layout diagrams, and select components. It also covers electric guitar pickup installation, transducer installations for acoustic guitars, and more.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Each class is divided into part lecture, part demonstration, and part hands-on workshop. Useful handout materials will be provided. Enrollment is limited to 8 students. Each day of class will focus on a different topic. Following is the class syllabus:

Class One

In the first class, the instructor lectures on symbols, schematics, layout diagrams, different electronic components, and electronic construction techniques. Following the lecture, students build their own true bypass/feedback loop pedal. The pedal is housed in a quality metal box and all parts are provided. Building this project teaches students layout, metalwork, hardware installation, soldering, and wiring. This project is a good introduction to the basic techniques used in electronic construction.

At the end of class one, there will be a discussion with students regarding the project(s) they wish to execute on the last day of class. Necessary parts will be ordered so they arrive in time for the last class.

Class Two

In the second class, the instructor demonstrates the removal of an archtop guitar wiring harness. It is then completely rewired with new components. The emphasis is on executing classic wiring techniques from the golden age seldom used in today’s mass production environment. Up next is the interesting process of re-installation. This is a beneficial skill to develop and can truly enhance the performance and longevity of an electric instrument. It is also a real confidence builder for the student.

Class Three

For the third class, the instructor lectures on the function and installation of various types of acoustic transducers and demonstrates the installation process on a guitar. Special techniques and tooling are demonstrated during the demonstration. The making of a bone saddle is covered in this class.

Class Four

The last class is reserved for students to carry out their own procedures on their own instruments at their own workstations all under the helpful eye of the instructor. Many students choose to completely rewire an instrument or install new pickups or a transducer. Other possible options include body routing or making a pickguard. Any other project ideas can be discussed and considered on a case-by-case basis.

Other topics also covered in this workshop include:

circuit design
electronic trouble-shooting
body routing to fit pickups
pickup design characteristics
lead dress
shielding
soldering skills
electronic test equipment
acoustic guitar pre-amps
coil taps
phase switching
active electronics

Although not a prerequisite, this class is a perfect warm-up for our Tube Amp Building Workshop.

Workshop Materials and Supplies

The school provides each student with their own individual workstation and all necessary tools. Students may also order any necessary parts, components, and tools through the school and receive a 10% discount. The course instructor will be available to consult with and guide students in the selection of replacement components.

Optional Tool Kit

Students may choose to purchase a set of tools used for guitar electronic work. These tools have been personally selected by the instructor from a variety of sources. The purchase of these tools is recommended if extra-curricular work is desired during the workshop or for continued home studies. Click here to learn more about the tool kit and how to purchase one.