trademarque

think how many reps you could buy... would anybody here still collect replicas if they scooped this win? i would..there is much more pleasure in a replica..tweaking and enhancing, modifying to make more accurate...you lose that in a gen.. i think if i were so rich...i would play about fitting rep parts to gen watches..try to see how crap i could make a genuine watch look well maybe not... but i'd still collect reps.. on another note... is this jackpot too big?...i cant fit it on my calculator..what hope have we got?

thats a beauty nanuq. it has taken somebody a long time time to carve that maple...maple has a hard structure, hence the need for no bracing...i would love to hear it, the resonance of maple is excellent. maple is used for violins also..but thier front and back are both bookmatched and require bracing.

to be honest, i was for loss of direction a few years ago, when i saw this musical instrument repair and construction course at college..a great way to kill 2 years i thought. i didnt finish the course, dropped out after i completed my guitar..the reason being, there is not much in the way of a career for handmade instruments makers/luthiers.. you can only make so many instruments per year..5 or so.. and charge over £5000 for a guitar (you have to eat)when you dont have a name, its difficult to sell...so not much of a career in that line of work...im a motor dealer now! it's a dying trade..unfortunatley...because theres nothing like a handmade instrument made using traditional methods....even your martins are not really hand made...they use many machines...and many different individally skilled workers for production..nobody uses chisels and planes anymore....i'd like to see one of these martin people actually try and bend a pair of ribs/sides using a hot iron like i had to...or make a perfect dovetail with a chisel! this guitar sounds warm, with a long sustain (thanks to the hardwoods used for finger board and bridge and the bracing pattern inside). a good deep bass on the low end that fills the room with the low notes and crystal clear treble. since the photos were taken, i have lowered the action, to make it easier for finger work on the frets.

thanks nanuq. your guitar top looks lovely.,,and very well played! thanks for you comments on the craftsmanship..i had one of the best luthiers in the country as my mentor. bill keldy is famous for his work.. he is a part time lecturer, and full time luthier...you can view his workshop here...http://pages.zoom.co.uk/kelday/ it was a wonderful experience building this instrument and one that could never be repeated...i would need so many tools, and of course, over the shoulder step by step tuition from the master himself, as to be honest, i could'nt do it again without help.! however, i can now do all the repair work on friends instruments, anything from refrets to fix a hole in the side. its a great hobby. if only my playing skills were as good!

also in my collection is the cricket bat..yamaha f310 accoustic, which gets played the most.. for electric thrills my prefered tool is an epiphone supernova, noel gallagher signiture model in blue....long discontinued, soon to be a collectors item, and value is already rising..mine is a 1998 model.

my favorite geeter? here is one i made earlier... back when i was a student bum, i did a 2 year course..musical instrument technology and construction. i designed and hand made this guitar using only hand tools and traditional methods..the only power tools used were a bandsaw and router (for the truss rod) and a drill for the tuning pegs. it is a steel string accoustic, based on a 1930's martin 00m orchestra model body, with a slightly modified design (artistic lisence!) headstock from a 1929 epiphone accoustic. materials used.. top: sitka spruce back and sides: indian rosewood neck: brazilian mahogany headstock: flamed maple..bookmatched fingerboard and bridge: ebony braces and struts: douglas fir, mahogany, beech soundhole rossette: abalone fingerboard inserts: MOP all these materials alone cost over £400 and took 2 years to complete...consider you can buy a brandnew low end guitar for £60. the intstrument is handfinished using a traditional french polishing method. an absolute beauty and could never be replaced..insured well into 4 figures. what do you think?

i found this news article...i dont know whether to laugh or cry.. Man jailed for fake Rolex watch A Belgian man has been jailed for six months for wearing a fake Rolex . A court in Dendermonde heard that the man, named only as Gunther R, 33, had been spotted by representatives of Rolex wearing the fake watch and they complained to authorities. The judge ruled the man had knowingly bought the fake and sentenced him to six months in prison under laws for handling counterfeit goods. He was also ordered to pay a £700 fine for breaching brand name registration laws. source.. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_15878...es.strangecrime his watch must have been a POS...obviously he was not a member!!

no metal filings in the watch...we have not opened the watch..only unscrewed the crown and pulled out as if we were setting the time..nothing can make it's way into the case. this is a very quick mod..you will be amazed at how little material actually needs taking off....i suppose it all depends how badly shaped they are to begin with.

i remember that guy.. he sells "former rolex" watches on ebay.. he had submariner cases for sale a couple of weeks ago. i was wanting to buy a gen case. i told him that i wanted to make sure it was gen, i told him i have many ETA reps and parts, but i want to build a gen watch.. he offered to trade me his "gen" parts (a case, bezel, case back and crystal) for some of my reps!! he is a fraudster for sure.

thanks for your comments...i do need to improve me photo lighting techinque...if i use the flash..i lose all the detail.. thanks

great!! im happy somebody has found my guide useful!! has anybody else attempted this as a result of this post?

thanks for all the tips... problem is..she was away visiting relatives for 2 weeks...when she left..i had 2 reps....when she came back i had 4...and another arrived on friday...and again another today...oh dear.. time to bring up her credit card bill.....

how am i going to explain to my good lady, why i have bought ANOTHER watch again? i cant hide it..cos if she found it...that would be more difficult to explain.. what do you you guys tell the wife? how can they possibly understand this addiction???

incase you missed them...here is some of my other work.. TW Best Sub TT Blue Sub TT Gold Serti Admin edit: Sale offers only allowed in the trade forum

next we put the watch into a vice..this cost £10/$18 from a DIY store.. it is advisable to remove the bezel to do this...but i di it here without removing the bezel...for ease for the noob..further info on bezel removal is elsewhere in the forum... then mask everything up...so no nasty file marks anywhere we dont want them.. then, with a small file, gently file away the guard, a bit at a time..a little water on the tip of the file helps.. then we check against the light with the crown closed...on a gen sub you can see light pass through the base of the crown when fuly screwed in... if you need more filing...repeat above process...dont take too much off!! when satisfied it look good...then we gently finish the filed area with a low grade paper...i used 600 and 1200 grit...with a little water. the we have the finsished article!! enjoy!!