DIY Network

Handmade Guitar, Part 16: Christening the Dudenbostel #050 From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-104

The hand of a craftsman: Lynn Dudenbostel plays some of the first notes made by the guitar he has built by hand.

With the guitar strung for the first time, and the strings are adjusted, the instrument can now be strummed to produce its first sound as a guitar. In this final segment in the guitar series, the newly made guitar gets "christened" as it's taken for a trial run by Kentucky Thunder guitar virtuoso Cody Kilby.

And for its final exam, Dudenbostel #050 is taken for inspection by guitar expert George Gruhn of Nashville's Gruhn guitars.

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The handmade guitar, crafted by master luthier Lynn Dudenbostel, is finally complete. The guitar-maker can now check the guitar's tone, and sample the sounds that the instrument is capable of making by adjusting the tuners (figures A and B). Lynn is pleased with the guitar's tone, which he describes as that "old sound."

Figure A

Figure C

A handmade guitar like this may be viewed visually as a work of art, but in order for it to "live," it must be played. In a Nashville recording studio, guitarist Cody Kilby -- along with mandolin player Andy Leftwich and other members of the bluegrass band Kentucky Thunder (figures B and C) -- gets the honor of taking this guitar for its maiden voyage.

And he likes what he hears. "This is a great guitar," says Kilby, "Most of the time you give a guitar a year or two to age and settle in, but every one of Lynn Dudenbostel's guitars -- right off the bat, and new -- are just killer guitars."

Figure C

Figure D

	Andy Leftwich, Cody Kilby and other members of Kentucky Thunder.
	The decal inside the guitar's body provides this guitar's number designation (Dudenbostel #050) and "birthdate."

If you'd like to hear some of the music featured in Handmande Music, click here to link to a page featuring downloads of music heard in the series.

This concludes this guitar-building series of handmade music. Subsequent episodes feature the building of a mandolin and dulcimer.

RESOURCES :

Kentucky Thunder
For more information on the band that appeared in DIY's Handmade Music, Kentucky Thunder -- and to hear streaming audio and download samples of their music -- visit the website for Skaggs Family Records, www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com.

Stewart MacDonald's Luthier Supply Shop
Website: www.stewmac.com

Luthier's Mercantile International, Inc.
Website: www.lmii.com

Pioneer Valley Luthier Supply Company
Website: www.pioneervalleyluthier.com

GUESTS :

Lynn Dudenbostel, Luthier
Dudenbostel Stringed Instruments
Knoxville, TN

John Arnold, Luthier
Newport, TN

Ted Davis, Luthier
Loudon, TN