Forshage Hollowbody

[ririzarry]

I thought the folks here might be interested in this one - its a hollowbody guitar by luthier Chris Forshage. I've been chatting with Chris as well as the future owner of one of these - Marc Why of the jazz group The Marc Why Group. Here's a pic of Chris' personal guitar:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/202/467803572_5e3c6a7df6.jpg

I recently posted this article to my blog - Forshage Hollowbody Electric Guitar (http://www.elutherie.org/2007/04/the-forshage-hollowbody-electric-guitar.html).
I'll be following up with an article or two that includes pics of Marc's new guitar as well as pics depicting elements of the build process.

Regards,

Robert

[EunosFD]

Wow, Klein meets Teuffel! I think I know what I'm going to be dreaming about tonight..... (besides boobs that is :D)

[ririzarry]

Wow, Klein meets Teuffel! I think I know what I'm going to be dreaming about tonight.....
And as Chris describes it, meets Ovation Breadwinner as well. It's quite a design and currently my favorite among the various ergonomic guitar designs I've come across. I'd love to see a solid body of one of these at some point...

Regards,

Robert

[Evan Gluck]

I have worked on Joe Giglio's walnut one several times, it is killer. I had that and 2 Breadwinners in the shop at once. The odds are astronomical. Time to play the ergonomic lotto.
Best, Evan

[ririzarry]

I have worked on Joe Giglio's walnut one several times, it is killer. I had that and 2 Breadwinners in the shop at once. The odds are astronomical. Time to play the ergonomic lotto.
Best, Evan

That walnut one is gorgeous as well. Chris sent me a shot or two of that one as well.

Regards,

Robert

[guitarmook]

Chris is my man. He's done work on many, many of my guitars, and is always building beautiful custom guitars for others as well. He does gorgeous work, and every thing I take to him comes back sounding better.

[ririzarry]

Hey folks - FYI - I just put up an article on the neck construction. Just go to the main page - http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com. Hope you enjoy it.

Regards,

Robert

[smiert spionam]

Cool stuff. Glad to see Chris getting some discussion here. I've never owned one of his guitars, but have played a couple and had him work on a few vintage pieces. Great guy, and good work.

Has he moved his shop? Last time I drove past the old location on North Loop it looked like he had moved out.

[akback]

I'm glad to see Chris mentioned on here as well. He's a great builder and a really nice guy. I have two of his guitars and I love them both. For the guy that asked, he has moved his shop. I believe he moved into a new shop, just outside of Austin, that has a lot more space than his previous place.

[ririzarry]

I'm glad to see Chris mentioned on here as well. He's a great builder and a really nice guy. I have two of his guitars and I love them both. For the guy that asked, he has moved his shop. I believe he moved into a new shop, just outside of Austin, that has a lot more space than his previous place.

Hey Akback! I'm curious - which of Chris' guitars do you have?

Regards,

Robert

[akback]

Hey Robert, I have one of his 7-string hollowbodies and the other is offset tele style guitar with humbuckers. They are both great guitars. I really like the headless design he's doing now as well.

Kelly

[ririzarry]

Just a heads up - I'll be posting an article on the guitar body construction this Monday. The images are courtesy of Chris Forshage and Marc Ybaben of the jazz group The Marc Why Group. Marc is the latest guitarist fortunate enough to have one of these built.

Regards,

Robert

[r9player]

Wow awesome, not just this Klein meets Teuffel his other more 'classic' stuff looks amazing too!

[ririzarry]

Wow awesome, not just this Klein meets Teuffel his other more 'classic' stuff looks amazing too!

Chris is definitely a talent. BTW - There is a third installment to the Forshage hollowbody "series" - Making the Forshage Hollowbody Guitar - Building the Guitar Body (http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com/2007/04/building-the-forshage-hollowbody-guitar-making-the-guitar-body.html). There's a lot of image goodness in this latest one. :)

Regards,

Robert

[AlanB]

For those of you who might be interested, I was at Chris's shop today outside of Austin and looked in on the progress of my headless guitar he is building. I would like to add to some of the info that is out there on the 'net especially at the fine blog: "Building the Ergonomic Guitar." (Great work Robert. Been following closely your articles on Chris's work.)

I asked for 14 frets clear of the body so this pic shows the line of the cut he is about to make to shorten the body about 5/8". It will also visually round the body a little more. It will 1 3/4" thick to get a little more air volume inside, hopefully adding more hollowbody sound to it. The first thought is to go with tapped Benedetto humbuckers with a strat single coil similar to Chris's guitar although I just received a very fine travel guitar from a Florida luthier by the name of Russ Strobel. (I'll start a thread on that guitar at some point.) Strobel's guitar has Schaller pickups and they sound pretty good, so we'll see.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/stuff007.jpg

Here is a pic showing the neck carve about to begin. In another week I should be able to check out the feel. It will have a 1 3/4" nut.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1376.jpg

Chris also adds a couple of graphite rods to to add stiffness to the truss rod.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/stuff003.jpg

This is the man himself holding up the routed out mahogany back and the flamed maple top. I would like to add that Chris is an excellent player too.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1368.jpg

A shot of Chris's playing his personal guitar which is shown at the beginning of this thread. As the guitar progresses to completion I'll post follow-up pics.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1382.jpg

Here is a final shot of Chris's busy shop with several guitars (including mine) in various stages. I have been very impressed with his inventiveness as he built it, especially the design of the spray booth. He does impeccable work and I am getting excited.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1366.jpg

If anyone wants to know more feel free to PM me.

Thanks!!

AlanB
My gear site- homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[smiert spionam]

Great to see the progress on this.

His new shop looks much bigger than the old place -- must be a lot more comfortable. Where is it?

[AlanB]

Chris's shop is in the Pflugerville area. It is much bigger than his old one in Austin. It is off of Pflugerville Loop although I don't have the exact address. I am sure you could contact Chris via the info on the website for that.

Thanks,

AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[r9player]

That looks real nice!

[AlanB]

I came across a couple of other photos Chris sent to me when I was considering ordering one of his guitars. I thought folks might be interested to see these. One photo is up on the Building the Ergonomic Guitar blog but this pic is taken closer in. Note the RMC synth pickup bridge.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/done005.jpg

The other is a progress photo of very talented northeastern jazz guitarist Joe Giglio's instrument prior to the tone controls being added on. This one has the more traditional D'Aquisto style f-hole. Another nice touch is the matching wood pickup covers.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/done-ish003.jpg

Both are stunning instruments and I think shows how Forshage's guitars can look modern or lean towards a more traditional appearance.

AlanB
My Gear Site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[ririzarry]

I thought folks might enjoy listening to a Forshage in action so here are a couple of performances by Joe Giglio:

Joe Giglio Live Performance #1 (http://www.elutherie.org/2007/05/joe-giglio-playing-his-forshage-hollowbody-electric-guitar.html)

Joe Giglio Live Performance #2 (http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com/2007/06/jazz-guitarist-joe-giglio-jams-on-his-forshage-electric-guitar.html)

Best regards,

Robert

[AlanB]

Hello folks, I said in an earlier post that I would put up followup pics as I got them from Chris. Here are two more he sent me this week with the neck attached to the body. The body has been routed for two Schaller Golden 50's humbuckers and a yet to be determined single coil. Chris flipped the single coil and moved it slightly closer to the bridge pickup to improve the tapped in-between sounds. I have the Schallers on a travel guitar made for me by a builder in Florida, Russ Strobel. Go to

http://homepage.mac.com/myguitars/PhotoAlbum10.html if any of you are interested in seeing the Strobel. Here are Forshage's pics.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/1006.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/1007.jpg
Now we have to decide on a stain color. Starting to get excited.

Thanks, everyone!
AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[Pascal]

Different but similar, jazz player Jérome Barde designed this guitar (and patented the design) a few years ago, for ergonomics problems.

http://www.jeromebarde.com/images/bardo_en03.jpg

He calls it "the Bardophone". You can read about it here (http://www.jeromebarde.com/bardophone_en.htm), and listen to it here (http://www.jeromebarde.com/biographie.htm).

[ririzarry]

Different but similar, jazz player Jérome Barde designed this guitar (and patented the design) a few years ago, for ergonomics problems.

http://www.jeromebarde.com/images/bardo_en03.jpg

He calls it "the Bardophone". You can read about it here (http://www.jeromebarde.com/bardophone_en.htm), and listen to it here (http://www.jeromebarde.com/biographie.htm).
I contacted Jerome a while back and wrote the following for my blog - The Bardophone Acoustic Electric Guitar - A Radical Approach (http://www.elutherie.org/2007/04/bardophone-acoustic-electric-guitar.html)

Best regards,

Robert

[AlanB]

Hello to all!

Just got a couple of new pics a few days ago from Chris and wanted to show what's been done. The base coat of stain has been applied to the flame maple top. This has the effect of deepening and enhancing the flame patttern. The mahogany back has been stained and laquer applied to the maple neck. The flame is pretty intense on the back of the neck. The guitar has been in and out of the spray booth at the moment as Chris builds up the lacquer coats each day. Yellow will eventually be applied to the guitar to give it a amber hue. I got to see the guitar today and the craftsmanship is excellent. It really feels great while sitting. Nicely balanced. The neck joint is particularly nice. There will be great access to the upper register. The guitar is 2-3 weeks away from being finished.

Here is the pic of the top.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/1015-1.jpg

Here is the pic of the back of the neck with the sculpted neck joint.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/1014.jpg

The Schaller Golden 50's pups have arrived from overseas and we are discussing what single coil to put in the middle. All the hardware will be chrome. As I get new photos I'll post them.

Thanks and until next time,
AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[GovernorSilver]

Love the neck heel. Interesting neck construction ideas.

I wonder how much of a bend one can get by pressing on the strings between the bridge and tailpiece - quite a length of string back there.

Looking forward to more updates and a demo or two on your new axe. :D

[AlanB]

Greetings to everyone! Just received another progress email from Chris today. He has finished adding the color coats and is now clear coating the guitar. Spoke with him a minute ago and he is pretty happy with his "burst" color combination. And I would have to agree. It looks great! The chrome hardware should complement the scheme nicely. It is always interesting to see how a piece of wood reacts to the various applications of color and lacquer. It looks even better than I though it would. We are about two weeks away.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/1020.jpg

Now it seems like time slows down. Oh well....

Thanks and I will continue to keep posting updates.

AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[carson072]

I really dig these ergo guitars, the color and neck on this one are amazing.

[ririzarry]

Wow. That is really coming along nicely! I can't wait to see the final pics!

Regards,

Robert

[rpguitar]

Alan, great looking finish! I'm looking forward to hearing about yours, since it's wider than normal. The guitar already has decent acoustic "wood" in its standard width. You can play unplugged and it's certainly audible enough for practice. I have challenged Chris to come up with a true acoustic version of his headless ergo design. I need to remind him about that!

I love my Forshage - here she is:

http://www.rogerplacer.com/guitars/img/ForshageSmall.jpg

I'm watching your updates... keep 'em coming.

Peace-
Roger

[AlanB]

Roger, that is a great looking guitar. A few weeks ago I was at Chris's shop holding the guitar and was pleased how comfortable it was in the seated position. At that point I though an acoustic version of that guitar with a thicker body that's fully hollow could be nice. I'll mention that to Chris next time we talk.

Can you tell us a little more about your instrument? And if you have the chance, I would certainly enjoy seeing another pic or two from different positions.

Thanks so much!

AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[ririzarry]

At that point I though an acoustic version of that guitar with a thicker body that's fully hollow could be nice.

+1 on an acoustic version. Acoustic guitar design needs a serious shake up although the differences in construction and the need to project without amplification makes things somewhat more complicated. Still, as we've seen from the Bardophone, it's certainly possible.

BTW - There are rumblings of an interesting acoustic guitar design or two out there. I'll write them up on my blog as I get more information on them...

Regards,

Robert

[Pa'ani]

Yeah, I can see the Ovation Breadwinner meets Klein, Cool looking guitar!

[GovernorSilver]

I love my Forshage - here she is:

http://www.rogerplacer.com/guitars/img/ForshageSmall.jpg

I'm watching your updates... keep 'em coming.

Peace-
Roger

Good lookin' axe!

How much of a bend can you get when you press on the strings beteen bridge and tailpiece?

[ririzarry]

Here is the pic of the back of the neck with the sculpted neck joint.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/1014.jpg



That sculpted neck joint absolutely rocks - I love it!

Regards,

Robert

[AlanB]

Had to go by Chris's shop today to see the guitar in person. Took a few pics while I was there. He is still clear-coating the guitar and had added color to the back of the neck. We weighed the guitar with all the hardware and it's coming in at about 6.25 lbs. Looks even better close up. His work really is flawless.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1760.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1761.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x306/AB50/IMG_1764.jpg

I am really liking the neck. It was patterned after the profile of my Benedettos so the nut width is just under 1 3/4" with more of a medium thickness. I think Chris is going to use a Graphtech tune-o-matic piezo bridge on it too.

So...that's it for now. I'll continue to post as things get added.

Thanks!

AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[r9player]

Looking really great!

[rpguitar]

Hi Alan and others, so sorry about the delay in my reply - I was away for a week and didn't check the site.

In the interest of quickly sharing images, here are 4 of them that need to be rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Go for it!

http://www.mybigshirt.net/rdp/img/PICT4899.JPG
http://www.mybigshirt.net/rdp/img/PICT4900.JPG
http://www.mybigshirt.net/rdp/img/PICT4901.JPG
http://www.mybigshirt.net/rdp/img/PICT4902.JPG

Also see my build pics at:
http://www.rogerplacer.com/guitars/Forshage/

Please let me know if you talk to Chris about the acoustic design. I would really like to get him to think about it. I would place an order for sure.

Peace-
Roger

[AlanB]

Hi Roger, thanks for the great pics, especially of the build. Makes me anxious for mine. Soon. How are you liking your pickup combination? The idea of a Forshage headless set up with strat style pickups and a swamp ash body could be interesting. I have another guitar on order with Chris and we might explore the fully hollow/acoustic concept. Or do a second headless electric with a Steinberger R or S trem added to it. We'll see. I wanted to get this one in my hands first.

Thanks!!

AlanB
My gear site: homepage.mac.com/myguitars/

[rpguitar]

Alan,
You and I are thinking about the same things. I have emailed with Chris about both of those alternatives - an acoustic, and a body to mate with a Steinberger neck and S-trem. I have a GM that I would cannibalize for the latter. It's probably just a matter of time til I order another Forshage. But I am playing a Klein too, and that is a very addictive guitar!

My Forshage is a truly unique beast. In the neck position, it gets pretty classic jazz tone. In every position where the singles come into play, the guitar takes on an almost acoustic flavor with a constant Strat underpinning. The hollowbody "wood" on this one is not a small aspect of its sound. It's quite striking really. I've never had a thin hollowbody with so much of that character.

Hope you get yours soon. I waited 9 months! Seems like maybe the turnaround has improved a bit since Chris has gotten a lot of internet props.

Roger