Author Topic: New Fraulini Angelina 12 string on the way! (Read 6246 times)

Blue Poodle · « **on:** June 11, 2006, 07:07:59 PM »

Just posting a teaser work in progress photo of my new Fraulini 12 string. Todd has been a great pleasure to work with.

This one has very attractive Australian Blackwood back and sides (not shown, but more photos are forthcoming in the near future). Todd has copied some old higher end Oscar Schmidt inlays for this one, and it looks like he's done a great job.

I opted for inlay on the 9th fret instead of the OS standard 10th fret. I own an original OS grand concert 6 string and I am always confused by the 10th fret inlay when I wander up the neck.

The photo reflects the state of the guitar as of about a month ago. It's nearly ready to ship.

The building process has been a lot of fun, as Todd is a great communicator and is eager to try new things.

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uncle bud · « **Reply #1 on:** June 12, 2006, 06:53:15 AM »

Nice Tim! It's a beauty - those inlays are really attractive IMO. I've been playing my twelve (alas, not a Fraulini) a lot the past few days, having a blast as always. I'm finally getting a little repertoire together for it, at least the guitar parts, so it becomes really addictive at that point, I find. Post more pics when you get them!

Slack · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2006, 08:05:22 AM »

The guitar looks fabulous -- I love the bold bindings!

NotRevGDavis · « **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2006, 08:39:06 AM »

I had the luck to own an Erma for a week and Todd's guitars sound great- I really like the tone and look of the Spruce/White Oak.

The seller had remorse so I sent Erma back so she could busk in Europe.

koaguitarman · « **Reply #4 on:** June 12, 2006, 02:46:14 PM »

Hey, that's gonna be one fantastic 12 string guitar. Please post more pics when she arrives.
Russ

dj · « **Reply #5 on:** June 12, 2006, 04:33:30 PM »

Looks like it's going to be a very nice instrument. I'd love to see a photo of the back and sides, as I really don't know what Australian Blackwood looks like.

I bought an Erma from Todd a few months ago. It's a beautiful instrument. It's a bit scary to buy an instrument you've never heard or held, but the Erma has more than met my expectations.

Don't tell my wife, but an Angelina 12 string is next on my list.

Blue Poodle · « **Reply #6 on:** June 12, 2006, 05:50:43 PM »

I just received some photos of the nearly finished guitar, posted here for your viewing pleasure.

The headstock plate is koa, the b/s are Australian Blackwood, the top is Ad spruce. Note the custom Italian tuning machines.

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dj · « **Reply #7 on:** June 13, 2006, 03:56:07 AM »

Wow, that's looking seriously nice! Love the tuners. Did you get a relatively thin neck, or are my eyes being fooled by the width of the fretboard?

Blue Poodle · « **Reply #8 on:** June 13, 2006, 06:30:03 AM »

The fretboard is 1-7/8" at nut, and I asked Todd to carve a relatively low profile V-neck, using dimensions that I supplied. He modeled the contour after the neck of an old Martin that he has.

koaguitarman · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2006, 08:36:29 AM »

That looks amazing! I would love to see her in person, if you don't mind contact me when she is done. I live in Downey, not far from you.
koaguitarman@comcast.net
Russ

Blue Poodle · « **Reply #10 on:** June 27, 2006, 08:56:00 AM »

I received my Fraulini yesterday...it's a really beautiful guitar. Very responsive, very lively...a lot of fun to play. I get plenty of sound with bare fingers. Just for fun, I took out the fingerpicks and found that there is lots of headroom. This baby is a little powerhouse.

I'm happy that I chose the grand concert "Barbecue Bob" model. I find that it sits very comfortably in my lap, not too big, not too small, just right.

Todd set it up with very low action at my request, as I'm not a very seasoned 12-string player. It's as easy to play as a Taylor, with old Stella tone out the ying-yang.

On top of that, the guitar looks even prettier than the pictures. I couldn't be more pleased.

rpg51 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 27, 2006, 09:13:35 AM »

Man that sounds wonderful. What a lovely guitar. Enjoy!

uncle bud · « **Reply #12 on:** June 27, 2006, 10:44:03 AM »

Perhaps a Back Porch demonstration is in order...

Congrats Tim! Sounds like a beaut.

Blue Poodle · « **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2006, 01:34:06 PM »

Todd Cambio is mentioned in an article in the latest Acoustic Guitar magazine on modern builders who re-create vintage flat-tops. He is in pretty good company there, along with the current Schoenberg luthiers, Greven, Borges and several others.

uncle bud · « **Reply #14 on:** July 03, 2006, 08:40:44 AM »

The article is available online, http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/164/164,7054,FEATURE-1.asp although without the photos.

Congratulations, Todd!

Slack · « **Reply #15 on:** July 03, 2006, 01:49:25 PM »

Interesting article -- congrats Todd!

Cambio · « **Reply #16 on:** July 04, 2006, 07:37:26 AM »

Thanks a lot guys. Tim's guitar was a lot of fun to build and I'm really happy with the way that it turned out. I'd really like to hear it in about a year, after it's had a chance to open up.
The Acoustic Guitar Article was quite a suprise and it allowed me to meet Bob Hartmann, the grandson of Carl Larson and the author of Larson Creations, a history of the Larson brothers and some of their beautiful instruments (www.larsonscreations.com ) He came up to visit the shop and check out the Larson copy that I made. He also brought a beautiful 30's era Prarie State, complete with the interior reinforcement rods, which had a really unique sound.

Lately I've been trying to get ready for the Newport Guitar Festival. I'm building a copy of Leadbelly's 12 string. A friend of mine did work on it a number years ago and made a set of plans while it was in his shop . He was generous enough to share them with me. I've also made a repro of the old Stella tailpiece, complete with the posts for loop end strings. I'm currently trying to find a plating shop so that I can get them nickel plated. I'll post some pics when it's done.

Blue Poodle · « **Reply #17 on:** July 22, 2006, 09:38:53 PM »

I've just been passing through Wisconsin on a business trip, and I got to visit Todd's shop at his home in Madison. His workspace is a converted single car garage, and it's very clean and well organized, despite the economy of space. He has a handful of cool guitars nearly completion, just in time for the Newport Guitar Festival.

Todd also showed me a small trove of old guitars, many of them in the queue for repairs and restoration.

If you're travelling through Madison, I recommend visiting Wil Bremer's shop, Spruce Street Music. The shop is loaded with nice guitars, CDs, etc. Wil was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

waxwing · « **Reply #18 on:** July 22, 2006, 10:07:14 PM »

And might some of us be seeing that nice Angelina, soon, Dr. Tim?

My 12, which actually contributed some info (I measured the brace positions for Todd) to his early pin bridge 12s will be there. I had hoped to see and hear Paul Geremia's Fraulini 12, which I think was the first one, but he didn't bring it last year as he was flying. Anyway, it would be fun to hear them together. Someday I hope Todd gets to see and hear the Soveriegn, too. Hmm maybe a road trip across the northern states is in order.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing you again this year, Tim.

All for now.
John C.

Sweet Bone Willie · « **Reply #19 on:** July 23, 2006, 10:46:12 PM »

For those of you who haven't seen the site, www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp, there is a video of Paul Geremia playing what I think is the twelve string Fraulini mentioned earlier. He plays Statesborough (?) Blues as an encore toward the end of the clip. That guitar sounds awesome!!! He also does a a few more songs from his newest album. Go to the archives menu on the left hand side and scroll down to show 355. The site also has video of Ernie Hawkins, Happy Truam, Guy Davis, John Hammond, Doyle Bramhall and a plethora of other performers.

waxwing · « **Reply #20 on:** July 24, 2006, 12:27:24 AM »

Yeah, you can see the label thru the sound hole. And notice the beautiful three color marquetry Todd has found a source for.
Does sound good, even if my computer speakers leave out the low bass growl. All the bite is there.

All for now.
John C.

framus12 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 24, 2006, 08:27:36 AM »

Yes, Yes, Yes,
Thank you so very much for the link Mr. Willie.
Very cool and so many good performers Odetta, Robert Lockwood
ect. I'll be watching the clips for weeks now.
Free guitar lessons

Cambio · « **Reply #22 on:** July 25, 2006, 09:53:06 AM »

Yeah, thanks for the link Willie. That's a good one for the scrapbook.
I just finished my copy of Leadbelly's guitar and snapped some quick shots of it. The guitar is based on a set of plans that Dan Erlewine made of Leadbelly's guitar while he was doing some work on it a number of years ago. Dan was generous enough to share the plans with me. I filled in any gaps in the plan using an Auditorium sized Stella six string (which is identical to Leadbelly's 12) which I acquired sometime last year. The guitar has a 40 year old German Spruce top, which came from the shop of the great lute builder Robert Lundberg and was handed down to me by a friend who was a fellow lute builder. I made a replica of the old Stella tailpiece, complete with the posts for loop end strings and I had a special, custom set of tuners made for it. It still sounds very new and fresh, but I'm interested in hearing how it opens up after a few days/weeks/years. I made the guitar for the Newport Guitar Festival, which I'll be attending the first weekend in August, www.newportguitarfestival.com . If any of you East Coast Weenies aren't going to Port Townsend, you should head on down to Newport. There'll be a lot of great makers there, showing off their wares.

onewent · « **Reply #23 on:** July 25, 2006, 11:33:46 AM »

..real nice 12, Todd .. beautiful color in the top, looks 50 years old already, the binding purfling looks like a nice copy, and you did a great job on the tail piece (nickel or chrome, it's hard to tell by photo) .. I see you chose to move the dot to the 9th fret so as not to confuse 99.9% of 12-string players out there

compensated the saddle and strung the G w/o octive .. would have loved to taken it for a spin at N-port ..

.. I came this close to attending Newport, but family plans just didn't allow, I'll be there the week after -- day late and a dollar short $:-\$
Good luck at the show and thanks for the pictures ..TomW

dj · « **Reply #24 on:** July 25, 2006, 11:39:31 AM »

Thanks for posting, Todd. It looks like a beautiful instrument. What are the back, sides, and neck made of?

Cambio · « **Reply #25 on:** July 25, 2006, 12:56:26 PM »

Thanks guys. I'm very happy with the way that it turned out. The back and sides are mahogany. The purfling is identical to the stuff on the old Stellas. The tailpiece is nickel plated brass, same as the old ones. I had it plated at a hot rod shop in Missouri that one of my uncles works with. They did such a nice job that it's hard to tell whether or not it is chrome. It should dull down rather nicely over time.
Regarding the marker on the 9th fret, that's how Leadbelly's was. I've seen a few Stellas with a marker on the ninth fret, as well as plenty of other guitars with markers on the 10th. Unless people request otherwise, I always put the marker on the 9th as the 10th fret really does tend to confuse people.

Blue Poodle · « **Reply #26 on:** December 21, 2006, 09:47:13 PM »

I guess that I've had this guitar for about 6 months now. I have to say that it grows on me more and more each day. Todd really does a super job....my guitar is a very definite keeper!

Sweet Bone Willie · « **Reply #27 on:** December 30, 2006, 12:14:39 PM »

Glad to hear it! Because of this post and others on different forums, Todd's reputation, and also because of that Woodsongs/Geremia clip I mentioned earlier I decided this past summer to order an Angelina myself. I'm the first on the list of the new batch of guitars that Todd will start making after the new year, I can hardly wait!

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Author Topic: New Fraulini Angelina 12 string on the way! (Read 6246 times)

koaguitarman

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rpg51

Sweet Bone Willie

Sweet Bone Willie