Look what I found (it's a Nightbird)!

[GAD]

I've had this for a year or three but with everything going on it's been languishing in storage. I'm finally starting to move everything out of storage and remembered that I had this. I call it the Lava II because it so resembles the Lavaburst.

This guitar has no electronics in it and the pickups, bridge, and tailpiece are all just sitting there. Those are old used HB1s, but I have another set of NOS 4-wire HB1s in my stash so eventually this will get wired up just like the Lavaburst. You know, when I ever get to build my soldering station.

First Guild shot with the new light setup, too! This is with the big 2x3' softbox which gives a more even light across the entire guitar.

 

[HeyMikey]

Datsa gonna bea nice!

 

[Opsimath]

It's gorgeous! Is the photo true to color?

Lavaburst? Is there a picture of that one?

Congrats on your new studio setup!

 

[GAD]

It's gorgeous! Is the photo true to color?

Lavaburst? Is there a picture of that one?

Congrats on your new studio setup!

Pretty much. It's a bit more vibrant because of the lights, but it's the real deal and would look similar if not even better in direct sunlight.

This is the original Lavaburst, so named by me because just look at it.

I want to say it was a guitar that Steve (2nevets) owned first. I put the Guild pickups in for him, then badgered him until he sold it to me. Since it's got 4-wire HB1s, the switch is a coil-split so it gets some wonderful single-coilish tones.

Oh - that's not the origin at all! Looks like I bought it first, it came with Fender HB1s, and I didn't coin the name Lavaburst - @Wilfred did:

OK, OK, NGD is here!

letstalkguild.com

Hard to believe that was almost nine years ago! Yowsa.

I had actually called that guitar the best guitar I'd ever played. I foolishly sold it some time ago and it ended up in the hands of someone who then joined here and he was just over the moon about it.

It might have been the first Nightbird I'd ever owned.

 

[GAD]

Here are the two from more or less the same angle:

What's fun to me is knowing that the top picture was taken before I had any sort of studio lights at all.

That top pic was taken with a DLSR standing on my couch looking down at the guitar which is on the floor on white foam boards. The light is the top-of-camera flash bounced off of the ceiling. I would then spend a LOT of time in Photoshop to make it look the way I wanted including the removal of all the seams on the boards.

Here is the unretouched original version of the first pic right out of the camera, filthy rug and all.



One of the things I love is when I have a vision for how I want something to look, then manage to discover that the tools I'm using are actually limiting my ability to get there. Getting real lights and a proper backdrop was a game-changer for me. Every step forward is less work I need to do in Photoshop.

 

[zulu]

vjsj fjeitit eiodjk

 

[zulu]

sorry. can't type. Spellbound by Nightbirds

 

[GGJaguar]

That's it, I gotta go take some photography lessons.

 

[Rocky]

Very nice.

 

[GAD]

That's it, I gotta go take some photography lessons.

You do just fine.

But you’re welcome to come over, play some Guilds, see my light stands, and then realize why “Guilds in the great outdoors” is the sane approach.

 

[mavuser]

nice find! surely i speak for the majority of the group here in saying, i'd sure like to find/remember having one of those, after a couple years of busy life. enjoy this bird!

 

[GGJaguar]

You do just fine.

But you’re welcome to come over, play some Guilds, see my light stands, and then realize why “Guilds in the great outdoors” is the sane approach.

Well, thanks! People that know photography keep telling me for guitars it's all about lighting. I might just take you up on a tour of the photo studio.

 

[jp]

So gorgeous! Nice to reconnect with old loves. Do the Nightbird IIs weigh roughly the same as the Nightbird I?

I couldn't find the specs for the IIs on your site.

 

[GAD]

So gorgeous! Nice to reconnect with old loves. Do the Nightbird IIs weigh roughly the same as the Nightbird I?

I couldn't find the specs for the IIs on your site.

That probably depends on what you mean by "Nightbird I". There is a model called the Nightbird I which is sort of a stripped down spruce top no binding rosewood fretboard version, and then there is the "first edition" Nightbird which came in many incarnations and finishes but is pretty much a top-tier instrument all around.

The Nightbirds are all chambered except for the ST and DX (which probably should have not been called Nightbirds) and the ones with maple tops (like the IIs) are probably heavier than the spruce ones, but I'm not sure that's a reliable thing to claim.

I'm in the process of moving all of them back into the house so I'll get to weigh them all.

 

[awagner]

I'm in the process of moving all of them back into the house so I'll get to weigh them all.

So all of your guitars are being repatriated from the storage facility?

How will they be humidified?

 

[GAD]

So all of your guitars are being repatriated from the storage facility?

How will they be humidified?

So far dehumidification has been the problem and remains so so-far this year.

The basement, where the majority of the guitars will be stored, is finished but the previous owners who finished it apparently didn't seal it from moisture because a dehumidifier has been running down there since we moved in.

I have temp/humidity sensors all around the house and get alerted when the readings go out of tolerance. We had a leak in the basement a couple of months ago and I knew within the hour because the sensor sent me an alarm.

I like to keep the guitars anywhere between 40-60% humidity and the alarms in the basement tell me when and if it ever goes out of bounds. Here's the recent graph for the basement:



That spike to the right of Oct 1 is the result of post Hurricane Ian rain. The dip right at about Oct23 was an alert because it went below 40%, so I went downstairs and tuned the dehumidifier.

Upstairs, where I keep the more valuable and/or fragile guitars, the situation is very different:


Humidity was surprisingly high after Ian and I'm attributing that to just wet air everywhere thanks to almost a week of rain. During the summer that would be dealt with by the central AC, but I'll need to keep an eye on it during the winter. If it gets too dry I'll just move things to the basement since that's an easier place to control.

To put all of that into perspective, this is outside:



I like data.

If you're wondering, I use SensorPush sensors. They're infinitely better than the AcuRite wireless sensors I used to use, but they are also substantially more expensive. I currently have seven of the sensors and the Wireless Gateway and have been very impressed with their accuracy, durability, and reliability. My only complaint is that the only way to view the data is via an app on my phone and I would very much like to have a web-viewable portal or an app on my Mac, but that's a minor complaint.

People use these things in grow operations, reptile rooms, and all sorts of other places where accurate temp/humidity reporting is required.

 

[Rocky]

Speaking of humidity - I've never seen a spruce top Nightbird with a split top, though I suspect nobody (myself included) goes out of their way to humidify them like an acoustic. I suspect it's due to the thickness, and lack of top tension. There's really only pressure in a small vicinity in the bridge area.

 

[awagner]

Impressive.

We have a dehumidifier in our basement, but it is too small to house my guitars and use as a guitar room. The rest of the house gets dry in the winter,

Since our air handlers are in the attic, installing a humidification system that is connected to our ductwork is a nonstarter.

Looking into a ductless system that emanates from the basement. Hopefully no more daily refilling of a room humidifier in the winter months.

 

[cupric]

Such fine guitars. That top is epic.

 

[fronobulax]

If you're wondering, I use SensorPush sensors. They're infinitely better than the AcuRite wireless sensors I used to use, but they are also substantially more expensive. I currently have seven of the sensors and the Wireless Gateway and have been very impressed with their accuracy, durability, and reliability. My only complaint is that the only way to view the data is via an app on my phone and I would very much like to have a web-viewable portal or an app on my Mac, but that's a minor complaint.

<veer> Would $100 to get the G1 WiFi Gateway address that?