Name: Maine guitar maker renowned for his artistic, one-of-a-kind creations
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Maine guitar maker renowned for his artistic, one-of-a-kind creations

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AdvertisementMaine guitar maker renowned for his artistic, one-of-a-kind creationsHide TranscriptShow TranscriptHERE'S WMTW NEWS EIGHT'S STEVE MINICH WITH THIS WEEK'S MADE IN MAINE.... ---NATS MONTAGE OF PLUGGING IN, MUSIC--- (00-51-56 "I CAN NOT MAKE A GUITAR THAT DIDN'T SATISFY MY OWN QUALITY CONTROL OF WHAT A GUITAR IS." A SELF PROFESSED ROCK AND ROLLER FROM THE 60'S.... --NATS OF MAKING GUITAR-- A MATICULOUS WOOD WORKER AS WELL,,, ANY GUITAR JAMES MACDONALD 'MAKES' MUST SATISFIES NOT JUST HIS MUSICAL KNACK ---- BUT HIS MASTERY IN THE ANCIENT ARTISTIC ENDEAVOUR CALLED 'MARQUETRY'.. (00-45-47) "IT'S IN THE FAMILY OF INLAY, IT'S TAKING SOME KIND OF MATERIAL AND USING IT AS EMBELLISHMENT." FOR MACDONALD,, HIS MATERIAL IS VENEER,,,, HIS SHOP FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF PIECES WHICH HE'LL USE TO CREATE THE UNIQUE DESIGNS THAT DEFINE HIS LINE OF GUITARS.. (00-15-47) JUST THE ART,,, "THE ART CAN TAKE WEEKS, THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY OF THESE GUYS CAN TAKE 80 TO 120 HOURS.. SOMEWHERE IN THERE." --NATS OF MARQUETERY WORK-- THAT ART,, THE MARQUETRY REQUIRES PAINSTAKING WORK,, EACH PIECE OF EAC PICTURE IS A SEPERATE LAYER OF VENEER WHICH MACDONALD CUTS AND TAPES TOGETHER.. (00-46-05) "SO YOU'RE CUTTING AND TAPING, CUTTING AND TAPING UNTIL YOU HAVE A BIG SHEET OF VENEER, ONE LAYER THICK THAT INCORPORATES ALL THE PIECES OF YOUR DESIGN THEN AT THAT POINT YOU GLUE IT ALL DOWN AT ONCE." OVER THE YEARS,, MACDONALD HAS CREATED NUMEROUS DESIGNS,, (00-25-06) "THIS IS ALL FROM 1966,, THIS IS LIKE A 60'S BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK" MOST, OF HIS WORK, HE SAYS REPRESENTS HIS ROOTS AS A BABY BOOMER... EACH TELLING A PERSONAL STORY OF SORTS.. (00-40-32) "I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT SETS IT APART FROM ALL THOSE OTHER GUITARS IS THE LIFE STORY I'M PUTTING INTO THEM ALL FROM MY MARQUETRY DESIGNS AND THE THOUGHFULNESS OF THE DESIGN BASED ON MY INCLINATIONS AS A GUITAR PLAYER," --NATS OF PLAYING GUITAR-- UNDERNIETH THE ARTISTRY,,, MACDONALD TOUTS A SOLID BODY GUITAR MADE FROM HONDOROUS MAHOGONY, A TOP OF THE LINE SOUNDING INSTRUMENT,,, WITH A ONE OF A KIND LOOK... (00-49-18) "LIKE I DON'T WANT TO MAKE EVEY KIND OF GUITAR IN THE WORLD,, I WANT TO MAKE THIS ONE.. EVERY SINGLE ONE WANTS TO BE UNIQUE." BY THE WAY,, IF YOU HAPPEN TO STOP BY THE ALLMAN BROTHERS MUSEUM IAdvertisementMaine guitar maker renowned for his artistic, one-of-a-kind creationsIn the Waldo County town of Burnham, there is a renowned guitar maker whose handcrafted instruments are one-of-a-kind.“I can not make a guitar that didn't satisfy my own quality control of what a guitar is,” guitar maker James MacDonald said.MacDonald is a self-professed rock and roller from the 1960s. A meticulous woodworker as well, any guitar he makes must satisfy his musical standards and his mastery in the ancient artistic endeavor of marquetry.“It's in the family of inlay. It's taking some kind of material and using it as embellishment,” MacDonald said.For MacDonald, his material is veneer. His shop is filled with hundreds of pieces that he will use to create unique designs that define his line of guitars.“Just the art can take weeks. The level of complexity of these guys can take 80 to 120 hours, somewhere in there,” MacDonald said.The marquetry requires painstaking work. Each piece of each picture is a separate layer of veneer, which MacDonald cuts and tapes together.“So, you're cutting and taping, cutting and taping until you have a big sheet of veneer one layer thick that incorporates all the pieces of your design. Then at that point, you glue it all down at once,” MacDonald said.Over the years, MacDonald has created numerous designs. Most of his work represents his roots as a baby boomer. Each tells a personal story.“I think at the end of the day what sets it apart from all those other guitars is the life story I'm putting into them all from my marquetry designs and the thoughtfulness of the design based on my inclinations as a guitar player," MacDonald said.Beyond the artistry, MacDonald touts a solid-body guitar made from Honduran mahogany and a top-of-the-line sounding instrument, with a one-of-a-kind look.“I don't want to make every kind of guitar in the world. I want to make this one. Every single one wants to be unique,” MacDonald said.One of MacDonald’s custom guitars is on display at the Allman Brothers Museum in Georgia.In the Waldo County town of Burnham, there is a renowned guitar maker whose handcrafted instruments are one-of-a-kind.“I can not make a guitar that didn't satisfy my own quality control of what a guitar is,” guitar maker James MacDonald said.AdvertisementMacDonald is a self-professed rock and roller from the 1960s. A meticulous woodworker as well, any guitar he makes must satisfy his musical standards and his mastery in the ancient artistic endeavor of marquetry.“It's in the family of inlay. It's taking some kind of material and using it as embellishment,” MacDonald said.For MacDonald, his material is veneer. His shop is filled with hundreds of pieces that he will use to create unique designs that define his line of guitars.“Just the art can take weeks. The level of complexity of these guys can take 80 to 120 hours, somewhere in there,” MacDonald said.The marquetry requires painstaking work. Each piece of each picture is a separate layer of veneer, which MacDonald cuts and tapes together.“So, you're cutting and taping, cutting and taping until you have a big sheet of veneer one layer thick that incorporates all the pieces of your design. Then at that point, you glue it all down at once,” MacDonald said.Over the years, MacDonald has created numerous designs. Most of his work represents his roots as a baby boomer. Each tells a personal story.“I think at the end of the day what sets it apart from all those other guitars is the life story I'm putting into them all from my marquetry designs and the thoughtfulness of the design based on my inclinations as a guitar player," MacDonald said.Beyond the artistry, MacDonald touts a solid-body guitar made from Honduran mahogany and a top-of-the-line sounding instrument, with a one-of-a-kind look.“I don't want to make every kind of guitar in the world. I want to make this one. Every single one wants to be unique,” MacDonald said.One of MacDonald’s custom guitars is on display at the Allman Brothers Museum in Georgia.Loading more articles...

AdvertisementMaine guitar maker renowned for his artistic, one-of-a-kind creationsHide TranscriptShow TranscriptHERE'S WMTW NEWS EIGHT'S STEVE MINICH WITH THIS WEEK'S MADE IN MAINE.... ---NATS MONTAGE OF PLUGGING IN, MUSIC--- (00-51-56 "I CAN NOT MAKE A GUITAR THAT DIDN'T SATISFY MY OWN QUALITY CONTROL OF WHAT A GUITAR IS." A SELF PROFESSED ROCK AND ROLLER FROM THE 60'S.... --NATS OF MAKING GUITAR-- A MATICULOUS WOOD WORKER AS WELL,,, ANY GUITAR JAMES MACDONALD 'MAKES' MUST SATISFIES NOT JUST HIS MUSICAL KNACK ---- BUT HIS MASTERY IN THE ANCIENT ARTISTIC ENDEAVOUR CALLED 'MARQUETRY'.....

Maine guitar maker renowned for his artistic, one-of-a-kind creations

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