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Manton 6 String Build


zbd1960
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Time for a confession.... a few months after I commissioned the ACG Krell... I commissioned Robin at Manton Customs to build a six string... (yeah, I'm nuts).

 

There are various aspects of it which appeal. I'm an early music aficionado (Renaissance and Medieval) and I play the viola da gamba(tenor and bass). The "Titan" model has attributes of the viol about it. 

 

I have gone for mostly English woods this time. The top will be walnut and the accent layer will be yew, and the body English sycamore. The fretboard will be Wenge...

 

I need to dig through e-mails and pull out more details on it... but it should be ready in a few months. 

 

 

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Took a lot of digging... I think this is one of the pieces for the top... I seem to have thoroughly buried the e-mail with the images, so I've had to dig through the photos app on the Mac.... 

 

 

Edited by zbd1960
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1 hour ago, eude said:

Very nice, excited to see how this one comes out!

Love the idea of using domestic woods too.

What's the spec on this, did you go for a 32" scale, like you did with your ACG?

Yes, 32" scale, 24 fret, 20" radius

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  • 1 month later...

OK, we're getting nearer with the 6 string.... latest pics are in. Top is walnut, yew accent layer and sycamore body; fingerboard is wenge.

 

 

Edited by zbd1960
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  • 2 weeks later...

Not long back from picking up the six string from Robin at Manton Customs. The six string is a beast! It is a comfortable size though. It weighs in at 9lb and has a 32" scale. The front is English Walnut and a Yew accent layer delineated with a black veneer both sides. The body is Maple/Sycamore.

 

It has a through neck laminated from Maple and Wenge and the fretboard is Wenge.

 

I play the viol (viola da gamba) and the Titan model is loosely like a viol, especially the older 'festoon' type of Renaissance viol.

 

I will post some of my own photos of it shortly, with some close-ups, but I've got a concert to play in later. Meanwhile, some photos from Robin.

 

    1663621145_MantonCustomsMediumScaleWalnut6StringTitan(1).thumb.JPG.90d0ba6e708de8d0c572c7e76d2507d1.JPG

 

1498382729_MantonCustomsMediumScaleWalnut6StringTitan(3).thumb.JPG.640f8be68c8dd054f38b359b58e7db56.JPG

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Wow - it's impressive. And the next guitarist to diss bass players will get the chance to see if their neck fits neatly inside that lower cutaway!

Love the neck layers, and how perfectly the strings line up with them.

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57 minutes ago, Daz39 said:

Wow - it's impressive. And the next guitarist to diss bass players will get the chance to see if their neck fits neatly inside that lower cutaway!

Love the neck layers, and how perfectly the strings line up with them.

If I sharpen it, it could double as a Lockaber axe....

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  • 1 month later...
On 26/08/2022 at 12:19, TheGreek said:

The shape isn't my cappuccino but the materials are beautiful. 

Good call.

The shape is reminiscent of a viola da gamba, which is what attracted me to it. My own tenor viol is rather more prosaic and commissioning a bass is a lot cheaper than a viol. 

 

 

Edited by zbd1960
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2 minutes ago, zbd1960 said:

The shape is reminiscent of a viola da gamba, which is what attracted me to it. My own tenor viol is rather more prosaic and commissioning a bass is a lot cheaper than a viol. 

 

IMG_9905.thumb.JPG.80bee5846d6d1ac143ac4cc065c6ff1e.JPG

Who made your Viol?

I used to know a guy who made them a while back, a Richard Jones. He'll be a good age by now, he was a really nice, talented bloke.

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2 minutes ago, eude said:

Who made your Viol?

I used to know a guy who made them a while back, a Richard Jones. He'll be a good age by now, he was a really nice, talented bloke.

Mine's a Czech instrument - nothing special. I've met Richard and played some of his viols - he mostly makes Renaissance ones rather than Baroque I think? You'd struggle to commission a tenor viol for less than £6k

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11 minutes ago, zbd1960 said:

Mine's a Czech instrument - nothing special. I've met Richard and played some of his viols - he mostly makes Renaissance ones rather than Baroque I think? You'd struggle to commission a tenor viol for less than £6k

Small world then!

I think your right, are those a little more fancy?

Did you know he was originally a bass player? He had a wonderful fretless P Bass, it had been refinished, but was lovely.

He helped me build a 6 string fretless bass.

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