'The Holy City of Jerusalem Guitar' - A new, one of a kind, handmade guitar for Peace, Harmony and Unity in our troubled times (ecoTrain)
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It's been a long time in the making, but I finally finished this 'Jerusalem' guitar. It sounds great. Very powerful and balanced, responsive, warm and harmonious.
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The inlays are made from cypress wood, olive and almond wood from trees in my garden and shells from the shores of the sea of Galilee. The theme of this guitar is the Holy City of Jerusalem. The scene depicted is taken from the view overlooking the Western wall of the ancient Hebrew Temple and the Dome of the Rock mosque which is built on top of it. It is a very significant place for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. The script above it is a passage from Isiah which envisions a time when all people will share the city and live in peace together.
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The soundboard is made from Western Red Cedar. The body is mahogany with flamed maple and Indian Rosewood bindings. The fingerboard is ebony and the bridge is made from ebony, maple and rosewood. The finish is hand rubbed natural shellac French polish.
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As with all of my guitars, this was made almost entirely with hand tools. This is a very long and laborious process, but it allows me to really focus all of my energy, attention and intention into the work. I think this has a very definite effect on the quality of the sound and character of the finished instrument.
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A lot of thought also goes into the choice of materials, which are chosen for their tonal characteristics as well as aesthetic appearance. I was happy to incorporate many locally sourced materials in this guitar which I collected from the area where I live in Galilee. These included cypress, almond and olive wood as well as shells from the Sea of Galilee.
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This was one of my most interesting commissioned instruments. I'm most happy to work on commissions. The collaborative design aspect makes the process and the finished product very special for the customer. For me, it gives me a chance to explore new ideas that I might not have tried otherwise.
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If you would like me to build your dream guitar for you, you can get in contact through my website www.handmade-guitars.com
I also offer courses in guitar making. No woodworking experience necessary. So if you've ever wanted to visit Galilee and the Holy Land, here's one more reason to do so.
Thanks for reading, following, upvoting, resteeming and commenting!
Check out this weeks ecoTrain highlights, with 14 amazing passengers on board!
I am in awe of this. Seriously. As I looked at your guitar, made out the verse and read the post I was getting goosebumps all over my body. Yours are magical instruments, man.
Thanks man
Yes, I'm a woman but sometimes that is the right thing to say :)
I didn’t know that. Thanks for telling me. As it is we're all Steemians here in virtual reality anyway, so maybe it makes no difference. Cheers mate!
PS Do we get to hear it? Please?
I'll see what I can do. I don't get on well with recording, but maybe I'll make a special effort in this case
Oh please if you can get something without losing too much time....
That's beautiful. When I get rich here on steemit, I hope can order a classical guitar from you. I love the rosetta with the shells.
Thank you garden. I have given your comment a $0.04 (that's my maximum) upvote to help you along the way. A few more of those and you'll have yourself a guitar of your own, inlaid with shells. Steem on!
Your craftsmanship appears impeccable @stillgideon.
You have crafted a true beauty of a guitar.
I must admit that I half-expected to see a guitar promoting "Peace, Harmony and Unity" in Jerusalem - but even as a pro-Zion guitar with what appears to a poetic battlecry/ religious quote - it is beautiful. Congratulations.
Thanks @pathforger . I'll tell you about the quote, because I was also uncomfortable about using it at first because of the mention of Zion and all the connotations that invokes.
The man who commissioned the guitar is a devout Christian from America. He's a collector of guitars and particularly wanted one from Israel, as it has a very special place in his heart - being the place where Jesus lived. He asked me to include this passage from the bible, as it is one of his favourites.
Now, I'm not religious myself, being more of a non conformist. I find that making guitars is enough religion for me. I didn't really understand what the passage from Isiah meant and it made me uneasy, as I've mentioned... so I went to visit my friend who is a rock n roll rabbi. . We looked up the passage and talked about it, putting it into context of what Isiah was talking about....
What it describes is a vision that Isiah had, in which he saw a time when all of the 'kingdoms' living in Jerusalem will make peace and 'all of them will triumph' - meaning that there won't be winners and losers - only winners. After that, he says, the name of the city will be changed to Heftzibah, which means 'my delight is in her' and Jerusalem will be a jewel in God's hand.
All in all, a very positive vision! I do believe that if peace can be made in Jerusalem then it can be made everywhere. also, that it will require world peace to make peace in Jerusalem. everything is connected. At the moment there's a lot of division, but it doesn't have to be that way always.
So you see, it's not a battle cry, but a call for righteousness and Unity.
I very much appreciated the background story of the choice of quote upon your creation. :c)
Within the context of what you describe here, the overall message to be derived from the quote does differ significantly from what it upon the surface appears.
And, even if it were not so - the guitar is still a splendid work of art - and was crafted to the specifications of your client - and this you have done as any great craftsman would do.
Again, you have made a beautiful guitar. Thank you for taking the time to give me such a complete response. :c)
Gideon! Good to see you on here! We last met briefly when you were moving out of the house on Bristol Road in Sheffield headed for your new home in the Holy Land. Great to see you are doing well and making beautiful guitars! I hope the family are well. Best wishes, Tim
We were moving in to the house on Bristol Road....
Hey Tim! What a small world. The connections are getting quite amazing . Good to see you here on Steemit. I hope you're well and enjoying life in Bristol Rd (if you're still there). It's a lovely house and has particular good memories for me as my daughter was born in the upstairs room facing the street. I had my workshop in the room at the top of the house. Seems like a world away now... All the best. hope to see you around here on Steemit, and maybe even in the real world sometime.
this is totally amazing!
what an incredible design to have managed to put on a guitar..
first class.. you are an artist of every maner
Thanks. It was fun. I always prefer to work on things a bit out of the ordinary.
Cool! Excellent work! :-) resteemed and upvoted!
Many thanks indeed @robyneggs
Wow beautiful work! Very inspiring. I have always wanted to make my own guitar that is uniquely special to me.
Thank you for this. Why did your customer want this particular design, just curious. Love it. I hope YOU have a WONDERFUL day!