of the equation,” he explains. “You don’t
want them to influence the modal vibra-
tions of the top and the back membranes.
That’s why I’m laminating the sides of my
guitars—and it’s a lot more work, a lot
more expense, and takes a lot more time.”
The process of building a rim set—
sanding and hand-bending two sets of
sides, then lining them up exactly and
gluing them, and laminating the linings
as well—takes about two weeks. “There’s
a crazy amount of stuff that goes into it,”
Greenfield says. “My sides end up being
quite thick—around an eighth of an inch.
I build a heavy guitar on purpose.”
the Harp Highlight of His Career
Among the most complicated and unusual
“tall order” instruments Greenfield has
been asked to build is the harp guitar
(model number HG1.2) he recently built
for Andy McKee. After the two had been
friends for several years, McKee asked
Greenfield to start making guitars for
him. One night, over dinner, McKee
The back of McKee’s harp guitar is made of 40-year-old koa that’s bound with ebony.
