Re: Photos of my 3 Forshage Guitars
Greger Hoel
> Just thought you all might like to see photos of my 3 Forshage
> guitars. I love these axes & play/gig 'em all the time -
> http://joegiglio.com/photos/
> Chris is an awesome luthier, excellent player & an all around great
> person.
They certainly look great, but how is the upper fret access on that
Kleinesque guitar?
--
Sendt med Operas revolusjonerende e-postprogram: http://www.opera.com/mail/
Marc Why
> They certainly look great, but how is the upper fret access on that
> Kleinesque guitar?
>
>
I have a Forshage headless, too, and the upper fret access is
wonderful -- mostly due to the design of the back of the instrument,
which of course you can't see. Forshage contours the upper body so
your thumb fits behind it perfectly, giving you a comfortable and easy
reach all the way up the neck.
There are several pictures of other Forshage examples on a great
website: http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com
Ciao,
Marc
www.myspace.com/marcwhygroup
Joe Giglio
<greg...@spameggssausagespamandsparm.crap> wrote:
> På Tue, 06 May 2008 11:54:56 +0200, skrev Joe Giglio <joegig...@gmail.com>:
>
> > Just thought you all might like to see photos of my 3 Forshage
> > guitars. I love these axes & play/gig 'em all the time -
> >http://joegiglio.com/photos/
> > Chris is an awesome luthier, excellent player & an all around great
> > person.
>
> They certainly look great, but how is the upper fret access on that
> Kleinesque guitar?
>
> --
> Sendt med Operas revolusjonerende e-postprogram:http://www.opera.com/mail/
hi greger
just as marc said, the access to the upper frets is total & effortless
in addition to the upper body contours, the light weight of the guitar
& the way it fits one's body either seated or standing with a strap,
allows the player to re-direct energy & focus toward playing, which
otherwise may unconsciously be used to support the instrument
when seated the way it rests on one's thigh (left or right) pretty
much does away with the need for a foot stool
oh & btw, it squeezes fresh orange juice for me every morning (wishful
thinking)
best
joe g.
Greger Hoel
> Hi Greger,
> I have a Forshage headless, too, and the upper fret access is
> wonderful -- mostly due to the design of the back of the instrument,
> which of course you can't see. Forshage contours the upper body so
> your thumb fits behind it perfectly, giving you a comfortable and easy
> reach all the way up the neck.
Nice. I remember seeing some German luthier's guitars, a while ago, and
most of his guitars had the upper body attached to the neck even further
down the fretboard than Forshage's. Supposedly it improved bottom end
response tremendously.
> There are several pictures of other Forshage examples on a great
> website: http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com
Thanks. Seems like there's enough material on ergonomic guitars for years.
Greger Hoel
> hi greger
> just as marc said, the access to the upper frets is total & effortless
> in addition to the upper body contours, the light weight of the guitar
> & the way it fits one's body either seated or standing with a strap,
> allows the player to re-direct energy & focus toward playing, which
> otherwise may unconsciously be used to support the instrument
> when seated the way it rests on one's thigh (left or right) pretty
> much does away with the need for a foot stool
It certainly looks like just what the doctor ordered. Have you, or anybody
else for that matter, compared it to the original Klein design? Do you
know if Forshage makes them with transtrems?
> oh & btw, it squeezes fresh orange juice for me every morning (wishful
> thinking)
Heh -- reminds me of one of John Dvorak's columns in PC Magazine where he
lamented the sure to appear laptop with an integrated hot dog stand.
Marc Why
> It certainly looks like just what the doctor ordered. Have you, or anybody
> else for that matter, compared it to the original Klein design? Do you
> know if Forshage makes them with transtrems?
>
Yes, I used to have a Klein, but sold it when I got the Forshage! I
don't think he's made one yet with a transtrem, but like Joe G said,
Chris is always ready to talk about options. I personally don't miss
the trem ...
rpguitar
> else for that matter, compared it to the original Klein design?
I knew Marc would beat me to it...! But I still own both. I was
hooked on the Klein mystique and when one came up for sale not long
after my Forshage arrived, I bought it.
They are obviously going to be different based on the electronics, so
let's leave that variable out. The famous Klein neck is very slick
indeed, but small, with 1 5/8" nut width. The Forshage has more of a
beefy jazz guitar neck, like an old Gibson, and feels very classy. Of
course he can make you what you want in terms of a profile. The body
style of the Forshage is slightly taller and fits a bit more
comfortably while seated, but naturally the Klein makes no excuses -
it set the standard for that profile and does a superb job. The
mostly hollow Forshage design is lighter, but not by a whole lot.
Both are very comfortable.
End of the day, they are quite different in feel and response, so I'm
holding onto both. The Forshage feels like a hollowbody; like a jazz
guitar - and with a lot of bright acoustic character. Notes have a
clear, defined attack. The Klein is extremely smooth and touch
sensitive, with a "blurry" attack that excels for legato phrasing.
It's great for ambient or moody music. I'm thankful to have a trem
equipped ergo guitar, because I do use it. Of course Chris F. would
find a way to make you one if you had the Steinberger part.
RP
Greger Hoel
Very informative; thanks guys. If y'all don't mind my asking, how much did
your Forshages set you back? I reckon with the way the dollar has tanked
recently, a purchase might be feasible if I eat nothing but noodles and
roadkill for the next year and the dollar stays down.
The Klein look has always intrigued me, and no matter how many other
soldibodies I try, I can't seem to find one that sits right when I play
sitting down. The very existence of the lower bout, as well as the overall
hourglass shape, seems to prohibit a tension free positioning. The Klein
design's inverted lower bout, OTOH, seems just right. I'm not so sure
about the upper bout, though. In addition to the balance issue, one reason
I prefer hollowbodies, especially dreadnoughts, for playing sitting down
is that I can rest part of my forearm on the side of the guitar, letting
my hand hang, completely relaxed, over the strings. I assume that won't
work on a Klein, but maybe on a Forshage?
woland99
I am not sure if I remember correctly but Kleins do not have truss
rod. Forshage guitars come with truss rod and also have graphite
reinforcement in necks - - so you can get neck profile as slim as
you want without risking any problems with neck bowing out.
On my Forshage I asked Chris to do a neck thyat would be a compromise
between ASAT Tele and 335 and he got it just right - it is taylor
made for my hand. One surprising thing is sustain on that guitar -
taking into account headless geometry. Intonation i sperfect and
tone is even all over the neck - almost like playing piano.
And it stays in tune much better than any other guitar I ever owned.
Joe Giglio
>
> - Show quoted text -
i know that the rosewood klein necks have no truss rod & i've heard
that people have had issues with weather changes & switching string
guages
the forshage truss rod is double action & very responsive & in the two
years i've had mine the neck has been very stable-i've tweaked the
truss rod the tiniest bit twice
one reason for the great tone-sustain & the tuning stability is that
the neck extends 2.5 inches beyond the nut, angled slightly downward &
the string attachments are at the end of this extension
these btw, do not require double ball end strings-you can use your
regular set
there's not a bad thing i can say about the forshage headless except
that i don't have two of them...yet
Derek
experience playing Jody Fisher's Klein a couple of times.
Just an amazing instrument. He has had no trouble with his truss
rodless rosewood neck. He said the peice used for his is very old, so
pretty stable I guess. He plays .9's currently.
Of course, with no production and ebay prices reaching $7k-8k, I
started looking for alternatives.
The basic Forshage Ergo runs $2500, more if you want special pups/
electronics, and more eye candy.
For that price, I am getting a very nice quilted maple top,
semihollow, two Bennedetto humbuckers with coil splits, and some sort
of fretboard inlay Chris has been wanting to do.
I really don't care about fretboard inlay that much, just something
simple is fine with me. He asked about neck, and I wanted mahogany
with dimensions that mimic my 175.
Chris is a super nice guy, and has been great to work with.
Joe Giglio
hi derek
happy to hear that jody's guitar is stable- i wonder though if one
were to go from 9's -11's, which is certainly within the realm of
possibility, if the neck would remain un-moved
also 9's most definitely exert less tension than say, 12's, which for
a jazzer are pretty standard-so how would it stand up to 12's or 13's
from the get go?
i've heard that the rosewood necks sound much better that the other's
klein offered & the klein that i've played did indeed have a rosewood
neck-it sounded fine, but i was in no way moved to aquire one which at
the time was certainly possible
in my experience the forshage is a superior instrument, carefully
designed & built by a luthier who is also a fine player-for players
that said, it's a shame that the kleins are no longer built for those
who want them & that the existing one's command such an absurd price
best
joe g.
woland99
You are right about the part about the neck extending beyond the nut
- that may be the explanation for sustain. Chris makes that extended
part slightly thicker than rest of the neck - that may be also a
factor. It (additional thickness) also makes playing in 1st position
quite comfortable.
Derek
>hi derek
>happy to hear that jody's guitar is stable- i wonder though if one
>were to go from 9's -11's, which is certainly within the realm of
>possibility, if the neck would remain un-moved
>also 9's most definitely exert less tension than say, 12's, which for
>a jazzer are pretty standard-so how would it stand up to 12's or 13's
>from the get go?
Yeah, good question. I know he hasn't always played .9's. As far as
what gauges he has played on it, dunno. He reads this group so maybe
he will chime in.
He gets a pretty fat tone from .9s though.
>i've heard that the rosewood necks sound much better that the other's
>klein offered & the klein that i've played did indeed have a rosewood
>neck-it sounded fine, but i was in no way moved to aquire one which at
>the time was certainly possible
>in my experience the forshage is a superior instrument, carefully
>designed & built by a luthier who is also a fine player-for players
>that said, it's a shame that the kleins are no longer built for those
>who want them & that the existing one's command such an absurd price.
Yeah, well I obviously agree with you, as I have put my $ up. I did
play a Klein clone built buy a guy this summer. had a carved back for
some chambered sound.
A bit rough in the finish department, but overall a pretty cool take.
However, your clips and Roger's were the tipping point for me. Chris
is obviously building a wonderful instrument.
I will see Jody this summer at NGW Jazz Summit, and my Ergo is
supposed to be done by then. I will make sure Jody gets a chance to
play it and get his take.
He was looking for a back up to his Klein, this might be the ticket.
rpguitar
It would be cool to hear about Jody's reaction to the Forshage! I
emailed with Jody when I bought my Klein, because his and mine are
somewhat rare in having a solid Brazilian rosewood neck (most have
Guatemalan or Honduran, which is lighter brown). I was obsessing
about the relative density of different rosewood species and Braz was
not the "most" dense. But neither he nor I have had troubles. Mine
was made in 2000, and I use 10's.
A Klein takes double ball strings and 10's are pretty much the max
gauge. I do think that this guitar is for those with a light touch,
and is very warm and smooth to play with thin strings - again, with
the right touch. There is no need for heavy strings since there is no
acoustic top to move, after all. And there is a trem. A different
beast!
My Forshage does not have the micro-headstock yet it too sustains
really well. I have a zero fret on mine and a clamping headpiece
right above that, more like a Steinberger. This was by request. The
acoustic version Chris is building will have the little extension.
The electric Forshage headless has a lot of acoustic volume for such a
small body; in fact, this is one of the reasons why it excels as a
jazz guitar. It's louder than a 335 and has a distinctly woody
character. You can definitely put a mic in front of it and combine
that with the amped signal for more options when recording.
JT, I am sorry that you already received your Forshage, because now
you have no reason to pop into Chris' workshop and check on the
progress of everyone else's guitar! :-)
Roger