David MacCubbin’s hand-made acoustic guitars

Apr 10, 2015

David MacCubbin’s hand-made acoustic guitars

Jon Sham 0 Comment Maryland, The Baltimore Sun, Video acoustic guitar, Baltimore, cockeysville, David MacCubbin, guitars, handmade guitars

16 Photos, 1 Video

David MacCubbin has been hand-making steel string acoustic guitars for nearly 15 years in the basements and garage of his Cockeysville home. MacCubbin spends more than 100 hours on each guitar, meticulously poring over each detail. On a recent afternoon, he let me spend some time with him as he worked on the back struts and the sides of a guitar. More below…

: Luthier David MacCubbin works on the back struts of a guitar he’s assembling in the basement of his Cockeysville home on Thursday, March 19, 2015. MacCubbin has been hand-making and selling acoustic guitars for nearly 15 years. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: Luthier David MacCubbin files down the back struts of a guitar he’s assembling. The filing strokes create small wooden curls that eventually cover the area beneath the apparatus. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: A detail shot shows luthier David MacCubbin’s hands as he files down the back struts. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin assembled this apparatus for working on this part of the guitar. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: Wooden shavings curl up as they are meticulously removed from the back struts. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin sprays a wooden panel to dampen it before bending it to form the curved side of the guitar. The panel will be wrapped in tin foil to hold in moisture and warmed on a heated bad to form the curvature. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin stretches out a warming pad over a wooden panel wrapped in tin foil to fit it to become the side of the guitar. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin pulls a rubber band over a wooden block to hold in place a piece of an acoustic guitar he’s building. MacCubbin first wets the wood, sets it in place, warms it for a few minutes and lets it dry overnight. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin secures blocks along a piece of wood that will become the side of a guitar. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin places blocks along a wooden blank to form the side of an acoustic guitar he’s building. The blocks are affixed with rubber bands every few inches to hold the wood in place while it warms. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: A precision knife and small strips of abalone are laid out on the table. Abalone is often used on guitars, and these particular strips might be used around the sound hole. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin, of Cockeysville, poses for a photo in the basement of his home behind a rack of acoustic guitars he’s made. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: A detail shot of the head of a Maryland-themed guitar built by Cockeysville luthier David MacCubbin, with head and neck designs by Craig Lavin, of the Chesapeake Bay Guitar Project. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin strums a chord. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

: MacCubbin poses for a photo. (Jon Sham/BSMG)

Video below:

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