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HighBird

@highbirdinstruments

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One of a kind handcrafted instruments made in the Northern Netherlands.
Stay inspired, make music, enjoy nature!
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A few detail shots of the Ornate Hawk Eagle II in the wild. I'm a terrible filmer and editor but hey you can't have everything 😉 for more information about the guitar check my other posts. And stay tuned for a sound demo on this build. 🎶💫🎶I want to take my time with that, and I'm still exploring what I've made. And it plays like a dream 😁🙏🎸🎶🦅💚
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#CBG #cigarbox #cigarboxguitars #cigarboxguitar #cigarboxnation #luthiersofinstagram #woodworking #handmadeinstruments #highbird #ornatehawkeagle #woodinlays #highbirdinstruments #handmadeguitar #botiqueguitar #guitarporn #travelguitar #boxguitar #bluesguitar #artnouveau #customguitar #handwound #pickup #custompickup #kalimba #harpguitar #thumbpiano #customguitarpickups #hermanosguitiérrez #khruangbin #glassbeams by @highbirdinstruments

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2 years ago

" They say the sons of Ivaldi, the best dwarf craftsmen known to the Gods, all worked together to make 'Hravn', Odins magic guitar he used to cast spells and chants with into Midgard, to win wars and prevent Loki's evil plans from succes. He also called his ravens Huginn and Muninn home with a special lick that would echo up the mountains and down valleys, over the sea and through the skies. When this was heard by the Vikings, it lead to sacrifices to thanks Odin for his help. The guitar was found in an ancient grave tomb in Sweden along with thousands of swords an shields and of warriors bones. "
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This guitar is an ode to Odin. I tried to make it so it looks like a viking treasure, with as much of Odin's symbolism as possible. It's called the Raven, or Hravn in old norse. The headstock and tailpiece feature a raven's skull, belonging to Huginn and Muninn, they're also woodburned on the back with their bindrunes. The tailpiece is shaped like a spear, with the Gungnir symbol (Odins spear) etched into it. The end of the fretboard has the valknut inlayed, the 9 pointed (3 triangles) nut of the slain is considered a symbol of Odin. The soundholes are inspired on the fourth letter of the elder futhark, Ansuz. It represents a tree and is also associated with the supreme god Odin. It represents the mouth of Odin, and the magic that comes from communication, the spoken word. So I thought it was very suitable as the 'mouth' of the instrument. The back also had the three (drinking) horns, it is related to Odins quest for the magical mead known as Odhroerir, also known as the mead of poetry. Odin's wolves, Geri and Freki are also burned on the back. The knobs have a Yggdrasil detail, the tree Odin hung on for 9 days to get the knowledge of the runes. There are a lot of runes burned into the guitar. For more on the meaning and more details check my FB post.
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#cigarbox #cigarboxguitars #cigarboxguitar #cigarboxnation #vikinginstrument #highbird #customizedguitar #highbirdinstruments #vikingart #gungnir #odin #norsemythology #yggdrasil #raven #huginnandmuninn #vegvesir #hravn #huginnandmuninn #gungnir #yggdrasil #vikinginstrument #allfather #bindrunes by @highbirdinstruments

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3 years ago

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10 days ago

Details and inlays! ✨ A bit of a long video, but it packs hours of work in 10 minutes. Finished the ornate headstock bullhead detail and glued it on.. And worked on aluminum line inlays in the rosewood border of the box. Added dot inlays filled with wood dust and some mahogany strips next to the rosewood to match the legrest and other laminated parts. A long days work but worth it I think. Oh yeah I had a bit of an accident cutting the aluminum. I'm OK with sharing my mistakes, and how to avoid them, as it might help others out in their building journey. That's why I am making these proces videos. Next up is more detailing and adding internal reverb. Stay tuned! 🎸🎶🦅🌳💚 by @highbirdinstruments

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13 days ago

Went the extra mile to experiment with a new spider bridge coaster and a different sound
bowl I found in a thrift store.. The new sound bowl is aluminum and less deep so it leaves more space inside the box for extra things I am going to add. So nice that again it has the same diameter of the main resonator cone. Fitted the new coaster so it makes good contact with the cone and found that the bridge fits in there perfectly! Love these lucky coincidences, it tells me I'm on the right track. And going the extra mile, not giving up untill you tried everything is time consuming but will pay off in the end! Stay tuned for the rest of this build 🎸🎶✨🦅🌳💚 by @highbirdinstruments

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15 days ago

A little sound impression of what I hear as a player close to the guitar. The harmonics are really nice playing the high strings, and with a good set of strings and proper setup will only improve. There still is a lot of work to be done! But I Can't wait to have the final result in my hands and play it electrically! ✨ by @highbirdinstruments

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18 days ago

Update on the resonator build. I've installed the piezo controls with 2 on/off toggle switches and 2 volume controls that will go into a preamp and then to the 3 way switch where it can be mixed with the humbucker. I've added 2 separate controls to be able to blend and mix two piezo groups. One will be for the soundboard and resonator cone, and one group for the internal reverb and extra sound effects I might add. This should give some interesting options to amplify this guitar! I added the knobs I made and a rosewood ring around the preamp to finish the looks. All the controls are now close together and not in the way of playing so I think I thought it out well.. But the third knob I made, what would that be for? 🤔 Stay tuned! 🎸🎶🦅🌳💚 by @highbirdinstruments

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19 days ago

Soundholes! Designed some soundholes, cut the out and put metal fencing behind it. Turned out pretty nice with the pickup in the middle 😏👍✨ thought I posted this video but couldn't find it on here. So I'm posting it again. Eventually I will make a complete build video of this guitar and put it on YouTube. by @highbirdinstruments

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19 days ago

More progress on the resonator build. Controls, headstock shaped and some ornate pieces added. I recently got a carved mahogany piece of an old cabinet or something and it was perfect for this guitar. I've improved the shape and carvings a bit. Loved to follow the lines of another artist somewhere in the past and being inspired by the work. Handcrafted stuff speaks to all the senses and I hope my work will do the same 🙂🎸🎶💚 by @highbirdinstruments

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20 days ago

Demo of the resonator with a lot of rattling metal going on. I think I need to give up on the cool looks for a better sound. Or find a way to solve this. Anyway it has potential! 🎸🎶😏 by @highbirdinstruments

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21 days ago

More progress. A aluminium nut, a bridge and the humbucker installed with a custom pickup ring. The ring was inspired by the first guitar I've ever made.. At that time I already made these cool nice shapes 🙂🎶 🦅 🎸 🌳 💚 by @highbirdinstruments

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22 days ago

Update on the resonator build! Been going through my stash of metal pieces and went to thriftstores to look for parts.. Funny how kitchen utensils are often the same diameter and are perfect to use in experimental guitar building.. The guitar is taking shape and there's a little sounddemo at the end of the video. 🎶🎶🎶 Happy that the neck is stable and the guitar did not Disintegrate on me! Stay tuned, this thing is going to be amazing. I'm already a lot further in the build process but didn't have time to edit videos.
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#dobroguitar #resonatorguitar #bluesguitar #botiqueguitar #cigarboxguitar by @highbirdinstruments

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22 days ago