Post by Mark Makin on Sept 27, 2012 12:26:33 GMT
I have just received this splendid 'new' Triplate from John Alderson and I thought I would just relate the story behind it.
When my good friend Alan Timmins died 4 years ago, his wife Jenny asked me to help sort out his workshop and machinery. When I walked in, I was surprised to see an almost complete carbon fibre Triplate body sitting on the workbench. It caused me something of a dilemma. If it had been just a few bits or perhaps a back and sides, I would have just consigned it to the bin. However, I felt it would be a tribute to Alan to try and complete it in some way and at least give the instrument a working 'life of its own' - not least because it was the last of its kind.
All of the formers, moulds, T bridges, coverplates, tailpieces etc, that Alan used to construct his 'F1' series of carbon fibre instruments, I passed on to John Alderson with a view to him carrying on where Alan left off. In the last few years, he and his carbon technologist friend Robin Page have produced some really excellently crafted 14 fret single cone 'Dark Arts' carbon-fibre bodied resonators. At the time I asked him, "if he had a few spare minutes" could he try and complete Alan's body. This is the result.
I was aware that it was a 'big ask' in the first place because the idea of 'joining' two luthiers disparate elements together is not likely to be an easy marriage.
John has produced a wonderfully playable instrument. At the moment we are all surprised at the enormous bright and loud sound it produces. We have nothing to compare with it at the moment as John has yet to build a carbon Triplate of his own from the 'ground up'. This is the next project to build some others to compare with it.
It is definitely a sound all its own, somewhere in between wood and metal but very clean and bright with a very long decay.
Here are some pics
When my good friend Alan Timmins died 4 years ago, his wife Jenny asked me to help sort out his workshop and machinery. When I walked in, I was surprised to see an almost complete carbon fibre Triplate body sitting on the workbench. It caused me something of a dilemma. If it had been just a few bits or perhaps a back and sides, I would have just consigned it to the bin. However, I felt it would be a tribute to Alan to try and complete it in some way and at least give the instrument a working 'life of its own' - not least because it was the last of its kind.
All of the formers, moulds, T bridges, coverplates, tailpieces etc, that Alan used to construct his 'F1' series of carbon fibre instruments, I passed on to John Alderson with a view to him carrying on where Alan left off. In the last few years, he and his carbon technologist friend Robin Page have produced some really excellently crafted 14 fret single cone 'Dark Arts' carbon-fibre bodied resonators. At the time I asked him, "if he had a few spare minutes" could he try and complete Alan's body. This is the result.
I was aware that it was a 'big ask' in the first place because the idea of 'joining' two luthiers disparate elements together is not likely to be an easy marriage.
John has produced a wonderfully playable instrument. At the moment we are all surprised at the enormous bright and loud sound it produces. We have nothing to compare with it at the moment as John has yet to build a carbon Triplate of his own from the 'ground up'. This is the next project to build some others to compare with it.
It is definitely a sound all its own, somewhere in between wood and metal but very clean and bright with a very long decay.
Here are some pics
