NoGD Binh Bling-Travaganza

[Etienne Rambert]

Put on your shades.

 

I bought this guitar in 2006 from Binh before Katopp and I helped his little shop become widely known. It is still new because after buying it, I promptly shipped it back to the States where it has remained in the case for almost 11 years.

 

It was never played by anyone except me during brief fly-backs. I'd change strings too. The current EXP .11's still sound new. They've been on for 8 years. This is a test-case for how long EXP's keep their tone. Pretty amazing.

 

I bought this instrument for the sound. Spruce top/Vietnamese Rosewood b&s. . I liked the looks too. It's a jewel. One feature making it unique is the image of a woman buried in bling, wearing the garb of ancient Athens or Rome. I didn't know who it was supposed to be. I thought it was some university's logo. (Binh told me it was the Virgin Mary.)

 

Still in tune in 2017, good intonation, good action, high saddle and it sounds as good as or better than most guitars made in the West costing much more. It's a deep, tone, a little on the dark side - strong, resonant bass.

I've heard D-28's that sound like it.

 

It could use a truss rod adjustment.

[Idunno]

Definitely embellished in Poseidon's pearlescence. If that was done is wood rather than MOP I'd be a drool puss. But, despite the artistry, I'm not much for the seashell stuff.

 

used to grind it into a very fine dust. It took freaking hours to do. Then I'd add it to white paint and tint it ever-so-slightly to arrive at a hint of blue or pink or green etc, and sell it to auto paint shops as the pearl pigment they'd add to pearlescent paint jobs. I charged $1,000.00 per fluid ounce but it went a long way. Then someone developed machine-produced products and the market dried up for hand-mixed pearl additive. Stationed on Guam, I had a ready supply of MOP from all around the island and had a stockpile of the various hues.

 

The use of the pearl in wood "inlays" was a misnomer insomuch as the relief was typically routed with a Dremel tool and the pearl dust was added to an epoxy base and poured into the voids. That's the way I saw it being done in the PI on ornamental pieces of mahogany and teak. No big deal, really, and the artistry to render the work seemed lost in the mass production technique.

 

But, the artistic difference between using pearl and wood lies in the method. The wood cannot be poured into the relief. It must be painstakingly cut from the chosen species and meticulously fit into the routed shape. Poorly rendered work can be quickly outed by the amount of visible filler sawdust used from the same species dabbed into the voids with a sandable adhesive. From 20 feet away it looks great but up close it tells the real story.

 

Glad you're reunited with a good player. Makes the homecoming that much more enjoyable.

[Emory]

Oh yeah baby... you have to wear shades when playing, or just the audience? I like it, but then again I now live in Thailand....

[DeepEnd]

Lovely guitar. And yes, I do see hints of the Virgin Mary, even such a heathen Methodist as I am.

[badpenguin]

I don't know, could use a Floyd.

[Etienne Rambert]

If you examine the soundhole pic, you'll notice corrosion spots on the strings. They're 8 years old and still sound new.

 

It's most noticeable on 1st and 2nd strings. I'm expecting a high-end boost when I change strings. Also if anyone wonders what VN or SE Asian Rosewood looks like - this guitar is a good example.

[Samilyn]

I dearly love Mr. Binh's work. He builds some beautiful gits. I promised myself one of his guitars for years but life has taken me in other directions - such as being married to the GAS King of all time. We've got way too many gits around here - no way can I justify another one - but I bet hubby can.

[katopp]

I love Binh's woodwork, I love his voicings, but as well as his guitars sound, I would never let him loose on the Abalone and the Mother of Pearl.

And he does not use Abalam, he uses the real Abalone.

But this one is slightly over the top, according to my taste at least. But if you like it, it's good for you.

And, mind me saying, the climate of the Big Easy ain't far away from Saigon's humidity....

[Etienne Rambert]

I love Binh's woodwork, I love his voicings, but as well as his guitars sound, I would never let him loose on the Abalone and the Mother of Pearl.

And he does not use Abalam, he uses the real Abalone.

But this one is slightly over the top, according to my taste at least. But if you like it, it's good for you.

And, mind me saying, the climate of the Big Easy ain't far away from Saigon's humidity....

 

He made this one before we made him famous. I think the scrolls or viney things on thefretboard are over the top. Ma-ri-ah (his pronunciation) is fine w/me. She can stay.

 

[Tony Burns]

I drool every time you talk about one of his guitars -he is an excellent craftsman -

But honestly -leaving a guitar like that in its case for almost 11 years is insane .

You need to send it to me so i can care for it and play it every once in a while !

give it some thought -it will be loved ! they actually loose a bit of tone by sitting

and playing does make the them sound better .

[Etienne Rambert]

I drool every time you talk about one of his guitars -he is an excellent craftsman -

But honestly -leaving a guitar like that in its case for almost 11 years is insane .

You need to send it to me so i can care for it and play it every once in a while !

give it some thought -it will be loved ! they actually loose a bit of tone by sitting

and playing does make the them sound better .

 

I've been playing it lately. I hope to change strings tomorrow. I look forward to hearing it with fresh 1st and 2nd strings. The amazing thing to me is how fresh the bottom 4 wound strings have stayed for 8 years. The 1st and 2nd strings are more corroded. So I'm probably losing some high-end.

 

I've got another one of his guitars in the case for just as many years. It's a bizarre-looking jumbo with a slotted head, IR and a Cedar top. IIRC, it's my best-sounding acoustic - very silky strum sound on that one. I've never heard a steel string that sounds quite like it. Bling on the back - not so much on the front.

 

I'll be bringing back my classical this summer. Cedar top, cutaway and no bling at all.