From Belgium with love <3 LGRP week 10

Amazing luthiers, big trees, sustainable forest management, good beer, smurf ice cream, french polishing, 538 steps of stairs to carillon concert, listeners test of LGRP guitars, meeting the mayor, insight to history of using non tropical woods for guitar making, musical instruments museum, great people, wonderful music and so much more - that's what the Leonardo Guitar Research Project workshop was made of this time.

The week started by a visit to the Netherlands to visit the shop of Peter de Smet of PDS Guitars, a maker of very fine handcrafted acoustic Guitars.

After lunch by the seaside we headed to visit another lutherie shop in the center of Brussels. Tao guitars, you definitely want to check out their line of electric guitars.

These visits were inspirational and also gave good insight to what a functional lutherie shop can be made of.

Thank you PDS guitars and Tao Guitars for having us and sharing the knowledge!

In the evening we had a chance to visit artisans of another trade at brewery Den Herberg in Buizingen. Brewing good beer is an art and demands patience as well as care just like making guitars.

Tuesday was all about sustainable forest management. We spent the day in Sonian forest with a guide taking us around and educating us about the forest and the trees.

In the evening we visited the organiser and host to the workshop Cmb school in Puurs. Really interesting to see the different instrument building classes going on.

Hungry from a day spent walking in the forest we had a bbq with fellow luthier students from Newark college. Good food and a nice chance to get to know people a bit.

Wednesday morning we started off on our best behaviour. Invited to the Puurs town hall for a press conference in the presence of the mayor. After that there was a listeners test of LGRP guitars.

And then we saw an eye opening film about the relationship of forest management and the music industry called Musicwood.

In the afternoon it was time to get our hands dirty in the first session of the french polishing workshop. Before night time we had prepared our surfaces to polish and applied the first session of polish to be set to rest over night. Thursday morning we then went back to apply more polishing session. The end result was shiny but of course proper guitar polishing would take a much longer period of time. Thanks Rémi and Karel for the guidance!

Thursday afternoon Lorenzo Frignani opened up the history of the use of non tropical woods in guitar making. So many beautiful instruments made through out the times and interesting to think about what is behind the material choices of the different times.

Friday morning was to be spent in Mechelen getting to know an impressive and most times also a monumental instrument called the Carillon. We started the task by visiting the Carillon school in Mechelen.

After this one of their teachers a passionate and wise man gave us a thorough tour while we climbed the stairs of the Rombouts tour. And he gave a small concert, spectacular! The bell you see below is about 9000 pounds in weight I remember correctly.

Powered by sandwiches and Smurf ice cream we headed off to the train station to hop on the train to Brussels and the musical instruments museum.

Take a visit if you can, thousands of instruments from over the world. The most enchanting instrument for me turned out to be the glass harmonica.

Last but not least friday evening Cmb folks had arranged a music bar where Ralph from Arrenbie Guitars and Joe Mulllen played of set of cheerful and touching songs. Earlyish in the evening it was time to say our goodbyes for we were destined to catch an early flight back home in the morning.

Thank you Belgium and everyone involved, until next time!