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By
PAUL JAY
Photography by MARTINA SORBARA |
A LUTHIER'S LABOUR
(part 2)
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"The
lacquering of guitars is a whole different study, a fine art,
and one that I'm not sure I've gotten a handle of," she says.
"Does it make a difference to the sound? I think so, but I'm
not sure I know what I'm doing there so I can't really say.
It's turning out to be my biggest problem."
Despite
her reservations, Sorbara has received instruction from professional
guitar makers that has given her more confidence.
 "I was
told that if you're making an acoustic guitar, there's not a
lot you can do that will totally ruin the sound. It totally
freed my mind. Anything you do can change the guitar and will
produce a different sound, and it may not be the sound that
you want, but it will still sound like a guitar. So I've learned
to adapt to the different outcomes."
Take
her second guitar, for example, which she has been using for
three years. Constructed from curly maple for the sides and
back and spruce for the front, Sorbara wanted to make it solid
enough to hold together and perhaps braced it too heavily, which
she says gave it an unintended, though not unpleasant, bassy
sound.
"My
second 'mistake' was my choice of material for the neck," she
says. "Instead of using a lighter wood like mahogany, I made
the neck from maple, which is very heavy. It's funny, I can't
let go of it when I'm on stage and let it just hang on the strap
or it will flop down. But it's not a bad thing to have in a
guitar, because often guitarists want that extra weight on the
neck, and some even put a little piece of metal or something
to keep the neck weighted down."
 Her latest
guitar shows Sorbara's rapidly improving skill and desire to
add creative elements to her designs, reflected in both the
added patterns and use of the more striking ebony for the back
and front.
"Even
when you make mistakes, it's part of the creative process, and
that's why it's exciting," she says. "I'm going to be doing
this for a long time. And while I'm still set on making music,
I also know this is something I could do as a career or part-time
job. It's just too good for me, like a meditation exercise."
But while her relationship with her guitars is like that of
many musicians and their instruments, there is at least one
mode of expression that is out of the question, given the time
and attention she gives to her creations.
"I can't even imagine smashing my guitars," she says laughing.
"They're the most valuable possessions I have."
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