Brian Dean OM #24 Ten Years Old This Month + Brian Dean update

[MostlyFifths]

The Brian Dean OM #24 had a lot of attention on the Cafe when Mike B first commissioned it, and then when Steve Johnson was writing about playing it years later. He called it "The Cannon", and his enthusiasm for its volume and power led to me eventually buying it from him.

For those still interested in it, I've posted ten year birthday photos over at the 'Post a picture forum. The Dean has aged gracefully, with the top turning a tan pumpkin. The only signs of wear are on the pickguard, and a slight grain coming through the varnish on the back. A previous owner removed the finish on the back of the neck, but it was carefully done. It was oiled and smoothed, and now it feels and looks great.

The carved Celtic sound port is completely intact, and I got a pretty good picture of Brian's interior reinforcements. I put up a whole batch of super high res photos at my Flikr account. It shows all the details that make Brian's work so rare and beautiful. https://www.flickr.com/photos/591195...7651568852600/

When he built it, Brian wrote about the top being an experiment, and he called it his 'Weebit' carve. I asked him more about the top recently, and he said he was aiming for a hybrid of an archtop and a flattop. He wanted the power and punch of the arch top, and the crispness and sweetness of the flattop. His exact words: "enriching (defocusing) the archtop tone, to combine the richer flat-top tone with the more structural arch-top."

What makes it interesting, that I didn't know before, is that Brian really carved the underside of the top. He only shaped the top of the top a 'Wee Bit', hence the name. If you feel around through the soundhole, it is definitely not a flattop; the top has a curve underneath that arches towards the rim, and seems like it gets thicker as it goes. So this OM is really an archbottom/flattop hybrid.

He definitely got the punch and power of the archtop; I don't know what previous owners were expecting, but it doesn't have a traditional Celtic 'thwack and cringle' voice. It's punchy and woody with more volume than you can imagine. It isn't shrill at all, but it pops through in any size group. I used it in everything from Irish sessions to a trio with cello and hand drums to a 20-piece English Country Dance mini-orchestra.

I wish I could still play it; I tore connective tissue in both wrists and can't play anymore.

In terms of Brian's immediate future, he's put his house in Nova Scotia up for sale, and is moving to Spain this summer. He's looking for a small shop in Valencia, south of Barcelona. He's hoping for a shop off a plaza, so people can walk in and watch him work. He also wants to explore Baroque guitarmaking, as well as his mando family work.

He reworked his house in NS himself, so I'm sure the craftsmanship is stunning. But he said he's had enough solitude, hence the walk in shop and active street life of Spain.

I'm sure whatever he builds will be world-class in sound, looks, and feel.

Thanks,
TJ