Guitar Maker – Foster Guitars
Saturday, January 21st, 2006
Jimmy Foster, of Foster Guitars, makes some of the most amazing acoustic and arch-top jazz guitars that you’ll ever find – all from his base in New Orleans. He has been practicing the luthier’s art for well over 30 years now and, just as importantly, he’s been playing guitar for over 35 years as well – somewhat of a rarity among guitar builders. It’s from a player’s perspective, plus his commitment to perfection, that defines the character and professionalism of each and every Foster Guitar.
Early on, Jimmy’s musical idols were artists such as Chet Atkins, Les Paul, and Tony Mottola but, as his talents developed, Jimmy’s taste turned toward the jazz influences of players like Howard Roberts, Johnny Smith, and George Van Eps. With this in mind, Jimmy Foster began to concentrate on arch-top guitars as his main interest.
Jimmy Foster believes guitars should have beautiful wood. Making a guitar takes a lot of time and effort, and spending $100.00 or $200.00 more on buying higher quality tone woods is not really an issue at all. When the wood is delivered to the shop, Jimmy picks the best pieces for his guitars and ships the rest of it back to the supplier. It goes without saying that the customer will appreciate the beautiful woods that Foster Guitars use. Of course it also goes without saying that the most figured pieces are reserved for Foster’s higher end models.
As far as the types of wood are concerned, there are a variety of different woods that Foster Guitars use to get different results for the customers needs. Sitka Spruce is always good for the tops, and Jimmy believes that it is the best wood for the 17†guitar. Foster Guitars also use European spruce as well but the Sitka makes a better sounding guitar in Jimmy’s view. Western Cedar is used on the 15†models because it makes the smaller bodied guitar sound fat and warm. For the Backs and side Foster Guitars uses Mahogany on the 15†and the entry level 17†archtops as it is an excellent tone wood for that model. Highly figured or quilted maple is used for the backs and sides of Foster Guitars’ 17†higher level archtops and Macassar Ebony is used for the fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece and pickguard.
Great tone woods play an essential and critical part in making a great guitar, but, it is the way in which the maker carves and works the wood that is the final determining factor in how the guitar is going to sound. Each and every piece of wood has different characteristics about it. Another determining factor on the way a guitar is going to sound can be adjusted by the thickness of the top and the pattern and way in which the braces are shaped. If, for instance, the wood for the top has hard tight grain, then Jimmy likes to make the braces tall and slim like a wedge shape and then make the top slightly thinner. If the wood is softer then he’ll usually leave the top slightly thicker. In general though Foster Guitars uses wedge shaped braces made from Sitka Spruce. The types, or pattern, of the bracing also will determine how the guitar will sound. Jimmy tends to use X bracing and parallel bracing on his archtop guitars. On the parallel bracing he tilts the bass side out more than the treble side. This gives the guitar a punchy bright high end while retaining a warm low end.
Referred to as an “everyday man”, Jimmy loves to talk to his customers and welcomes their input into the planning and building of their custom instrument. After visiting his superb website we just knew we had to feature some of Foster Guitars wonderful instruments on iLuthier. To check out some of Jimmy’s guitars in the gallery, click here.
To go to the Foster Guitars website, click here.
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NOTE: Click on the image for a larger version.
If you can’t afford the big bucks for a floor-standing pedestal machine you can always make your own at a reasonable cost from hardware store parts. All you need is a pair of pillow blocks, a 5/8″ or 3/4″ shaft and a slide on, set screw type mandrel for the buffing wheels. You could also buy a simple self-contained arbor unit, such as the one pictured, from some stores. The arbor or pillow blocks can then be mounted to a work bench or a separate free-standing pedestal if you have one lying around.
