Guitar Of The Month For September

[ProjectGuitar.com]

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[Rick500]

Had to go with mikevirok's entry. Love the shape, love the wood. Great job.

A lot of other good stuff too, but I just kind of connected with that one.

[mattharris75]

Same here, Mike Virok. But man, this is by far the strongest field of entrants I've seen since I've been around here! Lots of great work!

[verhoevenc]

This was REDICULOUS!

Mike: Stellar shape! Extremely original without being obnoxious (like a good portion of truely original shapes turn out to me). You truely have an eye for how wood will, and what woods will work well together. Your choices in this field were flawless. The f-holes are classic yet new, and the recessed knobs, switches, and tuners are very nice. My only complaint in your build is the neck joint. It just looks beefy and square... and when push comes to shuv, a guitar has to play well.

Zyon: EXTREMELY clean looking. Now THAT is a neck joint! Very interesting choice of woods to pair, but it works. I'm sorry though, pointy ain' my thing.

Garehan: As always, you blow me away. I know there was some question about the "fine details" on the last Tank Top that people were bashing, but this one hands down does not have a single issue I can see. A flawless execution of an idea, to the fullest.

Hydrogeoman: Classic shape made elegant through wood choice and a mirror finish like nothing I've seen from a first build. Congrats!

Jammy: Last but not least, you really stepped up! 7 strings, fanned frets, acoustic... I don't know what to say, you took acoustic building to a new level with this one! In terms of style, the things like the fretboard end, rosette, and other appointment could not have been done more appropriately for the character of the build. I also adore the way the neck woods work with the back wood. Very stunning colors with an all natural feel.

In the end, I had to give it to Jammy though for his ability to push the limits in a field that not many on this forum attack in the first place. Congrats.

Chris

[GregP]

This is absolutely ludicrous. I don't know how any mortal can be expected to vote between all these competitors. It's inhuman.

mikevirok-- astonising guitar that we got to see from concept sketch to executed product, and the product delivered even more than it promised.

WezV-- stunning example of the HH-style tele. What makes this beast rock so hard is the impeccable finish, tastefully chosen and then executed.

Masina-- the few small flaws are easily overlooked when considering the kick-butt appearance of this unique SG. Not many could pull it off on the budget you did.

superfly-- so buttery. So smooth. So awesome.

Zyon-- awesome wood and hardware choices, coupled with an aggressive design make this sucker a real beast.

RobG-- if I ever make a V, this is the archetype for what I like in a V. Super-clean, super-mean. ESP-style reverse headstock was unmistakeably the right choice.

J48-- This guy would look right at home in a number of settings-- surf, punk, alt-rock, funk... well done.

Russ-- that neck inlay is the coolest thing I have ever seen. I am mad in love with it. Crazy-mad veneer accents everywhere you look. Unique body style. The rising sun inlay on the top is unbelievable, too. (though, to me it's the veneer accents and the fingerboard inlay that stand out even more!) Wicked.

Hydro-- the archetypal P-90 rocker. That thing is a real player, and the simple approach is what makes it. Yet, there are touches of class that set it apart from your typical garage-rock axe. Very cool.

jammy-- amazing design, perfectly executed. The bridge design, the inlaid fret markers, the wood choices, the finish. Superior work.

Ben-- nice choice with the zebrano, and bold choice with the body styling. Excellent attention to detail, too, such as the silver saddles in the black bridge to match the chrome pickups in the black rings. Great stuff.

--

I honestly couldn't easily decide who to vote for. My shortlist was jammy, russ, Rob, and mikevirok. On a different day, in a different mood, it could've been another. I ended up going with Russ (thegarehanman) because I was just blown away by the extra lengths he went to. Strangely enough, it's not even my favourite guitar for "looks"-- that would be mikevirok's. But I voted for Russ's in SPITE of not really preferring his "large" cutaways and not really loving the rising sun motif. I couldn't get around how astonishingly well-done the whole thing was.

[pdizzle]

i have to go with jammy, the acoustic just blew my mind!!

[Bobby]

mikevirok for me, the combination of them woods looks delectable, truly art.

[Mickguard]

Just too many to choose from. I voted for Ben's Zebrano Baritone. It's one of the few guitars I've seen here that really seem to work with the wood and its grain--I love it that the body shape provides relief for all the straight lines of the grain. Too many guitars seem to use the wood for its show-off factor alone. And by keeping the rest of the guitar relatively clean and simple, it never goes overboard. It's an original effort, and looks like a professionally produced guitar.

In that sense, I couldn't vote for mikevirok's --I have the feeling that you're relying on that wild wood to carry off the guitar. But I find the shape really awkward and stumpy (especially those wide flat horns), and the f-holes are just too large, not elegant at all, so they just distract from the grain of the wood. The choice of chrome on that color wood seems off too. Even though I hate gold hardware, but that would work better. Black or aluminum, perhaps. It's a nice first effort--but since you're setting yourself up as a professional after just one two-week luthier's course and one guitar build, you're setting yourself up against a much higher standard.

Same thing with Russ (you're not pretending to be a pro but you do claim to be an artist and say you're putting this in a gallery)-- man, you can really build, and you just keep getting better and better. It just seems like with this guitar you threw everything but the kitchen sink in there. Just too much going on --there's no sense of restraint. The body shape lacks a true 'design' to it--looks more like a prototype. But it might stand on its own more if it wasn't submerged beneath all the bling. Each detail on its own may be great, but put 'em all together and it looks like a five-way cat fight. (I like the clear pickguard though!). But like I said, the workmanship is excellent. And of course, we've never really seen eye to eye on aesthetics, have we?

I liked Jammy's acoustic--just awesome craftsmanship...intimidating, in fact. And I think the Vee and the LP Jr. are nice efforts too.

[WezV]

crazy month - my entry doesnt quite feel right now, i will be quite happy if i get zero votes with competition like this!

mikevirok - beautifull woody guitar and i love the rawness of the finish. I really like the shape but feel the contouring needs more experimentation to look more gracefull.

Me - well its a simple tele with a few modern touches and a nice finish aint it, i didnt even make the neck!!! It doesnt really compare to some of this months entries so i dont expect to win I should really wait till the end of the month before entering!

Masina - Some things need to be neater/smoother for GOTM but i really love that finish!!

Superfly - i love that top wood. it all looks very well made and i dont think this would look out of place amongst other basses in a guitar shop

zyonsdream - construction looks good and the woods look nice but the shape is really not my thing

RobG - it may have taken 3 refinishes but it was certainly worth it. The guitar looks stunning, especially for a first build - not completely sure about the headstock though!

J 48 Johnston - it looks fun and funky but, as you are well aware, the shape wont appeal to everyone! i think it would be better with a shrunken body to get better fret access, maybe some full size humbuckers and loose one of the soundholes. I am also curious to know if the bridge is properly located because it really doesnt look right inthe 3rd picture.

thegarehanman - nobody seems to be mentioning the pinstripes in the back of the body. its a beautifull feature made more special by effort it would have taken. fretboard is also amazing. Posibly a bit too much pinstriping going on but it sure is nice. My only concerns would be tonal ones, is having the mix of fretboards woods, the pinstriped body and the best option for tone? probably doesnt make that much difference to be honest.

Hydrogeoman - One of the best LP jnr's i have seen. Normally i wouldnt like a 'tarted up' LP Jnr but yours is so subtlely done that it looses none of the simplicity that makes these guitars great

Jammy - Truly stunning, the back of the neck is actually my favorite bit, well that and the fretmarkers. maybe i need to get up north to try this out!

ben - As a ravelle lover myself i have tried to come up with a good doublecut ravelle design and never been able to get it right. What i like most about this build is watching it go from a simple design to the finished article - it almost hasnt changed at all!!! This is the guitar i could see myself playing, possibly because it has similarities with what i like to build. I voted for this one but will come find you and extract my vote with pain if you use the headstock logo you planned for it - it looks like some kid has put their initials on it

[jmrentis]

I'm with Greg when he mentioned my vote changing depending on the day, there were so many excellent choices that were so amazing I couldn't really decide.

Mike- As I mentioned before this is probably one of my favorite all time shapes out there, just amazing. From the moment I saw the shape I was sold. The wood choices were amazing as well, its not always easy to find unique pieces that work well on a build, but each choice was just great. If I were to pick one to take home with me that would be it no doubt about it.

Russ- As I thought from the first progress thread you ever made, your skills are on point and you constantly are outdoing yourself. The attention to detail and intricacies of this build are beyond anything I've seen. While, this might not be suited to my particular tastes, I feel without a doubt this one is the most technical and most difficult build of the lot and I would bet money that using the exact same design in different colors would have provoked a much different response. As with Mikes guitar, I've always liked the design/shape of the guitar. I guess I'm not as captured by classic designs as some people, I find these designs more desirable than any of the popular shapes out there. Plus, its nice to see builds that aren't just wood/hardware variations of someone elses design. Well, once again top notch work Russ, same for the acoustic that you had made, cool stuff.

J48- Cool stuff man. As I just said, it is nice to see unique designs drawn up and finished. As with your last build the finish on this one was very nicely done. I found the design very unique and was followed through beautifully. I always add a number of points to unique/original designs because it takes quite a bit more work to design your own because you are the one that must figure all the details that must be done in order to make the design work. Its not so easy when you don't have another guitar to base it off of. I must again agree with what Greg said about this one working for a great many different styles, it would fit very well. All in all great work and excellent result!

WezV- Beautiful guitar, with an epic finish. I really enjoyed seeing some different finished on this one and hope to see the initial color you had for another build. Being that I've never really been a fan of purple, I was shocked that the initial color was actually pretty cool, but for this build I like the current finish much more. Anyhow, I like how clean this guitar looks, very cool stuff.

Masina- Nice guitar. Clean, simple, and with that design looks very nice. It makes me want to grab my board shorts and hit the beach! I like the choices on hardware and such, that bridge looks very nice and suits the build well, all in all very nice guitar.

Superfly- One amazing looking bass! I just love that top. I must say that type of figure is always so cool looking to me, there are a few woods that have it like that and the lighter ones always look so cool. Excellent choice on adding ash to the combo, don't know if there is any better choice than that. Very nicely done, very smooth, cool design and looks comfortable to play. Honestly, at first glance it looks like a simple build as in not much work, but thats not actually the case there is much more than it seems, but you built it so well and made such good wood choices that it comes off perfectly. Nice.

Zyon- Very cool guitar! A cool design that was pulled off excellent with natural woods. Sometimes those designs don't look as cool with natural woods like that, but your comes off great. I really like that combo as well, very interesting choices which gave great contrast. Good stuff man.

Rob-Very clean and flawless V. Not a big fan of Vs in general, but I must say if I did have one I would want it to look like that. Very clean looking, without taking away from its style. Nice stuff.

Hydro-Very cool. Its something I could see on stage. Very well done. I like the wood choices. Not much to say other than a very nice guitar that I would love to own!!

Man, I am tired of typing, this is insanse way too many guitars this month, come on guys what the heck?

Jammy- Yeah, wow! What an amazing piece of work, that is art my friend. All in all very nice build and refreshing to see. Great stuff, glad to see it here and congrats on the amazing build.

Ben- Cool guitar Ben. The design is awesome and I was glad to see it accomplished so well from the orginal idea. Quick build, but done to perfection. Can't deny those bevels were freakin sweet, the single inlay works so well for that design and that piece of zebra was nice. Good stuff all in all and good work.

ANyhow, too many guitars this month people, whats the deal with that? I don't even know that there should be one choice this month, maybe a top 3 would be better, lol. Very amazing work everyone, congrats on all the wicked guitars. J

Edited August 24, 2007 by jmrentis

[westhemann]

Rob...awesome V.And that is coming from a guy who loves a good V...very good job.

[Daniel Sorbera]

This is the single best month I can remember. I guess everyone was building some guitars over the summer. Some of the nicest guitars I've ever seen people!!

I had to vote for jammy, 7 string, fanned fret, baritone acoustic, the world needs more!

[Ben]

Took me a while to decide, but in the end Russ got my vote. Theres just so many cool ideas in that build... the attention to detail is fantastic. And as GregP said, the fretboard looks awesome.

I dont have the time to go through all the other entries a name at a time and commend them all individually, so let me just say that they are all awesome and it was a difficult decision choosing just one! Loads of great designs and ideas. I'd happily own all of them

Wes, (firstly thanks for the vote ), and that logo was added in about a second on paint with no consideration- don't worry, I'm not about to scrawl my initials across the headstock in tippex pen

(Also hurry up and finish that spalted maple strat with the distressed hardware in time for next months GOTM! That one's almost guarenteed my vote)

Thanks for the votes so far!

[Mattia]

Y'know, when Mike posted his in the nomination thread, I was thinking 'well, that's gonna be hard to beat!'. ....and then came all the rest. Russ's work is stellar, beautiful details, great execution, Ben's moving from strength to strength, and that LP Junior is a guitar I'd be very, very proud to own, let alone build, and has changed my perspective on my own 'I ain't ever building a solid-colour LP-jr. No way', and only strengthened my desire to actually, y'know, go build one. Soon.

End of the day, though, I've got to go with Jammy's fanned fret virtuoso effort, because it does some 'out there' things in a tasteful, coherent design with a bunch of beatifully understated touches.

[oz tradie]

All great in their own ways, and obviously a popular month to finish builds in. !!!!

I went for Jammy's fanned fret acoustic. That build resonated with me (pun intended)

cheers, Stu

[WAK Guitars]

Yeah this was an amazing month. Wow everybody! Everyone who entered give themselves a pat on the back because these are amazing! Also all the people who vote should give themselves a pat on the back for being able to decide! All these entrees were unique in their own ways. But in the end, I went with jammy just because you really don't see that kind of thing very often and you nailed it! It was close though! Great job guys!

[thegarehanman]

Jammy got my vote; I just wish I'd thought of that first! haha. This lot is a really impressive one. Like chris, I love mike's guitar (probably mostly because of the wood choice), but that heel was a killer for me. Ben, you already know I like your guitar; very clean work, and that's probably the most important thing about a guitar,cosmetically. Great job everyone, it's a month for the books.

peace,

russ

[eddiewarlock]

Rob got my vote, not because the other guitars were not awesome, but his was the pointy guitar!! it's like now you have to be brave enough to enter a pointy axe in the GOTM!!

[Simo]

There's some really nice guitars this month, it was close but in the end my vote went to Jammy

[Setch]

I had to hand it to Hydrogen man - his guitar grabbed me more than the others, and I'm genuinely impressed by how flawless the finish is, especially for a 1st effort. All in all a great month, with some eye popping detail work across the board, and a load of great original designs, particularly MikeV and Ben's.

Good stuff people!

[marksound]

+1 to Hydro. I'm pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to guitars, so for me there were only two choices.

[tim_ado]

from the start of the month my mind was set on mikeviroks build

its aweasome love the wood and the shape and an aweasome first

but if there was any guitar to beat it it was jammy's 7 string its everything aweasome in one guitar

but i think ill stick with mike's its just so cool plus everyones going for jammy so yeah......*cough*

[black_labb]

i was going to vote, but couldnt decide, so ill leave it (aswell as the fact that i forfitted my vote by viewing the results) as everyone has said, these are really great guitars, they're all well thought out and executed.

[Mr. Preston Swift]

This is probably the best month of Guitar of the Month i've ever seen. I had such a hard decision that i had to think about it for a couple of days. I loved and wanted to vote for every guitar in there (SERIOUSLY). But, I"M GOING WITH HYDRO'S DOUBLE CUTAWAY guitar. It's looks so clean and there's something highclass about the way it looks. The white finish looks amazing contrasting with the mahogany and maple neck, also, I'm a sucker for a double cutaway. Again GREAT jobs on these guitars this month.

[another doug]

This is the toughest vote I can remember! Mikevirok, thegarehanman, jammy, and ben all made guitars that I would LOVE to own, and all deserve to win! Those are some of the most impressive guitars I've ever seen here, and all in the same month! The rest don't really suit my taste, but could easily get my vote in a normal month. In the end I had to go with the rising sun tank top. That thing just blew me away!