demonx Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 The 2013 thread is pretty much wrapping up now, it ran a 12 month course and all the end of year guitars are being collected, so it's time I started a new thread for 2014 to clean the place up a bit. Here are a few pics of things to come for January's first lot of builds. Some of these are customer orders and a couple are guitars I'm building which I hope will be sold by the time they're finished. Also to come but I haven't taken pics yet are an all Sycamore Explorer, the Sycamore is old growth from an estate in England and has been air dried since the 1970's Ziricote and Highly figured Cocobolo fingerboards: Black Limba and Flamed Maple neckthur mock up - will most likely get a Ziricote fingerboard Spalted Sassafras and Tasmanian Blackwood neckthru (All Australian Timber) A second top for a guitar same specs as above: African Walnut top that will become an 8 string neckthru: Rimu top that is going on a Flamed Maple neckthru: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 I'll post this here too so it carries the old thread onto the new! Flamed maple Neckthru blanks and some top blanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Ripped up some more Cocobolo and Ziricote fingerboards today: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Marble Cake Guitar: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 That is some awesome looking cocobolo. Where do you get your woods? I cant even find decent exotic woods without paying insane amounts. I am doomed to using veneer and plain mahogany for my whole career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Very Nice! That's some beautiful wood you've selected. It appears you have your work cut out for you. BOTTOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 That is some awesome looking cocobolo. Where do you get your woods? I cant even find decent exotic woods without paying insane amounts. I am doomed to using veneer and plain mahogany for my whole career. Let's just say I paid insane amounts. Over the last few weeks I've spent thousands on timber and revived very little volume wise. When I add freight it gets very expensive. After freight each of those neck thru blanks is over $300ea. Those fingerboards prob jump up to $50 or $60ea once freight is accounted for. I still have to do the math. Either way its not cheap timber. International freight is a killer. I try to source locally but if that's not possible most if the places I buy from are in the timber lists on this and other sites, there's no "secret" source, its more just a case of right place at the right time or calling them to see what they have that's a bit different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willliam_q Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Yes I've never had to buy high quality figured woods yet as I am just not good enough. It's hard to believe the prices for a chunk of wood sometimes. How many necks do you think you would get out of each of those blanks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 How many necks do you think you would get out of each of those blanks? One per blank. Neckthus use a LOT more wood than a bolt on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 That is pretty much what i figured. I guess when you are that successful though, it isnt that big of a deal to pay that much for wood. I would have a very hard time not cutting up those big blanks for strips to use as multi lam necks, instead of using the whole blanks for 1 neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Marino Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Whoa $300 a piece? I though $90 was a lot for the 36"x7"x3" piece of 5A I just bought.... At least your Maple will end up looking better than mine in the end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted December 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 That is pretty much what i figured. I guess when you are that successful though, it isnt that big of a deal to pay that much for wood. I would have a very hard time not cutting up those big blanks for strips to use as multi lam necks, instead of using the whole blanks for 1 neck. It's still a lot of money but I had to buy them as it's a customer order (at least on of them is) so I order a couple others to make the purchase worth it freight wise. If I'm careful I should be able to salvage a few fingerboard blanks form the offcuts and rip some binding strips, but I'll only get one neck from each blank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 I haven't had much guitar updates over the last few weeks as I've been flat out, building this! It's a CNC room. Insulated with "Earth Wool", the room measures 6m X3m and will house the machine that I hope will take "Searls Guitars" in a whole new direction of excellence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Marble Cake Guitar: Bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 (edited) How many guitars did you end up building in 2013? and how many do you have planned for 2014? Edited January 5, 2014 by Mr Natural Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 How many guitars did you end up building in 2013? and how many do you have planned for 2014? Not many, I'd have to check my files but it'd be twenty something. The way I build currently that's the most I can do. I did however have a big stretch of time off from guitars in 2013 whilst I gutted a large section of our house, turned four rooms into one large open plan room. Built new stud walls in spots, re plastered walls and ceiling, built a new kitchen, installed new floorboards, wiring, lighting, painting. Big job and a big chunk of the year away from guitars. As for 2014, I have a few handmade orders to build in the first quarter, but I haven't been taking on any new orders so I'll have a lot of time to work with the CNC, learn, practice, experiment etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Started another few builds today. Spalted Tasmanian Sassafras top with slotted Wandoo fingerboard Here is a few snaps I took to help decide binding: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Ebony. SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Ebony.SRNot enough contrast. I vote Tiger Myrtle or Maple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Ebony. SR Not enough contrast. I vote Tiger Myrtle or Maple. Yeah, I like the subtlety of it better than the contrast. I like that the ebony matches some of the striping in the board. It looks classy. The maple is OK for contrast, but I don't like the colors of the myrtle against the colors in the board. Of course it could look fine with whatever top or neck wood he has chosen...... SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I think the myrtle looks amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 And there you have it, they all work ......as you already knew or you wouldn't have picked them in the first place. Will the guitar have matching stringers? SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Scott: no stringers I went with the Tiger Myrtle. The owner said that was his first pick too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Quick "inside the workshop" video from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb-afnCDI6g&feature=youtu.be 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Australia is clearly the best place to live for pretty tonewood! Some of that stuff is insane. Do you ever mitre your binding ends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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