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Searls Guitars Build Thread


demonx

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Bit of pre planned routing for the wiring - shame I missed the first two bodies and only remembered on the second lot!

Not the end of the world, I'll just have to drill them with a 12" long bit the way I did for several years before.

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Sam is now the happy owner of #2

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Bodies are hand cut with a bandsaw and hand shaped using a rasp (file) and sandpaper.

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You can see here routed edges with a roundover bit that I use as a guideline for whan I carve the tops.

The owner of #2 has requested a comfort curve rather than a full carve, so no guideline on that one.


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I'm back after a week off. I was burned out from working 70-80 hrs a week so I took a short holiday out bush.

Today I carved the rear comfort curves and started laying out the electronics cavities, drilling pot/switch holes and getting ready to do the rear routes.

Here is #4

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Here is #2

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Only two of the guitars in this run are unsold now, they are

#1

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and #3

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When a builder commissions a guitar from another builder you know there is something special going to happen. Enter David Churchill, Master Luthier and a down to earth all round great guy. I stopped by his workshop today with a special delivery of Ziricote and asked if he would build me a Acoustic guitar. You see, I heard recently David is retiring next year, after building guitars longer than I've been alive, this man is a true Master Luthier, unlike many out there that just claim the title, David is the real deal and his work is uncompromising and the details are beyond description. Every time I see something he has made I am blown away, Davids work runs circles around my own and I give him all the respect in the world.

Now the wait begins as I'm not exactly the first in cue. Construction will start in the new year. I have a long few months!

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I bet you can hardly wait. Beware of the ziricote. Beautiful, but all evidence says it's cursed. :P

SR

Not sure what you mean - I've never worked with it.

Today was finishing electronics cavities, wire holes and starting to attach fingerboards.

Below: #1 Warhorse. The only guitar available in this run, all others are sold.

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Just got a delivery... I like deliveries!

Ambrosia bookmatched top, Pau Ferro, Tigerwood, Zebrawood and some Cevron Quilted Maple

Theres someone on this forum that knows the story behind this package - thanks mate.

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Not sure what you mean - I've never worked with it.

Cursed wood is kind of a running joke around here and gets used when a particular piece puts a up a greater fight than normal......meaning it don't want to do what you want it to. It started with RAD's Hand of Doom. He fought the ziricote constantly on that and had to re-do several steps on that build. He claimed the thing was cursed. After that several of us have claimed cursed wood when we have a piece that gives us trouble. My current build is zircote and I've had a couple of mishaps that will require re-doing steps as well.

Not the wood's fault at all-it works fine or as well as any very hard heavy wood does, but it makes me feel better to blame it on the curse.

SR

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Not sure what you mean - I've never worked with it.

Cursed wood is kind of a running joke around here and gets used when a particular piece puts a up a greater fight than normal......meaning it don't want to do what you want it to. It started with RAD's Hand of Doom. He fought the ziricote constantly on that and had to re-do several steps on that build. He claimed the thing was cursed. After that several of us have claimed cursed wood when we have a piece that gives us trouble. My current build is zircote and I've had a couple of mishaps that will require re-doing steps as well.

Not the wood's fault at all-it works fine or as well as any very hard heavy wood does, but it makes me feel better to blame it on the curse.

SR

Don't mock The Curse, man! I used to have car that was Cursed - so much so my wife called it Christine. I'm sure it must have had some ziricote in it somewhere.

Ziricote grows where the Aztec & Mayans used to live so maybe it's some ancient curse (like the Curse of the Black Pearl!) or something - kinda like Montezuma's Revenge. I've only ever had one piece of wood fall off my shelf & hit me - a ziricote fretboard! I have 2 waiting to use - not sure about using them. Maybe if I sacrifice a goat or something 1st.

Anyway - I look forward to seeing that acoustic.

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wont let me send a pm for some reason

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-AND-WHITE-EBONY-BURL-1-5-8-x-3-7-8-x-7-1-2-BW1895-/121186242226?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c37434eb2

3.75" wide by 7.5" long, should be enough for most, or you could bookmatch it as well.

edit : unless youre looking for more wavy grain type stuff, lol

Edited by bob123
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Thanks for the link Bob, I'm looking specifically for a dark and tight burl. I saw some a week ago in a $4000.00 pool cue and Ive decided thats what I want. I've contacted the pool cue maker and no response. I just put a wanted ad in the buy/sell secton on this site

Anyway, these chunks of wood are starting to look like guitars now the fingerboards are getting glue.

Here is #1 sitting on a 2.5m long Redgum bar top I've been working on for a customer. The bartop has been drum sanded and now I'm filling bits and pieces of it with epoxy before its sanded back smooth and sprayed. The customer is doing the spraying himself as he's an ex smash repairer/spray painter, I'm just doing the woodwork for him.

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