ScottR

I'm glad to see some more progress on this Matt. This has always been one of my favorite builds. You've got some time yet though, 15 months is still a bit early to start playing. On the other hand, I'm betting that 15 months went by in the blink of an eye.

SR

You've got some very nice things going on in the grain of this one Paulie, especially the crotch areas at the bottom and in the headstock. Are you going to work in a little neck or headstock angle or is it all going to be flat on this one?

This one is going to be fun, carry on mate.

SR

When your burl came out of the clamps it looked bruised, but it seemed to heal up in the sun nicely.

I'm going to ask a question for the sake of this fine tutorial you are putting together here: What template or method did you use to clean up that neck tenon?

SR

Cool man. Its got that ultra hot chick thing goin on. You know the way, you see some filthy hot lookin thing walking towards you on the street, and the closer she gets the better she looks, untill shes right up to you & its just completly .

...and as you pass her by it looks just as good, so you say I hate to see you leave, but I love to watch you go.

SR

I love your clamping cauls... big steel beams.

+1

This is going to be a nice one Alessander.

SR

Man, I love your builds. I'm having trouble telling....is the fretboard bound in ebony? Is that why it looks like the slots don't go to the edge?

SR

Hook said he needed to see this shot with a flash, 'cause it's still too dark at least hanging in my garage. Lacquer is on and it's just hanging and curing.

The flash didn't go off on the first one, just the last two...orange peel and all.

SR

That's a beautiful piece of wood Paulie.

If I was limited to a single type of wood for bodies,

I think it would have to be Walnut, I love it love it love it.

Hmmmm that being the case. I must put up a thread on a full Black Lotus for you & Scott. Would make me take more piks of one aswell. I have on one the books here to start this month. just waiting on the customer to decide on a scale lenght. Its a single piece of Black Walnut with a rosewood board. The billet for the body is as streayt as this guitar. only it will be much more curvacious with no figured top.

:D

SR

I wondered if you had been quietly working on this one. I think it is going to end up one of my favorites that you've done. Without going back and looking, I don't remember the shoulders of your cutouts being as thick as these are. I'm guessing that will change during the carve? What are your plans to bring out the figure in that myrtle top?

I've watched you do enough of these recessed tuners to make me want to try it in the future.

SR

Wow Paulie, you really did get some work done on this. That top is gorgeous. The quilt looks to be just under a mile deep and I love how transparent the black burst got. It looks like it is suspended halfway between the surface of the clear and the top mound of the quilt. Stayed nicely deep green this time too. 4000 may not be enough to keep it from selling.

SR

Beautiful guitar Peter. I really like the neck join and rear cutaway. What did you use for the clearcoat?

SR

I'd say I like the shaping of the wood the best. Something about taking those disparate pieces of timber and working them together into a single unit that flows under my fingers into a shape that's just as obvious to my sense of touch as the sight of it is to my eyes is what cranks my scooter. (That would be a term my wife liked to use before she was my wife) . Finishing would be a close second though. Once I've got the wood looking its best to my fingertips, I want it to look its best to my eyes. The best finish I can pull off is what does that.

SR

I had another look and see what you mean about blending the front to the back. I didn't pick up on that when I first looked. What are you using to clear this? That sounds faster than nitro.

I don't believe for a minute that you'll get time to get one of your own finished. And If you do, someone will walk in the next day and buy it.

SR

Decided to give the good old rustins a blast here. comes up realy well if you burnish it correctly.

As for my own gitirz, I want to get a bit done on my green JS. Im not selling that one for less than €4000. so that should deter too many would be spur of the moment punters

I'm going to have to give Rustin's a try on my next go round. I've seen and heard nothing but good about that stuff.

It will be good to see the green one done. I think I may have mentioned that I'm looking forward to that in the past....

SR

Paulie, if you told me you were going to burst the back and neck, I might of had to come to Ireland and throttle you for covering up that nice walnut.....but i must say i like it. I agree with Wez on the neck join, just because its a single piece, but even so that is going to look really cool when you're done. I also agree with Prostheta. How long are you going to let it cure before leveling and buffing?

SR

Had to blend the front to the back somehow. This was the best option, Suks having to cover the heel but it just didnt look right without the heel stained ou aswell

Im not sure how long to leav it cure. Ill be levelling it a little tomorrow so I will get an idea of how long It has to wait then. Probobly cut it from 320 to 6000 if all goes well. But this stuff usually goes off fairly quick. Might give me a bit of time to get one of my own finished.

I had another look and see what you mean about blending the front to the back. I didn't pick up on that when I first looked. What are you using to clear this? That sounds faster than nitro.

I don't believe for a minute that you'll get time to get one of your own finished. And If you do, someone will walk in the next day and buy it.

SR

I'd say back it with some veneer and fill it with some colored epoxy or an inlace type fill...ala Drak. The color or metal flake/crushed stone etc. type fill will reduce the bubble problem. Pick a color or fill to complement your color scheme or hardware.

SR

It is getting there.... looking really good. Don't lose your patience now (I always seem to during the finishing stages) as now is when you need them most.

Cheers!

It's funny you should mention that. I was just telling Hook literally few minutes ago that I was glad to be spraying and then letting it hang for a few weeks. I was starting to get a little tired of spending so much time with it. (Insert variety is the spice of life--time for a new girl joke here). The cure time will let me recharge my lust for it....so to speak.

SR

Good as they are, it is also likely that the artists who use Category5 amps are discerning enough to "know" tone and how best to get the sound across in a live setting. Those amps are more than likely the icing on the cake. I don't think the Category5 amps make the majority of the difference, but the type of owners are likely at the top of their game. If you see what I mean.

They sounded great on the site's soundclips, and their ethic seems to cater for the real "classic combinations" tone freaks. Great if you love that kind of thing and have the wad.

I believe you've got it exactly right. The guys I've had the pleasure to see using them are definitely on top of their game. oddly enough, I went to a local club this past weekend and saw a band I had never heard of...and they were using Cat5 amps. I went back to the site and saw that the lead guitarist was a featured artist. Small world.

I do love that kind of thing.....but don't have the wad .

SR

Paulie, if you told me you were going to burst the back and neck, I might of had to come to Ireland and throttle you for covering up that nice walnut.....but i must say i like it. I agree with Wez on the neck join, just because its a single piece, but even so that is going to look really cool when you're done. I also agree with Prostheta. How long are you going to let it cure before leveling and buffing?

SR

I did get this thing hung up and shot with the first days lot of lacquer. I thinned down the first load a bunch and did about 5 layers of mist coats. I say 5 layers...but it went on in one session as they land pretty much dry. The next load was not cut as much and started to get wetter. Same with the last. Tomorrow wet coats for real.

You cant tell a thing from this shot...but I just liked it.

SR

Here are a few shots reminiscent of Killemal....who has been missing for several months now.

I'm starting to like the toes shot.

SR

I got my pore filling done. My wash coats of shellac are finished and leveled. I went ahead and took John's advice and put a couple of coats of shellac on the cocobolo to seal off the oils. since it was already fretted, that was a serious pain in the ass to clean up and level out...not to mention keeping the metal from the frets out of the grain. Oh well...I've learned to make that decision earlier in the game next time. I even put a couple of wash coats of shellac on the neck and head stock to keep everything even. The neck will not get shot with lacquer except at the join.Then that will be sanded/feathered and the neck will get oiled. So yeah the shellac will get mostly sanded back off the neck and back of the headstock. To what degree will depend on how the feathering looks.

Anyway, it's been several weeks since I posted any pictures, so here are some gratuitous shots just for the fun of it.

SR

I'm a little surprised at the lack of comments. This is a beautiful build for any number or experience level. I'm not a fan of the headstock, but am a big fan of the neck join. The detail work is first rate as well.

Great job.

SR

I'm discovering that when I go see guitarists play these days, the ones that sound the best to me often turn out to be playing through category 5 amps. There are a bunch of artists on that artist page that I listen too regularly and see whenever I can.

So have any of you ever played through one of these?

My skill level comes nowhere close to justifying the cost of one of these.....but dang they sound good.

SR

I love the way that grain comes out of the body and points right up the neck. I looks like you may have done some more contouring on the back in addition to that smooth neck join. Very nice Paulie.

SR

And just so everybody knows,today is also Jennifer Garner's 39th birthday...

Jennifer Garner will probably turn 39 again for the next 6 or 8 years...how about you?

Sr