Olson Build SJ Cutaway - Started 9/2009 #1301

[cpabolting]

BrRw neck?! Never seen that before! I'm sure it will be stunning.

Very difficult to find a piece that is big enough and so straight grained that it would work functionally well on a neck. The lamination of the neck ensures it to always stay true!

[cpabolting]

I keep wanting a few more pics this am LOL

[mcozma]

Congratulations on your build, Keith - it's looking amazing!

[cpabolting]

Congratulations on your build, Keith - it's looking amazing!

Thanks...I am very excited about how special guitar this will be. Just everything coming together so nicely...just worked out all the inlays with Jim last night...so very patient and accomodating. He is really making a special one!

[keyshore]

Hi Keith,

It's sure this is going to be one heck of a guitar.

BTW i am curious, what the difference soundwise between a Braz RW neck and the regular mahogany neck. Please ask Jim's views on this next time you talk to him.

Best,

Keyshore

[cpabolting]

Hi Keith,

It's sure this is going to be one heck of a guitar.

BTW i am curious, what the difference soundwise between a Braz RW neck and the regular mahogany neck. Please ask Jim's views on this next time you talk to him.

Best,

Keyshore

From what I understand, it is in the sustain department. Is it distinguishable, who knows.

His dovetail neck joint is done the right way...where he sets the neck and the body together and then cuts the board side of the neck to get the neck angle exact. Never a shim in his dovetail, he said it is hammered tight as it could be. In production shops where they make the neck and body in mass quantities, the slap them together and shim it out to get the neck angle right, which in my opinion, undermines the oneness of the neck and the body.

The other factor is the rarity factor and appearance. It will be a one of a kind for certain, a work of art.

[OC1]

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith52.jpg


Building a guitar by myself, I can now appreciate the hard and precise work of doing such a great miters with the purfings. I know that just a tiny slightly-off angle will make the miter look terrible - and look at those - perfect precision!
If you never done a miter on small multicolored strips - try it, even 0.1 mm wrong way will show as an ugly step in the purfing where the purfing lines will not align precisely.

[cpabolting]

Building a guitar by myself, I can now appreciate the hard and precise work of doing such a great miters with the purfings. I know that just a tiny slightly-off angle will make the miter look terrible - and look at those - perfect precision!
If you never done a miter on small multicolored strips - try it, even 0.1 mm wrong way will show as an ugly step in the purfing where the purfing lines will not align precisely.

I have looked at the pictures of Jim cutting the mitres on the purfling about a dozen times...amazing how much effort went into making it just perfect!

[Glennwillow]

Thank you once again for the update on your build. I'm looking forward to the seeing the final product. Great photos!

Thanks,
Glenn

[cpabolting]

Thanks, I am excited about it.

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Coming along nicely, as always. You're gonna love it!

[cpabolting]

Those Olsons....just cannot get enough of them!

[OC1]

What are the wood on the neck laminate - you already said it is BR rosewood on sides, but what is the white wood - hard maple? What is the black strip.

I looked at some of the Olson guitars in his gallery and the neck when finished is masterpiece - how the black gracefully flow into heel cap and the V joint of head - this is first time I can honestly say that the laminate neck looks actually better than a solid piece.

[ro7939]

So here we go...just a very small sample....but this lets one of the big secret out of the bag......

Yes...that is a Brazilian Rosewood neck made by the hands of Jim Olson... how lucky am I! This is the third Brazilian Rosewood neck he has ever made.

This guitar gets more amazing every time I see it...and there are a few more surprises in store. What a work of art.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith54.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith55.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith56.jpg

My neck and guitar together - that is going to be AMAZING

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith57.jpg

I still cannot believe it....Wait until you see the fretboard inlays!

Oh man this thing is so gorgeous it almost hurts. Congrats! Can you believe you not only get to look at it but then you get to make music w/ it?

[cpabolting]

What are the wood on the neck laminate - you already said it is BR rosewood on sides, but what is the white wood - hard maple? What is the black strip.

I looked at some of the Olson guitars in his gallery and the neck when finished is masterpiece - how the black gracefully flow into heel cap and the V joint of head - this is first time I can honestly say that the laminate neck looks actually better than a solid piece.

Roswood down the middle and hard maple. The laminates help keep the neck straight for years. On my 1994 Olson, I swear the neck has not moved at all. Still perfectly straight. Even with hardly any tension on the truss rod, it still is straight as an arrow.

I love the necks on the Olsons...and love the way he does his neck joint with the Florentine cutaway.

Mine will be like this except with brazilian rosewood bindings and a brazilian rosewood heel cap.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/red.jpg

What great work!

[cpabolting]

Oh man this thing is so gorgeous it almost hurts. Congrats! Can you believe you not only get to look at it but then you get to make music w/ it?

I don't take any aspect of it for granted!

[cpabolting]

Tick tock...pictures.....the longest year of my life...LOL but worth the wait

[cpabolting]

Here are some new pictures.....it is better than I could have ever imagined...

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith57a.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith58.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith59.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith60.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith61.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith62.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith63.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith64.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith65.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith66.jpg

[cpabolting]

And more

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith67.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith68.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith69.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith70.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith71.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith72.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith73.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith74.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith75.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith76.jpg

[cpabolting]

And even More!

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith77.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith78.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith79.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith80.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith81.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith82.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith83.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith84.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith86.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/keith87.jpg

And I cannot believe there are even more.

[cpabolting]

And the last group:

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith88.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith89.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith90.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith91.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith92.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith93.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith94.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith95.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g231/cpabolting/Olson%201301/keith96.jpg

What an amazing talent he is.

[tpp]

Stunning and beautiful! It's great to see these progress photos.

[Folkstrum]

In one of the pix, I counted 18 (!!!) necks in progress. I cannot IMAGINE trying to juggle 18 (or more??) of these beauties in such a large batch. I don't think I've seen any single-man-shop with so many builds going at once. Truly amazing! :eek:

[OC1]

Roswood down the middle and hard maple. The laminates help keep the neck straight for years. On my 1994 Olson, I swear the neck has not moved at all. Still perfectly straight. Even with hardly any tension on the truss rod, it still is straight as an arrow.

I love the necks on the Olsons...and love the way he does his neck joint with the Florentine cutaway.

Mine will be like this except with brazilian rosewood bindings and a brazilian rosewood heel cap.

Thanks for the info, it is brilliant to see such a great work being done.

[kyee]

The attention to detail is absolutely amazing. I love the look of the Olson headstock.

[cpabolting]

The attention to detail is absolutely amazing. I love the look of the Olson headstock.

There were a number of things that Jim did different for me. I wanted him to put an O on the front and back of the headstock. I also had him select a particular piece of brazilian rosewood for the front and back of the headstock that had that black veining in the rosewood, and wasn't too dark, and had some character and figuring. Additionally, he made me a Brazilian rosewood neck to match the rest of the guitar and I had Jim do the headstock perimeter paua inlay and the fingerboard will have the paua perimeter inlay that runs around the board and continues in the headstock. The vine on the headstock I am quite excited about. He is making some custom inlays for me that will be exceptional.

I am very excited about this work of art, and am ready to order a matching Dread!

[kyee]

there's so much detail in the back of the headstock, that for awhile I thought I was looking at the front of it. Love the braz neck too.

[cpabolting]

there's so much detail in the back of the headstock, that for awhile I thought I was looking at the front of it. Love the braz neck too.

I am so very excited staring at these pictures and the way it is coming together...and to say he is a pleasure to work with is an understatement.

[690MBCOMMANDO]

This force is strong with this one....;)

[K III]

and am ready to order a matching Dread!

Keith, make sure you choose a non-PG-rated woodset this time so that your buildthread doesn't get removed by the mods :roll::roll::roll:

Otherwise: Breathtaking. I am also amazed how fast he is given he does 18 at a time.