I haven't posted a build thread for awhile. During the summer, we purchased a new home, which required moving the shop along with everything else. I am finally getting some time to get into the shop and have my next two builds started. One of these builds is for Beth, who found me here on AGF, so I thought I'd post some pictures of her build as I putter along with it over the next couple of months.
I have had several requests for a grand size model, so when Beth also asked for one, I decided the time had come to get one designed. I have named this new model the Huron (all my guitars are named after the bigger lakes surrounding Michigan), and Beth will get the first one. As with any new model, I needed to design and build new templates and molds, and I finally finished the last of these this past week.
Beth wants a bit bigger guitar without the guitar feeling big. As we talked about what Beth is looking for in her guitar, I proposed a Manzer wedge. Beth liked the idea, so I reached out to Linda who gave me her blessing. The wedge is really only happening on the lower bout, which will keep the neck joint area looking symmetrical.
The guitar we are building will have Indonesian RW for the back and sides with a red spruce soundboard. The other details, I'll add as we go through the build.
With that introduction, here is what I have done to date. The rosette is a design that Beth had seen elsewhere and liked, so I worked it up using Amboyna burl for the wood and a strip of zipflex for the shell:
Here is the finished rosette:
And a shot of the whole soundboard:
The back is pretty spectacular. The yellows and orange in the Indonesian RW really pop:
The other night, I cut the profile for the rims. These were a bit tricky to work up due to the wedge design:
Today I bent the rims, and the Indonesian RW was very well behaved:
The rims are in the mold, and I'll start working on the neck and tail blocks and kerfed linings during the upcoming week:
Thanks for looking!
Ken