ISLAND Acoustics (Nylon & Steel)

[J.R. Rogers]

Nic is busy building guitars but here's a few shots that showed up on social media....

Here's the maple acoustic recently finished





The man, the legend...



More progress on my guitar... You can clearly see the innovative neck attachment.



I talked Nic into making it a bit more like his signature electrics via the headstock badge and he suggested this great pickguard and a sunburst finish....

[J.R. Rogers]

It looks like Nic has been busy getting a few electrics ready for the Holy Grail guitar show in Berlin....



...But a few progress pics of the acoustics showed up on social media:

[Island Mfg.]

Thanks a bunch for keeping my thread active in my absence, JR!

Yup, I'm getting ready for The Holy Grail Guitar Show, where I'll be showing off a nifty little Buckeye Burl 44, with a new tailpiece design that was actually inspired by the work of Jeffrey Elliott and Ken Parker.
I'll be debuting my redux of the Silvertone 1448, which will have some nifty features and come complete with a boutique amp-in-case built by www.bensonamps.com - EXCITING! I hope I'll get to meet some of you forumites who will be attending!

The Modern Romantic is real close to being strung up. A couple more French Polish sessions on the top, and we'll be off to the races.

The aluminium inserts in the bridge's string holes is an idea I got from Jeremy Clark, 52 Instrument Co. It prevent wear to the tie block, and looks super classy to boot!

EDIT: The oddly coloured bone was a gift from CBG/pickup gure Bob Harrison. It's impregnated with something and is supposed to have some tonal benefits, of which I can't comment, but I think it looks cool!

[Island Mfg.]

About a year ago I talked to JR about an idea for a parlor sized nylon string crossover, that could be plugged in, and has a Ken Parker inspired heel-less adjustable neck. The idea was to combine the aesthetics of Stauffer, Lacote and other early parlor guitars, with modern construction.





1pc figured Red Oak back and flitch-matched sides with hand rubbed sunburst
Sinker Red Cedar top
"optimized ladder" bracing
Italian Celluloid binding and floating pickguard
Carbon fiber reinforced Doug Fir neck
Aluminium neck adjustment mechanism
Schertler tuners
K&K Pure Classic Pickup

I will have more photos and hopefully soundclips soon.

Please feel free to ask any questions

[David Wren]

Extremely cool looking guitars ... love 'em!!!

[Island Mfg.]

Originally Posted by David Wren

Extremely cool looking guitars ... love 'em!!!

Thank you, Dave! It's a different ball game than the electrics, they're definitely keeping the job interesting and challenging!

Here are some more shots:









The full photoset is on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IslandInstrumentMfg

It's back to electrics for a little while, getting ready for Berlin and The Holy Grail show, but upon my return I'll be doing another one of these as well as a Gibson-style L-00

[J.R. Rogers]

The little detail below the bridge was apparently a last-minute addition and I think it really completes the look. This is a beautiful guitar that sounds so sweet... A harmonically-rich chorus of strings that makes you want to keep playing while the tiny body lends comfort for long sessions. I really didn't know what to expect with this guitar but I'm extremely happy with the outcome. I was admittedly a little skeptical about Nic's idea in the beginning but the results are something to behold. A unique instrument that feels like your best friend and seems to naturally inspire creativity. How do you put a price on that?

Originally Posted by David Wren

Extremely cool looking guitars ... love 'em!!!

+1!! Love the old school look of the parlor nylon. Very curious to hear what it sounds like!

[Island Mfg.]

Originally Posted by J.R. Rogers

The little detail below the bridge was apparently a last-minute addition and I think it really completes the look. This is a beautiful guitar that sounds so sweet... A harmonically-rich chorus of strings that makes you want to keep playing while the tiny body lends comfort for long sessions. I really didn't know what to expect with this guitar but I'm extremely happy with the outcome. I was admittedly a little skeptical about Nic's idea in the beginning but the results are something to behold. A unique instrument that feels like your best friend and seems to naturally inspire creativity. How do you put a price on that?

I sat on the fence for quite some time with regards to the little triangle behind the bridge. Ultimately it protects the guitar's top when you're changing strings, and while I could've gone with a simple transparent square.... Tort always wins.

I really didn't know what to expect with this guitar either. I'm beyond fortunate to have someone like JR supporting and encouraging my experiments, and it's great when they work out!

ralph, a main point to this project was to see if I could create a symbiosis between old and new. I think I succeeded. I took a couple of videos, hastily, before shipping the guitar out... Unfortunately I neglected to turn off the shop AC, fans, dehumidifiers... so, there's a lot of white noise. Maybe JR will shoot a little something for us when the time is right.

[littlesmith]

i like that body shape, it has a lot of character

[Island Mfg.]

Originally Posted by littlesmith

i like that body shape, it has a lot of character

I love small guitars!