Build: Buendia 12-fret Jumbo cutaway in German/Braz.

[justonwo]

Wow, that is looking pretty spectacular. You must be getting excited!

[jmagill]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Wow, that is looking pretty spectacular. You must be getting excited!

Very.

I asked Leo for the timetable for this last section of the build process until completion. Here's what he wrote:

"I'm glad you like the pics. I feel this instrument is very special.

I should be able to pick up your guitar from the finisher in about 5 weeks. It has been raining a lot here in the Bay Area lately and finish is taking longer to cure. As soon as I get the guitar, I'll glue the bridge on and string it up the following day. Then, I'll wait for at least a week so all wood joints will get used to string tension and I can proceed to the final set up. That said, you will get the guitar in around 6-7 weeks from now.

I'll keep you updated."

So, I expect to have more photos from Leo when he gets it back from the finisher around the middle of February with a shipping date for the completed guitar around March 1.

I'm working on a new piece for the first tune I play on it, one of Masaaki Kishibe's, entitled, appropriately enough, "Hajimari" or "The Beginning."

[jmagill]

Well, it's been six weeks since Leo sent her off and the guitar has now returned with a nice new nitrocellulose finish, courtesy of Addam Stark, and it's ready now for the final stages of the build. We're only ten days or so behind projections, which, in my experience of 'luthier time' is really quite good. Leo is expecting to ship the completed guitar to me "the week of March 13-17th."

Here's a shot of the bridge before the carving begins. I decided to go with a Brazilian rosewood bridge, due to its higher 'Q' factor than ebony, but I asked Leo to use a very dark piece so it would visually complement the ebony of the fingerboard, headplate and tuner buttons.



This shot shows the finished bridge, still clamped for carving:



In preparation for cutting the string slots:



The bridge is on and it's been strung up using nut and saddle blanks. It will sit under tension for a week, then Leo will do the final setup on the nut and saddle:



It's a beauty, but the true test for me is always the sound. I gave Leo a pretty daunting task – to build me a guitar that would compare favorably to the "Greatest Guitar I Ever Heard", one made by the master luthier who trained him, Ervin Somogyi.

Here's Leo's take on its initial, immature sound. It should develop noticeably during this 'settling in' period over the next few days as the wood and joints adjust to life as a guitar:

"As a preliminary observation the guitar already has that unique cathedral sound that I was expecting. The sound is also huge and extremely sweet. The voice is very balanced, with a deep, round and focused bass that projects very well for contrapuntal effect. It has a strong mid-range with a very clear separation and trebles that are immediately rich and sparkling."

This is pretty close to my description of the sound I was hoping for, so I'm getting pretty excited as the finish line begins to come into view...

[islandguitar]

Congrats......just stunning in all respects!

[justonwo]

As someone who has played a number of Leo's guitars, I can tell you that you are going to be one very happy camper!

[Guitars44me]

This should knock your socks off at twenty paces! And it is a real beauty!!!

Congrats again from a big 12 fret fan.

Cheers

Paul

[Diamondave]

If my OM Leo is gonna build me turns out 1/2 as nice as this, it will be good enough

[jmagill]

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

I was curious about the white material covering the bridge wings in the third photo and asked Leo about it. He wrote:

The white material is toilet paper. The bridge was already glued on and I was working on carving the string slots. I always protect the face of the guitar in that stage with a thick corked shield and a very soft toilet paper in between.

Looks like even the TP is high-end...

[jmagill]

Here are some of the last bench photos before the guitar is shipped out on Tuesday overnight to me. I'll be picking it up Weds.

Leo will have some 'glamour shots' taken of it for his website early next week, which I'll post here, and I'll be taking it up to Dream Guitars once I get it home so they can get some shots and a video for their website. And of course I'll be taking my own photos of it which I'll also share.





So shiny...

[SiliconValleySJ]

Looks like a beauty! I don't think I have time to visit Leo's before it ships, but I hope it's everything you were looking for.

[jmagill]

Leo's final photos. The guitar is finished, boxed up and ready to ship. I'll be picking it up Wednesday afternoon. Stay tuned...

[nashmore]

Stunning guitar! I bet Wednesday feels forever away.

[jmagill]

The guitar is here.

I'll be posting a few unboxing photos soon.

Stay tuned...

[iim7V7IM7]

Congrats Jim...

[David Wren]

Pretty spiffy looking ... love it!!!