Hatcher Bacchus model baritone

[Mark Hatcher]

Today I am adding a new model to my offerings. This will be my Bacchus Baritone and since it's new I thought I'd run a separate thread.

First off, you may notice I have departed from using a woman's name for this model. I have made a number of guitars lately with ascetic features I identified as masculine. So in that vein I thought that kind of ascetic would be at home with a larger deeper voiced baritone guitar. Additionally, I have a tendency to have the first letter of my model match the body type i.e. Piña - Parlor, Greta - Grand Auditorium etc.

So I'm going with Bacchus, a god from Roman myth. I chose this god because he is known for being the god of three "E"s; Ecstasy, Euphoria, and Epiphany. So you can see this luthier is aspiring to great heights on this one!

Here is my initial selection of tone woods;

For the soundboard it is sinker redwood





I've had this set for a number of years. It has the same density and stiffness as Lucky Strike Redwood but, I like the coloration and finer grain.

For the back and sides I selected African Blackwood because of the great base response I get whenever I build with it;





And we're off!
Mark

[quentinjazz]

Bacchus is the god of grapes and vine, so.. cheers, dear Mark!
I can't wait to see the build!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by quentinjazz

Bacchus is the god of grapes and vine, so.. cheers, dear Mark!
I can't wait to see the build!

Thanks quentinjazz!

Yeah, I'm thinking about a grape vine wreath rosette. Seems appropriate

Mark

[emmsone]

This is going to be cool!
I'm a sucker for the redwood tops so i'm loving this already

I know you love your lattice bracing, are you going to be lattice bracing this one too? Also, how big is the body on this one? Is it much bigger than your Josie (SJ) size?

Dave

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by emmsone

This is going to be cool!
I'm a sucker for the redwood tops so i'm loving this already

I know you love your lattice bracing, are you going to be lattice bracing this one too? Also, how big is the body on this one? Is it much bigger than your Josie (SJ) size?

Dave

Thanks Dave!,

The lower bout is 17 inches across. I will be using my hybrid lattice pattern for the top. With the guitar being so wide, I am reshaping the dome of the back to be as comfortable as a wedge without cutting so much air volume away, This will require a different type of bracing then I usually do.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

Thanks Dave!,

The lower bout is 17 inches across. I will be using my hybrid lattice pattern for the top. With the guitar being so wide, I am reshaping the dome of the back to be as comfortable as a wedge without cutting so much air volume away, This will require a different type of bracing then I usually do.

Sounds like it's going to be similar to my Klein L45.7--redwood top, ABW back and sides, 17+ inches across. It'll probably sound awesome. Looking forward to it!

[cigarfan]

Oooo! A Hatcher with more low end. Somehow that seems incredible. Get ready to rumble!

[TomB'sox]

Looks great, another dark bodied guitar that I now love thanks to your recent builds. I am going to count my build as one with a masculine ascetic....if nothing else, that makes me feel good about myself. This is going to sound like a sub woofer in the room!!!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

Sounds like it's going to be similar to my Klein L45.7--redwood top, ABW back and sides, 17+ inches across. It'll probably sound awesome. Looking forward to it!

Good to hear you like the sound of an ABW baritone with a redwood top! Thanks

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Oooo! A Hatcher with more low end. Somehow that seems incredible. Get ready to rumble!

Thanks cigarfan, I'm looking forward to seeing just how much rumble I can get!

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Looks great, another dark bodied guitar that I now love thanks to your recent builds. I am going to count my build as one with a masculine ascetic....if nothing else, that makes me feel good about myself. This is going to sound like a sub woofer in the room!!!

That counts. It was your idea to incorporate the live edge that became your headstock and others since.

So today glue met wood and the Bacchus has begun:

[cigarfan]

Really like that new lens. Cool.

[J.R. Rogers]

Very cool to see you building a baritone, Mark! I spend a lot of time playing a baritone as it's such a different brush to paint with... usually inspiring. A lot of times I just belt songs I already know in a lower key. That blackwood looks perfect.

JR

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Really like that new lens. Cool.

Originally Posted by J.R. Rogers

Very cool to see you building a baritone, Mark! I spend a lot of time playing a baritone as it's such a different brush to paint with... usually inspiring. A lot of times I just belt songs I already know in a lower key. That blackwood looks perfect.

JR

Thanks for your comments J.R. There is another thread here talking about the most exciting moment for a luthier is playing that new guitar the first time. I get that and wouldn't say different on that thread but, I'll say on this thread that this is the most exciting time for me building a guitar. It's the creative time when my imagination, research, and experience combine and start to gel into an actual visualized plan. After that it's a straightaway to the finish line.

[nootis]

Very inspiring Mr. Hatcher!

I agree with everyone else. This is going to be way too cool, and it will be great to follow along and see it all come to fruition together.

I'm a sucker for Sinker, a sucker for a baritone, and your work always seem to suck me in, so thank you for including us along in your journey.

[ukejon]

Fretboard inlay?



By the way Mark, it is risky to go to market with this gorgeous baritone without adequate field testing. So for free I will accept your first model and play test it for the next year or two. Will provide a thorough report after that. You have my address.....

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Oooo! A Hatcher with more low end. Somehow that seems incredible. Get ready to rumble!

That what I thought as well....dang, this thing might cause tectonic plate shifting!

[Marcus Wong]

Wow. You are using some pretty stunning woods for this build, looking forward to seeing it unravel