Jonathan Razo OM: Build #17 (African Blackwood / Bavarian Spruce) - Page 2

mikealpine · #16 08-08-2016, 03:02 PM

Looks really nice, not overdone in the least.

J.R. Rogers · #17 08-08-2016, 04:41 PM

Great to see another one of Jonathan's build's progressing. Love the rosette and back inlay on that perfect piece of Blackwood.

JR

Nemoman · #18 08-08-2016, 05:19 PM

Congrats, Gus, on a beautiful build! I've seen the completed photos, and it's truly stunning--the soundclips were awesome as well.

I'm enjoying reading the process you went through during your collaboration, as I'm currently collaborating with Jonathan on the design for Razo #19. It's been a lot of fun, and he's been very gracious and helpful throughout. Hope mine turns out as well as yours--thanks for sharing it here!

gstar · #19 08-08-2016, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Congrats, Gus, on a beautiful build! I've seen the completed photos, and it's truly stunning--the soundclips were awesome as well.

I'm enjoying reading the process you went through during your collaboration, as I'm currently collaborating with Jonathan on the design for Razo #19. It's been a lot of fun, and he's been very gracious and helpful throughout. Hope mine turns out as well as yours--thanks for sharing it here!

Thank you so much. Your Malaysian Blackwood build should be amazing. My Fay OM is MB and I love it. Hope you do a build thread.

gstar · #20 08-08-2016, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.R. Rogers

Great to see another one of Jonathan's build's progressing. Love the rosette and back inlay on that perfect piece of Blackwood.

JR

Your Razo was part of what convinced me to have Jonathan build me a guitar. Thanks for your support.

gstar · #21 08-08-2016, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikealpine

Looks really nice, not overdone in the least.

Mike,

I'm glad you liked the back design. It's tough to get that balance right. Thanks for all your kind words.

gstar · #22 08-08-2016, 08:24 PM

Part 4: The Box Goes Together

There's not much to say about this step. The excitement is hard to contain when the build first starts "looking like a guitar." It is hard to explain the joy of seeing something that has been two dimensional for so long finally become the three dimensional object you've been dreaming about.

Here it is all closed up.

More to come…

gstar · #23 08-09-2016, 11:15 AM

Part 5: Binding Installed

The red purfling contrasting with black (my high school colors) is a major design theme starting with the rosette and continuing throughout the guitar. We decided to use ebony binding to contrast a little with the ABW.

Body binding without completed bevels.

That red purfling looks great even without finish.

More to come...

SiliconValleySJ · #24 08-09-2016, 01:53 PM

Wow, looks great. Love the red lines!

gstar · #25 08-09-2016, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExpoTom

Wow, looks great. Love the red lines!

Thank you. I think the red accents are perfect against the black.

gstar · #26 08-10-2016, 09:00 AM

Part 6: Bevels Done

This update is self-explanatory.

I have a few comments about the bevels. Jonathan normally does bevels a little differently where he begins and ends the bevel more abruptly. I actually like that style, but prefer the smoother look more ("Ryan style"). In my opinion the size of the bevel is more important to me than even the look. I don't prefer the size of most of the typical bevels I’ve seen and wanted something much more subtle. There are a number of builders who build bevels that are essentially an expansion and rounding of the binding, so I had a clear idea in my mind of what I was looking for. Jonathan did an amazing job of delivering the smaller and smooth transition look I was going for. I couldn't be happier with how these bevels turned out.

Here are a couple of pictures.

More to come...

gstar · #27 08-10-2016, 09:02 AM

Double Post.

mikealpine · #28 08-10-2016, 01:23 PM

Love the smaller bevel! I like having bevels. The leading edge can dig into my upper arm a bit, and now that I have found beveled-edge guitars, it's even harder to play one without. The smaller bevel looks really nice, and I'm sure will provide just as much comfort without stealing to much of the top real estate. Nice!

gstar · #29 08-10-2016, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikealpine

Love the smaller bevel! I like having bevels. The leading edge can dig into my upper arm a bit, and now that I have found beveled-edge guitars, it's even harder to play one without. The smaller bevel looks really nice, and I'm sure will provide just as much comfort without stealing to much of the top real estate. Nice!

The top real estate was one of my considerations along with not making the top shape obviously out of balance in the lower bout and ruining the flow of the binding and curvature of the lower bout.

gstar · #30 08-10-2016, 07:20 PM

Part 7: End Graft

This was one of the toughest design aspects of the build. We already had a cohesive rosette and back design and wanted to add to the overall design without making the guitar too gaudy. We ultimately decided to focus on making a geometric design highlighting red purfling lines. We both came up with numerous design ideas, which Jonathan patiently sketched and ultimately executed beautifully. I think the result is very true to the modern vibe of the guitar and ended up being visually stunning.

Here are a couple of pictures.

The center wood is African Blackwood and the rest is Ebony to provide contrast and tie into the binding. With this complete, the body of the guitar is done and ready for finishing.

More to come...