Build Thread : Wren Concert ... Alpine/Braz

[David Wren]

Hi Folks ... here's a build thread for a commission I received a number of months ago. It certainly is a priveledge to be able to use wood of this caliber. Hope you enjoy this thread!

The Specs:

* Concert Model : non cutaway
* 16" lower bout dimension
* 9 3/4" waist with 11 7/16" upper bout
* 25.4" scale lenght
* 14 fret neck-to-body joint
* Master Grade Italian Alpine spruce top
* Abalone shell soundhole rosette
* Brazilian rosewood back and sides
* side port
* 1 ¾” wide bone nut
* pinned dovetail neck joint
* tropical mahogany neck
* Brazilian rosewood peghead veneer and backstrap
* bound peghead
* “Wren” fingerboard inlay on 5th fret : Brass, Copper, Turquoise, Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl
* Gotoh 510 tuners in Antique Gold finish with black buttons
* intonation compensated bone saddle
* ebony fingerboard with ebony binding
* 2-way adjustable truss rod
* ebony bridge
* wood bindings and purfling
* French Polish finish
* Hardcover “Build Diary” book with photos of the build process
* arched top hardshell case, plush lined















.

[gstring]

David, for you, does the rosette set the design style for the rest of the guitar ?

daniel

[geordie]

Originally Posted by David Wren

It certainly is a priveledge to be able to use wood of this caliber. Hope you enjoy this thread!
* Master Grade Italian Alpine spruce top

yeah I see the stamp, is that set from '71 ?
Whats your impression of it David ?.

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by gstring

David, for you, does the rosette set the design style for the rest of the guitar ?

daniel

Hi Daniel ... thanks for dropping on my build thread!

My overall aesthetic for my Concert and Remuda Hybrid models is very very simple ... just the way I like it. My rosettes and top purflings usually include 1mm thick strips of the same wood as the back and sides (usually cutoffs from dimensioning the sides). I don't find that the center part of the rosette ... in my case either abalone shell or spalted maple ... dictates anything else in the overall aesthetic ... just a question of taste. In these models at least, the rosette is another subtle visual focal point that I hope doesn't overpower the clean lines of the guitar.

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by geordie

yeah I see the stamp, is that set from '71 ?
Whats your impression of it David ?.

Hi Geordie ... thanks for popping by!

I was lucky enough to be able to select that top (and a couple of others) when the supplier was in Canada for a trade show. It always really helps to be able to flex, tap, scratch, and feel the weight of a top. This one had the perfect flex, weight and lively tap that seems to work well with my building style! I love all of the deflection testing, frequency analysis and other electronic testing ... but in my opinion, nothing takes the place of an experienced pair of hands and ears.

[stuartb]

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out! And a recording if we are lucky.

Stuart

[BenjaminPaldacci]

Wonderfull Thread! I'll follow it with attention!

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by stuartb

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out! And a recording if we are lucky.

Stuart

Thanks Stuart!

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by benbenbenben

Wonderfull Thread! I'll follow it with attention!

Thanks Benjamin ... I'm following your build as well!

[David Wren]

... and, a bit more progress.
















.

[David Wren]

... and a few more photos of progress on this one!














.

[theEdwinson]

Hi, David, nice article you've got here. Your photography is, as usual, very highly evolved. It's like a large format photography book.
You've got me thinking of going back to solid, laminated linings. I quit doing that about 79 guitars ago. Looking at your photos, I think, this isn't so much trouble, if you do it right...
And I really love the look it has. Solid linings just look cleaner than any type of kerfed lining.
Spruce, basswood, poplar, walnut, mahogany... hmm...
Yeah, David, safe to say, your build threads get my mental gears turning. I'm inspired to take it up a notch, when I see your process.

...You taking any apprentices these days?

[theEdwinson]

Originally Posted by David Wren

Hi Geordie ... thanks for popping by!

I was lucky enough to be able to select that top (and a couple of others) when the supplier was in Canada for a trade show. It always really helps to be able to flex, tap, scratch, and feel the weight of a top. This one had the perfect flex, weight and lively tap that seems to work well with my building style! I love all of the deflection testing, frequency analysis and other electronic testing ... but in my opinion, nothing takes the place of an experienced pair of hands and ears.

Applause for that!
I've never used science or math to evaluate wood. The very idea baffles me. You can find out everything you need to know about a piece of wood by handling it, palpating it, flexing it, and listening to it. Wood isn't so coy that it won't tell you everything about itself.

[Larry Pattis]

Where's that danged "like" button when you need it...?

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by theEdwinson

Hi, David, nice article you've got here. Your photography is, as usual, very highly evolved. It's like a large format photography book.
You've got me thinking of going back to solid, laminated linings. I quit doing that about 79 guitars ago. Looking at your photos, I think, this isn't so much trouble, if you do it right...
And I really love the look it has. Solid linings just look cleaner than any type of kerfed lining.
Spruce, basswood, poplar, walnut, mahogany... hmm...
Yeah, David, safe to say, your build threads get my mental gears turning. I'm inspired to take it up a notch, when I see your process.

...You taking any apprentices these days?

Thanks Steve! I spend very little time on the in-progress photos ... pretty zoned in on the build process at this point.

Yep, the solid linings are fun. I still use kerfed sometimes ... and sometimes a bit of both!