Green Moutain Series Josie Sm Jumbo

[canuck7]

Originally Posted by Jeffreykip

That is really beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a jade rosette. I really like it.

Think again!! The Pina with a turquoise rosette, my Hatcher masterpiece!!

[Jeffreykip]

Beautiful.

[Mark Hatcher]

For clarity’s sake I should jump in here to say that I am using Green Turquoise on both these guitars. Both Jade and Green Turquoise are popular gemstones, with Turquoise being more opaque. The more translucent Jade, unfortunately, doesn’t show well for very thin inlay work.

m

[Mark Hatcher]

Here I am starting to thin the soundboard:



Here's a spec drawing:



I am designing a new headstock which I'll be introducing with this guitar

Here's a top and back side by side:



m

[Mark Hatcher]

Here I am cutting the sash joint slots that I use for joining braces:



I find that this type of joint is very strong and doesn't require all of the extra wood typically used for lap joints. This makes the joint much lighter without the unnecessary dead hard spots on the soundboards.







This is a longer process but I feel time devoted to quality improvement is time well spent.

Mark

[canuck7]

Beautiful craftsmanship Mark, and woods!! I’m really into that top…strangely enough!!! I love watching the building process…thanks for documenting and sharing!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by canuck7

Beautiful craftsmanship Mark, and woods!! I’m really into that top…strangely enough!!! I love watching the building process…thanks for documenting and sharing!

You’re welcome Jeff. Thanks for commenting.

Mark

[Treenewt]

Jeff beat me to it. Beautiful work, Mark. Could go in Guitar Aficionado or Architectural Digest. Or the Smithsonian. Well done, sir.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Jeff beat me to it. Beautiful work, Mark. Could go in Guitar Aficionado or Architectural Digest. Or the Smithsonian. Well done, sir.

Thanks for cheering me on Treenewt!
Mark

[Nemoman]

That picture of the back and top is just magical--this pairing and appointments might be my favorite of yours to date.

Of course, I have said that before, and you just continue to keep raising the bar--Bravo!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

That picture of the back and top is just magical--this pairing and appointments might be my favorite of yours to date.

Of course, I have said that before, and you just continue to keep raising the bar--Bravo!

Thanks Nemoman, hopefully I'll keep up a steady supply of favorites!

Here is a picture I took to show the gold mother of pearl logo:



At certain light angles it reflects green. I love that!

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I've been working away setting up the sides. There is a lot of extra set up because this guitar will feature arm, finger and waist bevels. Here I am gluing up the Spanish Cedar back kerfing:



Here is a picture of how I do the end block:



I shape the end block so that it does not change the line of the kerfing. I do this for several reasons:
If the end block extends out into the soundboard it steals valuable vibrational real estate.
If the end block makes a sharp break in the kerfing line it creates a stress point which can crack the top with time.
A large contact point on the sound board can create a ghost image through a thin top and just looks bad.

That is just one of the many things I do with end blocks..

Mark

[Treenewt]

Mark, your attention to the smallest details is inspiring to see. Thanks for sharing the little things along the way.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Mark, your attention to the smallest details is inspiring to see. Thanks for sharing the little things along the way.

Thanks Treenewt. One can achieve great heights with the accumulation of well placed baby steps.

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I've got the sides pretty well all set for the top and back:



You can see on the sides that the supports are in for the arm, waist and finger bevels. You can also see how the lightweight Spanish Cedar bevel supports are contoured for addition lightness, air volume and acoustic response optimization.

Mark