BRUCE SEXAUER: FT-16-C (Adirondack Spruce/Australian Blackwood)

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Well I might be too dense to understand the nomenclature, but I can clearly see from this body shape that this is a true departure from what I have come to expect from a Sexauer (which in my mind has been a much smaller guitar). This is going to be great. Bob you especially must be excited as you will really get to compare the sound to your other 3! I hope to play my first in 2 weeks!

Tom, if check out the section of Bruce’s website called “The List” and you’ll see that Bruce has made plenty of 16” guitars (here are four of them below). 15”/000 sized guitars are his most popular followed by 14”/00 and 13”/0 sized guitars. Dreadnoughts and Jumbos are what I see the least of, so likely this what has driven your impression.



My FT-16 is a bit different than these in that I asked Bruce to emulate the body shape of a J-185. It has a narrower waist. Now make it a bit less deep, add a wedge and a long-scale, my target tone profile, some exotic woods and you have something custom and unique.

Aside from the shape, it will have very little in common with a J-185. Back in 2014, I asked Bruce to make me a smaller bodied guitar based on a L-00. He had not made a L-00 before but he was able to make a tracing at Schoenberg. That guitar shared very little in common with its namesake and he knocked it out of the park.

Not having models or requiring molds to build guitars affords him some freedom as a custom luthier. I suppose after 50 years in lutherie making hundreds and hundreds of guitars I trust his mastery to devine a great guitar for me.

[jmat]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Tom, if check out the section of Bruce’s website called “The List” and you’ll see that Bruce has made plenty of 16” guitars (here are four of them below).



.

Nice looking guitar Bob!

I played that Pernambuco 16 inch guitar and it was a very nice instrument: balanced despite its size, loud, clear. The sound would hover around guitar and player with an undulating physical presence. It was unusual ... in the good way I would like Bruce to defy physics and make a guitar that sounds like that in a 00ish package. No telling if such a a feat would cause Jack Brennerman to swing more or less.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I have made a couple of JB-00 guitars from Pernambuco. They both work just fine but cannot produce the kind of power (air movement) a 16 incher takes for granted. I have also made several L00 guitars with Pernambuco, and they come a bit closer due to the fact that they are closer in width to a Martin 000 than a Martin 00 and also have a greater body depth than either.

[iim7V7IM7]

We decided on a simple two ring “Kalamazooesque” (there, I made up a word) rosette. The center ring has both Koa (Cousin of the Oz’ Blackwood). The inner and outer rings both are figured maple to match the future top purflings.



Here is the Adirondack top with the simple, honest hardwood rosette surrounding a 4” diameter sound hole.



You can see the layout of the future bracing pattern. Note due to the 25-3/8” scale length the bridge plate is located slightly farther towards the center of the lower bout than a J-185 with its short scale and Bruce’s x-brace splay, tone bar and finger brace patterns also are his own vision of a 16” flat top guitar.

[Rico59]

Bob, great, great, choice of materials, SIZE, etc.! I have no doubt that this guitar will sound superlative, play like a dream, and be another high point in the pantheon of Sexauer guitars!

[iim7V7IM7]

In true custom fashion, Bruce sketched a unique profile for this larger bodied flat top. He came as close to the UTB as he could allowing for clearance for the future spruce peone top and spanish cedar kerfed linings.

[iim7V7IM7]

Bruce has finished bracing the 16” Adirondack Spruce top. The bridge plate is made from Yucatan Rosewood (D. tucarensis). To no surprise, the guitar looks a whole lot more like a “Sexauer” than a J-185.

[Guitars44me]

My goodness that ABW is spectacular! This will be a fun build to follow...

Have fun and play on!!!

Cheers

Paul

[iim7V7IM7]

Bruce and I chose some very nice, quartersawn Amazon Rosewood as wood for the binding, end-graft and headplate veneers. The color of the ARW picks up on some of the hues thatt will come out in the darker figure in the Oz’ Blackwood. Bruce wants all the ARW to display a straight grained surface. The binding will be framed by contrasting maple purflings. Here’s a quick shot of a piece next to the Australian Blackwood back set. This is likely my last update until after WILS (Bruce is busy finishing another guitar and preparing for the show).

[TomB'sox]

Looks like a perfect choice!

[iim7V7IM7]

Bruce has HHG’d the ladder braces to the back and carved them.

[BrunoBlack]

Really beautiful.

[TomB'sox]

I see there is no support on the center line, is this a norm for Bruce or an exception on this one?

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

I see there is no support on the center line, is this a norm for Bruce or an exception on this one?

I see you are becoming something of a regular in my threads, Tom. Doing your research for our upcoming meeting (I hope) next weekend?

Unlike many makers, rather than glue in the center reinforcement and then fitting the braces between them, I glue in the braces and then fit the reinforcement between them. This seems like the right order to me, and involves less effort (cutting out that which has been put in?), or at the least more efficiency. Different strokes, as they say. Also, since I have not yet glued the sides to the top (or made them at all), there is still some question as to just how long the strips will be. After all, I have never made this shape before, and even if I had there would be considerable wiggle room.

I am getting my packing done for the flight on Wednesday, so probably won't go any further with the current projects until I return late on the 30th. I do hope any of you who plan to attend WILS will drop by my table and introduce yourselves.

[TomB'sox]

Thanks Bruce.

That does make sense as you don't have to spend time notching out the braces over the center strip and can just cut to length and butt them together....

Hey, I always follow your threads, just not always replying as I have taken on Moderator duties and sometimes just don't have the time to reply as much as I have in the past.

You are definitely on my list for meeting this weekend. I will be there Saturday for sure and maybe Sunday if needed. I will be the really good looking guy in his 50's, you should be able to spot me easily.

How many are you bringing? I am excited to try your stuff!

Tom