Build Thread: Traugott BK Cutaway (Brazilian/German)

[bdm0509]

Hey folks...

Well, I'm going to be stubborn and just keep posting. Hopefully some folks out there are enjoying the eye candy :-)

Here's more from Jeff as he closes in on finish.

You can see just a bit of the wonderful back here as Jeff goes to town with clamps.



Here's a bit of the back and sides in place:



Another batch coming soon...

-Brett

[billgennaro]

Hey, Brett. Didn't realize you were getting back in the game so quickly. I'm glad you are going the Traugott and Walker route. To me, these guys are the best of the best. The only down side is that there is nowhere to go up from here. You will be at the pinnacle. May these guitars stimulate you to the point where guitar playing becomes, once again, one of the main priorities in your life. I'm already waiting for future recordings of yours to appear.

All the best!

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by billgennaro

Hey, Brett. Didn't realize you were getting back in the game so quickly. I'm glad you are going the Traugott and Walker route. To me, these guys are the best of the best. The only down side is that there is nowhere to go up from here. You will be at the pinnacle. May these guitars stimulate you to the point where guitar playing becomes, once again, one of the main priorities in your life. I'm already waiting for future recordings of yours to appear.

All the best!

Bill! My friend...

I didn't intend to, either. Some financial things fell right after falling so wrong in late 2015, and the used Kostal sold, and then not long after, Jeff called. I'd already placed a deposit as well as him cutting me a good deal so... It just made a lot of sense. Any really good guitar beyond maybe a Martin authentic was going to push me close enough to what I owed on the Traugott to make this make the most sense.

I'm quite excited, and Jeff is simply flying. He really moves when he gets going. I actually hope to play this guitar before we turn the page on June!

More to come...

[Luca Canteri]

hey Brett, this is gonna be gorgeous! looks stunning.

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by Luca Canteri

hey Brett, this is gonna be gorgeous! looks stunning.

Thanks Luca! Jeff is getting things moving into finish this week, I believe, so I'll start to post photos of that ridiculous Brazilian rosewood soon, and potentially have the guitar in my hands late May.

Exciting times!

-Brett

[rlxnply]

That Brazilian looks fantastic. Keep the pics and updates coming. I need to get my hands on one of Jeff's guitars.

[Portland Bill]

If I was spending this kind of money it would be a Traugott, I'm exited for you.

[steveh]

Originally Posted by Portland Bill

If I was spending this kind of money it would be a Traugott, I'm exited for you.

So am I but, IIRC, you've had a Traugott built already that ended up on the block.
What do you think this one will bring to the table that the R didn't - bigger sound (because of the size) or was it that circumstances simply prevented you from keeping the first one?

I had one of Jeff's guitars and if I could have justified keeping it, I would have. It was celestial. Very different to the Kostal you had though: Both great but different approach to tone.

Cheers,
Steve

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by Portland Bill

If I was spending this kind of money it would be a Traugott, I'm exited for you.

Yeah, I've spent more than many on guitars–too much, in terms of the return so far. But the Traugott for me is a sound investment, a great guitar, and one of only two builders at this point that I'm willing to go this deep for. And, as you'll appreciate, he sprays his own finish. The other builder in my sig line, Kim Walker, is the other builder who I'm willing to really spend money on.

Not to say there aren't some amazing builders out there, but these two (for somewhat different reasons) are who I'm staking all of my guitar money on over the next few years.

More to come soon, I believe Jeff has the guitar in finish this week.

-Brett

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by steveh

So am I but, IIRC, you've had a Traugott built already that ended up on the block.
What do you think this one will bring to the table that the R didn't - bigger sound (because of the size) or was it that circumstances simply prevented you from keeping the first one?

I had one of Jeff's guitars and if I could have justified keeping it, I would have. It was celestial. Very different to the Kostal you had though: Both great but different approach to tone.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve-

Great questions. Part of it is the Traugott R truly was one of maybe three purchases I've made in over 20 years that falls into my, "Boy, if I could do that one all over again, I'd sure have held on!" category. So it's less, "How is this different from the R?" and more "Reclaiming what was lost." That R was ridiculous, and also was right in the middle of the very worst of my buy/criticize/sell/don't-actually-play-much phase. Ugly days.

It wasn't long after that whole thing that I relayed similar feelings to Jeff, and he's been on the lookout, as it were, for a way for me to get back into his instruments for a while. When this opportunity came up last year, I jumped on it. And when things righted themselves for me early this year, he was my first call in terms of finishing the instrument up.

I do think the BK is a bit more suited to me, and it has a cutaway, both of which are bonuses for me. I'm trying to get a decent recording setup in place while I'm waiting, so we can all enjoy this thread ending as it should. My plan is to play and record on this guitar for a year or so while the Walker is coming along. That one will deplete any semblance of my guitar fund for a number of years.

So my resolve (and my wife's, ha ha!) is to get these two uber-guitars and then play the hell out of them. I also have a few friends who have been told to remind me of this if I get antsy.

-Brett

[bdm0509]

Here we go... these are some final steps before Jeff puts the guitar into finish. The guitar is actually a littler further along, so I hope to see it in my hands before the month is out...

Here's the obligatory "man hands" photo of Jeff getting the top ready to go into the booth...



Another required photo for every batch is one where there are shavings. Spruce shavings, brace shavings, or in this case... ebony shavings!



Here's a rough assembly... nothing is glued or attached, and the bridge is still gigantic and largely unformed. Still, it actually looks like a guitar here!



Soon, soon, soon...

-Brett

[Marcus Wong]

Hmmm... Is it just me or are there 2 holes on the butt?

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wong

Hmmm... Is it just me or are there 2 holes on the butt?

There are. When the guitar was originally built, the would-be owner had a pretty wild pickup setup. When Jeff and I decided to reclaim the wood and rebuild the guitar, Jeff offered to put in a strap pin in the one hole–he has a special setup to handle the pickup-sized hole–and then a pickup in the second. So one will be more or less invisible with a strap pin, and the other will have a K7K trinity.

I suppose it will decrease the resale value, but that's not something I'm worried about or making choices based upon. (Apologies, that was not one but two phrases ending in prepositions. I feel shame!)

-Brett

[bdm0509]

The things, the things, the things they are a' happening...

First bits of finish going on.





Yes, these are ridiculous. No, Jeff swears they aren't retouched before sending to me. The contrast seems high so maybe the lighting was just perfect. All I did was add a little vignette in on the edges, because a guy has to draw the eye to the pretty stuff, right? No matter, this is ridiculous looking stuff.

-Brett

[steveh]

Originally Posted by bdm0509

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Noone could accuse Jeff of having white-collar-worker hands.

Cheers,
Steve