2015 Doerr Trinity (OO / 12-fret) Western Red Cedar/Brazilian Rosewood

[GaultierRedon14]

Here the back and sides are joined together, showcasing Tom's immaculate work. It looks so good, you almost want to hang it on a wall as a piece of decorative art and forget about the guitar!




....but alas, we must move on toward our goal!
The soundboard is fully adorned and voiced, ready to take center stage and instill this young instrument with its soul--Tom's sweet Trinity bracing pattern!



Together at last.

[TomB'sox]

I agree, the inside or your guitar is beautifully done, it is a shame it will not be seen.....

[islandguitar]

JUst beautiful!!!
One of the things Tom does is sand and prep the back on the INSIDE too. This creates a really nice visual presence for the owner as you view through the sound hole when playing or just admiring. Of course no finish, but this approach brings out the natural oils and makes things very nice visually.
I constantly admire my Doerr from every angle all the time. Tom's work is amazing.

[GaultierRedon14]

You're right about Tom finishing the inside of the back. It never occurred to me that the wood colors would be so vivid, even inside the guitar! I think, in this case, it is a tribute both to Tom's extra effort to properly finish the insides of the back, and to the natural beauty of this set of Brazilian rosewood. I personally handled these pieces myself, and the colors really are bright and distinct, as you see in the photos. I consider myself quite lucky to have scored such a stunning set of Brazilian. To me, this Brazilian has all the characteristic colors I think of with this wood--it's just classic.

Well, he is now finishing the box. That means adding the African Blackwood binding and beveling it, along with adding the abalone purflings. Should have those pictures by next weekend.
Right now, we're working out the headplate choice and where to mark the fretboard blank. Fun times!

[GaultierRedon14]

I happened to be at the right place at the right time to buy this very unique piece of Arizona Desert Ironwood! It's not easy to find a piece like this that is suitable for a fretboard.
Yes, it's a pretty obscure hardwood. I like the fact that it's a domestic species.
Desert Ironwood is incredibly dense and stable. If you drop a piece in water, it sinks.
It can take an exceptionally high polish without any finish being applied. So as a fretboard and bridge, it will have a beautiful, almost glossy luster.
Not only does it have some beautiful colors, it also has an inner chatoyance that can come through in certain parts of the wood.
Practically speaking, it will be an absolutely stable fretboard, rock solid.

I handled this piece myself, and I can assure you there's a reason it's called IRONwood. It's so dense and hard, it doesn't really feel like wood--more like a slab of granite.
I'm a little concerned about Tom's power tools--the Ironwood might win!


The fretboard outline.




The bookmatched headplate outline.


I've had this piece of Desert Ironwood since before I formally commissioned this build, but I initially thought I'd save it for something else later on. I finally decided that this was the right choice for it. The colors of the Ironwood are on the lighter side, but they will still work well with the earthy tone of the cedar top and the lighter patterns in the Braziiian sides.

[GaultierRedon14]

[GaultierRedon14]

I hope the pictures speak for themselves. I don't know what more to say.

[GaultierRedon14]

[GaultierRedon14]

[islandguitar]

SPEECHLESS!!!! So beautiful........Tom's amazing work in full force!

[GaultierRedon14]

Thanks, Islandguitar! I was pretty speechless myself when I first looked at the pictures, so I just posted the pictures without comment. So far, everything is turning out exactly as I had hoped. Tom is doing a fantastic job bringing these wonderful woods together. The colors in the rosewood are so vivid I have to remind myself that it's not even under finish yet--it's just the natural colors in the wood! I can't imagine what this will look like under the glossy finish. Tom's beveled binding is soooo cool in my opinion.
Well, he's busy working on the fretboard and neck. He appears to be in his groove right now, and I think he'll be completely done with the neck by the end of this coming weekend.
The neck/headstock design and execution is a real strength of Tom's aesthetic vision and woodworking skills. In my opinion, the sheer beauty and attention to detail which he applies to this part of the instrument is unmatched. It is a true work of art.

[GaultierRedon14]

On the left is the fretboard. Tom used a full-size piece of African Blackwood, cut out the center of it and inserted the Desert Ironwood fretboard. The Blackwood will be the binding.

On the right is the beginning of the neck. Tom has added his "Signature" level center laminate. We chose African Blackwood to keep with the overall theme of Blackwood binding throughout the guitar. This picture shows the part of the neck that will ultimately be covered by the fretboard.

[GaultierRedon14]

Tom uses a solid piece of African Blackwood. He cuts out the shape of the headstock veneer and inserts the bookmatched Arizona Desert Ironwood veneer, then adds the blue Paua abalone trim:



The veneer is attached to the neck and ready for the six tuning peg holes to be drilled out:



The veneer for the front of the headstock is finished. Tom has filed the beveled edges and added his "D" logo in abalone and mother of pearl trim:


Notice the Ironwood headstock veneer is also bordered along its bottom edge with the African Blackwood and abalone detailing, parallel to the nut slot. This same detail was added to the fretboard. You can see the top of the fretboard with this Blackwood/abalone border near the top right corner of the picture.

[GaultierRedon14]

]






Again, the fretboard is Desert Ironwood with abalone trim and African Blackwood binding (on all four sides). I like to think of the abalone and Blackwood as a picture frame for this very special piece of Ironwood. I wasn't sure just what to expect here with the use of an obscure choice like Ironwood, but once again, Tom hads done a phenomenal job working with these woods!
I know that a lot of people may not care for a lighter colored fretboard. Usually the lighter-colored woods aren't as dense as ebony, for example, and may show signs of wear after a while. Also, many such woods are very porous, and with their lighter color, will show dirt and grime buildup more easily. I don't expect that problem with the Ironwood, and that is one reason why I chose it. It is so dense and non-porous that it has an ultra-smooth, glassy texture and feel. There are virtually no pores or small grain grooves for dirt to accumulate or discolor the wood. It should maintain its clean, youthful glow indefinitely. This quality of the wood isn't obvious in a picture, but when you handle it with your hands you can definitely feel the dense, glassy surface of the wood, once it has been properly sanded, buffed, and finished. It should be an excellent fretboard.

Another sweet detail is the semi-hemispherical fret ends--Tom files the edges of each fret to a rounded, smooth finish. It gives the frets a very clean appearance. Very nice!

[ukejon]

That rosewood/ironwood neck is a stunner. Welcome to the rosewood neck club!

Love Tom's lattice bracing as well. That is sure to be a most highly responsive guitar.