Gerber, build thread for Woodstock and TNAG

[gerberguitars]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Super cool rosette on the latest top!

And the endgraft--carrying it through into the backstrip is an elegant masterpiece. Very cool as well...

Thanks Nemoman. Much to the chagrin of my wife, I've done variations of that rosette a few times now. She thinks I should never do the same rosette twice, but sometimes you have to go with what you know works, right? The end graft was fun, and I'll think I'll try it again sometime. Glad you like it.

[gerberguitars]

I've mostly been working on the Macassar guitar this week. The soundbox is all together, with just a little more cleanup and sanding to be done later on.

One challenge that I had to overcome was the binding / center strip dilemma. I had planed to used cocobolo binding from the start. So I did as I normally would do and I installed the center strip in the back first. Once the body was together and ready for binding, I picked out a nice chunk of cocobolo and made the binding. However, the cocobolo that I used for the binding was a different shade of color than the center strip, so I was forced to decide between making new binding to match the center strip(which wouldn't have been a big deal), or doing something creative. I chose the latter.

[IMG]IMG_4165 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4161 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4168 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

My plan is to continue the pointed design on the center strip to the heel cap. Some sort of diamond shape is the idea.

Front and back.
[IMG]IMG_4172 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4171 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

Now it's onto the neck work. This mahogoany has beautifully deep golden color and nice even grain. Much of what I have in stock is lighter in color, so this is nice for a change.
[IMG]IMG_4157 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

I've also started the third guitar for the Woodstock show, which will be an RL15+ with no cutaway. Just plain old 14 fret no cutaway. I'm going to be squeezed for time to get this guitar completed in time for the show, so the best thing that I could do was to cut the cutaway. I'm actually looking forward to a more simple build. It will be cocobolo with Swiss spruce, and I'm planning on doing some hand carving for the rosette and other details.

[mischultz]

I love how you're letting the wood speak without forcing it to shout. These shots made my evening, so sincere thanks are in order. Well done.

[JamesO]

This is really inspiring work. I love the detail on the end-graft of the macassar guitar!

[gerberguitars]

Originally Posted by mischultz

I love how you're letting the wood speak without forcing it to shout. These shots made my evening, so sincere thanks are in order. Well done.

I'm glad you've enjoyed them so far (:

[gerberguitars]

Well, I'd give myself a pretty low grade for keeping up with this thread. But an update is in order. I've finished up the Cuban mahogany guitar, and it's ready for finish sometime next week. The Macassar guitar is right around the corner, and will hopefully be finished by the end of this week. The fretboard is glued in place and tomorrow I'll start shaping the neck.

Here are some pics to show the progress.

First, the Cuban mahogany guitar.
[IMG]IMG_4260 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4261 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4249 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4247 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

For the back of the guitar, one important detail that I'd like to point out, that you may not catch at first glance, is that the center strip has a perfectly consistent taper from the bottom of the body, all the way through the neck and headstock.

[IMG]IMG_4212 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4213 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

On a bit of a whim, I took liberty with a few small tweaks of the bridge design. It seems I can't stay happy with the bridge, and about every 3 guitars or so I find some way to try something a little different. For the moment, I'm happy with the small change.
[IMG]IMG_4204 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

And one more of the end graft, with a fun little blue line for a small detail to tie in with the rosette.
[IMG]IMG_4216 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

The last remaining question for this guitar is what to do about the light colored Cuban mahogany. Do I put a little stain on it? Or leave it alone to keep it fresh and clean. Please, chime in with your thoughts (:

[TomB'sox]

I would be in favor of a little stain to darken it up a little. I think it will make it richer and bring out some more of the texture....It is a beautiful piece of work no matter what you decide....

[nacluth]

Just keep on killin' it. I guess for me it depends what you're doing with the neck. If you're darkening the maple, darken the hog. Or keep it all natural. I like it both ways.

[gerberguitars]

Originally Posted by nacluth

Just keep on killin' it. I guess for me it depends what you're doing with the neck. If you're darkening the maple, darken the hog. Or keep it all natural. I like it both ways.

Ryan, I wasn't planning on doing anything with the neck, because I want it to match the binding, and I wasn't thinking anything should be done with the binding...BUT this is my first maple neck. How much do clear maple necks change color over the years?

[gerberguitars]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

I would be in favor of a little stain to darken it up a little. I think it will make it richer and bring out some more of the texture....It is a beautiful piece of work no matter what you decide....

Thanks Tom, one vote for stain, noted.

[Nemoman]

One vote for no stain--loving it as is!

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

One vote for no stain--loving it as is!

Oh great, way to muddy the waters!!!! Come on we all know darker guitars sell better too, nice little burst on the maple neck, a little darkening on the back and sides....beautiful.....

[Nemoman]

Don't let him sway you, Ryan!

Get a few more votes in before you go to the dark side...

[gerberguitars]

I will say that from the beginning, I've had the thought that this guitar should have a very "clean" look to it. I liked the combination of maple and the pink hue of the Cuban mahogany. I also don't want to compete too much with the subtle detail in the rest of the guitar. So....it's going to take some convincing to darken it up and add color. I know it would look nice with color, but I'm just not sure I'm willing to go there...yet. Thanks for the comments and suggestion!

[gerberguitars]

I'm back to working on the third guitar for the Woodstock show. I'm cutting it close, but I'm hopeful that it will be finished in time.

The sides are completed and ready for the soundboard and back. Here are a few shots of the Cocobolo back. It's a two piece back, with perfect quarter sawn grain all the way across. It has a lot of really nice medullary ray, which you can hopefully see in the pics. It's also incredibly stiff. Almost too stiff, as I couldn't reach my desired deflection before it was getting to be too thin for my liking.

[IMG]IMG_4264 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4266 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

Today I started on the rosette. The main section is a carved piece, in Peruvian walnut. I haven't decided yet on how to compliment the carved piece with the rest of the rosette. I'm leaning towards keeping it simple with just a ring or two which will match the top purfling on the soundboard. I'd like to add a few other carved elements elsewhere on the guitar, so I don't think the rosette needs to be too busy.

The carved piece is temporarily taped to the soundboard. Tomorrow it will be inlaid in the top.

[IMG]IMG_4289 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4285 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_4280 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]

Finally, here is a picture of one of the pieces of quilted, curly, not sure what you call the figure, Koa. I've never seen Koa with such tight figure, and I think it will make a stunning headstock. This picture doesn't do it justice.

[IMG]IMG_4290 by ryan gerber, on Flickr[/IMG]