Hatcher's Studio 2018

[Mark Hatcher]

Here we are at the first of the month, time to start a new guitar!



This is the last back and side set of quilted Maple that I was able to get from this billet:





I did the first set as a spec guitar and had a lot of fun trying to play off the wonderful quilted figure with the way I shaped the Cocobolo trim on this Josie small jumbo model:





The second set went on a left handed Greta grand auditorium:



This last set will be another small jumbo Josie model. I haven't found another maple set of this quality yet but, I'm constantly on the look out. In the meantime I look forward to building my last guitar from this wonderful wood!

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Bear claw Sitka has been the preferred choice for these maple guitars and for this guitar we selected a particularly nice one:



It has great tap tone that's right for the maple set and small jumbo size.
This top has a wonderful sheen and a slight pink color that will go great with the Cocobolo trim.



When you have to use a magnifying glass and a pin to get a grain count you know your in the land of fine grained wood. I get about 72 lines per inch.

Sitka tops average 7 grams per cubic inch. This one comes in at a lightweight 6.45gr/cubic inch. The top is also very stiff like you might expect from the high grain count.
So in my book this top is best of all worlds: it's stiff, light, and beautiful.

And here we go--

[LouieAtienza]

This should be as spectacular as the other two...

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

This should be as spectacular as the other two...

Thanks LouieAtienza! It is going to be like the first one with the cutaway, rib and arm bevels, etc. It turns out I had two people interested in that guitar the same week. Luckily, I had this last sister set of Maple and other billets from which I cut a lot of the trim, fret board, and bridge from so this guitar will be very much like that first!

[j. Kinnaird]

Very pretty Mark. That cocobolo is a great accent to the maple. Did you do anything special when gluing on that cocobolo bridge to counteract the oiliness?

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

Very pretty Mark. That cocobolo is a great accent to the maple. Did you do anything special when gluing on that cocobolo bridge to counteract the oiliness?

Thanks John. There are a lot of approaches to glueing Cocobolo. I believe some of the common ones actually weaken glue joints. Heat and/or thinners tend to bring the resin up out of the wood and leave it right where you don’t want it on the glueing surface.

Here is a list of my do’s and dont’s:

Don’t use particularly oily Cocobolo for bridges in the first place

Use less than 6 month old Titebond

Hand sand the bottom of the bridge and don’t heat it up.

Glue the bridge on within 15 minutes of sanding and cleaning both glueing surfaces (top and bridge) this is particularly important with Western Red Cedar.

Put a thin layer of glue on both the bridge and the top

I have consistent results following these practices. Of course, all the other rules apply like good fit, good clamping set up, clean hands, etc.

[DMZ]

That maple mesmerizes me. I've looked at the one on your site in past. Makes me glad to live so far away so I never have to try one of these guitars. I know they sound better than they look! Love these maple builds. Someday... (sighs).

[gstring]

Your description of the Sitka you are using on this build brought me back to our discussion and decision to go with the "Floater Sitka " for my Greta. What excellent guidance you gave for this and all aspects of my build.

And of course I could not close without saying...... Mark, I really love my Greta, it continues to mature and surprise. The Sitka and Wenge combination nailed the sound I was looking for. It has actually turned into a real bad *** tone monster. ( can I say that ....... guess I just did )

d

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by DMZ

That maple mesmerizes me. I've looked at the one on your site in past. Makes me glad to live so far away so I never have to try one of these guitars. I know they sound better than they look! Love these maple builds. Someday... (sighs).

Thanks DMZ, I’m glad my commitment to domestic woods is getting results. About half my builds are now primarily domestic. I’ll add that the sound of my guitars are not suffering for it. I’ll keep the good stuff coming!

Originally Posted by gstring

Your description of the Sitka you are using on this build brought me back to our discussion and decision to go with the "Floater Sitka " for my Greta. What excellent guidance you gave for this and all aspects of my build.

And of course I could not close without saying...... Mark, I really love my Greta, it continues to mature and surprise. The Sitka and Wenge combination nailed the sound I was looking for. It has actually turned into a real bad *** tone monster. ( can I say that ....... guess I just did )

d

Thanks for commenting string! I’m happy to hear your Greta is keeping you busy! The tops conversation hasn’t changed from the primary things I look for:
Stiffness, light weight, tap tone, and looks. These may change a little depending on the final goals but, these are the boxes that need to be checked!

[Mark Hatcher]

Here is a little update as I am working on a rib bevel for this small jumbo;



This is a very lightweight piece of Spanish Cedar I'm working with so it's easy to carve and smells really good while doing it. When making a guitar you get to sculpt some really strange and complex parts;



This becomes the internal support for the rib bevel and you can see in this picture I have the arm bevel already support glued in place:

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

Here is a little update as I am working on a rib bevel for this small jumbo;



This is a very lightweight piece of Spanish Cedar I'm working with so it's easy to carve and smells really good while doing it. When making a guitar you get to sculpt some really strange and complex parts;



This becomes the internal support for the rib bevel and you can see in this picture I have the arm bevel already support glued in place:

Pretty awesome stuff there Mark..

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

Pretty awesome stuff there Mark..

Thanks Louie!


Here are a couple pictures of a Greta slot headstock coming together:



It is a Black Walnut neck with a Macassar Ebony headplate and Schertler tuners.



The back strap is Black Walnut burl.
I have to say the more Walnut guitars I build, the more I like Walnut, particularly Black Walnut. I'd say Black Walnut is in my top 5 favorites after BRW and Koa. It's checks all the boxes for me: sound, workability, and looks

[Guitars44me]

Mark, I love all your work, but am really smitten with the bevel reinforcements of Spanish Cedar!

I do not ever want to go back to no bevels. They make the playing experience so much nicer.

My goodness you find the beautiful wood!!!

Carry on and have fun!

Paul

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

...this small jumbo...

Is that like jumbo shrimp?

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

I've been down that road!

[Mark Hatcher]

Here are a couple of parting shots of a Western Red Cedar on Black Walnut Greta grand auditorium guitar I'll be shipping out next week. This is one of my favorite wood combinations. Playing this guitar only reaffirms how awesome domestic wood can be. Plus I think these locals can be mighty pretty too!









Thanks for viewing!
Mark