Koa and Cedar
 

Here is the lattice bracing going on the back:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7836/...d85a00c3_c.jpg

I showed these pictures of the rosette earlier on this thread but, for continuity, here they are again.
First it was the mock-up for approval:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7900/...5181cccc_c.jpg

Then piecing it together and trimming round:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7834/...7c6b540d_c.jpg

And in she goes:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7827/...b59ef9c4_b.jpg

The result with the rosette in bordered with bacon figured Padauk purfling:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7926/...0862d4c3_c.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7913/...14fe1ccf_c.jpg

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

Trim Wood
 

The guitar needs to have a nice contrasting trim wood to help show the overall look of the guitar:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1939/...b30acfdd_c.jpg


Selecting the right wood to use came down to Macassar Ebony:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7853/...b473aaa1_c.jpg

Or Brazilian Rosewood:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7868/...3bc7787e_c.jpg

We're going with BRW because it has a little more red in it and for this guitar I feel a BRW bridge has the tone edge on Macassar

With the woods settled it's on to bending the sides and BRW binding:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7892/...cc8f91b4_c.jpg

Joining the sides:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7900/...e3b0aeff_c.jpg

And gluing on the Spanish Cedar Kerfing:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7927/...f3a6303e_c.jpg

The Penelope is a little trickier to set up than the other models. It has an elevated fretboard which requires the geometry of the sides to be adjusted to accommodate an additional 2 degree rise out to the tail.

That is a beautiful piece of top wood & gorgeous rosette. I think that BRW is the right choice for the fretboard & bridge to pull some more red, although the Macassar was lovely too - just maybe not right for this particular guitar.

What a gorgeous rose Mark ... and bacon figured Padauk ... that's a first for me ... love it!

Thanks kkrell, I agree. In many cases Macassar Ebony is the preferred choice for trim especially when it comes to reducing hassles crossing borders. This time BRW wins the day.

Thanks David, I’m proud of this rosette. We’ll be seeing more along these lines.
Bacon Figured Padauk did seem to come out of left field. I’m glad I grabbed a couple sets when I saw them because I haven’t seen them since. The ones I got made nice sounding guitars. I’m keeping an eye out so if you see any you better scoop them up before I see them!

Thanks,
Mark

The Neck
 

I am using some recently acquired Honduran Mahogany for the neck of the guitar. I am going with this for several reasons: It has a light sandy color that matches up well with the color of the Koa. It is lightweight which works well with the very lightweight body for good balance and it is very stable being Mahogany and aged for over 200 years on the bottom of a river in Belize.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4870/...121e7678_c.jpg

There is a center laminate of cross grained Brazilian Rosewood bordered with Padauk. Here is the neck blank being glued up:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7822/...ca662538_c.jpg

Thanks for viewing.

Closing the body
 

Here is the back all glued on and trimmed:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7803/...bcb0114f_b.jpg

On goes the top:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7813/...3294bf69_c.jpg

And on goes the end graft:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7833/...328cff85_c.jpg

More to come!

WOW
 

Holy Smokes

JUST WOW!!! Beautiful

Drooling over here...

Paul

Thanks Paul, I’ve been catching up to where I currently am building this guitar.
Today I am planning to bind the back and work on the neck. I’m very happy how this guitar is coming along. Thanks for following along!

Mark

Looks fantastic even without finish.

Can't imagine how it's going to pop once the finish is on!

What's the binding on this one, Mark?

This thread has some amazing pictures. Thank you for posting.

Thanks Nemoman. We’re going with Brazilian Rosewood trim on this one. This will include the bridge, fretboard, and backstrap. The darker color will define the body shape and add a little contrast to the overall look. I just put the binding on the back today. I’d show you except it just looks like a lot of tape right now!

You’re welcome Ovation1. Thanks for commenting.

Mark

Today I am starting the binding on the top of the guitar. Here is a picture from yesterday when I was in the process of binding the back:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7846/...ab52c4ef_c.jpg

Thanks for following
Mark

Binding
 

Here is a picture of the front of the guitar unbound:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7860/...6b2d0cd1_c.jpg

I have routed the cut for the binding:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7884/...efcc030f_c.jpg

Checking the fit:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7894/...9c877700_c.jpg

Nice and tight:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4918/...bb81f581_c.jpg

Lay it out to cut the miter joints:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7909/...5cb9fe9d_c.jpg

I use a shinny backed chisel to get a true angle for the cut:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7893/...15886e06_c.jpg

Checking the cut:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7927/...0ebe22f9_c.jpg

On goes the tape:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7811/...aff45380_c.jpg

The white strip is a Teflon spacer that will get pulled out and I will insert the cross grained bacon figured Padauk like I did on the rosette. While this all dries I cut out and shape all the little sticks:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4865/...2182371d_c.jpg

More to come!

Mark