WOW !
 

... that really is a veeery nice ringout of the year! Looks fantastic!
...even with a purple background for the party :D

Seriously, this is gorgeous!

A healthy and happy new year to everyone !

I love the art deco pieces, not inlays, but on-top-of lays haha and that butt wedge inlay is amazing. I also really like the fret board markers.

Someone is getting a beauty.

Some real special woods used on this Josie “Tree” and it’s coordinated perfectly! Gorgeous instrument. Happy New Year Mark!

I'll say it again. An amazingly gorgeous guitar!

A very happy guitar owner is anxiously waiting.

Happy New Year! :)

Love learning more about Gerry and your commitment to traditional techniques. Great to see.

Thanks Lonzo, Purple seemed like the right background color for this guitar. I don't think I've used that purple background for seven years when I built a similar Josie that was Cocobolo with very curly Koa binding.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7411/1...3466c373_c.jpg

Thanks Tom there is a lot going on with this guitar. It also has the wedge, multiple bevels, 13 frets to the body and some killer woods.

Thanks Hanter, all those browns and reds come together really well. It's a pretty fancy guitar considering it's all woods without the traditional abalone. We're planning on gold Evo frets.

Thanks cigarfan and I hope you keep saying it for a long long time!

Thanks ukejon, It's great to have suppliers who are as excited about what they do and have to offer as I am. For example ,I was talking with Brent at Alaska Specialty about the Red, White, and Blue guitars I am doing and he got all excited about some wood he's recently split and put aside. He says, "Oh I got a couple tops that work great for what your doing!" So he sends me some pictures of some bearclaw Sitka floatwood tops that have all three colors of the Red, White, and Blue already in them:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e6921e94_b.jpg

There is a myth that luthier's work is solitary.
I'm part of an ecosystem of artists, craftsmen and suppliers.

OK, I was remiss, let me add that fret board inlay to my list of really awesome amazing things on this guitar!

Western Red Cedar and Plumwood...that’s haunting me a bit. I bet it would be stunning! I also love those inlays.

Thanks Tom!

I agree! I have some particularly red WRC tops that would work and look great with that Plumwood.

Mark

Western Red Cedar Tri-Color Floatwood
 

I re-sawed this Western Red Cedar floatwood billet I posted about a couple weeks ago:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a44bcfac_c.jpg

I was able to get 11 1/2 top sets from it. After re-sawing the sets I stickered them which prevents cracks and warps from occurring while the tops humidity acclimates to my shop:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6b3ba28e_b.jpg

Now that they have stabilized and I can show what they look like:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...31d5af66_c.jpg

I took the first set and the last set to shoot. You can figure all the other sets are in between. I put a quick wipe of shellac on them so you can see the color in the tops. I especially like how red the reds are.

Here's a closer view with a Penelope guitar tracing:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bec3e168_b.jpg

They are perfectly quartered with absolutely no run out. I'm getting all the tap tone I could ask for!

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

Ok, that is some impressive looking cedar! Can't wait to see that in a guitar.

Have you done any work with yellow cedar? It isn’t a real cedar, the stuff I have is kind of floppy and wouldn’t be suitable, but some classical guitar are made with it.

Thanks virob I look forward to using it. I do have some Yellow Cedar it’s harder, stiffer and heavier than WRC. I think that is representative of Yellow Cedar normally is.
I seems more like spruce than WRC. I like the color and think it would pair well with a heavier wood like Olivewood or Ebony.

I like wood
 

..with fine grain, medulary rays, character... this cedar ticks all the boxes.
I know, just optics... superficial... yes, it has to sound great as well, but if it does and looks good (to me anyway, tastes differ) what’s not to like.
I know I probably am a minority with this, but I actually do not prefer the perfect pale, almost white spruce- just referring to looks.. I would nonetheless take it for sound if I had a possibility to compare.
.. not to start a discussion here ;o)

That cedar looks amazing, Mark--can't wait to se what you create with it!

Thanks Lonzo, you are not alone in this. I think there is a growing appreciation for great sounding woods that have a little character.

Thanks Nemoman. I’m looking forward to all the possibilities too!

Thanks for commenting
Mark