Klepper Custom- Almost NGD
 

Fingers Crossed that the following photos have uploaded.

I never thought I'd post, or be fortunate enough, to post in this sub-forum. I was always a bit intimidated. But I have the honor (almost) receiving my dream guitar. 'Dream Guitar' sounds trite. But it is truly my dream guitar.

Howard Klepper's accomplishments and brilliance as a luthier is only exceeded by his kind and generous spirit. And that's saying something. He's one of the nicest guys I have ever had the good fortune to meet. I'm honored on so many levels, you have no idea.

I have hopefully attached the latest photos Howard has sent. Briefly the specs (I have cut and paste from Howard's email):

12-fret, 15" "SSD" (Small Slope Dread). 24.9"scale.
Western red cedar top with Adirondack red spruce bracing.
Quartersawn, old growth EIR back and sides. Wenge backstripe and end graft. Spanish cedar liners.
Mahogany neck with cocobolo fretboard.
Madagascar rosewood bridge with camel bone saddle. Hard maple bridge plate.
Lignum vitae nut.
Brazilian rosewood headstock veneers, front and back. BRW trussrod cover.
Gold Schaller mini tuners with ebony buttons.
Bindings and rosette are tortoise and white celluloid, with red, white, and black fiber purfling lines.
Finish satin nitrocellulose lacquer.
Pickguard 1970's vintage red tortoise celluloid.
Frets are EVO.
Fretboard dots are paua abalone, as are the fretboard side dots.

I believe I will have the guitar by Tuesday if I behave myself. I often wondered where some of you have found the patience to... wait. I still don't. I might have been driving Howard nuts, but he's too nice to tell me (except once and even then he was nice about it!)

to be continued.

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Superb.

I love HK's work.

Also great to see a WRC and EIR guitar. Kind of unfashionable choices but superb ones.

Congrats. This is just a classic.....

I can see why you are jonesing over your new guitar. Being a slope shoulder fan I really dig your choice of a 15 inch lower bout dimension coupled with a 12 fret neck. The whole effect has kind of a 000 cast to it with the slope shoulder aesthetic thrown in, and all the woods selected are just beautiful! What was the motivation for the lignum vitae nut (nice touch)? I'm hoping you can do some sound samples once you get it. Congrats on a great looking instrument.

Congratulations, it looks superb. I like the red in the purfling lines...adds a nice little touch to set it off. I bet it sounds Great!

Thanks!

As unfashionable as the majority of Jim Olson's guitars.

This is one of my "Performance" guitars, so it has been deliberately kept simple; no upcharges, no bling. Just tone, playability, first-grade materials, and clean workmanship. I guess that IS unfashionable!

Riverrummed: Lignum vitae is an ideal nut material: hard, dense, and self-lubricating.

liltiki - Congratulations!! being one of the few who can say you own a Klepper is very special - and that looks pretty ideal!

Howard - how long have you been making lignum nuts? Makes alot of sense - just wondering about them long term - I've seen a fair number of ebony nuts, and they seem to hold up great, but only one or two lignum. Do you think the only reason there aren't more is color, or are they harder to work because of the natural lubrication? Any tricks in making the string slots? kinda imagine fine files would clog rather easily -

Fine looking guitar (as one would expect from Howard).

Was there much discussion between the two of you as to which side of the fretboard to offset the position markers?

I think they must have come to a compromise! :D Looks cool.

Congratulations! That is going to be an awesome guitar. I enjoy playing the guitars that Howard built for me and I am sure you will be delighted.

Not very long. Considering its longstanding use for bearings (ship propeller shafts, turbines, etc.), mallets, ship rigging blocks and belaying pins, etc. and that it is the heaviest and hardest of all woods, I cannot imagine why anyone would think to doubt its longevity. Its waxiness makes it an easy wood to work; nut files clean easily. The same waxiness makes the strings tune very smoothly.

Howard, I love that cursive logo you're using here - classy classy!

I have always appreciated Howard's work and this is a beauty! Enjoy and congratulations.

Best,
Jayne

Hey, thanks Brian!

I have a few different logotypes. I lettered this one by hand; I needed one for use on my replicas of Buddy Holly's 1943 J-45 (the guitars that went to Mick and Keef for the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation). It was supposed to be in the style of Gibson's logo from that period. I continue to use it on slope dreads.

No discussion. I said DO IT. He did it. :D

Truthfully, no discussion, but I'd would have said yes to anything he suggested.