The sound port is bound in fiddleback mahogany.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-g2L..._143054-XL.jpg

Ooooooh! just as the doctor ordered! looking good!

The rim is fully complete?

Yes it is.

Rosette
 

Been working on the rosette today.
The plan is to make a shadow, segmented, mosaic rosette that will complement the colors of the instrument.
So this is the mosaic part

For the reds i am using padouk burl, Brazilian rosewood, some salted maple and a dash of abalone all separated by lines of fiddle back mahogany


First the pieces are glued down to a backer board that is thin enough to be included as part of the rosette. For this I used some quilted pear that got orphaned and lost its utility. Plus I don’t really like the color. Too grey.
The pieces are glued down randomly with little regard for the outline just making sure they cover the area that will be included in the rosette. Then the circle of the rosette is cut out using a dremel routing set up pivoting on the post.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-Rhv..._152137-XL.jpg

It’s really kind of fun to see the ring revealed

This will be bound with the same fiddleback mahogany that is included inside the rosette.

Outside gone
https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-Q4L..._152146-XL.jpg

Inside gone. It’s important not to reverse that sequence.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-XVz..._152159-XL.jpg

Finally, with a little naphtha to bring out the color, here it is against the tunnel 14 top that will be its home
https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-TW3..._151422-XL.jpg

That rosette really looks fantastic, John.

It really sets off the red-orange of the top as well as enhances the center dark oxidation portion!

Thank you kind sir. I appreciate you saying so.

That's really nice, John! I like the abalone and the touches of very dark wood in the rosette. Very nice.

It's Kinnaird Day, over here. I play one JK, then I play the other, then back to the first. It's handy that I have one on either side of my desk chair.

Thank you Jamie
If you have recording capabilities it would be great to hear some of that playing.

Lovely John! This rosette making process is like one of my highlights ... it’s amazing to see random woods in random shapes and sizes pieced together, resulting in an end product that’s a real work of art. It’s also one of a kind because it can never ever be replicated. Now I’m sad that because it’s a segmented design I have to see parts of it being left out of the final rosette!

Why is there a line down from the knot to the soundport?

That's a centering line that will go away

My, my ... what a gorgeous rosette John! :) I'm kinda stuck on a mosaic rosette and this one is top notch! :up:

Thanks Dennis. There is one more thing to add. I hope it does not mess things up but this gets a border of thin mahogany.

Next step
Bound and segmented
Now to inlay this with a shadow edge

https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-hrG..._104556-XL.jpg

A good reason to have more guitars...
 

At my house one is in Open D and one is in Standard down a whole step. Which is still D. D is the tuning for moi! I tend to play outside on one of the decks if I can avoid the sirens and gunshots!!!! Hahahahaha

That T13 RW is spectacular with the dark racing stripe down the middle.

Woohoo

Cheers!

Paul

Rosette inlayed in top with shadow lines

https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-7vF..._153945-XL.jpg

That rosette just set off some fireworks! Happy 4th John!!!

Top bracing begins with a padouk bridge plate which is my favorite wood for bridge plates.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Han/i-trq..._163451-XL.jpg

The plate is a little askew because this will be a multi scale guitar.

John, what do you expect to get from the multi-scale? How do you expect it will affect the bass response, as your guitars already have such strong bass?

If this is successful in your opinion, let's please consider making my next JK a multi-scale.

John, I really like that look on that guitar! GREAT choice. This is going to be a another Kinnaird beauty!!

Hard to say for sure. There isn't a great deal of difference in the two scales (or six scales actually) 25.5 to 25 is what we are working with. It should have a little more sparkle in the trebles but since a lot of my guitars have a 25.5 inch scale length expect i the bass to be my normal bass. This will have a 13 fret neck so pushing that bridge back some from a normal 14 feet position will help the overall response
I will keep you in the loop.

Thanks Mike. I'm thinking the overall theme that has very little if any white lines will look more woody :)

The idea here was to turbo-boost John’s signature bass response by incorporating a Tunnel 14/Cocobolo combination and as John has pointed out, it being a 13 fretter should also make things interesting. Personally I have also felt that a BRW bridge and fretboard lends to a nicer bass, and that’s what I have requested for here.

@jamiejoon you are welcome to test drive the guitar when it’s completed, if you are around the area. See if you like it to help you conceptualize your next build.

That top, along with that rosette, is spectacular.

Thank you treenewt

Thank you Hanter, that is kind of you. Alas, I am far from John’s mountain home. I wish I could bring him the two guitars of his that I own, so he could hear how wonderfully they have both developed. I hope to do that eventually. I predict you will love your JK.

John has put on Adirondack braces for the top and the voicing process will continue for a while. I read somewhere that he almost exclusively uses Adirondack for bracing and I believe that contributes much to the tone of the guitar.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...fc3e7dcb4d.jpg

It’s True. I do use exclusively Adirondack braces. But its mainly because that is what i am comfortable with at this point in my building career. There is a lot of fine bracewood out there but its almost like wearing a lucky hat or keeping the same shoes on when doing something important. Nearly superstitious. At any rate i feel like i have a measure of control with AD and I find that comforting.

Hide glue, and pixie dust
 

John uses Hide or Animal protein glue where it matters for TONE, and that is like wearing your lucky suspenders along with the lucky Adirondack shoes...

To mix a few metaphors, hahahaha

Not to mention the CF reinforced neck which allows a slimmer neck to move a lot of string vibe to the top, where it makes music, rather than the headstock where it does not...

Blah, blah, blah.

But they do!

Paul

This is looking gorgeous!! I agree with all the comments on how beautiful the rosette is and how it fits perfectly with this top.