Thanks!,

I appreciate your comments. I can't say what part of building guitars I like best:
building, designing, the woods, or the people I get to work with. Thats a wonderful thing, not to be able to choose. :)

All set, ready to go
 

Here are my final pictures for this EIR/Swiss Alpine Greta. It's left handed so when I am testing it out it's quite a challenge for me. I'm hopeless holding it left handed but, fairly easy to hold it right handed (upside down) and play chords like A or D. Problem with that is right handed puts the sound port the wrong way. So I'm looking forward to my client picking this one up!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5776/3...e9f1ed57_c.jpg

https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5791/3...c9978cef_c.jpg

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5764/3...9d191338_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5548/3...4cc1dc75_c.jpg

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

Congrats on another beauty. Quite a family of Gretas out there!

Thanks ukejon!

On another subject I, like many other builders, find a lot of inspiration in the nature that surrounds us. That's one of the reasons I moved up here to New Hampshire. The woods, landscapes, and wildlife are great influences. I brought my camera and lenses into the house today for a good cleaning and with the thought of getting this inspiration I figured I shoot some pictures around the bird feeder right outside the sunroom windows.
Then this punk showed up;

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5761/3...32ed0978_b.jpg

I'm thinking the world of contemporary fingerstyle acoustic guitars isn't up to this kind of inspiration.
Or is it? Go ahead, give me a deposit and a dare! :)

No thank you, I am not sure saying this guitar is a real turkey is a very good marketing strategy, but hey what do I know?

How much is the deposit? 🦃

Finished Guitars
 

I've been preparing to do some upcoming shows which means I need to actually build up some unsold guitars. This requires long term planning to avoid having to do panic rush guitars. I've been working away around my regular commissions. Of course, it's hard to turn down a sale on a finished guitar so I planned to make extras and not really push that I have these guitars available. In any case, I just realized that I have four different models finished in my studio for the first time ever. I thought I should take some pictures so they can be somewhat compared without using Photoshop to get them into the same picture;

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5342/3...630d8c4a_c.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5658/3...815c0ee7_c.jpg

These are my small jumbo quilted Maple Josie, EIR grand auditorium Greta (sold), Black Ebony Penelope 12 fret, and figured Padauk parlor Pina.
Now I also do a nice Penelope crossover and am just coming out with my Bacchus Baritone which has the same body profile as the Bella acoustic bass that I make on occasion. My first Bacchus is not yet completed.

Here is a pretty good shot of the various headstock designs I offer;

https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5594/3...8301975e_c.jpg

It's nice to have these all in one room to play. Tomorrow Greta is getting picked up and yesterday I picked up the Josie which was displayed at an art show for a month. So this is a fleeting moment!

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

What does this mean?
 

Does it mean I have OCD if I like to use bear claw figured wood for the center seam graft inside the guitar?

https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5531/3...b9c31af7_c.jpg

Yup! Sho does! 🙂

Beautiful group of guitars. I like em all.

Wow, that is quite a foursome!

I was afraid so!:)

Thanks! Looks like I'll need to come up with a different plan now that the Memphis show has been cancelled

Mark

Really? The Memphis show is cancelled?

Yeah, I was disappointed to get the e-mail notification last night. I feel bad for the organizer, Bob Singer as he really put a lot into it.

I really hate it too. Less building pressure now but I thought the Last Memphis show was one of the best. Well organized, great venue, fun outings. The best. I know Bob is really disappointed. He was hoping to make the Memphis show the premiere show in the country but did not get enough support from luthiers.

Wow--that's a bummer...

What a quartet!!!
 

Wow all four of those Hatchers are BEAUTIFUL!

The maple is outstanding!!! Yow!

The turkey is pretty cool, too, haha. We get turkeys at our bird feeders here in the Mts east of San Diego, once in a while... they are fun!

Sorry to hear Memphis is off. I am sure many folks will be disappointed!

May your herds increase!!!

Cheers

Paul

WHAT????????????? That's awful........I had complete tickets............crap!

beautiful work !!!

What a stunning group of guitars!

Congrats, Mark!

**** me, X 4. Incredible looking guitars, nice photos too.

Thanks for your comments everyone. The EIR Greta model is sold. I have a cedar/Black Walnut Greta on the bench to round out my samples. There is also the Baritone that's out for finish to add to the line up. I have interest ut, no deposits on that one at this point.

Without the Memphis show on the horizon I have a lot of finished guitars!
So Memphis is going to come early and I'll post these up in the next couple days. First I'll show them on the this AGF custom section on the December Guitar in Stock thread. Later, I'll post them in the Market Place. I'll also start looking to spread them out to a couple stores.

Thanks!
Mark

Thanks for posting, Mark. Very informative.

A Rose by Any Other Name-Mahogany Statement
 

There has been a lot written about mahogany on the forum lately and in interest of clarity here is my view:
"True Mahogany" I don't say that, it's a fashion statement.

I stock and regularly use what I call Honduran Mahogany, Cuban Mahogany, and African Mahogany. I generally call them all lower case mahogany just like I generally refer to the many maples as lower case maple. I offer both African and Honduran Mahogany in my base price. Cuban costs extra. Specially figured mahogany can cost extra.

If you tell me you want a mahogany guitar we'll have a discussion about your playing style, what guitars you already have, and most importantly what it is you are looking for in the sound of the guitar. I'll then recommend a couple wood sets and normally have a preference myself among them that I share.
Please notice that I recommend particular sets of wood over particular species.
I do this because with the tone woods a particular set of wood has greater influence than a particular species.

When it comes to the differences between the species we get into the world of generalities which doesn't deny the fact that over large numbers there are generally differences between the species. This is especially evident with manufactured guitars where the components are all cut to predetermined dimensions and no optimization is done for individual parts. This tends to amplify the perceived differences between the species. That's also why the manufacturers guitars that are the same make, model, and wood species vary so much in sound from guitar to guitar but, I'm getting off subject.

Here are the general differences in the species of mahogany that I have in the studio and generally when I would recommend them. I am comparing my Honduran, Cuban, and African that I currently have in the studio:

Honduran coloring tends to be the darkest and most red. It is moderately heavy and fairly stiff. It tends toward the fundamental tones and can have a very warm sound. It is good for clarity and note separation. In my conversation with clients they sometimes recall their younger years standing on a stage with towers of Marshall amps behind them blasting away. They will comment about the resulting hearing loss. In these cases I find that Honduran Mahogany tends to give back the clarity that Rock & Roll took away.

Here is a typical set of Honduran:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/451/30...9602e69c_c.jpg

I still come across good deals on Honduran like this 2 inch thick 2ft by 8ft board that I have since cut up half of for neck stock:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/442/30...95cb23b6_c.jpg

Of course we can't mention Honduran without showing an outlier like "The Tree":

https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3736/1...fb667f2a_c.jpg

"The Tree" is a good example of the variance of not only the look but, also the sound. "The Tree" sound characteristics I find are much closer to what I'm going to say about Cuban.


Cuban is much harder, heavier, and stiffer than the others. I think of it as the Hard Sugar Maple of mahoganies. Because of this it tends to be more rosewood like in it's overtones and sustain. It's what I would recommend to someone who isn't ready to commit to the full mahogany experience. If someone is looking for a more jack-of-all-trades guitar I'd probably recommend this one:

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/364/31...a2f0e932_c.jpg[/url]

That figure is fairly typical of Cuban:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5828/2...bc88cc75_c.jpg

Cuban is harder to get than the others and is more expensive when I do find it so there is an upcharge.

African Mahogany tend to be lighter in color and weight than the others and can be quite stiff. It is aggressively responsive with clarity and a measure of highlighting overtones. I can make a very lightweight guitar with this and it is certainly my preference for an all mahogany guitar. It also has a nice sparkly sheen and often comes with nice striping:

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/255/30...645ef5c1_c.jpg

I like to pair it with Cocobolo to bring out the red in it:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1655/2...8a84a9a7_c.jpg

Here is a picture of an all mahogany guitar I currently am doing a build thread on:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/51/311...50dff2be_c.jpg

So there's my take on it. I abhor the idea of a "True Mahogany" and very much prefer to work from the very wonderful palette of characteristics mahoganies offer.

The popular Martin 15 series, as I understanding, is made either of Sipo/Utile wood or Guatamalen mahogany depending an availability. Performance wise, these seem closest to Honduran--slightly darker tone, good note separation, strong fundamentals, not heavy on overtones.

Thanks for sharing Mark!

Hey, I own that "Tree Mahogany" example you showed. I would comment as well, paired with Western Red Cedar the word articulate comes to mind. I call her Sweet Tree.

Cigarfan, that is not a guitar....that is a tour de force, piece de resistance, virtuoso creation, mega-maestro instrument!

Fret Boards
 

I've been busy cutting out fret boards to have all set to choose from for next year. I'm expanding out my selection to also include more alternative woods. Here are a few Ziricote boards:

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/309/30...c4a5c5e4_h.jpg

Here are a couple different colors of Macassar Ebony. The board on the right is Mexican Royal Ebony:

https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5594/3...4e2c1879_h.jpg

I always have a lot of Cocobolo to choose from including matched fret board, bridge, and face plate sets:

https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/413/30...5607642d_h.jpg

For a real change I'm going to start including Olivewood fingerboards soon.
Of course, I always have Black Ebony. I've recently purchased a 100lb log of ebony that I will be getting some fret boards from as soon as I figure out how to wrestle this monster through the band saw!:

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8409/3...8461673b_c.jpg

I also have various rosewood fret boards (no surprise there!)

I love the endless possibilities wood provides!

Happy New Year
 

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I am going to start a new Hatcher Studio '17 thread next week and just wanted to finish this one out thanking everyone for following along and for their comments along the way. 2016 was a productive year and I got to try out a lot of new designs, techniques, and wonderful woods. I have a lot planned for 2017 and hope the same enthusiasm I have received in 2016 rolls right into 2017
I wish everyone and their families a wonder New Year!

Mark