I was wondering how he was going to do that. Looks like he took a router to it just deep enough to take it off along with the binding and purfling. You can see how shallow he was going as you can see a very thin layer of the original top up by the neck area. He probably sanded the remains off would be my guess. Pretty delicate stuff there!

Yes, and here I expected a little steam and a flathead screw driver. LOL.

Wow
 

That is some very beautiful scrap wood! Bruce Sexauer recently showed pics of a backyard fire pit with some spectacular bits and pieces of high end woods!
Apparently if you are building as much as these gents, the scraps accumulate quickly!

Hopefully not for the same reason!

You will be rockin this pretty quick. Way to go Ben!

Salud

Paul

Class act all the way Ben, not to mention, your (surgeon-like) skills are nothing short of amazing.

BTW....That non perfect back would make a bunch of nice "Wilborn monogramed" beverage coasters...just sayin'. :D You're welcome.

And just like that the back has been replaced. I must say, I don't think this could have turned out any better.

Shazam!!! That replacement set is amazing!

And just like that, Ben is back at warp speed!

I am kind of in shock right now, there is no way that could be done this quickly is there???

Speedy
 

Well, I figure it took about 10 hours all told. It would have been WAY worse had it been the top that needed replacement. As it was, I was able to just sort of swap them out. I was fortunate to have a few pieces of the ebony binding left, so the match is basically perfect. I use CA glue to attach my bindings, so there is really no wait time between installing and scraping. In fact, the body is already in the spray booth with a coat of Isolante sealer curing on it as I write.

That looks incredible, Eddie & Ben!

One more glamour shot: the view from the top.

Sometimes, words are hard to find. I thought the original woods for this were beautiful. If anything, I think the replacement looks even better! I'm glad it worked out for you, and full credit to Ben, integrity pays off. I reckon he's got everyone on this thread thinking they'd like a guitar built by a guy like that.

Incredible stuff, I agree that the replacement looks even better. And since its been seasoned for a while you can be sure of its integrity.... just like Ben!

The new back is looking even more spectacular under finish. Here she is, still in the booth:

Wow!!! That’s incredible!

Yikes! :eek::eek::eek:

Oh boy, out of a problem arises this beautiful back. As is the consensus, this one is even better than the first.

Must be getting close to being done in the finish closet, eh Eddie?

Wow!
 

What a stunning set of Zircote! Mighty sweet!!!

Soon!

Paul

I was thinking the same thing! I'm watching his close because I know mine is about a week behind!

True, dat! Big fan of Ben's!

Thanks, All! Yes, it's just curing for a week before buffing. I told Ben not to lean into it quite so hard this time, LOL.

Looks :eek: amazing!! Gonna be quite a guitar.

Buffed and Beautiful
 

Ben buffed the body yesterday. So happy with the results. Those of us over 50 remember the phrase, "We can rebuild him. We can make him better." from The Six-Million Dollar Man. I think that applies here. Against all odds, the new back ended up being an upgrade. And that is entirely because Ben pulled out all stops to make it right. I don't normally name guitars, but maybe this should one ahould be called Steve, as in Colonel Steve Austin.

Shouldn't be too much longer until "Steve" is strung and we can hear his tone. Or should it be Colonel?

That looks terrific, what scrumptious texture on the ziricote back. Makes me want to dive in or scoop it up with a spoon.

Looks great! (Ben, you owe Sparky a nice bottle of something)

The Colonel
 

I vote for, "The Colonel"

Hard to resist the Elvis reference... or that back! Baby got Back for sure.

Haha

Nice save, Ben! What a monster

Salud

Paul

Ziricote typically is beautiful no matter what, but this set, this set, it really is above and beyond, yowzer.

I vote for both names Colonel Steve...it deserves the title!

or.... "Colonel Austin" after all, there is a lot of respect for the rank of Colonel and Mr. Wilborn.

That is utterly spectacular. If it sounds even half as good as it looks it will be very special indeed.

Thanks, All!!

Colonal Austin is definitely a strong possibility. Love it. I think per the fine print in the build agreement, Ben gets naming rights.

I like "The Colonel" for a name. Ah, The Six Million Dollar Man. I used to crave that show, but my parents wouldn't let me watch it because it was so moronic. I was sure it was just the opposite- pure genius. But, lo and behold, they were correct. It was totally idiotic, with the exception of using slow-mo to indicate power and strength- that was pretty clever. But think about what an indicator of inflation it is; you can't even get a bionic pinkie for six mil these days, let alone the whole package.