Stephen Kinnaird 2021
 

Congratulations on making it to 2021! We're ready to start the year off right by giving you some videos to watch. The first one is our first dreadnought in the 41 years of Steve's building career, and the second is a classical-inspired all-American woods CS. Hope you enjoy!






Thanks for looking!

Funny, it still feel like it is month 13 of 2020...:)

Ain’t that the truth!

Here’s some pictures of the Red Spruce/Black Walnut CS. The whole guitar is from America save the Paua in the rosette that was manufactured by Kevin Ryan in California. Waverly tuners, Jescar fretwire, Claro walnut, Oregon myrtle, Sweet Bay, Basswood, Texas Ebony fretboard and bridge, and Desert Ironwood pins milled by Burton LeGeyt.

Thanks for looking.

https://i.postimg.cc/tygWynvG/41-F40...783074-AC2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/ysMZFQ17/75-BF3...-B95-F2-F0.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/1m3n9bHr/183-F9...F655-E3936.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/WTFZqLP9/214-DB...61-DB3-EF3.jpg

Beautiful! Love the maple backstrip in line with the maple in the laminate neck.

Thanks John, but actually that is Curly Oregon Myrtle. It paired nicely with the Black Walnut, with a bit less contrast than Maple.
The Curly maple is the small purfling line that pops up here and there.

Steve

Mmmm, tasty new year intro. Beautiful guitars. I especially like the walnut/Myrtle trimmed guitar. Also the carols were just great.

Hey thanks, brother, glad you dropped by.

Steve

Both guitars are beautiful and sound great! I do enjoy your playing, Steve. Thanks for sharing; what a great way to start the year. Dave

Congrats Kinnaird West! Two beautiful looking and sounding guitars. That Dred is pretty amazing fellas, you may just want to build a few more of those!

Awesome guitars, you guys--dig the looks and sound of both of them.

Would love to hear Allen Shadd put that dread through the paces! I'm with Tom--you guys should pump out a few more of those puppies!

Carry on with your amazing work, and Happy 2021!

My thanks, Dave. You are kind in your comments and I appreciate that!

Thanks Tom. Even Billie liked the dread, and she did so against all previous biases. (Not a dread fan...) So yes, we sorta have the green light from upper management.

And thank you, Kevin! Glad you stopped by—and happy 2021 to you and yours.

Steve

An OM coming down the pipe.

https://i.postimg.cc/KZW9rHsF/FD6-CD...5-F1-A60-B.jpg

Ah very nice B and W. Show us more.

Wow, that is some crazy and spectacular wood!

Ok. A little more.

https://i.postimg.cc/dwrfdxSr/93-DAB...2-DB28-D15.jpg

Yowzah!!!!

What a great use of the figure of the wood! I especially liked the inner and outer rings as an accent to the center.

Naw - stop it. Photoshop, fake news. Ain't no wood that purdy.

Seriously, that's a tasty start for a new year. Beautiful work. And happy new year too - eventually.

Stan

Thanks for the kind words fellas. Making a spec guitar out of wood like this is a pulse-raising adventure. It seems like a leap of faith. (An expensive one.) But every time I see it taking shape out in the shop I smile, and know someone, somewhere is going to love this.

Here—I’ll pose a question for you guys: what sort of neck would you pair with this wild set of B & W ebony? I’ve been engaged in other tasks and really haven’t thought much about this feature. All answers welcomed! Best answer wins a bucket of Texas snow.

SK

neck
 

Something to compliment the colors but not compete with the figure. How about one-piece mahogany, stained black? Alternately, a nice solid maple neck, but without flame. Definitely no backstrip, so no stripe down the neck either. Not that I'm against them in principle - they look superb on that walnut CS, by the way - but I think you shouldn't distract the eye from that glorious back, or that stunning rosette either.

2 cents

That is my thinking as well. There is so much light wood, and it might be hard to match the tan/sand color, I think a dark/black would be the way to go.

+1 on this with the addition of maybe a black but satin/matte (not shiny) black neck as a proposal - provided the owner likes it. Optically I think it would be great.

I think you might consider a one-piece Maple neck with a little stain to match some of the lighter areas of the B & W Ebony. A fully black neck may draw the eye away from the back - - if that's possible. :)

Definitely a black neck all the way with a backstrap of B&W. I'd go gloss on it too--somehow seems like it would work better than a matte one in the grand scheme of things.

Beautiful set of woods, guys--can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Wow Nice rosette. I really like the way the outer and inner bands are seem to be the same wood as the larger inner band but have a distinctness and pattern that is proportional to their width and different from the center.

You could do a maple neck with back trim, or perhaps even a solid black neck would look very distinctive. I think i would stick with the colors in the back and avoid something like mahogany or Spanish cedar. (Since you solicited advice). Maybe a spalted maple neck with black center striping. What is the binding going to be.

I vote for a lighter colored neck with a black sunburst fading black to lighter in the neck shaft area to black again at the peghead. Beautiful build thus far guys. Maybe a book matched BW Ebony peghead veneer from the waist’s waste.

That’s a Good idea

Oh yes...
 

This sounds good to me too. Fantastic wood, just amazing!

Have fun

Paul

If its a one-piece neck, I'd go for one that is stained fully black. If multi-piece neck, perhaps black-stained wood on the outer and center strip from the same b/w ebony.