German Spruce soundboard traced for body shape.
 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LM...s=w876-h657-no


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CU...Y=w876-h657-no

Check out those heavy winter growth grain lines.

What is THIS?! Shouldn't be too hard to figure out...
 

I agree. Tim and Mary are two of my favorite people as well. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their shop to see how this goes.

Mary - if you're following, I hope this doesn't inspire you to make a custom flyswatter. We're just trying to spread the "buzz."

Tim retired a few years ago. He also took on an apprentice. It's still all in the family though! ;)

It's a rough flight into the Greater Metropolitan Morral International Airport... :D

Gonna be a treat to watch a Lowlander in process. Haven't been many built, in my recollection, over the years, and certainly not with an AGF build thread (tho I do recall playing one up in the loft). Cool-looking guitar body! So glad you had the chance to visit with Tim and Mary and enter the mystical wood room to tap your German spruce. That alone is worth a "flight" to Morral! And, if you don't mind me piling on Todd and Neil (football scrum!), the McKnights are also two of my favorite people.

Hope you enjoy watching the build, Eire. Yes, just spending time holding, tapping, and listening to all those top-shelf tone woods is a rare treat that few guitarists will ever experience. It really helps you understand what the different woods have to offer. Knowing that I have already handled and listened to the tone woods on my future McKnight really enriches the whole design and build process. And meeting Tim and Mary and enjoying their hospitality was a real treat, too!

If yours is completed in time you should consider the McJam this summer. It would be fun to see this guitar in person.

That's a possibility. Do you know when it is? I've not heard a specific date yet. I'd certainly be happy to let others check it out and meet some of you guys who frequent the event. I'm sure some of the players at McJam are better players and it would be nice to listen to others playing it! I know it's sometime in June. I already bought a ticket for the "Guitar Gathering" in Nashville which is June 12-15. This is still somewhat tentative, as my work and travel schedule for the summer isn't yet settled.

McJammers will gather at the shop on June 21 and 22 to share fun, food and fellowship.

I'll send emails later this week.

Thanks for the update, Mary. I hope I can make it!

I'm in. I'll celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary the weekend before! ;):D

Neil, I'm glad the dates work out for you. I sent emails today to McJammers. If anyone else wants added I can send details to them. Private Loft reservation list has your name on it. The Lone Cone has antenna TV - but no AC.

Regulars know the details, but can always get a copy of the file of common sense rules.

Florentine Cutaway continued--putting the sides and cutaway together
 

Marking the proper side lengths so the two pieces meet at the center, then cut to size.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/J0...0=w876-h657-no


Sanding the two sidepieces and cutaway piece on the inner sides (Cherry wood) before gluing them together.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rb...E=w876-h657-no



Neck block is glued to the non-cutaway side piece.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OY...g=w876-h657-no



The triangular piece that provides a foundation for the side piece and cutaway piece's connection.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7k...U=w876-h657-no



Tail block is glued and set.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cl...4=w876-h657-no



After glue has set, checking that it fits properly within the mold.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yd...E=w876-h657-no



Gluing in the kerfing and clamping it down to set.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f...I=w876-h657-no



Side 1 is finished and Side 2 has begun.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u1...8=w876-h657-no

This looks like such a cool model ... I'll be watching this one for sure!

What Dave said. All of your builds and threads are outstanding. Always learn something good. Russ

Time to make the purflings...
 

I think Pernambuco is a beautiful wood. It's not the most photogenic wood, but if you see a finished piece in real life, it is incredibly warm, vibrant and nuanced in color. Another thing about Pernambuco is that it doesn't play well with other woods! Pretty much nothing seems to pair well for bindings, purflings, etc., in my opinion. So we decided to stick with "black" as the contrasting color throughout the instrument.
I asked Tim to make some 5-ply purflings for the body, to complement the Pernambuco bindings. The purflings consist of Ebony/Pernambuco/African Blackwood/Pernambuco/Ebony. The ABW is the center of the purflings and is noticeably wider than the other purfling lines. Tim chose ABW over Ebony for this wider purfling line because it bends easier than Ebony.


Here are the five layers ready to be glued together.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gw...Y=w876-h657-no



Glued and clamped.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JD...M=w876-h657-no



Cutting the purfling sheet into purfling strips.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fL...0=w876-h657-no



5-ply purfling strips.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/S3...k=w876-h657-no