Wilborn Black Lion DONE: VIDEO ADDED!!!
 

This spring my S.O. and I combined a wine country trip with a visit to Mr. Sexauer and Mr. Wilborn, coming home with some very nice wine and 2 bespoke guitars. Bruce has started and has shown some pics on his thread and Ben is about to start the other tomorrow, well actually today since it is 12:30 AM here.

We have some cool ideas for this guitar. It will be his Lion model which is his second smallest guitar, but has a big sound. The back and sides are a very dark BRW set and the top will be redwood, but with a couple of twists.

The first twist is the top is being cut from a shelf. Ben knew we were coming to visit and I think he forgot to get wood for me to look at and at the last minute pulled a shelf off the wall and tried to convinced me to build a guitar from it. Here are a couple of pictures to prove it:

Ben showing off the shelf he pulled off the wall, he seems quite proud of it....

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Here is a series of pictures kind of highlighting our discussion of the matter. Please note the stamp on the board indicating the lumber yard it was being sold at! Many folks search the world for wood, in tunnels, under water, Ben...hardware store!

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More convincing, Ben still seems quite sure that this is a good idea:

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Finally Ben convinced he has won the discussion, me not so sure:

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Well anyway, Ben said the shelf was perfectly straight grained as well as perfectly quartersawn which it appears to be and you know what, it tapped quite musically as well, so we are going for it. All kidding aside, it appears to be a great piece of Redwood, but it did in fact come from the hardware store several years back LOL. So we have tunnel 13, tunnel 14, Lucky Strike, Sinker, and now .....what, Lowes Redwood or perhaps top shelf redwood!!!!! I like that last one.

Here is the color palate for the project, however, there will be more surprises to follow (which is twist 2), so this palate will be changing later! Snakewood bindings. We are also going to try something quite unique on the fretboard, but that is still in the planning stage and by that I mean all in Ben's artistic brain at this point.

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And one last pic of the top shelf in all of its 3/4 inch glory with some lines drawn on it to pretend it is a suitable top:

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This cracks me up. I'm sure it will be amazing!

Congratulations Tom! In following your posts, it is a shame you don't have more guitars and certainly you NEED this ha! Well, I'm confident you and Ben will come up with yet another masterpiece. Anxious to see it!

Yes, humor was a major part of the visit, but in the end, the guitar will be awesome I am sure!

If you think "need" drives these builds, you are on the wrong forum haha. :D

This will be great fun to watch. Congrats on not only finding some fine builders, but more importantly an amazing S.O.!

Steve

Tom - you definitely found your 'happy place'!

In another two years I'll be able to post my Fairbanks F-30 build thread! ;)

Perfect redwood from a shelf!!!
 

Wow, You guys are off to a fine start! How fun to find the perfect top in Ben's shop already! Top Shelf Redwood indeed.

This will be fun to watch and if It goes on Ben's normal rapid schedule it will be over FAST!

Woohoo

Paul

this one's gonna be fun!!! Congrats!! Yes, "top shelf" Redwood happening with this one!!

Ben is watching you, like I'm watching this thread: with interest!

https://i53.servimg.com/u/f53/17/50/64/32/img_6310.jpg

Top Shelf Lion
 

I think the AGF has already named this one for me. The Top-Shelf Lion.
To be fair to the piece of wood, let me clarify. It actually came from a now defunct lumber yard in the Reno area, where a friend of mine with a keen eye for wood found it, and numerous other perfectly q-sawn old-growth planks nestled among the more ordinary fare in a pallet of S4S redwood boards. That was in the late '80's. It was Tom's (pedestrian) imagination that turned it into a shelf. It could easily have been made into a planter, a gazebo, or a lintel. But shelf it is.

I absolutely love redwood as a tonewood. It seems to have all the warmth, immediacy and responsiveness of Red Cedar, but with an added sparkle that moves it one click along the spectrum towards spruce. It also, at least in very nice, stiff examples like this one, provides a very surprising amount of headroom and power. I love it! It also has a deep, geometric chatoyance that makes it as beautiful as anything out there- and no one minds a beautiful guitar, no matter how good it sounds.

This is going to be an awesome build. To match Tom's MYSTERIOUS OUTLAW
mystique, we are going to make a very dark, elegant, possibly dangerous guitar.
The BRW back and sides are, as you can see, approaching black, and we are planning a darkening treatment on the top. Along with paua abalone purfling, and the snakewood bindings, it should be pretty stunning!

Thanks Tom, for another opportunity to do my favorite thing in life, and build a sweet guitar!

Thanks Steve, it seems to me that in my very first commissioned guitar I found a great luthier! I am thankful for that every day when I play them as well as being thankful for the wonderful SO aka Kathy, who does not say a word about these builds. I think this guitar habit is much better than some on our relationship and we got a trip to Sonoma and Napa!

Rick you work hard for your money, I think that Fairbanks could come sooner than that...yes I am the devil on your shoulder!

Funny you should say that, I specifically asked Ben to take his time because I wanted this experience to last hahahaa! You know how it is, the build and watching the project is such a huge part of the fun!

I agree, top shelf is the way to go and Ben is a great bartender!!!

That is such a great picture, if I did not know better I would say he is giving me the stink eye for my shelf comments, I knew I should have gone with planter or gazebo!

I think Top Shelf works well for the working model, but as this build progresses and the top is darkened and the back and sides come alive, please feel free to find its forever name, although top shelf is still better than gazebo or planter....pedestrian imagination, jeez :D:D:D

Ok 80's is longer than a few years ago I guess. I'll give you that. At least it is a dry shelf.

Yes, I live the Mysterious Outlaw persona every day, in fact Kathy never really knows who she will be dealing with each day...TomB'sox International Man of Mystery!!!! Trust me, this guitar is going to be much cooler than its owner! That being said, this is going to be very exciting to watch it come to life in your very capable hands Sir Ben! I Thank you!

Tom, you know I LOVE redwood, and that particular plank looks great! Very happy to follow this build along, my friend.

Well, well, well. Another in a long succession. And top-shelf with the roar of a Lion no less! Awesome guys but then we have come to expect nothing less from Ben and Tom. This is going to be loads of fun to watch! Congrats on what looks to be wonderful guitar.