Thanks Stan,

We talked about possible "pure" Texas tops and there were some possibilities, but in the end, there is some expense involved and I do need it to sound great as well. I think the Sitka has been here long enough to qualify as at least a resident of Tx like I am now. Who knows how long it had been in the back of that shipyard shop before a young and dapper Steve found it. The more I think about it now, I think it was in a Houston shipyard.

As an aside, here are some pics of the shelf that I got the Hackberry for, at least you can see the bottom and the front edge. The top is the prettiest, but no one can see it once it is up, was kind of disappointing to me, but Kathy would not let me mount it 4 feet off the floor just so it showed haha!!!

Attachment 65356



Attachment 65357

And here is where I kind of got the Mesquite bug. I bought this slab for 40 bucks and started working it into a desk for myself. The black is epoxy to fill in a large defect and if you look close you can see my first bowtie. That was done all by hand as I do not have a table saw or router. I used a little Japanese flush cutting saw to freehand the bowtie and chisels to inlay it. I have to say, there is no glue and sawdust used on that!

Attachment 65358 Attachment 65359


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Back to the star of the thread. Here are the woods being used for the innards:


Sweet Bay heel and end block
Eastern Red Cedar lining
White Poplar strips to be laminated into an arm bevel block

Just a side note: White Poplar is also commonly known as Alamo Blanco, seems to fit the theme quite nicely!


Attachment 65363

Sweet!
 

Congratulations on your retirement and move! Enjoy new Braunfels!!!

This will be a fun build to follow, and I enjoyed seeing your desk and shelf, too.

Very cool woods, and strictly top shelf builders!

Enjoy it throughly!

Paul

This will be an interesting build to follow! Congrats on your retirement.

[QUOTE=TomB'sox;6858943]

Hello John, I am curious now as to your indirect part in this besides helping to mold Steve into the man he has become hahaha! That is really a big Mesquite! I can see the beauty of the wood that is inside in my minds eye.

[/I QUOTE]

Hey Tom
I cannot take much credit (nor blame😇) for molding my brother. He’s gotten to be a superior individual some other way.
My indirect involvement in this project involved help in procurement.

Congrats, Tom all the way around. You know I love a good backstory behind a guitar!

I look forward to seeing this one come together and playing the finished product next BIG.

We had beautiful mesquite hardwood floors in our house in Bee Cave.

Thanks Paul, hopefully you can come sometime.

Thanks, I seem to have taken to retirement quite easily!

[QUOTE=j. Kinnaird;6859206]Procurement, got it...well thanks for whatever part of this you found.

Yes indeed, without a story they don't really take on a personality!

I love Mesquite. Just started a new project today for a hall tree with mesquite.

Today's pics. Gluing in all the required blocks!

Attachment 65425

High tech pressure applicating device to glue in the rosette:

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Choices for the rosette were as follows...the hackberry surrounded by abalone or by dark tx ebony which will match the purfling. The reveal will come soon.

Attachment 65427 Attachment 65428

A retirement guitar all Texas. Now that is really special! Congrats.

One has to wonder ... will you require auditioners to be Texans as well?

Love the woods. The Hackberry rosette will be really special. And all that Texas sweat from Steve and Ryan will make for some schweeet music from this one.

Tom, a bit more of this story: once when John was here visiting we drove 30 minutes north of town to a mom-n-pop hardwood yard. (One never knows what treasures might be found in such places.) It was an interesting enterprise, with a surprising variety of domestic and exotic species, all tucked away in a big tin barn. To add to the homey feel, their security was two huge Great Dane dogs. One in particular took to my brother and would amble over and lean his full weight against his legs. I think John felt obligated to buy something…anything—the pressure was on. At this trip we found several boards of Amazon rosewood, and this one large board of Mesquite. I really wanted one of us to snag the board, but I had grabbed the rosewood and my bank account already was fussing at me. So Brother John stepped up and got the board, some of which is now becoming your guitar.

He has the rest of this board at his North Carolina shop, should anyone else want to enjoy some “Texas Rosewood”. Just sayin’.

Steve

Texas Abalone?
 

Unless the abalone came from the coastal waters off Texas, I'm thinking you gotta go with the dark Texas Ebony! :D

Good story Bro. Well told!
I was trying to think how long ago that was. I think that board had been sitting in their warehouse for a pretty long time judging from the dust and add the years since our visit that board was from a tree cut a number of years ago. I believe its it's well seasoned