Edwinson 2022- Better Late Than Never!
 

It's been quite a busy year so far. Several boundary-pushing experiments on my workbench have been keeping me occupied six or seven days a week for the last five and a half months. In anticipation of attending Tom's B.I.G Show in New Braunfels, TX this September, I decided to get an early start so I could stretch out and explore some new design ideas in my guitars, without having to sweat a crushing deadline. I was able to square away enough time for self-generated projects to build five guitars on my dime (actually several truckloads of dimes). That's what I truly love to do- build the guitars I want to build, without restriction. What I've come up with so far is a passel of guitars that are each quite unique individually, but also having the Edwinson DNA fully evident. They're siblings, but each one goes its own way.

Like my workshop partner and best buddy, Joel Teel, I have a tendency to be a hermit, and stay pretty much out of the ebb and flow of human society. Lots of luthiers are like that, I guess; it's a character trait you almost need to have do this kind of intensively focused work. You know, with two years of Covid lockdown, my life hardly changed at all! I just walked across the back yard every day to the shop, and made guitars.

I've been meaning to post this Edwinson 2022 thread for several months now, but I kept putting it off, because I wanted to have plenty of content ready to post. That content being, of course, GUITARS. One of the five I built did not make the cut for the show; I'm going to go back in and re-do the rosette sometime later. Maybe I'll post some pics of it and ask you guys for some advice on it.
I have finally gotten all four of my show guitars fully built; the final two are going into the paint room this weekend. In addition to my spec builds, I have a very pretty Falcon guitar to show you also, that is a commissioned build for one of my good friends who already owns an Edwinson. He wishes to remain anonymous, but the Falcon wants to be seen!
So, here we go with Edwinson 2022, better late than never...

The first guitar I'd like to show you is an Eclipse OMC, with Pernambuco back and sides, and an Adirondack Spruce top. All the trim work, plus the fingerboard, bridge, headstock plates, and rosette are highly figured Ziricote, one of my favorite woods. Here are some photos of the Eclipse, "in the white", before the lacquer work. They're kind of boring, compared to what happens when the lacquer goes on. Although, I have to say, this Pernambuco was a once-in-a-lifetime find- quartersawn, with lots of bee's-wing flash, and incredibly vibrant color. I save my best woods for the B.I.G. Show guitars!

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My OMC guitar's shape was inspired by the thoroughly modern interpretations of the OM size class by the brilliant young luthiers, Joel Michaud and Simon Fay. I was just knocked out by the guitars those guys make when I saw them at several guitar shows. And the sound they make is out of this world!
This Eclipse features double inlaid side sound ports, hybrid-style arm and rib bevels, an Omega open headstock, and a 25.5" scale length. As with most of my guitars, it will be optimized for fingerstyle, but considering the awesome tone potential of Pernambuco and Adirondack spruce, I think it will have the headroom to support aggressive pick-style playing too.

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The next guitar is coming up shortly. Thanks for looking!

Wow, Steve--that guitar is jaw dropping!

I can't imagine that guitar will going home with you from BIG III--somebody will definitely snatch this one up.

Can't wait to see it there--absolutely beautiful work.

Zowie!
 

Very lovely axe! I am sure it will sing beautifully too!!!

Looking forward to more

Glad you are well!

Paul

I concur, that guitar is amazing. That is one of the prettiest sets of Pernambuco I have seen. Generally, I don't find it too interesting, but this one has lots of different color tones which will probably produce lots of musical tones as well!!!!

It will be an honor to have this guitar at B.I.G. III.

Thanks, amigo. You're very kind! I really enjoyed this build from start to finish. Guitars always seem to come out better when you have fun making them. I'll have this one strung up in a week or two. We'll see...
Joel and I are really looking forward eagerly to seeing you and whoever else in your clan, at the BIG, Kevin. It's becoming a tradition, isn't it.

Hi, Paul, I hope all is well with you too. I hope you'll try this one out at B.I.G. I'd love to hear you play it. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Thanks, Tom. I'm planning on bringing four guitars this time. It'll be a distinct honor to be at B.I.G. with them. Thanks so much for asking me to come to Number Three! It's the highlight of the year. Next up is a EPC-F Performance guitar with Ziricote back and sides, and a Tunnel 14 top...

The next guitar-- second one completed for the show-- is an EPC-F Performance Florentine, my biggest guitar. I've been wanting to build this guitar for a long time. Not only does it have a T-14 top; it's also braced with Tunnel 14 redwood, both the top and the back.The sound box is phenomenally responsive when you tap on it. Probably the biggest, roundest, most focused box I've made yet.

Joel Teel is also bracing some of his guitars with T-14, and in his thread a few people who replied were curious about that non-traditional choice of bracewood. But given that we cut our brace blanks from split billets, and it is very old, and very stiff, and it rings like a bell, I think it's a no-brainer to use it. It has the best properties you could ever want in primo bracewood, imo. It'll be the secret sauce in my guitars- and Joel's too. I'm really looking forward to hearing what the two Adirondack-topped guitars I'll be bringing will sound like with T-14 braces. I'm thinking it will bring some of that redwood mystery and intrigue to the sparkly and punchy Adirondack. I guess we'll see at the show!

Here are some photos of the Performance guitar, again, before the lacquer work was done. It looks even more vivid now than in these photos, with the finish on. You'll have to wait a little while for those pics. I'll be bringing this one down the home stretch later this month...

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This Performance guitar is bound with Ebony, and purfled with high-flame Maple which doesn't pop much in these pics, but it sparkles under finish. The purflings throughout are bordered with blue and black veneer lines. The fingerboard and bridge, plus the arm and rib bevels, are also Ebony. The front headstock is Ebony with some Ziricote and blue purfling lines thrown in; and some Turquoise and Azurite stone dots in copper rings- one of the style points I tend to use a lot. The back strip and end graft are spalted Maple, which also shows up in the Element-style rosette. Hybrid-style arm and rib bevels, and dual side sound ports, are included too. The scale length is 25.5"; Nut width will be 1 13/16", and the string spread will be 2 1/4". I can't wait to hear this beast.

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Here's an interesting thing about the asymmetric headstock on this guitar: The scale length of the guitar is 25.5, which is a great all-purpose scale length, as it accommodates both standard tuning and drop-tunings. By stretching the bass side of the headstock a little longer than than the treble side, that actually lengthens the strings from tuner posts to bridge pins by about a half inch. That will increase the string tension on those strings to be closer to what you'd have with a 26" scale length. Because the string tension isn't controlled by the nut and the saddle; it's an effect of the full length of the strings from the tuner posts to the bridge pins.
Why is that important? Well, you have a 25.5" scale guitar that has the same tension at any given pitch on the bottom three strings as a 26" scale guitar. So if you like to tune down to C, as I do, you have enough string tension to do that, with plain ole light gauge strings! Not to mention, the frets are not so far apart as with a longer scale, so the guitar is easier to play. How cool is that!

Beautiful work!

I like the headstock design in the first photos. I always believed that a slotted headstock made sense since the break angle on the nut is sharper due to the tuners being dug down, meaning more pressure on the nut which should render better tone. Specially on shorter scale instruments and instruments used in dropped tunings, but why not on full scale as well.

Steven while the nut width is a tad wide for me, that guitar is simply stellar, with everything that calls to me. Looking forward to seeing you!

Indeed Steve, these two guitars look incredible in every aspect. I am looking forward to seeing you at B.I.G. and giving these a whirl. Can't wait.

Absolutely stunning work!!!

I love the complexity of your builds. The soundports on the Pernambuco guitar are really lovely. Eager to play these and to catch up in September! Dave

Wow! Steve you really pulled out all the stops on these 2 guitars. Both of them are beautiful even before the finish is applied. I look forward to following along with these and the other 2 to come. Will you and Joel will be driving a Brinks armored truck to Tom and Kathy's B.I.G. show? I bet you'll both be returning home with a lot fewer than you arrive with! ;)