Working with a talented luthier is a real joy! Over the last couple of days I've been corresponding with Mike on details of the "trimmings" and trying to get where I am thinking I want to be on some neck dimensions.
Mike's eye - like most if not all of "our" luthiers - is great with colors, contrasts, flow, and complementary tones. He suggested, with pictures and descriptions, that the bindings be macassar ebony, with satinwood purflings, and the headstock would be in his new design with mac eb and the tree mahogany, with either spalted or birdseye maple accent. Here's what the raw wood of the headstock looks like:
For the neck, although I love his standard carve for fingerstyle, I was wanting - but didn't know how to say it well - something that I could get my hand around more easily but without getting too radical. So, with some measuring of some guitars I have and like, Mike came up with a great set of dimensions that will give me a bit less "handful" of neck so I can grab a chord, but with a bit more 'edge relief' so I won't be pulling the strings off the edge of the fretboard. Mike's standard 25.6" neck length was also agreed to - I had tried both 25.5" and 25.6" at Healdsburg on the two Meridians he brought (one of which was
Volcano).
It's just one of those really fun things about working with a luthier that you get to be a participant in the process, and they can apply their skills and experience in addressing what you want in the guitar!
Cheers all,
Phil