My build slot in Fort Collins, CO luthier Michael Bashkin’s (
http://www.bashkinguitars.com/) build list queue has finally arrived…
.
This guitar will be one of Michael’s 00-12 models. I have come to enjoy playing smaller bodied acoustic flat top guitars due to their comfortable playing ergonomics, great note articulation, fast attack, timbral balance and the character of their trebles. Good ones also can create a perceived sense of aural space that belies preconceived ideas about their diminutive physical size.
This 12-fret to the body guitar will have a short-scale 24.9” scale length, a 1-3/4” nut width with 2-1/4” string spacing. Michael normally makes this model as an 18-fret guitar, but mine will have 19-frets. This will involve moving the sound-hole slightly towards the end block of the guitar. The guitar will incorporate a Florentine cutaway for enhanced upper fretboard access, an Ebony fretboard & bridge, Jescar EVO 43080 fret wire.
The guitar will be appointed with Rodgers SS23 single gear unit tuners ( simplified sleeves, short pips and oval Ebony buttons). They will look similar to the set below that I have on my Blanchard, but will have “Rodgers” engraved in the brass plates.
Michael is known for his ability to create visually elegant hardwood rosettes, head plate veneers and end grafts. This guitar will incorporate some of these signature aesthetic design features as well. As always, there are a number of design details that are still TBD, but we will decide upon them as we go along. Here is a design sketch of the head plate veneer that Michael will be making. Michael wanted to start here because a number of other material choices and design themes will cascade based on decisions here.
Michael is preparing a number of Carpathian Spruce top sets from John Preston @ Old World Tonewoods and Swiss “Moon” Spruce top sets from Andrea Florinett @ Tonewood Switzerland for his current batch of guitars that he is building. Based on my playing style and goals for the instrument he will select the “right” set for this project (tbd). Here is a composite photo showing them being glued up and thickness planed in preparation for his evaluation.
For the body, we chose an unusually beautiful set of quartersawn, AAA grade, Koa that has some outstanding color and flamed figure. This set came to Michael’s wood locker by way of Bruce Creps @ Notable Woods for the back and sides. Here are some photos of the set being joined, glued up and thickness planed. We have not yet decided whether or not to add a backstrip to the guitar.
The Koa rims have been bent, Honduran Mahogany neck/cutaway blocks and Baltic Birch Plywood end block have been fabricated and glued up in his body mold.
Here is a shot of the fabricated rims in their body mold placed on top of the back set with some solvent wiped on to it to provide a bit of foreshadowing to what the figure in the Koa set may present under finish.
Michael is targeting delivery of my guitar in September 2018 but he may also choose to exhibit it at the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase (TBD) in late October (
http://woodstockinvitational.com/). So if he does, please feel free to come and audition it and help me break it in (gently and without wearing a belt please..
). It is unlikely that this will be a step-by-step build thread, but over the next 6 months or so I will share images of the build when Michael shares them with me along the way.
More when I get it.