hi guys, thanks for your interest.
Bill you're correct, ABW is incredibly dense. A 4mm back would have been insanely heavy haha, this back was thinned to around 2.3mm on the bass side and 2.5 mm on the treble side, if I recall correctly.
Hi Colin, yes we laugh routinely at how the wood is harvested and processed just north of us, shipped across the world, processed some more and then shipped back.
I have since found a supplier in Johannesburg, however for the course , the guys still favour LMI as the wood is always ready to use (rather than having to dry for a few months), and all components can be sourced in one go. As it turned out, my initial ebony bridge and fretboard from LMI remain unused, after replacing them with an ABW fretboard and bridge from the supplier in joburg.
and now a few more pictures :
My top, pre-bracing and my braced back:
Starting work on my bridge:
Fitting my back to my sides:
Fitting the top to the sides:
I like how the light from the window glows in the top:
