Steve Kinnaird and I have been AGF forum “pen-pal” friends for about eight-years now. We have corresponded on guitars, tonewood, lutherie and non-guitar topics over the years. Steve, Ryan Middlebrook and I finally met in person at the 2017 Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase (yikes, where did 5-years go?) where I was able audition some of their show guitars. Last June, I decided to commission a custom guitar with them. Somehow, the eight-month build queue has gone by and it is time to begin the making of the guitar.
One of the great pleasures when commissioning a custom guitar for me is the discussion back and forth between a client and luthier about your playing goals for the instrument to create something that does not yet exist. We spent a good deal of time discussing my style of play, my ergonomic playing preferences, and tonal goals for the guitar. This resulted in Steve recommending that he build me either their 12-fret FS model (15-5/8”) or a slightly less wide but longer bodied 12-fret 000 (15”) sized guitar. After a bit of back and forth, we ended up deciding upon a 000-12 Fret model.
We then discussed potential soundboards for the project. I told Steve that I was “spruce species agnostic” and suggested that he select a soundboard set for the project that he felt that would best meet my playing goals. Steve joined up three different soundboards (one
Sitka,
Bearclaw Sitka and
Adirondack Spruce) and evaluated them physically and acoustically to decide which to use. In the end, he suggested that we use a AAA grade set of
Adirondack (Red) Spruce that he had sourced from Indiana luthier/Red Spruce purveyor Randy Lucas.
Being a longtime luthier and “wood nut”, Steve has amassed large wood-locker of traditional and non-traditional tonewoods. He generously took the time to take and share photos of well over a dozen species of back and side sets for me to consider for this project. These ranged from light and woody species to dense and glassy species. We ended up selecting a set of figured
Macassar Ebony back and sides for the project. Steve told me that he had purchased the set years ago from Todd Taggert when he had left LMII to form Allied Lutherie. Steve said that this set had a particularly exciting tap tone to it. Since the set also featured some nice sapwood, we decided to keep it intact as an unadorned aesthetic feature and omit the decorative addition of a backstrip.
Here is a composite photo of the top set, trimmed back and side set, the laminated neck blank, neck/end blocks, binding/purfling strips arranged on their shop bench (The Nacacogdoches sous chefs have been quietly busy!). Steve trimmed down the sapwood a bit to make it a bit narrower.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Woods: Aside from the
Adirondack Spruce top and
Macassar Ebony back and sides; the guitar will have a five-piece laminated neck, Gaboon Ebony fretboard, and a
Brazilian Rosewood belly bridge. To match the back’s
Macassar Ebony sapwood, Steve is making a five-piece laminated neck with
Honduran Mahogany outer,
Macassar Ebony runner center section of
Swiss Pear (to color match the
Macassar Ebony sapwood).
Top - Red Spruce
Back & Sides - Macassar Ebony
Neck - Five-Piece Honduran Mahogany/Macassar Ebony/Swiss Pear
Fretboard - Gaboon Ebony
Bridge - Brazilian Rosewood (A dark blank to match the ebony)
Ergonomics: the guitar will have a traditional Nazareth long-scale (25-3/8”) with a 1-3/4” nut width and 2-5/16” bridge spacing. Staying with tradition, it will have a slotted head headstock. For enhanced upper fretboard access, it will incorporate a Venetian cutaway. They will add a sound port which I enjoy since I am a solo home player. These tend to enhance the player’s acoustic experience. I also asked for EVO frets.
Scale Length - 25-3/8”
Frets to the Body - 12
Nut Width - 1-3/4”
Bridge Spacing - 2-5/16”
Top Dish Radius - 25’
Back Dish Radius - 15’
Upper Bout - 10-3/4”
Lower Bout - 15”
Body Length - 20-7/16”
Body Depth - 3-1/4” to 4-1/8”
Sound Hole Diameter - 3-7/8”
Neck Profile - C-Profile with a Shoulder, 0.840” (1st fret), 0.940” (9th fret)
Cutaway - Venetian Cutaway
Sound Port - Oval, Bound/Purfled
Headstock - Slotted Head
Frets - Jescar EVO 43080
Fretboard Radius - 16”
Aesthetic Appointments: The guitar will be bound in hard
Gaboon Ebony throughout (Body, Fretboard and Peghead). The rosette will be a radial cut
Macassar Ebony with
Zebrawood and
Maple purflings. To match the rosette, the top will be purfled with
Zebrawood and
Maple as well. The back and sides will be decorated with simple
black/Maple/Black viola style purflings. The peghead veneers will be
Macassar (front) and
Gaboon Ebony (back). We are having Steve’s signature inlayed in MOP into the back peghead veneer instead his standard “K” logo on the front peghead veneer. The guitar body will be finished by Tony Ferguson in a clear polyester with satin nitrocellulose lacquer neck finish by Steve. It will also have a transparent polyester pickguard.
Peghead Veneer, Front - Macassar Ebony
Peghead Veneer, Back - Gaboon Ebony
Heelcap, Body Binding, End Graft, Fretboard & Peghead Binding - Gaboon Ebony
Rosette - Radial Macassar Ebony/Zebrawood/Maple/Black Fiber
Top Purfling - Zebrawood/Maple/Black Fiber
Side & Back Purflings - Viola, Black Fiber/Maple/Black Fiber
Side Position Markers - 2 mm MOP
Inlay - Stephen Kinnaird Signature in MOP on Back of Peghead
Nut & Saddle: Unbleached Cow Bone
Pickguard - Clear Polyester
Finish - Clear Polyester (Body), Nitrocellulose Lacquer (Neck)
Hardware & Case: I am having Rob Rodgers make a set custom three-on-a-plate tuners for it (I ordered them in late October so they should arrive this month) and have purchased a lightweight Visesnut Active Series 000/OM case for it.
Bridge Pins - Gaboon Ebony with MOP Dots
Tuners - Rodgers L 330 Three-on-a-Plate with Black MOP Buttons
Strings - Acoustic Light
Case - Visesnut Active Series 000/OM
More when I get it…