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Old 02-15-2021, 06:37 PM
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WilbornGuitars WilbornGuitars is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 223
Default Alas, but onward.

So, the most grating aspect of this is that you literally cannot find these cracks on the back right now. It was the heat of the buffing wheel that I believe caused the lacquer to swell slightly, and reveal these underlying fault lines. But I know very well (Can I say "very" on here?- we will see....) that the very first time the guitar experienced dry conditions, those babies would yawn open like a crevasse,
and Eddie, along with his extensive collection of Little House On The Prairie paraphernalia, would fall in and never be seen again. I would hate to be responsible for that. BTW, I think I might be delirious, so please disregard that strange reference.

The fact is that we luthiers are constantly skirting disaster, building these extremely delicate structures out of not carbon fiber or metal, but wood, with all its inherent unpredictability. Ziricote has a reputation for cracking, and it is certainly prone to it- I have had one other Z guitar develop cracks, again in construction, but as far as I know the dozen or so others I have made have remained intact. So, tendencies aside, I can't help but build with this gorgeous and lovely sounding wood. I was momentarily crushed when I realized what the situation was, but I would never succeed as a luthier if I couldn't rebound from this kind of thing. So, no big deal! A new back! Luckily, Eddie is an awesome client and very understanding. (Thank you, Eddie)

I was fortunate that my friend Sparky (Randall) Kramer had a set he was willing to part with that really is an excellent replacement. In fact, it is better than the first back, I think. (Ha Ha- the FIRST back) He only lives about 30 miles from me, so up I went this morning, and even now , the back has been sanded, and glued up. We will be back in business in no time. I will strip the lacquer from the sides, carefully remove the back, install my new plate, lacquer again, and voila.
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Ben Wilborn
Wilborn Guitars
www.wilbornguitars.com

Last edited by Kerbie; 02-15-2021 at 06:47 PM. Reason: Profanity
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