This is my guitar! I've never done a custom build before, and I'm very happy that Ken is building this guitar. I've been on his build list since last fall and, after a 6 month period where Ken couldn't build because he was moving, we've now been underway for a few weeks. I've been getting lots of pictures of molds being designed and worked up, as this is the first guitar Ken will have built that is this "grand" size. Ken suggested we do a build thread together for this guitar- after lurking on all of your build threads for several years, it seemed like it would fun to try it. So here we are!
When I was in Michigan last fall, I was able to play a number of Ken's guitars, and they all had such a rich, full tone and a great feel. He also just builds beautiful instruments and is a wonderful, patient person. He was very welcoming when I stopped by last year, and Bandit (his gorgeous Australian Shepherd) was very nice and welcoming to my golden retriever as well. We hit it off and I picked woods that day, and the dog and I signed up! She understands this is my toy and she's not to touch it- we've already negotiated this.
The one "gig" I have regularly is a small, contemplative church service that meets weekly in the chapel of the larger church. There are usually about 20 people, everyone sings, it is primarily a "sung service," and I provide the accompaniment for the singing. I fingerpick if another guitarist is there to strum, otherwise I just strum and keep the beat. We don't plug in. I have a light touch and so trying to find an instrument that works for this setting has been challenging- I need it to project and I really like a more lush tone and I don't want to play a large guitar. I love the rumble of a bigger instrument, but I'm concerned about it being too big. Ken has been very patient as we've gone through this and I've felt a bit like Goldilocks and the 3 bears- too big, too small, too soft... trying to get to "just right." While I will play this instrument often, I have had playing for this service in mind as we talked about my dreams for this guitar.
We decided that this will be Ken's new Huron model. Dimensions:
Upper Bout: 11 5/8"
Lower Bout: 16"
Waist: 9 5/8"
Body Length: 20"
Body at Heel: 3 1/2"
Body at Tail: 4 5/8"
Ken has a 13-fret option, so that's what we're going with. 25" scale. Indonesian Rosewood back and sides, old growth Adirondack spruce top, cocobolo bindings. And a Manzer wedge.
Ken said he wouldn't abandon me to this thread on my own, so I'm counting on him to chime in periodically to answer your questions. He was having withdrawal symptoms after having having no workshop for 6 months, so he's greatly enjoying "making sawdust" again (that's what he told me). He seems to disappear into his workshop for hours and then emails me with progress reports when he surfaces. I'm trusting he will eventually surface to provide his insights on this thread.
John- I have no idea how he cut the burl. One day, he just surfaced from his workshop and sent me pictures of cut burl and a beautiful rosette! That one will have to wait for Ken.
And SJ VanSandt- Ken emailed me the following on Friday night: "What most builders do is cut the rim profiles close to final size, then oncethe rims are assembled, use a huge radius dish covered with sandpaper to sand the profile so it matches the top and back radius. I used a similar approach when I started out, but eventually drew up some 3D models on my computer and cut some templates that I would then trace on the wood, then I cut out the rim with a bandsaw. This was closer, but still needed some clean up with a radius sanding bar once the rims were assembled.
With your new model, I decided to take the whole process a step further. The two rims are now longer symmetrical. One has a higher side in the lower bout, and the other side has a lower side. The rims from the waist to the neck joint are symmetrical, so the back will lie just like normal through that area. However as the back moves towards the tail it will twist to provide the wedge. This makes sanding with a radius dish impossible. I need to get the rims as close as possible to the finished dimensions prior to assembling. So I modeled the wedge on my 3D program and programmed the CNC to cut each side to finished dimensions.
Tonight I cut each side on the CNC. Let's hope my 3D model and programming were correct! I'll bend the sides tomorrow. At which point, I should have a pretty good feel whether they are. I designed the wedge the way I did so the upper bout would look symmetrical when looking down from the neck."
When he surfaced last night, he emailed me that he had gotten the rims bent and "all went swimmingly." If he's happy, I'm happy. Not sure that answers your question, but Ken can elaborate when he has a chance.
I'm looking forward to going through this process and sharing it here!