By late June, the guitar was ready to send the the finisher. Wayne does his own French polish, and it is his preferred finish.
However, I am (inadvertently) somewhat hard on my guitars. I insisted on a UV polyurethane finish to strike a balance between protection and tone.
Wayne often uses a company in Vancouver B. C. Canada for their top-notch work. With border issues this added some extra time.
I was told that likely the guitar would not be back until late July. Time to hurry up and wait.
I became very practiced at the waiting game as late July turned into August. 3-4 week turnaround turned into 7 weeks due to unforeseen covid-19 related supply slowdowns.
If I didn't already have an Irvin to play (#4 from 2016) I would have been climbing the walls even more than usual during this pandemic time.
The guitar finally arrived back in Bremerton, averting any major mental health crises (mine). Wayne installed the neck and bridge and strings.
The finish enhances the look of the guitar, especially the granadillo!
View of the back. The grain reminds me of a light rosewood:
Another back and cutaway view. The ebony binding truly sets off the wood in a bold and classic manner:
This view shows how nicely four different woods - Alpine spruce, ebony, Honduras mahogany and granadillo - play together:
Bridge attached. We are now ready for action:
Strings on. It has now completed it's journey from trees around the globe to a gorgeous musical instrument:
(Next post: summary and more pictures from its new home)