Island, Dustin, and Jayne--thanks much for your comments. It's an exciting build and I'm really looking forward to hearing how this wood combo and the new model come together to deliver their voice. I'm totally confident that it will be amazing!
And thanks to Ben for chiming in here as we all begin the ascent of Mount Arum. And Ben is much too modest--the "fairly adequate Wilborn" that I currently possess is a tonal cannon in its own right! That's what makes this project so exciting for me--the Arum will be a totally new flavor to add to the quiver.
And thanks also to Tom for his contributions and motivations to bring the Nautilus model into fruition!
So Ben sent me an update this weekend as the ascent begins. In his own words:
"Here are the side veneers getting epoxied and vacuumed into a strong, light lamination. The outside (our Hero) is the beautiful ink line cocobolo you have chosen. The middle veneer is maple, and the inside is also cocobolo. The veneers are all .040”, for a cumulative thickness of .120”, or very nearly an eighth of an inch. The form, therefore, I made to anticipate this; it is .120” smaller than the ultimate exterior dimensions of the guitar. The laminated sides are so stiff, I think this really matters. They won’t easily deform to fit the outside mold they will eventually be put in for the building of the box, so they need to be just right.
I’ll keep them under vacuum for long enough for the epoxy to set up, and then they will never have to be a consideration again- dead flat, very strong, and no cracking!"
The hat trick side combination...
Our hero front and center (actually not center but outer most in line!)...still really loving the looks of this cocobolo!
The team sucking it up...
Thanks again for all the comments and for checking the Arum out!