Kinnaird SJ Build thread--Ebony/Sinker Redwood

[Steve Kinnaird]

I love to follow these "watch this build" posts, and I believe others do as well.
With that in mind, I thought I'd share the build of this SJ which is (hopefully) going to make the Miami/Newport festival.

This is a spec, and the inspiration for this build is our 30th anniversary in lutherie. Decided to build something to commemorate the "event".
Back and sides are of Celebes Ebony, a beautiful wood recently offered to the public by Todd Taggart of Allied Lutherie:





Pardon the pixilated center strip. It is a piece of curly Koa, which will be used for the bindings as well.
The top is a darkish piece of Sinker Redwood:





That rosette is a piece of wild grain Celebes Ebony bordered by rings of pale red abalone.

What I'm really excited about is the fretboard inlay--a commissioned piece by Craig Lavin. This is a Lily of the Valley, done in gold and white pearl, and green sea snail for the leaves:



The original plan was to do three guitars with Biblical flowers as a theme. May not get all three done, but thought this would be a fine place to start.

Hope to post regularly and update as progress occurs. Thanks for looking, and hope this is enjoyable.

Steve

[D. Ramsey]

Very Nice......

Now 30 years? I think you look abit too young for that. Is that adding you and
your brothers experience together?

I'll keep watch as I also love the build threads.
Great looking top to go with that set. I really like the inlay.
Gonna make a real nice guitar.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Well, that's one of the nicer things someone has said to me! Many thanks.
But ahh, 'tis true. Built my first guitar back in 1980 at the tender age of 27.
Brother's and my experience together would add up to over 60 years.

Anyway, thanks for the compliment.
Are you going to the Miami show?

Steve

[pappy27]

Nice work Steve and congratulations on your 30th luthiery anniversary. Looks like a beauty keep the pics coming.

I need to stop in your shop the next time I'm in Nacogdoches.

[cpabolting]

I just love the look of sinker redwood!

Very nice Steve!

[fitness1]

You're a BAAADDD man Steve.....as if I didn't have enough temptation already!!!

That's going to be beautiful....you sure come up with some exotic wood my friend. And, your eye for what matches and is aesthetically pleasing is WAY above the average!! That ebony will come alive when the finish is applied!!!

Keep it up....

[Huckleberry]

Wow, beautiful! I love the look and sound of ebony - that's going to be a killer guitar.

The inlay looks great too, though have to admit I'm a sucker for a plain, black, unadorned board.

[Martin_Nut]

Steve,

WOW, I'll be following this one closely. And you are right, for some of us this part of the forum is what is most interesting. Like the idea of Ebony and Redwood. That Celebes stuff is beautiful, for sure. Luck with the build. Thus far it's stunning looking!

[Tim McKnight]

Great looking build Steve. What is the tap tone of the ebony akin to?

[Steve Kinnaird]

Pappy, thanks. And DO stop by here. Sure, we're drive-through country...but we'll try to make the stop worth your while.

Keith, me too. And thanks to you also.

Todd, very kind of you my friend. Say, isn't there a guitar at Danny's that's calling your name?

Huckleberry, I'd be interested in more of your thoughts on ebony guitars.
What body shapes/sizes, top woods, etc. that you've experienced. There's a customer around here that just goes nuts for ebony paired with cedar--it's magical to him. I love the human ear and how each one has it's charm.

John, many thanks, and I hope the rest proves interesting to you. What caught my eye in this Celebes ebony were the red streaks--and it seemed like redwood would at least be visually complimentary as a top wood.

Tim--good question. Perhaps like Ziricote? Your querry drove me back up in the shop and had me whacking everything I could find.
It doesn't have the loooong sustain of Brazilian. But not an overly quick decay, either. One piece of this stuff yielded an unbelievably deep note, while another rather typical in pitch. You do get that glass-like quality of a very hard wood, so you know there will be a crispness in the trebles.
This is my first chance to use this ebony, and so far I like it a lot.

Thanks again guys,

Steve

[jameshughd]

Beautiful lutherie, there Steve. Thanks for posting it. I am adding the build thread to my subscription list. Was great meeting you at Healdsburg.

Speaking of Biblical flowers, sort of, I have been thinking about and designing, in my head, a "Rose of Sharon" guitar. One of these days perhaps.

Keep the faith. Preach the Word. Listen for love in the music your guitars make in the world. That's blessing for sure.

Peace.

[riorider]

Beautiful Steve - thanks for posting. What other flowers are 'on the list'? Intriguing idea.

Very nice ebony, and very smoothly colored sinker. I like that - personal I know - better than the striated varieties of sinker.

Thanks!

Phil

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Todd, very kind of you my friend. Say, isn't there a guitar at Danny's that's calling your name?

Only one????

[SteveS]

Steve,
I've been wondering why I recognise Nacogdoches. It seems that I had been there. I just figured out that there is a turn off (maybe several) from I-20 to Nacogdoches when I drive from Dallas/Fort Worth airport to North central Louisiana to visit my wife's family. I think there is a Cracker Barrel on one of those turn offs. If my wife isn't sleeping, we have to stop, and she somehow wakes up just in time to see the sign.

Maybe one of these times I'll hop in the car and pay you a visit.

Beautiful work, as always!

[Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Huckleberry, I'd be interested in more of your thoughts on ebony guitars.
What body shapes/sizes, top woods, etc. that you've experienced. There's a customer around here that just goes nuts for ebony paired with cedar--it's magical to him. I love the human ear and how each one has it's charm.

I've only had significant experience with two ebony guitars (hard to come by here in the UK), my Hamblin GC and a much larger Greenfield G4, both with spruce tops. Very different guitars, but some common characteristics.

Ebony seems to be similar to rosewood in rich overtones, but has far less inherent sustain (I guess it 'rings' less).

This seems to translate to fantastic clarity and string separation for fingerstyle, and a very precise bass response with no tendancy to muddy up even when playing complex bass voicings. Probably a bit firmer high-mid than most rosewood guitars - my fiancee described it as 'lyrical'.

The useful dynamic range of my Hamblin is wider than any other guitar I've played - right from barely touching it, it just gets louder and louder as you dig in without breaking up or becoming harsh. It's a very linear response too. I noticed this characteristic on the Greenfield too - one of the most powerful guitars I've ever played, but perhaps not quite as sensitive to a light touch.

I will say that ebony will reveal any flaws in your technique - when you get it right it sounds beautiful but the clarity and dynamic range are challenging to exploit. You've got to work on bringing out the melody in your voicings, because of the linear response you need to be right on, not just near with your touch. And any flaws in fretting, hammer-ons or pull-offs that may be glossed over by a more 'ringy' back will be revealed in all their unpleasant glory.

Overall, I love it. It makes you work hard, but the results are beautiful when you learn to control it.