A Kostal MDW for cigarfan

[cigarfan]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Holy cow, that beats the snot out of the sapwood! How did that wood even get dyed like that, man that is cool stuff.

Couldn't agree more. And I like sapwood!

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

This is going to be a MONSTER!!!
I second Tom on the dyed burl. Fantastic stuff
Cheers
Paul

Thanks Paul. I'd rather think of it as Beauty the Beast!

Originally Posted by ericcsong

Dennis,
Looks amazing! Sorry I missed you and John in Vienna. Glad to see more Kostals coming to the DC area!

Yeah, we missed you in Vienna. Have to try and do that again!

Jason told me the inlays are dyed Alder Burl. Can't believe he got this all done in one evening.

The back clamped down and first slot cut.



All three slots cut ready for deco inlays.



Each inlay gets purfling.



Inlays are glued in place.



Inlays complete, the back in the white (no juice).



Here is the back with a light coat of sanding sealer to protect it.



OMG! So awesome and we are just getting started!



On to the top. Can't wait to see what he does with the rosette!

[nobo]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Holy cow, that beats the snot out of the sapwood! How did that wood even get dyed like that, man that is cool stuff.

What this guy said! (Including the "I love guitars" signature!).

This is going to be SPECTACULAR!!!

Incredible ABW, outstanding rosette and backstrip, that burl!!!! And all in the hands of JK? What's not to like? Well, apart from it not being mine?

[cigarfan]

Originally Posted by nobo

What this guy said! (Including the "I love guitars" signature!).
This is going to be SPECTACULAR!!!
Incredible ABW, outstanding rosette and backstrip, that burl!!!! And all in the hands of JK? What's not to like? Well, apart from it not being mine?

I agree with you all the way around. And actually, I'm kinda liking the fact it's not yours!

[iim7V7IM7]

A beautiful visual accent against the blackness of the melanoxylon...

[Nemoman]

I gotta admit, I was bummed to see the sapwood go...

But those burl inlays more than make up for it!

Yowzah!!!

[TomB'sox]

Oh my word Dennis, you have to over-the-moon with this. Those pictures with the sealer, are you kidding??? Hard to imagine how good it is going to look with the complete finish.

The sad thing is, this may end up being confiscated by the Smithsonian or Metropolitan Museum of Art and hung as a piece of art.

Well done Jason!!!

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

The sad thing is, this may end up being confiscated by the Smithsonian or Metropolitan Museum of Art and hung as a piece of art.

I heard the Louvre has already made an offer.


The asymmetrical placement is magnificent. I'm loving the dyed burl as well. I can see how this will work with a rosette like that one you posted above.

[mountainguitar]

Wow! What everyone else had said! . We're running out of words.....

The artistry is incredible! And then to imagine Jason's tone coming out of this art quite soon.... It's so wonderful following this thread and seeing this instrument being built.

This is what my husband calls "guitar porn" at it's best!!

beth

[doodahdoug]

Beyond Gorgeous! Can't wait to see more.

[invguy921]

Really great look Dennis. Anxious to be able to continue to follow your build. Spectacular!

[cigarfan]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

A beautiful visual accent against the blackness of the melanoxylon...

Thx Bob. In Swahili ABW is Mpingo. May play into the naming of the guitar, I don't know. ABW is actually harder than Ebony or Brazilian Rosewood.

Originally Posted by Nemoman

I gotta admit, I was bummed to see the sapwood go...
But those burl inlays more than make up for it!
Yowzah!!!

I could tell Jason's first instinct was to keep the sapwood. But once we discussed the inlays he agreed, better to have them against the darker background.

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Oh my word Dennis, you have to over-the-moon with this. Those pictures with the sealer, are you kidding??? Hard to imagine how good it is going to look with the complete finish.
The sad thing is, this may end up being confiscated by the Smithsonian or Metropolitan Museum of Art and hung as a piece of art.
Well done Jason!!!

If they come for it, they will have to get through me first.

Originally Posted by Erithon

I heard the Louvre has already made an offer.
The asymmetrical placement is magnificent. I'm loving the dyed burl as well. I can see how this will work with a rosette like that one you posted above.

I'm kinda anxious to see what Jason does with the rosette. His wood dying skills are incredible but, because it's wood, there is no guarantee of specific results. We'll see.

Originally Posted by bmh1

Wow! What everyone else had said! . We're running out of words.....
The artistry is incredible! And then to imagine Jason's tone coming out of this art quite soon.... It's so wonderful following this thread and seeing this instrument being built.
This is what my husband calls "guitar porn" at it's best!!
beth

Thx Beth. The journey is a blast isn't it?

Originally Posted by doodahdoug

Beyond Gorgeous! Can't wait to see more.

Thx Doug.

Originally Posted by invguy921

Really great look Dennis. Anxious to be able to continue to follow your build. Spectacular!

Thx for following along Mike.


Now on the go-bar deck for gluing of the Mahogany center seam.

[cigarfan]

The back gets Ebony reinforcement strips, also on the go-bar deck for about 6 hours. Next will be addition of the braces.

[TennesseeWalker]

Wow - beautiful work being done here

[cigarfan]

Originally Posted by TennesseeWalker

Wow - beautiful work being done here

I have to agree. Jason's work is something to behold. And the shop is always kept emaculate!

Braced are glued and drying on the go-bar deck. Here you can plainly see the Ebony reinforcement strips.

The back reinforcement strips serve three major functions... the most important, is they help mitigate cracking or stop a crack should one appear. Each brace and reinforcement strips is a glue joint that a crack must defeat in order to migrate, so it helps stabilize the back and prevent any unwanted damage from getting worse. Second is they help maintain the dome of the back. Tops and backs are glued onto the rim with spherical or cylindrical curves to them. A top has a lot of bracing that goes all over the top so the tops tend to maintain their shape very well... the back has a lot of space and are braced perpendicular to the grain orientation. Given that Jason is going for a spherical shape the braces do an ok job, but the reinforcement strips make it better when coupled with the center seam going the length of the back. The third reason is it just looks cool when you look in the sound hole and see contrasting colors between the braces and the strips.




Jason is busy working on dying the woods for the rosette. He wants to get it just so and tells me it may take him a few tries so it may be a little while until he picks up with the pics again. I am on the edge of my seat!

[Ovation1]

Wall of chisels, holy smoke!