New Edwinson Build - EPS MacEb & Adi

[bubbaprime]

Edwinson Performance Standard

updated Photos Feb 13, 2011

I don’t really know where to start with this, but to say that I’m just crazy excited about it for a number of reasons. My sole desire is to share the artistry of Stephen Sheriff and the Edwinson Guitar. I hope you’ll enjoy the thread as we watch together the construction of this, my dream instrument.

I decided to build with Steve after seeing some of his work here in the forum; specifically, it was the Falcon that J.R. showcased last year that originally caught my eye. I continued to research and check out some of the other guitars that Steve had built and was taken with his attention to detail and apparent passion for his craft. As providence would have it, I ended up moving across country to settle just south of Seattle and would end up having the opportunity to visit Edwinson Guitars personally before making my decision on a builder for my guitar. I traveled up to Seattle one drizzly morning and spent the afternoon hanging out in the shop with Steve and Aaron. I was impressed with how hospitable and friendly both guys were. I mean, I was in their workspace and they had stuff to do, but they never rushed me or made me feel as though I was intruding in any way.

I had spent quite a bit of time on Steve’s website and was impressed with how passionately he writes about his love for guitars and the art and craft of luthiery. I was equally impressed when I had the opportunity to meet with Steve personally and found him to be very genuine, humble, and eager to share his knowledge with me.

I was able to play a number of Edwinson Guitars and was smitten with the incredible attention and detail given to the instruments. I enjoyed listening to Steve’s build philosophy and found we shared an affinity for styles of play and certain aesthetics. I was sold. I wanted an Edwinson Guitar.

We've seen a few of the stellar examples of Steve's work in some of the smaller guitars, sought after for their intimate appeal and wonderful response to fingerstyle play. My skill set and style is heavier handed strumming and flat-picking, although I desire to learn fingerstyle guitar. Ultimately, I decided on an EPS (Edwinson Performance Standard) and wanted something that would be as close to a “best of all worlds” guitar for me. We decided on Macassar Ebony and Adirondack Spruce ultimately for the primary wood sets. I shared my vision with Steve and provided a number of ideas I had for the theme and handed over the reins, trusting his artistic skill and setting his passion loose to bring my dream to reality. I’m happy to share some of the first photos of this build thread and ecstatic to see the first results exceeding my expectations by leaps and bounds. I can’t wait to see the rest of this guitar come to life. Steve will be uploading and sharing his thoughts as he desires, so I’ll leave other details to his commentary and explanation.

For now, here we go…

Wood Sets: I selected portions of the ebony and boosted the contrast a bit to simulate what it might look like under finish.



Here is the Mac-Ebony back and Adi top cut out...(again, contrast boosted on one half to simulate the look under finish)



Here is Steve's marvelous translation of the Crown of Thorns Rosette. I'll give him opportunity to share a bit about the process. Most of it is over my head, but I can tell it is meticulous and taxing work:





And then the whole rosette glued in place... Count me joyfully speechless at this point, so I'll have to let Steve weigh in.



More to come...thanks for sharing!

[Sage97]

Wow!

Will be following this closely because mine may not be too far behind.

[hnuuhiwa]

Congrats Jeff...I'm thrilled to see another Edwinson build thread . Steve does do some amazing things with his rosettes as evidenced by your Crown of Thorns, which is stunning. I'll be watching this one for sure

[Berf]

This is going to be great to watch... thanks for sharing.

[theEdwinson]

Steve the Edwinson here...2011 is off and running! I can't imagine a better way to get the new year rolling than to begin this build for Jeff.

As he relates above, we hit it off very well from the start. Jeff is one of those people who walks into the room and the whole place lights up. We had an instant simpatico, and when Jeff began talking about what he wanted in his ideal guitar, I started seeing it in my mind's eye (and hearing it in my mind's ear) right away. He likes the same kind of sound and performance that I do.

This is a longtime dream for Jeff as well. He's always wanted a guitar that would be a lifetime companion, and never get old. He wanted a guitar that will go wherever his musical inclinations lead, and he wanted it to be a tangible and beautiful sounding reflection of his faith.

I felt deeply honored when Jeff asked me to build this guitar for him. It is not a task to be taken lightly, because there is already a great deal of emotional, artistic, and spiritual investment in it. This is just one more affirmation to me that I got into this work for the right reasons.

One of my philosophical certitudes is that "What is yours will come to you..." That can play a lot of different ways. In Jeff's case, it's the creation of his dream guitar. In my case, it's having further continuity to keep doing the work I love, to actually make a living at it, and to meet and become friends with such excellent folks as Jeff. Who could ask for more?

I decided to begin the New Year by making the rosette on Jeff's guitar. It seemed appropriate, as this is the one thing that defines the aesthetic for the rest of the instrument, and defines its character for the rest of the build.

On New Years Eve, I cut out a set of Sintra pattern blanks, which I would use to make inlay patterns at 600% size. These are used on my WW II era pantograph pattern engraver. The machine works like a CNC, except that I am the computer that runs it, and my hand is the servo motor that operates the stylus, driving the cutter head.

On New Years day, I did a lot of head scratching and chin rubbing, as I tried to draw out a Crown of Thorns theme on the blanks. My drawing muscles are weak, and I couldn't get anything that captured the design I was pondering. So I took a break for some quiet time. Then it came to me--I just needed to get out of my own way and let it happen.

I sketched the design out on six contiguous blanks in about fifteen minutes.
Then I got out the scroll saw and began cutting out what turned out to be 131 jigsaw puzzle pieces that comprised the Crown of Thorns design. Making the patterns for the pantograph engraving machine was the longest part of the process.

Making a rosette this way involves quite a bit of process, but it allows me a great deal of design freedom, and if the steps are carefully followed, I can achieve a much higher degree of accuracy than would be possible doing it the real old fashioned way, with a jeweler's saw, pattern files, and magnifying visor. I'm not Larry Robinson, and I'm not an eye surgeon either, so I could never do something like this without that 70-year old Gorton Pantograph.
If you're curious about the method, here's a link to a page in my site that shows the start-to-finish procedure:
http://edwinsonguitar.com/Edwinson_L...a_Rosette.html

I'm pretty happy with the way the Crown of Thorns turned out, and so is Jeff. So I'd call that a very auspicious start to this project.
Tonight, I bent the Macassar Ebony sides, and they came out flawlessly. More photos soon, as the soundbox takes shape. Cheers!

[jeastman]

Wow guys, that rosette is amazing. I love the colors, wood selection, everything. Also led me to spend a good 45 minutes reading your article and browsing your website, Edwin.

I'll be watching this one closely!

[Acoustom]

Love the shape of your new build and that rosette is gorgeous!! I'll be looking forward to more pics.

[revive]

Originally Posted by bubbaprime

That's probably the most beautiful mac I've ever seen! If you rotate it and look at it horizontally, it will remind you of sunset at the beach.

Very cool.

[Joel Stehr]

WOW! That rosette is a masterpiece!

[Larry Pattis]

Steve knows what he is doing, eh?

[kirkham13]

Another fabulous build ...

[bubbaprime]

Thanks everyone, for sharing this build with Steve and I, and thanks for such positive responses. This is going to be fun.

As I've already shared and Steve affirmed, I'm super stoked with the rosette for several reasons. It is certainly appealing with the general color choices (IMO), and the styling of the rings (especially with the red) really makes the whole design "pop." These details alone are great, but the "realistic" look of the vine/thorns and the variegated texture of the flamed koa take the rosette to a whole new level. The effort of the entire CoT being hand drawn and then etched/cut by the Pantograph recreates that organic look... real vines and thorns have bumps, bulges, and irregularities; thorns are sharp, rounded, and some broken off. This CoT reflects that authenticity, and I don't think my eye could discern any repeating patterns. Phenomenal. Art.

I don't want to give it away, but Steve and I have some more surprises. Even I am not sure exactly how these other ideas will be interpreted, but I am confident that I will be as blown away with the next developments as I was with this rosette. Stay tuned... more goodness is on the way!

[dogmother]

Pure artistry!
Not only are Steve's guitars beautiful, I can attest they feel and sound wonderful
Jeff...next time you're coming to visit Steve, let me know. My office is just a few blocks from his workshop. We can have coffee (and talk all things "Edwinson").
-Diane

[bubbaprime]

Originally Posted by dogmother

Pure artistry!
Not only are Steve's guitars beautiful, I can attest they feel and sound wonderful
Jeff...next time you're coming to visit Steve, let me know. My office is just a few blocks from his workshop. We can have coffee (and talk all things "Edwinson").
-Diane

You're on, Diane

[dwortman]

Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for inviting us to share in the realization of your dream.