First ever Applegate Build Thread - 12 fret 00 Cedar/BRW

[Guitars44me]

This guitar is a knockout!

I was dumbfounded by the teflon joke... haha. I was unaware teflon was used on PW Martins! Snicker

I have never even heard of a BRW neck. This should deliver the sonic goods!

And, for folks who are hesitant to try a new builder's work, or order one. You are missing out on a big part of the AGF fun!

Ask a ton of questions and specify just what you want, and go for it! If you do not get your name in lights up the FB, it SHOULD be returnable or sellable here in the candy store...

Cheers

Paul

[bobernet]

Thanks, Paul!

And just a quick clarification for those who may not have heard of Brian Applegate before... he might a new builder to you, but he's not a new builder. Brian's been making guitars for almost 20 years.

[Zandit75]

Double Post

[Zandit75]

Looks fantastic, and yes you got me too with the teflon joke. I'm looking at the screen thinking NO!!!! What an idiot!!!!
Then I saw it taken out, and the Paua put in it's place, and then I thought NO!!! What an idiot!!! Put the teflon back in!!!!

[SiliconValleySJ]

Originally Posted by steveh

Don't worry - we're all here living vicariously.

There's only so many "wow" and "great build" posts, in me at least.
I'd take more notice of views than posts - you've had >3.3K.

cheers,
Steve

Much agree. I also tend to more closely follow posts with guitars I would personally consider, and for me, an 00 is never in the cards bc I like larger guitars. Even my 000 feels too small at times.

An Applegate in BRW should be amazing.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[downtime]

Enjoying the build thread, really looking forward to seeing the Brazilian under finish.

[ukejon]

Originally Posted by bobernet

As scarce as Brazilian back and side sets are getting, it's even less common to find blanks large enough for a quality guitar neck. This build will sport Brian's traditional 5 piece neck design, but the main ingredient will be Brazilian Rosewood.

Brian and I both believe that the density of the neck can and does contribute to sustain. The sustain of my Port Orford Cedar / Ziricote FS from Brian is unbelievable. It is the only guitar I've ever seen to use Ziricote as a major component of the neck. We believe that using Brazilian here, despite being rare and expensive, gives us the best opportunity (along with other construction details) to replicate or exceed that trait which I love in my other FS.

Final comment on this particularly long update post...

I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of response to this build. I feel like I'm doing Brian a disservice, as my goal was really to showcase his work, process and skill to a broader audience at AGF. I hope that interest and engagement will increase as we get farther along and there's more guitar to behold.

Thanks for reading, and please PM me if there's something I can add that would make this more interesting to the readers.

All the best... Bob

My Hatcher has a rosewood neck and the sustain is quite remarkable. No problems with the weight putting the guitar of balance....really can't tell the difference. This feature should be a great addition to your Applegate.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by bobernet

Final comment on this particularly long update post...

I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of response to this build. I feel like I'm doing Brian a disservice, as my goal was really to showcase his work, process and skill to a broader audience at AGF. I hope that interest and engagement will increase as we get farther along and there's more guitar to behold.

Thanks for sharing your build...

I recommend that you don't misinterpret a "lack of response" for a "lack of interest". Some of us are quietly enjoying watching this build and appreciate the details that you are sharing with the forum. Additionally, remember that your build thread will continue to be looked at long after you take delivery of your guitar. There are a small group of builders who are extremely popular among a particularly vocal group of AGF participants. These tend to get a higher degree of thread participation. Perhaps you are comparing your thread participation to those? My recommendation is don't and to continue to post as you have been doing.

For what it is worth, I would say that most build threads that I have posted, I feel as if I am mostly talking to myself. However, I continue to do it because threads like these are around as long as this site remains and someone in the future considering commissioning a guitar with (insert luthier's name here) will be very thankful that you did.

As players, we all tend to focus on the final results of the process (the finished product). Threads like these chronicle the decision making process underpinning a custom guitar. They also document a builder's process and illustrate some of the subtle distinctions that make Brian's guitars different from his peers. As far as I can tell, this is a unique feature of this website.

My $.02

[Guitars44me]

Plus 1 for the comments from Bob, above!

These threads are very informative, and helpful when considering a purchase!

Cheers

Paul

[gstar]

I also have been quietly watching this thread. Thanks for posting. I've talked to Brian before and found him to be very friendly. Living in MN, I'm very interested in seeing his work.

Also, any exposure you generate from sharing your build is extra publicity for Brian. Your doing him a favor and not letting him down in any way. Mr. Applegate would be more popular here if he posted more of his work himself, sponsored the forum, joined in forum discussion, or encouraged others to share their builds (not that he needs to do any of this if he so chooses). You're definitely doing your part.

Best of luck with the completion of your guitar.

[bobernet]

Thanks for all the great discussion and comments, folks! Today's update is brief, but gives a nice view of how the neck is coming together.

First, a jig to set the headstock angle. Brian uses a 13 degree offset.



And here the "ears" of the headstock are getting ready for gluing.



I'm looking forward to the fingerboard work (inlay, binding, etc) soon!

[Nemoman]

That is some nice, rich looking BRW on that neck--gonna be beautiful...

[bobernet]

Hello, AGF. For our pre-Thanksgiving update, I'm showcasing some work on the headstock.

First, glueing and clamping the headstock veneer...



Then some binding and purfling...




More purfling, and note that the channel for the Applegate "A" logo has been routed.



And the mostly finished product...



A quick peek at the bound fingerboard while we work out final details of the inlay. More discussion of that along with some Brian Applegate tidbits in the next post.

[bobernet]

Brian and I communicate a lot via text and email. He's always willing to hop on the phone, but I try not to monopolize his time, and be respectful of the work he needs to get done on other projects as well as my own.

This morning, we were exchanging some texts about fretboard inlay, and I thought it would be faster just to hop on the phone. Resolving that one issue was probably faster, but we ended up spending a half hour or 45 minutes just catching up and having interesting discussions.

One surprising thing about commissioning a build with Brian is that it's a whole lot more like making a new friend than it is like conducting a business transaction. What started out as me waffling a little on the inlay design and whether it was too "busy" with the binding and purfling, ended as a conversation about whether I'd read any of Somogyi's books and his thoughts on quarter-sawn vs flat-sawn wood, the science of sound transmission through different top woods, Brian's PhD program, our respective in-laws, and a commitment to sharing some single malt scotch.

Brian is a very humble guy who tends to downplay his knowledge, intelligence, and the quality of his craftsmanship. When you go to his website or talk on the phone, you won't see or hear a lot of fanfare about his accomplishments or qualifications, and yet he is really working at a level amongst the very best in this business. If you talk to those who have held his work side by side with Kostal, Somogyi, Olson, Ryan, etc, you might hear a preference for one builder's signature tone over another's, but you won't hear his craftsmanship or attention to detail questioned by any.

He is working on a PhD with a research project and thesis on the science, physics and objective approach to quantifying guitar building with the organic materials we all love.

Anyway, we landed the plane on the inlay design and materials, which I hope to show you all soon. Brian is going to create a CAD image with the design I want imposed over the actual fretboard, binding and purfling so we can confirm and make adjustments. The process is much more involved than simply tracing a paper template and buying some pre-made inlay material cut with saws in Asia somewhere.

I hope you all have a great holiday.

[Nemoman]

Looking forward to seeing what you guys cooked up!