Yet another Steve Sheriff (Edwinson) masterpiece....

Markkunkel · #1 02-05-2013, 05:42 PM

Wow. I am one grateful guy, to have witnessed the gestation (and soon the birthing) of this one, from afar. It's one of Steve Sheriff's Edwinson guitars, a Zephyr (his 00 design, 14 1/4" lower bout), and features Gabon ebony back and sides, reclaimed (from an old church beam) redwood for the top, florentine cutaway, spectacular snakewood binding and canary/red holly purfling lines all around, and multiscale (24.5" - 25.5") neck/saddle/nut/bridge/frets/bracing (!). After a bunch of work it looked like this:

and this:

and now, at least a few coats of finish and lots of sanding work ago, it looks like this:

Surely looking forward to giving this one a grateful home, and thanks so much, Steve, for all of your kind and smart and passionate work!

Mark

haolebrownie · #2 02-05-2013, 07:19 PM

Congratulations. Steve's work on your guitar looks amazing (as always - I know I love my Edwinson). Please post your impressions of the multiscale.

J.R. Rogers · #3 02-05-2013, 10:57 PM

Gorgeous! An Edwinson multi-scale masterpiece. The back and sides look like they use a very dense piece of wood. I really like the detail work on the binding and rosette too.

JR

Funkstarfish · #4 02-05-2013, 11:35 PM

geez, the detail on the binding is super sexy. I can't even imagine in my pea brain prettier guitars than what Steve builds. the man has an eye for aesthetics for sure.

hnuuhiwa · #5 02-06-2013, 12:59 AM

Hey Mark, that one looks great! Hope you enjoy it...are you playing more guitar now, or still mostly Mando? Aloha, Hen

Markkunkel · #6 02-06-2013, 05:45 AM

Thanks for the kind words, everyone....I appreciate them, and more importantly I'm certain that the artist appreciates them. He built this guitar amidst the transition to a new shop and a new set of life lessons, and among other things it is a tribute to the persistence of art and beauty in the world across miles and changes. Steve has been marvelous to work with.

I decided on a multiscale based in part on my long-ago custody of one of Michael Baskin's spectacular builds with a very similar lay-out. I remember the ergonomic transparency of the design, the visual aesthetic, and especially the richness and sparkle of the strings. I'm looking forward to this one.

And yes, Hen, I continue to play guitar in addition to mandolin and other mandolin-family instruments (including a five-course GDAEB cittern). Thanks to a Boomerang II phrase-sampler, my wife and I (as "Us Two and It") get to make music with all kinds of accompaniment and are having a great time....and looking forward to the Edwinson keeping us company!

Mark

ukejon · #7 02-06-2013, 06:09 AM

Hey, that guitar is no good. The frets are crooked. Send it to me and I'll use it as a sock holder.....

needspeed · #8 02-06-2013, 08:26 AM

Wow, Just Wow, your build is a grand slam home run. Look forward to your next update. Under finish it is going be radio active........Steve

theEdwinson · #9 02-07-2013, 01:09 PM

Hi, everybody,
I think that Mark is being quite generous in the title to this thread, calling this guitar a "masterpiece". To my way of thinking, masterpieces can only be made by Masters, and the only way to become a Master is to have a student--at LEAST one. (Mark is a college professor--so HE definitely has Master credentials!)

This Zephyr that I'm making for Mark is my number 71; a respectable number of guitars, sure. But I still consider myself to be a journeyman luthier. And will be for some time. Although my fondest ambition is to eventually take on some student/ apprentices.

That said, this "Zephyr Noir" is turning out to be a pretty darn nice guitar. Everything about the build has been pure pleasure for me. All the woods have cooperated beautifully--no bad attitude, which you almost expect from Ebony--just good-natured compliance and sweetness.

I told Mark awhile back that this guitar is EXACTLY the guitar I wish I owned. It's a very comfortable 00 size, with a cutaway, and a 24.5- 25.5" multi-scale; it's got this fantastic 100+ year-old Redwood top that allegedly came out of the roof beam of a country church that was built over a century ago in Southern Oregon...In every particular, THIS is the guitar I would build for myself as the ultimate keeper.

Since I will be attending the Healdsburg this year, I'll soon be starting another one like this on spec. Hopefully, I'll get to keep it, at least for awhile.

I got this amazing, primo set of Gabon Ebony from Michael Gurian in Seattle, almost three years ago. He had recently purchase a boxcar load of Ebony logs, some of which were quite large--big enough to re-saw into guitar sets. I've seen some other Gabon ebony sets for sale recently, but none this nice. This wood was quarter-sawn, so it's likely to be very stable. The sides bent flawlessly. And the color is very uniform black, with some subtle grey streaking. This is considered to be the best of the best.
I still have two sets of this ebony in my stash. Great stuff, and quite rare.

Where we're at now with this build is pretty close to the finish line. That is, the lacquer is curing, and final wet-sanding, polishing, and buffing are about a week out. I expect to have this Zephyr strung up in 7- 10 days.

It's been a long wait for Mark, and he's been amazingly generous and patient. When I had to pull up stakes and move away from Seattle, I lost a couple months on my production schedule. But I think it'll be worth the wait. I'm also really pleased that Mark only lives a short distance away, right next door in Georgia. So we will meet in person when it's time to hand over the Zephyr Noir. That will be a good day!

billder99 · #10 02-09-2013, 11:52 PM

Steve,

Love your work and I believe you are destined to be one of the Greats, this Falcon Noir is spectacular.

Don't mean to hijack, but just looked at your updated homepage. Just wanted to send best wishes for your Dad, hope his transition is going well. My mother passed away in December, sisters and I have been scrambling to figure out the best situation for my 91 year old Dad. Very tough time in life, I think it is terrific that you are moving close to him so you can near for this twilight days. You are a good son.

BD

theEdwinson · #11 02-18-2013, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billder99

Steve,

Love your work and I believe you are destined to be one of the Greats, this Falcon Noir is spectacular.

Don't mean to hijack, but just looked at your updated homepage. Just wanted to send best wishes for your Dad, hope his transition is going well. My mother passed away in December, sisters and I have been scrambling to figure out the best situation for my 91 year old Dad. Very tough time in life, I think it is terrific that you are moving close to him so you can near for this twilight days. You are a good son.

BD

Thanks so much for your kind words. Deepest condolences on the passing of your Mother, and I want to wish you the best of good fortune with your Dad. I wish we could all come to a beautiful and affirming resolution. So be it!

This Zephyr Noir is the first guitar across the finish line in Edwin's shop. My Dad has been thoroughly enjoying the whole process of watching guitars being created here. He's very curious about the details of guitar design and construction, because lutherie is such an arcane type of woodworking. There are very few flat planes and almost no right angles in this work.
My father's furniture making arts are equally mystifying to me. I regret that I never had a chance to look over his shoulder while he was creating his masterpieces. He spent twenty five years after he retired (at age 62) following his true passion, and now he has a house full of museum-quality furniture.

Mark is coming over to pick up his new guitar this weekend. She's been strung up for five or six days now. Sounds like a million bucks, right out of the starting gate.
Without further adieu, here are some photos of the finished Multiscale Zephyr Noir:

AMW · #12 02-18-2013, 05:43 PM

What a stunning instrument. Absolutely beautiful. Excellent work!

hnuuhiwa · #13 02-18-2013, 06:01 PM

Beautiful Steve, as always

prickards · #14 02-19-2013, 11:23 AM

Wow! Amazing work Steve. Congratulations. Just goes to show, great workmanship can travel anywhere. Glad to see you back in full gear.

Markkunkel · #15 03-03-2013, 06:48 AM

"Wow" is right. What a gift it was to make the drive over to Birmingham yesterday, to meet Steve's dear parents and sister and to share their lovely home and hearth, to savor his father's art masquerading as furniture, to get an appreciative glimpse at his mother's art in pottery and paint, to stand by and to even wade into the sea in which Steve's art was conceived and nourished and took shape, and then to welcome this new guitar into my heart and hands and life. Steve will pass along some final guitar pictures but I wanted, today, to thank him publicly for the beauty and passion and abundant spirit he brings to his life and work. I'm going to treasure this new addition to my little guitar family, and trust that the words of blessing Steve whispered into the soundhole as he placed the dark shining Zephyr into my hands will ring around in there and emerge musically for many years to come.

THANKS.

Mark

... and yes, it IS a masterpiece. Not THE masterpiece, I'm pretty sure, but certainly one of them, for Steve.