Hatcher Studio '16 #2

[Mark Hatcher]

I've been moving along well with my spec ​Piña parlor guitar. I have the neck mostly laid up and am working on the laminates for the headstock;



This is a Hard Maple neck with a black bordered Padauk center laminate. In this picture I am gluing on a Black Ebony headstock overlay with a Bloodwood purfling line.

I also made the heel and end blocks which are being glued on here;



More to come!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Here are a couple update pictures of the Padauk parlor. I closed the body up today;







All that figure just can't wait to come out!

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

My supply of Koa that I had resawn from a large billet has lasted years but I have gotten down to the last few sets and have been looking for another nice billet for awhile now. Last Sunday I had the good fortune to come across this one;



It's 38"x10.5"x2" and nicely quarter cut;



Here are some pictures wetted with Naptha;







So keep those orders coming! I'll be in good supply

Mark

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

I am about ready to send the fourth of my show spec series off to the finisher.
I'll do some final clean up and the frets on Monday. This is my Penelope 12 fret model. It has abalone in places I have never put abalone before. The trim is Koa and the elevated neck is Koa as well;



The headstock is my sculpted pillow topped shape. I've never done one in black Ebony before and I can't wait to see how reflections will roll around on that sculpted head plate when it gets back from the finisher.











The black Ebony will get very black under finish but, the Koa will really come to life with more figure and a warmer red color. Here is the back of the neck wet with naptha;



Thanks for viewing!
Mark

The side abalone purfling going into the stringers in the neck is just amazing looking! The wild looking padauk and that koa billet are not too shabby either...

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

The side abalone purfling going into the stringers in the neck is just amazing looking! The wild looking padauk and that koa billet are not too shabby either...

Thanks Louie!

I expect the Black Ebony Penelope back in about two weeks. it was no easy task getting the abalone on the back of that neck!
I'll have more pictures of the Padauk guitar up this week. I'm binding it in Black Ebony with some new work around the heel. The guitar is looking a bit more "grown up" with the black trim.
I'm still strategizing the cuts to make the most of that Koa billet. I wish it were just 1 or 2 inches longer!

Thanks for commenting!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Here are some progress pictures of my Padauk parlor. I have closed up the body with a Swiss Moon Spruce top;





I'm trimming the guitar in Black Ebony;





Trying something new on my front strap button facet. I'm using a little more ebony and sculpting to remove some of the "step" between the heel of the neck and the cutaway. I like the flow of the line up top in this next pic without the "step";



I used some of the same Padauk to make the radial purfling for the top:



Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[TomB'sox]

Looks great so far, of course, I have come to expect nothing less from the Hatcher Shop!

[Nemoman]

That Padauk parlor is over the top Mark--love the understated elegance on this one!

[LouieAtienza]

Mark, I may be biased, but I love the way the heel transition looks. I remember seeing something similar in some of the archtop work that Mario Beauregard and Taku Sakashta had done. I had also experimented with a similar idea a few years back, and reprised it not too long ago. It does take the focal point away from that former corner and centers it...

[ukejon]

What a sweet little guitar!

[invguy921]

Gorgeous lines Mark! Your guitars have a unique elegance that speaks to me...and I think everyone else here as well

[j. Kinnaird]

beautiful wood, excellent trim choices. I'm really impressed with the color combinations.

John

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Looks great so far, of course, I have come to expect nothing less from the Hatcher Shop!

Thanks Tom,

I really enjoy the process of creating a new design and bringing it to reality.
It's addicting actually!

Originally Posted by Nemoman

That Padauk parlor is over the top Mark--love the understated elegance on this one!

Thanks Nemoman,

Yeah, not a lot of bling on this one. As loud as that Padauk is I was actually trying to tone it down a bit with the black trim. I am planning a little gold MOP flourish on 12 fret. I'm working on that today.

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

Mark, I may be biased, but I love the way the heel transition looks. I remember seeing something similar in some of the archtop work that Mario Beauregard and Taku Sakashta had done. I had also experimented with a similar idea a few years back, and reprised it not too long ago. It does take the focal point away from that former corner and centers it...

Thank you Louie,
There seems to be a lot of contemporary luthiers experimenting with that heel area especially when there is a cutaway. I feel the traditional look is a bit forced or clumsy looking imho. There is a lot of "meat" to work with in that area as the heel block is already there. It's a good area to experiment with design and ergonomics.

Originally Posted by ukejon

What a sweet little guitar!

Thanks Jon!

Originally Posted by invguy921

Gorgeous lines Mark! Your guitars have a unique elegance that speaks to me...and I think everyone else here as well

Thank you very much Woody. Of my five basic guitar body designs the parlor was the last and most struggled with. I took 3 years to draw a design I liked.
I'm glad it's appreciated

Thanks!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

beautiful wood, excellent trim choices. I'm really impressed with the color combinations.

John

Thanks John,

I see we both started similarly colored Padauk guitars at about the same time.
You went with black trim on your Wild Padauk OOO-12 also and it looks great!
I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks under finish.
That Padauk has such strong color and wild figure. It seems to me if we went with red or lightly colored trim it would look like peaches and cream cotton candy on a stick, fun but, we are trying to actually sell these works!

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Couple more days on this one and it will be ready for finish!

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Thanks for viewing!
Mark