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  #46  
Old 04-17-2021, 06:40 AM
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You are in for a fantastic experience once this beauty reaches your hands. Rory is at the top of his game and only getting better and better.
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  #47  
Old 04-21-2021, 04:19 PM
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Makin' a bridge from African Blackwood! I've heard the stuff works like a hot knife through butter

Thanks for following!

Matt

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  #48  
Old 04-21-2021, 06:28 PM
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Beautiful, Scallywag, and shiny already : )
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  #49  
Old 04-22-2021, 05:48 AM
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What a great bridge. It's nice that something simple and functional can also look fantastic.
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  #50  
Old 04-22-2021, 05:19 PM
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That is a great display at just how much work is involved by making something that seems so easy to make. The truth: It's not so easy!
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  #51  
Old 04-22-2021, 09:27 PM
Scallywag Scallywag is offline
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It’s seeing this kind of hand work that, to be honest, really makes me take pause and appreciate where I find personal value in these builds.

Sure, a machine could perform 95% of making this bridge. But that’s not the point. It’s here, where I support craftsman and craftswomen, and the trade, and the richness it brings to those that take the time to appreciate it.

I will continue to invest in this idea. Let it never die. Certainly not on my watch.
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  #52  
Old 04-23-2021, 04:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scallywag View Post
It’s seeing this kind of hand work that, to be honest, really makes me take pause and appreciate where I find personal value in these builds.

Sure, a machine could perform 95% of making this bridge. But that’s not the point. It’s here, where I support craftsman and craftswomen, and the trade, and the richness it brings to those that take the time to appreciate it.

I will continue to invest in this idea. Let it never die. Certainly not on my watch.
I wholeheartedly agree with the spirit of this post. I'm not in a position to do this on a regular basis, but feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to do it once. I am in awe at the level of knowledge, skill, and passion that goes into building these, and will enjoy the guitar all the more for being allowed to ride on the coat-tails for a short time.
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  #53  
Old 04-30-2021, 03:11 PM
Scallywag Scallywag is offline
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OK! The guitar is in the finish stage so Rory sent along some photos he'd sat on so that I had some new images to enjoy while the paint dries (quite thoughtful!). Here we can see the neck being carved and fitted.

I opted for Rory's negative neck taper, wherein the thickness of the neck decreases as you go higher up the fretboard. The idea is to keep the in-hand mass the same regardless of where you are playing. Because the neck widens the higher up you go he decided to also try reducing the neck depth the higher up you go to compensate, providing a more consistent neck "heft" in the hand.

As stated earlier, this neck is carved from Santos Mahogany and features an African Blackwood fretboard. Particularly interesting to me is the unique neck joint that Rory has developed. Like the rosette and bevel, the head veneers are sand-faded Scottish burr elm.

As an aside, and because folks have asked, this guitar features a four-piece back. The reason for this is that it's nearly (and perhaps literally?) impossible to find a well-quartered set of African Blackwood that's large enough for a guitar back plate of this size. So we instead went with four well-quartered pieces to reap the benefits of wood that is cut this way.

Thanks for following!

Matt


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Last edited by Scallywag; 04-30-2021 at 03:20 PM.
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  #54  
Old 04-30-2021, 03:13 PM
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Part 2 of the previous post.

Thanks again for following!

Matt


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  #55  
Old 04-30-2021, 03:23 PM
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Thanks for the visual treat. The guitar looks like it's going to be really beautiful - not that that's much of a surprise. I found out this week that Rory's starting mine next week so there will be some overlap with yours. Been very exciting following this knowing mine is just around the corner.
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  #56  
Old 04-30-2021, 03:36 PM
Scallywag Scallywag is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MThomson View Post
Thanks for the visual treat. The guitar looks like it's going to be really beautiful - not that that's much of a surprise. I found out this week that Rory's starting mine next week so there will be some overlap with yours. Been very exciting following this knowing mine is just around the corner.
That's great news, I'm really happy for you! Perhaps our two guitars will share a bit of soul, like two entangled particles forever connected across space. I've been watching too many YouTube videos on quantum physics!
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  #57  
Old 04-30-2021, 04:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scallywag View Post
That's great news, I'm really happy for you! Perhaps our two guitars will share a bit of soul, like two entangled particles forever connected across space. I've been watching too many YouTube videos on quantum physics!
Sounds pretty good to the romantic in me even as the sceptic starts to pick at the theory. But I'm sure there's some affinity between the builds and I hope you enjoy yours as much as I intend to enjoy mine!

p.s. There's no such thing as too many videos on quantum physics.
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  #58  
Old 05-02-2021, 07:24 PM
Scallywag Scallywag is offline
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I have one additional photo to share from Rory and co that's particularly special for me. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I'm getting married soon. Next Saturday in fact. This guitar is wedding gift to myself. My girl likes purple, and purple is the color of the company logo where we both work, and in fact where we first met, a wee tech startup at the time which is now publicly traded on the NASDAQ. So, there's some significance to it.

She's a great girl... not only is she totally cool with me having this instrument built, she's also incredibly supportive and excited for me. She's a keeper, so I put a ring on it!

Anyways, Rory caught word of my pending nuptials so he and his crew sent over this photo. It's so very thoughtful and my heart was warmed when I saw it. Part of me doesn't want this build to end.

Off to Florida tomorrow to get hitched! Hopefully I'll have some more photos of the guitar to share when I return. I'll share some pics of the wedding too!

Matt

P.S. I've learned that Sláinte means "health" in Scottish Gaelic!


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  #59  
Old 05-03-2021, 08:56 PM
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Congrats, man!!
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  #60  
Old 05-04-2021, 01:44 AM
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Wow, a wedding and a new guitar! It'll be hard to stop you from smiling for the next year or so!

Congratulations on both.
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