Kinnaird Guitars Student Build: The Trilogy

[vpolineni]

Originally Posted by Carpinteria

Congratulations on another great build! I feel like your design and craftsmanship are perfect in a number of ways: a 12 fret neck on a 12 string is a wonderful idea, the wood combinations will really work well on a 12 string, and I’m interested in seeing how the finish looks. I used Tru-oil on a Koa ukulele a few years ago and was super happy with it. Well done.

Thanks a lot Dave and good to know you had a pleasant experience with tru-oil. Hopefully mine will turn out as well!

Originally Posted by jguns

Congrats Vasu on another really cool build! Thanks for taking us along. I hope you will continue to post updates and pictures as you embark on the finishing of this instrument. I for one would love to have a front row seat to see how this next step unfolds.

Cheers,
John

Thanks John. I'm looking forward to following along your student build as you find time to comment and post pictures. I hadn't planned on posting updates/pictures as I sand but will share my experiences in the end.

Originally Posted by nootis

Vasu! Congratulations on the trifecta. I'm not the envious type, but now that I've seen this thread, I've got to admit to being a little envious now. Once again, job well done. If possible, please do share your finish process. Are you going to attempt to do your own setup too?

I'm looking forward to seeing the end result assuming it makes it to B.I.G. III.

Thanks Dan! I'll be sure to share the finish process here and in detail with you at B.I.G III though I'm not sure if the finished guitar will make it. Hopefully it will be of value and you'll put it to use in the future!

I may be a fool to try my own finish but I'm not an idiot. I will leave the setup process in the expert hands of Ryan. Keeping with the experimenting trend, I have a different idea for the final setup and will elaborate more once the guitar is strung up.

[cigarfan]

Just waiting for the day Kinnaird West announces the newest member of the team. Congrats on number 3! Looks tremendous. Looking like a real pro there Vasu!

[vpolineni]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Just waiting for the day Kinnaird West announces the newest member of the team. Congrats on number 3! Looks tremendous. Looking like a real pro there Vasu!

Thank you Dennis! I don't know how I missed this but I appreciate the kind words. As I've said in my previous build threads: if I can do this, anyone can. That's due to the excellent teaching by Steve and Ryan, as John alluded to in his student build thread. Another aspect worth mentioning is the one week timeframe to walk away with a guitar in the white wouldn't be possible without all of the prep work Ryan does in advance. It makes the experience of a lifetime also be a bargain, quite frankly.

Speaking of guitar in the white, I spent this weekend sanding. This was on hold until I received some special tools:



A HUGE thank you to Brian Itzkin for making these sanding blocks for me. The icing on the cake is he used cutoffs from my crossover build with him so these have extra meaning. He's also been very patient, answering my questions and checking my work which has lead me to the point where sanding and micromesh work are now complete and I'll be applying the finish coats. I'll take pictures and post here once that is finished.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Nice sanding blocks. Maybe we should offer something similar?

SK

[mhw48]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Nice sanding blocks. Maybe we should offer something similar?

SK

Perhaps you could offer a subset of student builds: students building guitar building tools!

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by mhw48

Perhaps you could off a subset of student builds: students building guitar building tools!

Excellent idea! Stay tuned for details.

SK

[Itzkinguitars]

those sanding blocks I made for Vasu are nicer than the blocks I made for myself lol. I used the cutoffs from vasu’s figured spanish cedar neck, excess material from the brazilian rosewood sides, red veneer which I bought far too much of thanks to my ineptness at understanding Spanish, and half inch cork.

[vpolineni]

Originally Posted by Itzkinguitars

those sanding blocks I made for Vasu are nicer than the blocks I made for myself lol. I used the cutoffs from vasu’s figured spanish cedar neck, excess material from the brazilian rosewood sides, red veneer which I bought far too much of thanks to my ineptness at understanding Spanish, and half inch cork.

Hey... I need all the help I can get! The smallest size was super helpful for the waist.

[mhw48]

Originally Posted by vpolineni

In a foolish but never ending attempt to explore this craft, I'll be attempting to finish the guitar myself […] I'll share pictures of it once finished and strung up […]

Vasu, I am very curious: how is the finishing going?

[vpolineni]

Originally Posted by mhw48

Vasu, I am very curious: how is the finishing going?

Thank you for asking, I forgot to update this thread and spoiler alert: the finishing process is over! I handed over the guitar to Steve and Ryan today at BIG and both seemed to give me a passing grade at my attempt to applying a finish on my own.

I definitely could not have done this without the tutelage of Brian Itzkin. He kept my mistakes to a minimum and helped me correct those that were made. Between him and the GAL article, I found the process to be relatively straightforward though I know what I'll do differently next year. That's right - this will be my preference going forward because it's a great experience and total cost was less than $50. That leaves more money for student builds .

Here are some pictures of the final product, hope you all enjoy it! Thanks for following:

[mhw48]

Impressive job! I would imagine that finish work is as satisfying as the building -- seeing the grain of the wood really come to life.

[Brad Goodman]

Beautiful Guitars! I’m glad you stuck with it.
Time to start on the fourth!

[Guitars44me]

Looks Great! Way to go!!!

Have FUN at BIG

Paul

[vpolineni]

Originally Posted by mhw48

Impressive job! I would imagine that finish work is as satisfying as the building -- seeing the grain of the wood really come to life.

Thanks Martin! It was pretty special watching the grain shine through after each coat of finish. I'm still a bit surprised at how well it turned out but it is a straightforward process that requires a lot of prep sanding.

Originally Posted by Brad Goodman

Beautiful Guitars! I’m glad you stuck with it.
Time to start on the fourth!

Thanks so much Brad! I have some ideas for #4 - whoever said lutherie is addictive was not wrong!

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

Looks Great! Way to go!!!

Have FUN at BIG

Paul

Thank you Paul! I handed off the guitar to Steve and Ryan to bring back to Kinnaird west headquarters, where the bridge will be applied along with the setup. Hopefully Steve will make a recording of it so we can all hear how it sounds! I'll be thrilled if it's anywhere close to the 12 string that sold at BIG.

[vpolineni]

I'm long overdue for an update. I've had the 12th string for a little over a week now and I could not be more. The combination of Port Orford Cedar and Tasmanian Blackwood is unique and it brings a little extra chime compared to the sitka/mahogany 12 string Kinnaird that I recently heard at BIG.

With that said, the guitar is not overly jangly which was a distinct goal throughout the build. This is because I chose a specific set of strings that are a little heavier on the non chorus strings (huge thank you to HogsNRoses for this information https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=650380) and I did a reverse orientation on the low E and low a string where the heavier strings on top.

The interesting upside is that it gives the guitar two different voices. There is more bass when I play a Barre chord but when I play the same chord with just the top 4 strings it's like a traditional 12 string, more bright and full of jangle.

This was my first attempt at applying a finish and the liberon oil method is highly recommended for an amateur. The final thickness is very thin reminds me of a lowden, having a satin sheen to its finish.

I may sound like a broken record, but it was another amazing experience with Steve and Ryan. I've always wanted a 12 string and there's actually one factory guitar with the same bridge spacing (gibson j45 believe it or not) but the end result of my week long adventure is an irreplaceable guitar that I helped to build and hopefully the beginning of future short scale Kinnaird 12 strings!