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  #1  
Old 01-13-2020, 06:06 PM
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Default Ben Wilborn/Nautilox: Tunnel 14/BRW! Final VIDEO added!!!

Ok, so this one is really going to be special for me (well they all are, but this one maybe even more so).

So you may know the story, Ben had an experimental guitar that he would try different braces on and could remove the top easily and try different stuff. Well that got me thinking and him thinking and throwing ideas out and the next thing you know the Nautilus was born. This was the first guitar that I can say I actually played a small role in the design and mechanics of. Ben did 90% of it of course, but I can honestly say I added a few things to his plans that worked out. The biggest thing I did was say, hey I want one of these things (it had no name at that point), which forced him to move forward and get something done.

He built the initial one as a prototype which made sense and then built a Lion for Nemoman that incorporated a lot of the design elements of the prototype.

Now he begins mine which will be a larger model, based on his Elliebelle model which is in the OM range.

Ben went through all of his wood stash for me and nothing really made me bite. He knew what I wanted, so like the great friend he is, he went out among the people and found what I was looking for! This is the set of BRW that he found. I wanted figure, but as close to quarter sawn as he could find. I would have to give him an A+. The sides by the way will be a triple laminate of BRW, maple, and an interior of wenge. They should make the construct nice and stiff!


nautilus back.jpg nautilus sides.jpg


For the top, Ben has recently gotten several sets of Tunnel 14 Redwood (one better IMO than that old Tunnel 13 stuff ) that he really liked. Redwood has become one of my favorite tops as it seems to fit really nicely in between cedar and Spruce showing the best of both in the guitars I have played. Ben built my Black Lion with Redwood which is a wonderful small bodied guitar. Now a lot of folks like a perfectly clean top. I went the other way and took this set which has the black staining from whatever mineral or creosote or smoke that stained it because I love that character. That has got a story...and it had the best tap tone to boot!


nautilus top 1.jpg


So this is the start of what is likely to be a fantastic guitar. This one, Nemoman's Lion Nautilus, and a full sized Nautilus based on Ben's Dred sized guitar will all be done for B.I.G. (er) 2020 which should be an amazing A/B/C opportunity. The latter guitar is going to be an amazing waterfall Sapele back and sides with some of that old Sitka Ben has had lying around for 40 plus years.

The thought of 3 different body sizes with the same Nautilus style construction to try back to back is pretty cool to me.

Thanks for reading this whole thing if you made it this far. I may post pictures of the Sapele Nautilus too if Ben wants me too.

Woot woot!
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Last edited by TomB'sox; 03-20-2020 at 07:37 AM.
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Old 01-13-2020, 07:45 PM
dhockenbury dhockenbury is offline
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This should be an outstanding instrument Tom. Love your specs for this one. Incredible BRW back.

I look forward to seeing all three at B.I.G. (er) soon.
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Old 01-13-2020, 07:51 PM
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Love the wood choices, this will be fun to follow!
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Old 01-13-2020, 08:39 PM
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I really Like the Tunnel 14 top!!! I like character in the tops, myself. And if it sounds better, it IS better.

This will be WAY FUN to watch, and I am looking forward to some interesting reviews from B.I.G.er on all three Nautilus models.

Congratulations on another stellar build

Have FUN

Paul
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Old 01-13-2020, 09:34 PM
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Congrats, Tom!!! Wonderful start to this build!
Love Redwood......LS, Tunnel 13, 14.......great provenance and superior "everything"! The B&S are spectacular!!
Standing by, following along!
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  #6  
Old 01-14-2020, 12:36 AM
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Wow, Tom! Going to be fun to watch this come together and even better yet to see and hear it in person at BIGer.
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Old 01-14-2020, 07:34 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dhockenbury View Post
This should be an outstanding instrument Tom. Love your specs for this one. Incredible BRW back.

I look forward to seeing all three at B.I.G. (er) soon.
Thank you, so glad you are coming to B.I.G. (er) first of all and second of all, I will have a chair and quiet room all set for you to go this a go! Ben is pretty excited about that back, as am I.

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Originally Posted by jaan View Post
Love the wood choices, this will be fun to follow!
Thank you so much for checking it out, it should be really cool!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitars44me View Post
I really Like the Tunnel 14 top!!! I like character in the tops, myself. And if it sounds better, it IS better.

This will be WAY FUN to watch, and I am looking forward to some interesting reviews from B.I.G.er on all three Nautilus models.

Congratulations on another stellar build

Have FUN

Paul
Thanks Paul, each to their own right! I could see others hating that top while I love it!

Quote:
Originally Posted by islandguitar View Post
Congrats, Tom!!! Wonderful start to this build!
Love Redwood......LS, Tunnel 13, 14.......great provenance and superior "everything"! The B&S are spectacular!!
Standing by, following along!
Fred
Thanks for checking it out Fred. As stated, I have grown to LOVE redwood and have never had any of the "named" types. Ben is pumped over this set and it's tone. You can play it in March if you like???

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Originally Posted by Ukulele_Eddie View Post
Wow, Tom! Going to be fun to watch this come together and even better yet to see and hear it in person at BIGer.
Thanks Eddie, you will indeed be playing this one (and many others I dare say)!!! Just be careful there is no BBQ sauce on your fingers lol!
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Old 01-14-2020, 09:34 AM
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Tom, Congrats on this new build. Looking forward to seeing/hearing this in March. Ben is an amazing builder and puts his heart and soul into everything he does. This one is going to be spectacular, no doubt!
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Old 01-14-2020, 03:01 PM
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I have been watching Ben’s R&D on these on FB. I look forward to seeing your’s come together here Tom... Congrats...
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Old 01-14-2020, 03:26 PM
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Pretty woods indeed. I too like character in tops and back and sides. Post as many progress shots as you can. Ben has great construction ideas and I enjoy picking up tips.

John
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Old 01-15-2020, 07:05 AM
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Nice looking woods. I'm sure Ben will build you a wonderful guitar! Enjoy the process!!
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Old 01-15-2020, 09:34 AM
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Default Wilborn Chimes In

Ok, Tom, and everybody- here we go. This is an exciting prospect for me. I love the beginning stage of a build, with all the woods laid out, and subtle details in grain and color and structure to be considered.

So, a word about the birth of this design. I met Tom at Woodstock in 2016, where he impulsively laid a wad of 100's on the table and took custody of an EllieBelle I had there. (A really sweet set of figured EIR on that guitar...) And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship/design partnership/dealer and junkie dynamic that has culminated in this instrument. Tom's 5th (?) Wilborn! With the optimism of the addict going out on one last extravagant binge before getting straight, Tom declared that this would be his final, and most glorious guitar commission ever. He then commenced to list every cool feature I knew how to make, and several I didn't, in his vision of the ultimate guitar. I once heard a story about Henry Ford; that as he was watching one of his cars bumping violently down the test track he had a sudden idea, and told his engineer to put shock absorbers on the axles. Of course, shock absorbers didn't exist yet, but they soon would, thanks to his dictate. Similarly, (it's a grandiose comparison, I admit. Shock absorbers are more important than guitars) Tom had a vision of this guitar, loosely based on a prototype of mine, and created the impetus for it to be realized. For which I thank him very much, because I feel like The Nautilus is my first real contribution to the art of luthiery. I've made almost 200 guitars at this point, but The Nautilus is a complete departure from standard X-braced, traditional guitars, and classical instruments as well. It looks, sounds and feels different, and it is, down to it's very bones. The tone is very rich and cello-like, but it still possesses the chime and punch of a steel string guitar. In fact, I think it has the most complex and sophisticated sound of any guitar I have ever played, and I find it an intoxicating instrument to play. The many contemporary features that it incorporates come together in a coherent whole, each with a reason for existing, and each in balance with the others. It's not just a smorgasbord of modern flourishes, but a compact, and I hope, eloquent expression of everything I have learned in the last 10 years.
So, Tom, thank you for being a friend, customer, patron, and co-conspirator. It has meant a lot to me. I hope this guitar turns out to be a reflection of those feelings.

Onward!
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Old 01-15-2020, 09:46 AM
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And as it turns out, the Sapele brother to Tom's guitar will also be a Nautilus. The same size as Tom's. I am attempting to build both of these guys in two months, in time for B.I.G. (er), and decided that the time required to make the necessary jigs was too much. So it will be a Nautilus, but made of waterfall Sapele and one of my last sets of the 50 year old Sitka I got from my father. It will be a very different animal, so we can still enjoy the taste-test experience...
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Last edited by WilbornGuitars; 01-15-2020 at 09:53 AM.
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Old 01-15-2020, 11:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny B View Post
Tom, Congrats on this new build. Looking forward to seeing/hearing this in March. Ben is an amazing builder and puts his heart and soul into everything he does. This one is going to be spectacular, no doubt!
Kenny, better than that, I got a chair and a room for you to give it a go. Kenny is a very very good player for anyone interested!

Quote:
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7 View Post
I have been watching Ben’s R&D on these on FB. I look forward to seeing your’s come together here Tom... Congrats...
Thanks Bob, you know you are a plane ticket away from hanging out with Bruce, playing this guitar, a having a great weekend of everything guitar???

Quote:
Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird View Post
Pretty woods indeed. I too like character in tops and back and sides. Post as many progress shots as you can. Ben has great construction ideas and I enjoy picking up tips.

John
Thanks for checking in John...Ben has lots of ideas, not sure he thinks they are all great though, LOL!!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by OddManOut View Post
Nice looking woods. I'm sure Ben will build you a wonderful guitar! Enjoy the process!!
Hello OMO, it has been a while since I have seen you in the custom shop, thanks for checking this out, I see another Tahoe build that I will have to check out!
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Old 01-15-2020, 05:14 PM
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I can't thank Ben enough for his kind words, he is a good guy!!! Not only a wordsmith, Mr. Wilborn can build guitars. Here are the side sandwichs made with BRW and Wenge for the bread and a Maple filling!

How anyone can look at this and not see a 1950's science project, I do not know!

nautilus sides.jpg nautilus side bending.jpg


nautilus side benind 2.jpg nautilus side bending 3.jpg

nautilus side beinding 4.jpg nautilus side bending 5.jpg

Thanks for stopping by!
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