NGD!!! Custom Froggy Bottom K with wider neck

[brianlcox]

Hi Gang,

I've finally gone head over heels down the rabbit hole! I have been interested in Froggy Bottom guitars for a couple of years, and have managed to get my hands on two of them in the past year. A model K with Mahogany back and sides and a model H12 with rosewood back and sides. I knew when buying both of these guitars that they wouldn't stay with me, as the necks were too narrow, but this was something like a test drive to see if Froggies really were for me.

After a year of playing, I have now gathered enough data to take the plunge, and have reserved a build spot for March 2021! Based on my first discussion with Michael we are thinking about another model K, similar to my current one, but with 1 13/16" neck, 2 5/16" bridge pin spacing, and a 14 or 16" fingerboard radius. I have also asked for a venetian cutaway.

We will need to have a couple more discussions about tonewoods and such, but we are well on the way.

I would just like to say that I was very impressed with Michael's knowledge and experience, but also his determination to understand exactly WHY I was asking for each option and his drive to find out exactly what I need in a guitar and how he can build that for me.

It's going to be a tough couple of months waiting!

[Michael Watts]

Congratulations!

Michael Millard is a legend in the acoustic world and his work and that of the other members of the Froggy bottom team reflects that.

I'm sure they'll make you a wonderful guitar!

[Quake17]

Brian,

Congrats on the decision! It certainly sounds like you narrowed in on exactly what you want by test driving the two Froggies. I feel very fortunate that the standard slim neck on the Frogs suit my hands great. The K was my first Frog and it is just such a versatile size. 5 months is not too bad of a wait

[BrunoBlack]

Congratulations, that should be nice. I love my K. It has an incredibly comfortable body and the sound is amazing. Be patient, it might take a while to open up. I’ve owned a K, M, H12 and C. The 12-fretters arrived with a mature sound. The 14-fret K and M did not (as Michael cautioned), but it’s worth the wait. Keep us posted.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by brianlcox

Hi Gang,

We will need to have a couple more discussions about tonewoods and such, but we are well on the way.
It's going to be a tough couple of months waiting!

What are the tonewoods you are considering?

[brianlcox]

We will speak again on Monday, but at the moment I am thinking plain old adi over indian rosewood.

When I spoke with Michael yesterday I told him I was looking for nice thick trebles. In an email today he suggested to shorten the scale length to 25".

I'm looking for advice about this (which I of course will speak with Michael about) regarding what this will do to the rest of the sound. I guess it will reduce the projection, and maybe reduce the focus of the bass. Is that correct? What other changes would this bring with it?

Thanks,
Brian

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by brianlcox

We will speak again on Monday, but at the moment I am thinking plain old adi over indian rosewood.

When I spoke with Michael yesterday I told him I was looking for nice thick trebles. In an email today he suggested to shorten the scale length to 25".

I'm looking for advice about this (which I of course will speak with Michael about) regarding what this will do to the rest of the sound. I guess it will reduce the projection, and maybe reduce the focus of the bass. Is that correct? What other changes would this bring with it?

Thanks,
Brian

I will be very, very interested to hear what he tells you. I have no idea what the differences this difference in scale length will make.

I wonder why this increases the trebles?

[MWB5007]

Brian, Congrats! I have a 2007 rosewood H12 with a 1 7/8ths nut (but I think the spacing may be more like 1 13/16ths, the Froggy neck shape makes string spacing feel generous) and 2 5/16ths saddle spacing - it's the only one I have ever seen (and I have been going to Eddie's for decades). I love mine; there is nothing like it.

Very recently I have seen a couple of Model Cs come through Eddies with a 1 13/16ths nut and 2 5/16ths spacing at the saddle - they have one there now in sinker Mahogany. They sure have gotten pricey but I guess it is a sign of the times.

Hope you like your new guitar!

[FormerFoodie]

Originally Posted by brianlcox

When I spoke with Michael yesterday I told him I was looking for nice thick trebles. In an email today he suggested to shorten the scale length to 25".

I'm looking for advice about this (which I of course will speak with Michael about) regarding what this will do to the rest of the sound. I guess it will reduce the projection, and maybe reduce the focus of the bass. Is that correct? What other changes would this bring with it?

My general approach is to trust the builder. Plus, if the builder is Michael Millard, you are in GREAT hands. Michael has forgotten more about guitars than most people know, and I would have great confidence that he wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction.

More importantly, CONGRATS on placing the order!!! It may feel like a long time, but it will definitely be so worth it. I look forward to reading of your updates!

[Boozehound]

Congrats! I love my Froggy Bottom. They truly do make amazing guitars!

[tommieboy]

Originally Posted by brianlcox

Hi Gang,



I've finally gone head over heels down the rabbit hole! I have been interested in Froggy Bottom guitars for a couple of years, and have managed to get my hands on two of them in the past year. A model K with Mahogany back and sides and a model H12 with rosewood back and sides. I knew when buying both of these guitars that they wouldn't stay with me, as the necks were too narrow, but this was something like a test drive to see if Froggies really were for me.



After a year of playing, I have now gathered enough data to take the plunge, and have reserved a build spot for March 2021! Based on my first discussion with Michael we are thinking about another model K, similar to my current one, but with 1 13/16" neck, 2 5/16" bridge pin spacing, and a 14 or 16" fingerboard radius. I have also asked for a venetian cutaway.



We will need to have a couple more discussions about tonewoods and such, but we are well on the way.



I would just like to say that I was very impressed with Michael's knowledge and experience, but also his determination to understand exactly WHY I was asking for each option and his drive to find out exactly what I need in a guitar and how he can build that for me.



It's going to be a tough couple of months waiting!

It is nice to know that Froggy will accommodate fretboard radius requests too. Their standard 20" radius is the only thing I would change on my Model M. It currently has an Adi top with EIR back and sides, and I would not hesitate to order another Froggy with the same tonewood combination.

Tommy

[brianlcox]

So I just confirmed the estimate sent to me by Michael Millard. I have ordered a Deluxe Model K in Indian rosewood with the following custom specs:

German Spruce Top (actually, he will look for one harvested in Switzerland, as that is my adopted country and it will be fun to have local wood)
25" scale
1 13/16" nut
2 5/16" bridge pin spacing
16" radius fretboard
full C profile with rounded fingerboard edges
venetian cutaway
Evo gold frets
gold waverlies (to match fretwire)

I play with a roughly equal share of bare fingers and a heavy pick, with a mix of cross picking, strumming, and single note stuff. The guitar should be capable of a variety of styles and in general be very versatile. General tonal profile should be fairly warm and dark, with nice thick trebles. The main contributing factors to this are the scale length and the German spuce top.

The build will start in March and be completed in June. I was quite surprised that the waiting list was so short!

However, 7-8 months still seems pretty long from my point of view!

[handers]

Originally Posted by brianlcox

Hi Gang,

I've finally gone head over heels down the rabbit hole! I have been interested in Froggy Bottom guitars for a couple of years, and have managed to get my hands on two of them in the past year. A model K with Mahogany back and sides and a model H12 with rosewood back and sides. I knew when buying both of these guitars that they wouldn't stay with me, as the necks were too narrow, but this was something like a test drive to see if Froggies really were for me.

After a year of playing, I have now gathered enough data to take the plunge, and have reserved a build spot for March 2021! Based on my first discussion with Michael we are thinking about another model K, similar to my current one, but with 1 13/16" neck, 2 5/16" bridge pin spacing, and a 14 or 16" fingerboard radius. I have also asked for a venetian cutaway.

We will need to have a couple more discussions about tonewoods and such, but we are well on the way.

I would just like to say that I was very impressed with Michael's knowledge and experience, but also his determination to understand exactly WHY I was asking for each option and his drive to find out exactly what I need in a guitar and how he can build that for me.

It's going to be a tough couple of months waiting!

Great choice and good luck. Mine was an H12c with 1-7/8" nut width built in 2000. It is the most perfect fingerstyle guitar for my hands of any I've played and Ive played a bunch. The 25" scale with 12 fret config and wider neck is totally perfect. And the sound, 20 years later, is better and better. I am sure you will cherish this guitar for many years. My son has a slightly modified K (1/4" less deep) and it is also so much fun. Big box sound.

hans

[BrunoBlack]

Originally Posted by brianlcox

The build will start in March and be completed in June. I was quite surprised that the waiting list was so short!

However, 7-8 months still seems pretty long from my point of view!

Sounds terrific. I’ve had 3 guitars built by Michael and I’ve never had to wait very long. The first was built in 2015 and it took 1 year from the date of signing to delivery. My latest build was ordered this year and only took 3.5 months from signing to delivery. Time will go fast. I look forward to seeing your new guitar.

[brianlcox]

So I had another talk with Michael today. The main reason for this is that I have now owned a Froggy Bottom F14 in adi/indian rosewood for about a month and I wanted to feed back what I have learned from this guitar into the custom design. My comparison between the F and K body shapes is that the K had a bit more air to it and bit more clarity. The F is a bit more compressed and didn't have the note seperation that the K had. This of course was compounded by the fact that the K was Mahogany and the F is indian rosewood.

It turns out that Michael pretty much had it figured out from the start and we didn't need to change much. I like the clarity and precision that the K offers, but the fullness of the notes and overtone content of the rosewood is also desirable. We decided a rosewood model K with a German top was still the way to go.

During our original conversations Michael recommended Guatamalan Rosewood based on my tonal goals. However, my budget was already stretched to the max, so we decided to spend the money on the Swiss spruce top and custom features such as shorter scale, wider neck, rounder fingerboard etc. Since then I have come into a bit of money and I decided to splurge on the 5A Guatamalan Rosewood back and sides after all. Here is set we selected about an hour ago:

IMG_1022.jpg

One other really cool thing about this build is that Michael was able to find a top made of European spruce which was harvested in Switzerland. This is important to me as Switzerland is my home now, and I thought it would be cool to have wood from the forests that we go hiking in!

Looking forward to it!