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  #76  
Old 02-15-2019, 05:11 PM
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Default And Bucephalus Was His Name....

I often name my guitars. Sometimes a name comes right away, other times I have to think about it for awhile. This one took a while. It's a WarHorse model, but it is going to be a particularly fierce WarHorse, so I decided to name it Bucephalus, after Alexander The Great's famous horse. Bucephalus was said to be a fearsome and fearless horse, as befit his master. He died of wounds sustained in battle in 326 BC (uh, thank you Wikipedia...) Please don't confuse him with Bocephus, or Hank Williams Jr., who was named after a ventriloquist dummy. Different thing entirely.

Anyway, I have just completed the rosette. My usual rosette is very, very simple, but Dale wanted something bolder, so we came up with this radial cocobolo band surrounded by abalone and the purfling that will decorate the top. I love it! Also completed is the special asymmetrical headstock to compliment the multi scale fingerboard.

Things are moving along, here! Take a look at the quality of this Adirondack spruce top. It is really among the best I've ever seen, cosmetically, and it is very stiff and rings like crazy. It will make a fine guitar.

hero top.jpg

soundhole.jpg

soundhole angle.jpg

with headstock.jpg

headstock.jpg
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  #77  
Old 02-15-2019, 07:47 PM
Zandit75 Zandit75 is offline
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Dayum, that is looking sweet!
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  #78  
Old 02-15-2019, 11:47 PM
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Dayum, that is looking sweet!
Thankee kindly.
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  #79  
Old 02-16-2019, 10:58 AM
ross748 ross748 is offline
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Love the quilted sound hole.
  #80  
Old 02-16-2019, 01:48 PM
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Love the quilted sound hole.
Thank you, Ross.
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  #81  
Old 02-16-2019, 02:37 PM
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Default The Hedgehog

Several years ago I made a batch of cam clamps. In fact, 60 of them. I made them very light because their job was to be strictly for gluing on the tops and backs of guitars. It turns out I use them for quite a few other clamping jobs, too, but here they are in their intended "hedgehog" formation clamping the back onto Bucephalus. Every time I use one of my shop made tools, and it works well, it makes me happy. Even years later!

hedgehog.jpg

detail.jpg

detail2.jpg

detail3.jpg

down back.jpg
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  #82  
Old 02-16-2019, 03:17 PM
Zandit75 Zandit75 is offline
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That's an unusual back bracing pattern. Is this an active back?
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  #83  
Old 02-16-2019, 05:06 PM
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Default Active Back

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That's an unusual back bracing pattern. Is this an active back?
Yeah, that's the idea. I'm looking for a strong monopole. As you can see, it's also quite lightly braced. It should breathe pretty well....
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  #84  
Old 02-16-2019, 05:58 PM
ross748 ross748 is offline
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Immaculate work! Very nice Ben.
  #85  
Old 02-20-2019, 01:38 PM
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Immaculate work! Very nice Ben.
Thank you!
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  #86  
Old 02-20-2019, 01:52 PM
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Default Bucephalus Bound

OK, I'm done with the most fastidious part- binding. Especially with this bugger! With the cutaway there are something like 19 miters and butt joints. Then there are the bevels to consider. All in all, a multiday task for me. Strangely, it's one of my favorite parts of building. In another life, I would be a surgeon. Or a watch repairman.

All the binding is cocobolo, and though it appears here as varied in color, this is largely due to the fact that some of it has been cooked (during bending), some recently heavily sanded, and some just off the shelf and installed. Cocobolo is one of the most volatile woods color-wise. You can surface a 15 year old dark brown chunk, and underneath are crazy purples, oranges, and yellow. Its pretty garish looking. Fortunately, it all mellows down with oxygen and finish to the nice reddish-brown that we associate with coco. All the wood on this guitar came from the same boards.

Hero frnt.jpg

hero back.jpg

point.jpg

cutawayback.jpg

cutaway.jpg

The tail graft reflects the rosette:

tailgraft.jpg

hole.jpg

I love bevels. They look amazing, and really make a guitar comfortable. Especially nice on a large 16" model such as this.

backbevel.jpg

frontbevel.jpg
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  #87  
Old 02-20-2019, 02:36 PM
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Looks awesome, Ben--love your take on the endgraft!
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  #88  
Old 02-20-2019, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Nemoman View Post
Looks awesome, Ben--love your take on the endgraft!
Thank you! It's different than anything I've done before. I usually use a piece of the back strip, which is a clean, simple look I love. But here I wanted a little something fancier. Glad you like it!
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  #89  
Old 02-20-2019, 03:13 PM
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Well well that sure is a pretty lookin' box! Old growth BRW like that is a very special thing indeed.
  #90  
Old 02-20-2019, 03:18 PM
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Default OLD BRW

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Well well that sure is a pretty lookin' box! Old growth BRW like that is a very special thing indeed.
Thank you! I am always excited to use a special piece of wood, but I have mixed feelings, because then I won't have it in my stock anymore. I don't know how many more sets of BRW like this I'll ever have again. But I guess I can't have my cake and eat it too...
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