The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #31  
Old 09-25-2018, 06:05 AM
Michael Watts Michael Watts is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London UK
Posts: 2,984
Default

Congratulations! Nick makes beautiful instruments and I’m looking forward to seeing this one. You’re a lucky man!
__________________
www.michaelwattsguitar.com
Album Recording Diary
Skype Lessons
Luthier Stories
YouTube
iTunes
Instagram

Guitars by Jason Kostal, Strings by Elixir, Gefell Mics and a nail buffer.
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 09-27-2018, 05:09 PM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default

Mistaken post...
__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 10-02-2018, 08:50 PM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default

I spoke with Nick and we decided upon some aesthetic details:
  • Nick is going to make a “Style 40” type rosette, with a Paua Abalone ring but using maple/dyed pear purflings instead of Ivoroid.
  • The guitar will be bound in Sugar Maple instead of Ivoroid and have herringbone top purflings.
  • It will a simple, thin back stripe to emphasize the bookmatched figure of the Cuban Mahogany.
  • The Gaboon Ebony fretboard will have Paua Abalone diamonds and squares long pattern inlays. We will use Jescar EVO 43080 fret wire.
  • A Brazilian Rosewood belly bridge (blanks he got from Thomas Humphrey years ago) and a Brazilian Rosewood head plate veneer.
  • I opted for a Visesnut Active Series Flight Case - 000/OM, Gray.
__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…

Last edited by iim7V7IM7; 10-02-2018 at 09:07 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 10-02-2018, 09:08 PM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Watts View Post
Congratulations! Nick makes beautiful instruments and I’m looking forward to seeing this one. You’re a lucky man!
Thanks Michael..
__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 10-02-2018, 09:39 PM
FormerFoodie FormerFoodie is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,176
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7 View Post
I spoke with Nick and we decided upon some aesthetic details:
  • Nick is going to make a “Style 40” type rosette, with a Paua Abalone ring but using maple/dyed pear purflings instead of Ivoroid.
  • The guitar will be bound in Sugar Maple instead of Ivoroid and have herringbone top purflings.
  • It will a simple, thin back stripe to emphasize the bookmatched figure of the Cuban Mahogany.
  • The Gaboon Ebony fretboard will have Paua Abalone diamonds and squares long pattern inlays. We will use Jescar EVO 43080 fret wire.
  • A Brazilian Rosewood belly bridge (blanks he got from Thomas Humphrey years ago) and a Brazilian Rosewood head plate veneer.
  • I opted for a Visesnut Active Series Flight Case - 000/OM, Gray.
I'm so pumped for this build! Love the choice of sugar maple binding and braz bridge and head plate. I can't wait to see the pictures of it.

I'm still getting over the Cuban 'Hog. The flame is so nice, there are times when I feel it looks like koa!
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old 10-03-2018, 03:15 PM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FormerFoodie View Post
I'm so pumped for this build! Love the choice of sugar maple binding and braz bridge and head plate. I can't wait to see the pictures of it.

I'm still getting over the Cuban 'Hog. The flame is so nice, there are times when I feel it looks like koa!
Well, the Cuban Mahogany tree grew in Hawaii. Must be something in the terroir...
__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Old 10-05-2018, 12:29 AM
blindboyjimi's Avatar
blindboyjimi blindboyjimi is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,374
Default

I am bummed that I’m signed in but I can’t see the pictures. You are in for a treat. I have 2 German Brazilian Franklin OMs. One is 29 years old with a skinny neck 1 23/32” nut with 1.5” spacing and one is 12 years old with a chunky 1 13/16” nut. They are very different. The newer one is a bit deeper bodied and a touch more modern toned. The 29 year old one has made me re-think of my relationships with vintage Martins. I own 2 because I couldn’t pass either one up and I am so happy to have them. I’ve always wanted to try a Mahogany Franklin OM.
Reply With Quote
  #38  
Old 10-05-2018, 05:23 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: NYC
Posts: 457
Default

Congratulations! You are indeed lucky. I will eagerly be watching the progress of your OMC build. I am only recently the owner of a Franklin: Nick's 12 Fret Dreadnought model, Adirondack over figured mahogany with the most beautiful hand-rubbed sunburst. I didn't order mine new from Nick -- so at first I was a bit jealous that you get to think about, discuss and select every aspect of the guitar; then I realized that there isn't anything about mine that I would have actually done differently! I did buy it "pre-owned" directly from Nick, after a great time emailing and talking with him about his various models. He's incredibly knowledgable as well as incredibly personable. Initially I hadn't actually considered his dreadnought, assuming that it was a square shouldered "Martin style" dreadnought and since I am not a flat-picker, that didn't interest me. It's not, however. Nick was inspired by Gibson’s Roy Smeck Radio Grande model which has an incredible reputation with fingerstyle guitarists. From what Nick was saying about the dread, it seemed like a fantastic fit for my playing. I wanted something with a bigger voice than my current OM (non-Franklin), a bit more bass but focused, not boomy. I've owned a number of 12 fret guitars, and the warmth of their tone has alway appealed to me. I am still amazed by the sound of my guitar every time I play it, and I am hearing more and more every time. I have alway leaned towards the sound of Mahogany, I'll be very curious to hear your impressions of the Cuban. Nick's guitars are really at a whole other level. You are going to love your guitar!

Last edited by mhw48; 10-05-2018 at 05:33 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #39  
Old 10-05-2018, 05:30 PM
justonwo's Avatar
justonwo justonwo is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 7,120
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
Congratulations! You are indeed lucky. I will eagerly be watching the progress of your OMC build. I am only recently the owner of a Franklin: Nick's 12 Fret Dreadnought model, Adirondack over figured mahogany with the most beautiful hand-rubbed sunburst. I didn't order mine new from Nick -- so at first I was a bit jealous that you get to think about, discuss and select every aspect of the guitar; then I realized that there isn't anything about mine that I would have actually done differently! I did buy it "pre-owned" directly from Nick, after a great time emailing and talking with him about his various models. He's incredibly knowledgable as well as incredibly personable. Initially I hadn't actually considered his dreadnought, assuming that it was a square shouldered "Martin style" dreadnaught and since I am not a flat-picker, that didn't interest me. It's not, however. Nick was inspired by Gibson’s Roy Smeck Radio Grande model which has an incredible reputation with fingerstyle guitarists. From what Nick was saying about the dread, it seemed like a fantastic fit for my playing. I wanted something with a bigger voice than my current OM (non-Franklin), a bit more bass but focused, not boomy. I've owned a number of 12 fret guitars, and the warmth of their tone has alway appealed to me. I am still amazed by the sound of my guitar every time I play it, and I am hearing more and more every time. I have alway leaned towards the sound of Mahogany, I'll be very curious to hear your impressions of the Cuban. Nick's guitars are really at a whole other level. You are going to love your guitar!
Wasn't that guitar on Luthier's Collection for a while? I remember seeing a gorgeous 12 fret with a burst top that I lusted after for a while.
Reply With Quote
  #40  
Old 10-05-2018, 07:40 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: NYC
Posts: 457
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by justonwo View Post
Wasn't that guitar on Luthier's Collection for a while? I remember seeing a gorgeous 12 fret with a burst top that I lusted after for a while.
That was a different one, brazilian rosewood, as I remember. Nick had mine posted on his website under "pre-owned Franklins for sale". I first stumbled across it in a post of El McMeen playing it:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=423508

I asked El for his thoughts on Nick's Dreads and he raved about that one, "it's as light as a potato chip!" then told me it was back with Nick. He'd owned it for a time, then decided he needed a 14 fret neck because he often capos on the 2nd and 4th frets, so 12 frets didn't have much room left over. El suggested that if I was interested I should contact Nick, so I did.
Reply With Quote
  #41  
Old 10-07-2018, 07:53 PM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default Plates joined

The 1968 German Spruce plates have now been joined. Nick was able to trim the plates some to about 8” each (lower bout is 15-5/8”) so the age associated oxidation is visually less distinct.



__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
Reply With Quote
  #42  
Old 10-07-2018, 08:49 PM
Steve Kinnaird's Avatar
Steve Kinnaird Steve Kinnaird is online now
AGF Sponsor
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Nacogdoches, TX
Posts: 3,601
Default

Oh yeah, much better. Gonna look great!

Steve
__________________
www.stephenkinnaird.com

Crafted in the Piney Woods
Reply With Quote
  #43  
Old 10-09-2018, 03:38 PM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
Oh yeah, much better. Gonna look great!

Steve
Nick trimmed about 3/4” from the length, a 1/2” off the outer edges, 1/4” from the center seam and thickness planed the German Spruce plates before gluing up the set. This definitely helped reduce the appearance of the 50-years of oxidation. That said, the photo of the raw set (top) has naphtha applied to it which brings out the appearance like nitro will and the process set shown (bottom) was phographed in a dry state which tends to diminish the appearance of these aesthetic artifacts.

__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
Reply With Quote
  #44  
Old 10-13-2018, 01:58 PM
mhw48 mhw48 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: NYC
Posts: 457
Default

It looks like the oxidized area in the center of the upper part of the top will be mostly covered by the fingerboard extension or cut out by the sound hole. That leaves some thin dark stripes which I think will be quite attractive!
Reply With Quote
  #45  
Old 10-14-2018, 07:23 AM
iim7V7IM7's Avatar
iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: An Exit Off the Turnpike in New Jersey
Posts: 5,152
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mhw48 View Post
It looks like the oxidized area in the center of the upper part of the top will be mostly covered by the fingerboard extension or cut out by the sound hole. That leaves some thin dark stripes which I think will be quite attractive!
I agree...

I am honestly not worried about any of the residual oxidative aesthetic artifacts of age that may remain. I chose this set based on its sonic potential and not on aesthetics. Nick has some milk toast perfect Swiss Spruce in his woodlocker (great wood btw), but to his hands and ears it did not have the same sonic potential of this stuff. I believe he only has 3 or 4 sets remaining of this old German. How often does one get the opportunity to have a guitar made in 2018 using wood resawn back in 1968 that was selected by two great luthiers (Nick Kukich & Jeffrey Elliott) that was left to season a half century?
__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:11 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=