Charis SJ Sinker/Brazilian Build

[Rixter]

Well I finally decided to go for it and have my dream guitar built and I knew that I wanted Bill Wise to be the Luthier to do it. I had owned a Charis for a while and really loved it for its playability, unbelievable tone and overall beauty. Also, his fit and finish are second to none. I decided that I wanted a Sinker Top and Brazilian Back and Sides as my tone woods for my dream build. I had heard this combination previously and it sounded awesome!

Anyway, after speaking to Bill several times we have most of the Design aspects decided upon and they are as follows:

Small Jumbo S/N- 379
Florentine Cutaway
Sound Port- T'Zalam Bound
Arm Bevel- T'Zalam Overlay
Scale- 25.6" 14 frets to the Body
1 3/4" Nut - 2 1/4" Saddle
Bridge- Ebony
Nut & Saddle- Water Buffalo Bone
Sinker Redwood Top
Brazilian Back and sides
Binding- T'Zalam
Head Stock- Ebony with Brazilian Trim
Head Stock Logo-Charis Logo in Brazilian outlined in MOP
Head Stock Back- Duck Tail with Brazilian or Ebony Overlay(TBD)
Fingerboard- Ebony with Brazilian Trim
Fingerboard Markers- Silhouette Doves in MOP
Fingerboard Side Markers- 2mm MOP Dots
5 piece Neck-Mah/Map/Rose/Map/Mah
Top Trim- Brazilian
Rosette- Brazilian Abalone
Case- Hoffee Carbon Fiber Black Ext./ Blue Int.

Bill said that the Build will start soon and should be complete this December or January! He also added that he would possibly do a build thread on my build or maybe he will add to this one!

Here is the Brazilian set I choose out of four that Bill sent me to pick from. Bill said it had a great Tap tone!
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This is the Sinker Redwood Top that Bill matched up to the Brazilian set it also has an excellent Tap Tone and looks phenomenal!
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[fitness1]

Very cool......Bill and I were talking about this on Tuesday!
Can't wait to see it come together!

[Nemoman]

Love your BRW set with the sapwood--that will look stunning! Congrats on your new build...

[CoolerKing]

I don't think I've ever seen BRZ with nice sapwood like that. Looking forward to following along.

[mikealpine]

I can't imagine how beautiful this is going to be. I've never had the chance to play a Charis. Would love to find one close to home (NY, downstate). My biggest fear is I will like it so much I will "have to" own one. Very exciting that yours will come together so quickly! One thing that constantly amazes me is that Bill seems to build them so fast, yet there isn't a detail that appears rushed or overlooked.

[fountainhead]

Charis guitars are stunning! Yours will be remarkable and Bill is a talented and wonderful man- all the best!!!!!!

[theEdwinson]

Is this going to be your first Sinker-topped guitar? If so, you are likely in for a real treat.

The pictured top looks like the best of the best Sinker. I've built about fifteen Sinker-top guitars, and in my experience, it's almost like like cheating. You'd have to try pretty hard to make it sound less than great. In the hands of Bill Wise, it's gonna sing like a band of angels.

I've found the best Sinker tops to have more range and dynamic headroom than non-sinker. And it has a strong fundamental that can sustain a long time, and develop some very colorful overtones.
There is simply nothing better than Sinker (paired with rosewood) if you play a lot of open tuning, modern fingerstyle, IMO.

Lovely guitar in the making here.

[billgennaro]

very visually striking piece of BRW! i like it very much. should be interesting to follow this thread. what is t'Zalam?

edit: OK, just looked it up. its a hardwood. kind of walnut-y?

[swiftz07]

I played a madrose cedar charis that was among the best guitars I have ever heard. I imagine your braz redwood will be just awesome!

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by fitness1

Very cool......Bill and I were talking about this on Tuesday!
Can't wait to see it come together!

Thanks Todd! I am really jealous that you live so close to Bill and can visit and actually see the progress in person!

matthewpartrick I don't think I've ever seen BRZ with nice sapwood like that. Looking forward to following along.
Yesterday 05:00 PM
Nemoman Love your BRW set with the sapwood--that will look stunning! Congrats on your new build...

I absolutely love this set of Brazilian with Sapwood! Of course out of the sets I was shown this was the most expensive but I think it will be well worth it.

mikealpine I can't imagine how beautiful this is going to be. I've never had the chance to play a Charis. Would love to find one close to home (NY, downstate). My biggest fear is I will like it so much I will "have to" own one. Very exciting that yours will come together so quickly! One thing that constantly amazes me is that Bill seems to build them so fast, yet there isn't a detail that appears rushed or overlooked.

I agree Mike, Bill is just a phenomenal builder with extreme attention to detail as it shows in all his builds. I would have to believe that being an award winning engineer prior to building couldn't hurt. Mike if you play one you will be hooked. I know I was!

I believe that this Build is going to surpass my every expectation!

theEdwinson Is this going to be your first Sinker-topped guitar? If so, you are likely in for a real treat.

The pictured top looks like the best of the best Sinker. I've built about fifteen Sinker-top guitars, and in my experience, it's almost like like cheating. You'd have to try pretty hard to make it sound less than great. In the hands of Bill Wise, it's gonna sing like a band of angels.

I've found the best Sinker tops to have more range and dynamic headroom than non-sinker. And it has a strong fundamental that can sustain a long time, and develop some very colorful overtones.
There is simply nothing better than Sinker (paired with rosewood) if you play a lot of open tuning, modern fingerstyle, IMO.

Lovely guitar in the making here.

Yes Steve it is my first Sinker topped guitar and Bill Choose for me the best looking Sinker Top I have ever seen! I have been looking at sinker for a while and I have heard the same things you are saying about it. I got the chance to play one at the Woodstock show and it sounded unbelievable. I am a fingerstyle player and your description of the sound is what I am looking for and I know that Bill will deliver.

Thank you for reaffirming my choice on the top it means alot coming from you! BTW I am a real Fan of your work!

billgennaro very visually striking piece of BRW! i like it very much. should be interesting to follow this thread. what is t'Zalam?

edit: OK, just looked it up. its a hardwood. kind of walnut-y?

Yes the Brazilian set is Beautiful. T'Zalam is a Tropical Hardwood that is indigenous to Mexico and Central America. It is sometimes called "Caribbean Walnut" but is not really in the Walnut species. Bill was the first builder I had seen using it in his builds and I find it most striking.

[mikealpine]

I owned and sold a Sinker/Macassar Taylor. The tone was just beautiful. Sold it before I understood that guitars need to open up, and it seemed a little quiet to me. Of course when I finally sold it, it sounded glorious! I couldn't keep it because I was using the money to fund my Stehr. You will love the Sinker top. I think it is one of the most visually beautiful, and it sounds fantastic. In Bill's hands, it's going to be amazing.

[cigarfan]

Absolutely gorgeous tonewoods to start. Congrats on your build. Looking forward to seeing this beauty come together.

Wow! This is going to be a lot "fancier" than mine! Can't wait to see this one together. It's going to look and sound spectacular. I've always liked the look of sapwood, esp. on darker backs. Also haven't seen a sinker top on a Charis that didn't look striking. Congratulations on this build. I'm sure my guitar will be honored to share build time with it

[tpp]

Congratulations on the build, great choice on woods!

[Rixter]

I received an email from Bill and he has started my Build and is off and running on it! Let the games begin!!


Here is a pic of the back with the center support and braces ready to be glued.
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This is the laser cut sides ready for bending.
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Jon is having his built at the same time so there should be double the Charis pleasure as we post pics of the progress to our build threads!