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  #46  
Old 02-11-2019, 10:26 PM
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Wow, that guitar is a study in beautiful contrasts! It's looking amazing!
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  #47  
Old 02-12-2019, 11:30 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikealpine View Post
Wow, that guitar is a study in beautiful contrasts! It's looking amazing!
Thanks for the look and kind compliment, Mike!

I'm in agreement, this is turning out to be a project that is exceeding my expectations and there's still a few more surprises to come
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  #48  
Old 02-12-2019, 11:37 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Default A Neck Up

Now that the body has been completed, it's time to move on to building the neck. When we started this project, Joel told me about his grade A stash for one-piece mahogany necks. Here are his words reminding me of the earlier conversation we had about the same.
I have a wonderful supply of old-growth Honduran Mahogany that had previously belonged to a retired woodworker...who had kept it in his shop for over 30 years, but not used it. It came in the form of 4” thick beams that are 12-16 inches wide and 8-12 feet long...perfect for cutting into 4”x4” blanks for solid 1-piece necks.
I'm pretty stoked to say the least about this bounty and can't wait to see how this old-growth mahogany marries up to the beautiful quilted maple. Here are couple of shots of the neck blanks.





More to come!!!
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Last edited by bubbaprime; 02-12-2019 at 02:28 PM.
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  #49  
Old 02-12-2019, 01:33 PM
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That is quite a stash of Mahogany to find in that size! Awesome.
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  #50  
Old 02-15-2019, 10:06 AM
J.D.B. J.D.B. is offline
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Jeff,
I made a trip down to visit my friends Joel and Steve and discuss some of the aspects of my upcoming build with Joel. I got to see the progress of your build in person and I know you will be very pleased with it when you take delivery. The whole package looks fantastic. It will look even better when it gets the finish applied.

Jeff Bishop

p.s. For the attendees at B.I.G. : you are going to see some fine instruments from Joel and Steve!!
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  #51  
Old 02-15-2019, 10:18 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Hey! I'm JDB too

So, from one JDB to another, Thank you! Jeff!

Being a bit of a photobug myself, I know photos never do the actual subject justice. It brings me joy to hear first-hand reports like this, although there has never been a doubt that this was going to be a sum product that far exceeds my expectations. Joel has been an absolute delight to work with. I look forward to hopefully meet with him in person at some point in the future. His attention to detail, his willingness to listen to his client, and the humility with which he approaches his craft is commendable. The guitars he is building at this point in his luthier career is a promise of even greater days to come.

Thanks again, Jeff, for looking in and sharing with the thread.

Jeff D. B.


Quote:
Originally Posted by J.D.B. View Post
Jeff,
I made a trip down to visit my friends Joel and Steve and discuss some of the aspects of my upcoming build with Joel. I got to see the progress of your build in person and I know you will be very pleased with it when you take delivery. The whole package looks fantastic. It will look even better when it gets the finish applied.

Jeff Bishop

p.s. For the attendees at B.I.G. : you are going to see some fine instruments from Joel and Steve!!
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Edwinson EPS "iCrucified" [2011]
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THGCo. 000-Concert "Chi Rho" [2019]
Taylor 514e FLTD [2013]
Taylor 714e [2016]
Martin OM-21 Ambertone [2017]
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  #52  
Old 02-15-2019, 10:35 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Default Fretboard Slotting

We're moving quickly from Neck building to Fret Slotting... It feels like we're cruising along at light speed at this juncture. This naturally, makes me feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, but I'll need to temper my anxiousness. I know the lacquer process tends to resemble a hibernation of sorts during the long, slow, curing process, but it's all good and part of the joy of the custom build journey.

Joel provided me with a delightful surprise this morning with some fresh update pics of the fretboard slotting process. I know there are tooling junkies here, so I'll start of the photo spread with a pic of Joel's fret-slotting jig.



Because of resizing, it will be difficult to see the great quality of the Ebony Joel is using for this build, but it is truly exceptional (in my opinion...although, I'm not wood grader). Here's a photo of an Ebony blank next to my slotted fretboard with the follow-up pic a close-up of the fretboard still jigged up.





Finally, we have a look at the fretboard slotted and purfled... WOOOOWeeee that Koa is gonna pop loud under finish next to that glorious Ebony!



Thanks for looking! There's more to come...

Jeff
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Edwinson EPS "iCrucified" [2011]
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THGCo. 000-Concert "Chi Rho" [2019]
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Martin OM-21 Ambertone [2017]

Last edited by bubbaprime; 02-15-2019 at 10:50 AM. Reason: resize photos
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  #53  
Old 03-03-2019, 08:28 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Default Fretboard and Neck Build

Thought I would post a quick update this morning as I've busy as of late with preparations for an out-of-country group excursion. In conversation with Joel, I understand he has been busy also, with final prep work on some guitars he will be taking in a couple weeks to the B.I.G. extravaganza in San Antonio. I'm sure going to miss being at this All-Star event, but know we'll all be able to live vicariously through those sharing their photos and memories with us here on the AGF...right ??? all you folks attending the B.I.G.?

Without further ado, here are some of the latest photos from this build featuring the bound and purfled fretboard and a couple in-process photos of the neck build. Included also are Joel's explanation for the photos.

The fretboard is now completed... slotted, purfled and bound.



Here’s the neck blank with the trussrod slot cut and the spline that will be glued in place over the trussrod.



The front headstock overlay is glued in place, and the fretboard is currently pinned in place. The plexi template in the picture will be used as the routing template to cut the profile of the headstock...and the fretboard itself will be used as the routing template to count the profile of the neck.



Thanks for tuning in!!! More to come!
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Edwinson EPS "iCrucified" [2011]
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THGCo. 000-Concert "Chi Rho" [2019]
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Taylor 714e [2016]
Martin OM-21 Ambertone [2017]
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  #54  
Old 04-28-2019, 08:22 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Default It's been awhile and update

It's been awhile since our last update, we took a little break to allow Joel time to finish a couple guitars for the B.I.G. gathering (which was a rousing success from all the posts and photos). I was also on a couple week out-of-country adventure, but the Chi Rho Guitar is back on the bench and almost headed into the home stretch. So, what's been going on?

Our last post shared some photos of the neck blank getting worked. The next step in Joel's workflow is to fit the neck to the body...this is far too much maths for me, so I'm thankful for people with calculators, slide rules, and protractor things and the know how to used them.











Once the neckfitting was completed to Joel's satisfaction, we return to the fretboard and headstock to work on some inlay and fret work. This is an exciting step for me as it indicates the finish line is coming into site, and on the artistic side, we get to tie in some of the thematic elements of the body construction.

There are a few things going on with the inlay. First, as mentioned, we're trying to "connect the dots" of the guitar's theme. I have named the guitar Chi Rho, using the Greek alphabet and the first two letters for the spelling of Christ. This is the central element or anchor for the theme we have selected. Second, the body rosette is a stained glass motif, hearkening a style similar to the Canterbury Cathedral pot metal and painted glass work. A third element was an inquiry from me to Joel about his logo. Joel's headstock inlay is a stylized hand, "Two-Hands Guitars," and considering the theme, I wondered if he might consider a slight modification of the logo to further the homogeneity of the build theme. I will share the result in the photos below:

First the fretboard; I should note that Joel explained to me through email that he had attempted using white MOP dots, but didn't like the look, feeling that the brightness of the MOP was distracting from the other inlay. He thought a moment and decided to used the various woods featured in the rosette and the results speak for themselves...





And the modified Two-Hands logo



Finally, a couple photos of the inlay with frets pressed





We still have a little ways to go, but I'm pretty comfortable to claim we are in the "home stretch." I cannot say enough, how pleased I am with this build. Joel continues to amaze me with the meticulous work he is doing and the accolades shared from those who played and inspected his guitars at the B.I.G. are only further confirmation that my expectations for this build will be exceeded exponentially.

Thank you all for looking in and sharing our journey! More to come!
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Edwinson Consort "Spirit" [2016]
THGCo. 000-Concert "Chi Rho" [2019]
Taylor 514e FLTD [2013]
Taylor 714e [2016]
Martin OM-21 Ambertone [2017]

Last edited by bubbaprime; 05-04-2019 at 02:15 PM.
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  #55  
Old 04-28-2019, 08:30 AM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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I'm not sure why, but in my browser it looks like the orientation of some of the photos were turned to landscape. They are not like that on my site where they are hosted, so I'm not sure what's up. I apologize for not knowing how to fix this.

UPDATE: I checked in the AGF app on my phone and the images are in the correct orientation. Likewise, if the images are clicked in the post on my laptop, they open on my website in correct orientation. I cleared the browser cache on my laptop and still have the same issue.
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Edwinson EPS "iCrucified" [2011]
Edwinson Consort "Spirit" [2016]
THGCo. 000-Concert "Chi Rho" [2019]
Taylor 514e FLTD [2013]
Taylor 714e [2016]
Martin OM-21 Ambertone [2017]

Last edited by bubbaprime; 04-28-2019 at 08:49 AM.
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  #56  
Old 04-28-2019, 09:24 AM
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Guitars44me Guitars44me is offline
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Smile Checking in...

I have not checked in on this in a while! B.I.G. Was a real blast.

I got to play a couple of Joel's beauties. Very NICE indeed. Welcome to the B.I.G. Leagues!

Plus, Cindy and I really Liked Joel very much. He is a lovely gentleman and a pleasure to be around.

All the Luthiers were marvelous folks and Very Interesting Indeed.

The guitars were all fantastic, and the music and workshops were most inspiring!

Kathy and Tom were Lovley Hosts and a FINE time was had by all!

You are getting close now! Hang in there...

Paul
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  #57  
Old 04-28-2019, 11:50 AM
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Thanks Paul for the kind words, for helping NTK with percussion and bringing a joy to the weekend.

Bubbaprime, I can promise you that you will love the sound of this guitar. Joel's instruments were stellar and created quite a buzz at the show. It was hard for anyone to believe that he was so early on in his career. He had everyone talking for sure.

I can't wait to hear your impressions.
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  #58  
Old 05-11-2019, 10:48 PM
bubbaprime bubbaprime is offline
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Default Heading into the finish

Aaaaannnd, we're heading into the "finish" for this build.

I received a stunning update today from Joel letting me know the guitar has officially been built! We have some sanding, pore filling, and then the finish goes on. Obviously, we're not done yet as all this takes more time and a lot of elbow grease, but we're seeing the "finish" line now.

Even though we're not completed yet and I've get to hear a note played from this guitar, I must say that Joel has been wonderful to work with. I am already well beyond my early expectations and cannot wait to see what this beautiful instrument will look like and sound like. After the accolades of those who had the opportunity to play and handle some of Joel's instruments at the B.I.G. show, I am certain this beauty is going to sing and stun with its looks and its voice.

Here follow a few photos before final sanding and pore-filling.

I wasn't expecting this maple matched backplate on the headstock. We have some beautiful Ebony on the frontside and this stunning maple on the back. A fabulous contrast of beautiful woods.











Then here's a couple of real "oh wow" shots of her frontside...





Thanks for looking in. There will be more to come!
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Edwinson EPS "iCrucified" [2011]
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THGCo. 000-Concert "Chi Rho" [2019]
Taylor 514e FLTD [2013]
Taylor 714e [2016]
Martin OM-21 Ambertone [2017]
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  #59  
Old 06-07-2019, 07:38 AM
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So while we’re moving through the finishing process, I thought that I’d keep this thread fresh with some more pictures. I assembled the guitar for a photo session, in the white, prior to spraying the sealer. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot...

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Attachment 1

IMG_2081.jpg

Thanks for looking,
joel
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  #60  
Old 06-07-2019, 09:08 AM
Nemoman Nemoman is offline
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Looks fabulous, Joel, and I'm sure it will sound amazing!

Great work--that is really a beautiful guitar!
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