Mark Blanchard - Sugar Pine [“Lucky Strike” Redwood | Carved, Curly Black Walnut]

[jaymarsch]

Congratulations! Mark builds wonderful guitars and I was fortunate enough to play a number of them at Healdsburg.
As an aside, Sparky Kramer learned a lot from Mark when he was first building and I love my 2 Kramers. It’s a strong lineage that keeps producing fine instruments and I’m sure this one will be a beauty!
Best,
Jayne

[iim7V7IM7]

Thanks Jayne…

Sparky makes wonderful guitars (I have played two of his). Mark thinks the world of him to boot.

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

Congratulations! Mark builds wonderful guitars and I was fortunate enough to play a number of them at Healdsburg.
As an aside, Sparky Kramer learned a lot from Mark when he was first building and I love my 2 Kramers. It’s a strong lineage that keeps producing fine instruments and I’m sure this one will be a beauty!
Best,
Jayne

[iim7V7IM7]

Since Mark has never made a Sugar Pine with a carved back, he needs to make a carving cradle to carve the walnut back plate.

[iim7V7IM7]

Mark and I decided on some aesthetic appointments today. These are always best judged in-situ at the bench with the rest of the woods in view. We chose:

- Brazilian Rosewood peghead veneer with a Paua Abalone “B” inlay
- 10-piece radial patterned Brazilian Rosewood rosette
- Macassar Ebony bindings with curly Maple purflings

[mhw48]

I will be following to see how this develops!

[justonwo]

Those are some top shelf woods. I hope to get to play the iim7V7IM7 collection one of these days. In the meantime, this will be a fun thread to follow.

[iim7V7IM7]

Here the Black Walnut back set with the curl reoriented and the 15-1/4” Sugar Pine body pattern drawn on it. We may remove some of the grain convergence at the center seam (plenty large to do that).

[mhw48]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Here the Black Walnut back set with the curl reoriented and the 15-1/4” Sugar Pine body pattern drawn on it. We may remove some of the grain convergence at the center seam (plenty large to do that).

That is a beautiful back! I can't say exactly why, but somehow the orientation seems more "correct" to me now. What made you decide on the change? It certainly looks like there's plenty of room to remove the grain convergence, which also seems like a good aesthetic decision.

[hubcapsc]

Your top is tops!

My walnut came from Greenbrier county too...



Wonder if they're both from the same place?

https://www.appalachiantonewood.com/

-Mike

[iim7V7IM7]

Yes, this pre-resawn billet was from Luke’s personal stash…

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

Your top is tops!

My walnut came from Greenbrier county too...



Wonder if they're both from the same place?

https://www.appalachiantonewood.com/

-Mike

[iim7V7IM7]

Very subjective rationale…. To my eye, orienting the curl angled slightly downward with respect to the lower bout looks “right” to my eye. Whether or not we remove the grain convergence I left to Mark.

Originally Posted by mhw48

That is a beautiful back! I can't say exactly why, but somehow the orientation seems more "correct" to me now. What made you decide on the change? It certainly looks like there's plenty of room to remove the grain convergence, which also seems like a good aesthetic decision.

[iim7V7IM7]

Bending curly hardwoods is not always an easy task (interlocking grain sometimes wants to facet).

This guitar will have a Venetian cutaway adding to the bending challenge. Mark decided to use laminated sides for this instrument. He was fortunate to have a beautiful clear, quartersawn billet of Black Walnut available to resaw for the inside pieces. The lack of curl and grain misalignment will create stiffer, yet easier to bend rims.



The two matching curly Black Walnut rims are pictured in the middle will become the outer laminate and the lighter hued plain Black Walnut the inside. These are large pieces. The two curly rims are 7” x 36” each. These pieces have been thicknessed to 0.060”. After laminating, he will cut a strip off the edge and use it for bending tests to determine how thick wants to thin the sides to. He will then sand them to their final target thickness before bending.

[iim7V7IM7]

Mark clamped up the laminated rims today.

[iim7V7IM7]

Mark found some maple with deeper, curl. It’s a 2” x 6” x 7’ long to make purflings out of. This will really visually “pop” against the Brazilian RW rosette and Redwood top.

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Mark found some maple with deeper, curl. It’s a 2” x 6” x 7’ long to make purflings out of. This will really visually “pop” against the Brazilian RW rosette and Redwood top.

Yep, that’s going to look lovely.