Hatcher 100th Guitar!

[Nemoman]

Looks fabulous so far, Mark!

That cedar top and the rosette are so tasteful and gorgeous.

Congrats on the Big 100--looking forward to more!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by canuck7

Is Spanish Cedar the smell that comes out of my case when opened??

Why yes it is canuck7. Thanks for asking!

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Looks fabulous so far, Mark!

That cedar top and the rosette are so tasteful and gorgeous.

Congrats on the Big 100--looking forward to more!

Thanks Nemoman. I could be happy doing a line of guitars called Blue Stain Pine Guitars or BSP Guitars. I have to work on that name some. It's called Blue Stain which sounds like I'm staining the wood. I try never to stain or paint my guitars. I like to select directly from nature's color pallet.

m

[Rolph]

Congratulations Mark.....you do wonderful work. Thanks for my lifetime guitar!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Rolph

Congratulations Mark.....you do wonderful work. Thanks for my lifetime guitar!

You're welcome. Thanks for your comments!


On to the neck.

While the body is coming along I can start up on the neck. I am using 30yrs old+ Honduran Mahogany for this. Here is the blank with my neck template:



Some of you may have noticed this:



This little turn up is something I've done before. When you see the guitar sitting on it's back or leaned against a wall it makes a lot of sense.

Here is a maple neck blank I did for an Olivewood Unlimited Series OOO I started in 2017 for a previous Woodstock show:



Here it is on the almost finished guitar:



I like the look and the function of it and it goes well with a headstock overlay that I designed years ago to go with the overall look.

m

[Treenewt]

Mark,
That is a really cool design change for very practical purposes. I like it!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Mark,
That is a really cool design change for very practical purposes. I like it!

Thanks Treenewt, I thought it was great when I did it in 2017 but, it didn’t get much attention. That guitar had a lot of other things going on so maybe it just got lost in the details.

m

[Treenewt]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

Thanks Treenewt, I thought it was great when I did it in 2017 but, it didn’t get much attention. That guitar had a lot of other things going on so maybe it just got lost in the details.

m

Your headstock shape is so unique and contoured, most of us probably just missed it! Seeing it on the blank made it jump out to me.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Your headstock shape is so unique and contoured, most of us probably just missed it! Seeing it on the blank made it jump out to me.

Thanks Treenewt. I have had a similar headstock profile since the second guitar I've made. It has evolved over the years with a lyre style open headstock with Knilling planetary geared tuning pegs for my nylon crossover. There is a negative version that I designed to use with the upturned tip:

Here is the original:

[Aimelie]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

Thanks Treenewt, I thought it was great when I did it in 2017 but, it didn’t get much attention. That guitar had a lot of other things going on so maybe it just got lost in the details.

m

I showed this to my husband last evening — we both love this kind of attention to detail. (It says a great deal about the artisan … in a good way.)

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Aimelie

I showed this to my husband last evening — we both love this kind of attention to detail. (It says a great deal about the artisan … in a good way.)

Thanks Aimelie, that’s a nice compliment.

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Some of you probably noticed that the neck template included a tongue that extends to the sound hole:



This is because this OM model has an elevated fretboard. The neck angle is risen a few degrees to accommodate the string height to the bridge.

There are several advantages to elevated fretboards;

-They provide better fretting leverage on the upper frets

-The new neck angle moves your elbows out a little bit. This is particularly helpful with fine waisted guitars (like this one). It reduces the cramped up arm position when playing up the neck

-The higher string angle coming down to the saddle creates a "harp like" sound. Does is really do that? I can't testify to that one, but people say it does.

On we go:



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[Guitars44me]

The guitar looks SWEET.

And I especially like the many legged clamp creature in the last shot! Hahah

Seriously BOSS axe, Mark!

Cheers
Paul

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

The guitar looks SWEET.

And I especially like the many legged clamp creature in the last shot! Hahah

Seriously BOSS axe, Mark!

Cheers
Paul

Thanks Paul, that many legged clamp creature is a clamperpillar and his name is Irwin. One day he will metamorphosize into a beautiful guitar neck

Meanwhile I've wrapped up the sides:



First on is the back:



After that's a little cleaned up:





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[rule18]

Wow Mark, thanks for sharing this part of your journey with us. Your regular peeks behind the curtain are always interesting and welcome diversions.

[canuck7]

Yes, great Sunday morning viewing. That wood is even more stunning with the box/body together…!! Love it!