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Old 10-12-2009, 07:07 PM
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Default Build Thread: Saville Baritone - Sinker Redwood and Walnut

Since we are nearing the final specs for my baritone, I'll go ahead and post what I have. I was impressed with Steve's work after playing a figured redwood/bubinga baritone that he made for another forumite. I've taken a bit of a different direction with my baritone, but I'm really excited about the design we're settling on.

Steve found a jaw-dropping set of moonglow sinker redwood for my top, and I was able to hunt down a 5A set of western black walnut. I'm finalizing an art deco-inspired set of bronze shell inlay for the headstock, fretboard, and rosette. We're going to use macassar ebony for the binding.


Size – SJ Baritone Top – Sinker Redwood
Back/sides – Western Black Walnut
Binding top– Macassar Ebony

Binding back – Macassar Ebony with .010” purfling (maple)
Armrest – Laskin inspired radiused – Med/small
Purfling – Bronze MOP and BMB
Kerfed lining – Mahogany.

Back bracing - Spruce.
Top bracing –Spruce
Bridge plate – Maple or rosewood (TBD)
Bridge –Ebony 2 1/4 spacing.
Bridge pins – TBD.
Fretboard – Ebony with Bronze MOP art deco inlay and Purfling
Fretboard binding – Ebony
Headplate – Ebony with Bronze MOP art deco inlay and purfling
Back of Headplate – Macassar Ebony
Headplate binding - Ebony
Neck – 5 piece laminate – Walnut/Oak/Walnut
Nut- 1 3/4" bone
Saddle – Bone.
Tuners – Gotoh 510 Delta Style (21:1), Gold
Tuner buttons - Ebony
Rosette – Bronze MOP art deco inlay on ebony ring, bronze MOP purfling surrounding ebony ring
Soundhole binding - one 010" black strip.
Bottom wedge – Ebony
Back Strip – None
Fret wire (bars) – EVO
Fretboard side markers – Bronze MOP
Pickup system - None
Scale length - 27.5"
Cutaway – Florentine (Sharp)
Fretboard radius - 16".
Neck – D shape .800” thick

Neck joinery - mortise and tenon bolt on & bolt on fingerboard ext.
Truss rod - double acting (access from sound hole).
Top radius – 28.
Back radius – 15.
Bracing – X Somogyi influenced
Finish -Gloss Polyurethane
Strings – Medium Elixir
Soundport – Oval - Bound

Fretboard extension –Typical Saville curved

Case – Ameritage


Here's the sinker top. One side is upside down relative to the other, so pay no attention to the mismatch.



Here's a better one . . .



The walnut sides have a lovely red hue to them that I think will really come out nicely when finished.




Everything together.



Walnut sides.



Some naphtha to give a sense of the finished product.

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Old 10-12-2009, 07:21 PM
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Beautiful wood combination. Should be a winner!
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Old 10-12-2009, 07:56 PM
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Nice set of woods!
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Old 10-12-2009, 10:08 PM
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Congrats!
Specs and woods look good.

Depending on what tuning you plan to play in you might want to consider
a change in the nut width. B to B with 27.5" scale, and mediums will likely
give you some pretty floppy strings. If you went with a 1 13/16th's or 1 7/8"
nut you would have some flexability in heavier string guages and still have
enough real estate to play comfortably. Just throwing it out now, as it would
be much easier to make these kind of changes now, rather than later.

Man I miss my old Larrivee BT-60 baritone..............

Hope she turns out great !!
Mike
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Old 10-12-2009, 10:18 PM
MCanup MCanup is offline
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The wood is beautiful, and Steve builds great guitars - I've played several and I'm saving a spot for an OM he should have done around Thanksgiving. And he's a great guy to deal and design and work with. You will greatly enjoy the journey with Steve. I haven't played one of his baritones yet, but have heard nothing but praise. I have a sneaking suspicion that when I do play one, I'll have to make a little more room at home for a second Saville!
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Old 10-12-2009, 10:29 PM
hnuuhiwa hnuuhiwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worshipguitar View Post
Nice set of woods!
Hey Peter, did you provide Juston with the Moonglow
Sinker? Nice stuff

Juston - Great wood combo!
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Old 10-12-2009, 10:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hnuuhiwa View Post
Hey Peter, did you provide Juston with the Moonglow?
Yes he did. Peter was very kind to help us out with that great top. It is amazing redwood with a story. It would be great if Peter told us how he found this wood.
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Old 10-12-2009, 10:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
........27.5" scale, and mediums will likely
give you some pretty floppy strings.....
That's right. B-B tuning would be too floppy. This scale length is on the short end of the baritone range. It will have a small jumbo box on it. I've found that this combination, even with baritone strings, is not optimal at B-B. Somewhere between C-C and D-D is where this setup works.
BTW - The baritone strings did work well with a 1 3/4" nut.
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Old 10-13-2009, 09:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveS View Post
That's right. B-B tuning would be too floppy. This scale length is on the short end of the baritone range. It will have a small jumbo box on it. I've found that this combination, even with baritone strings, is not optimal at B-B. Somewhere between C-C and D-D is where this setup works.
BTW - The baritone strings did work well with a 1 3/4" nut.
Hey Steve,
Sounds like you guys have thought this out. I had guessed D-D for mediums.
What kind of string tensions did you calculate for C-C and D-D?

Do you think the B-B didn't work well because of the smaller body shape, or
the scale length, or both?

My fat fingers liked the extra real estate of 1 7/8"


Mike
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Old 10-13-2009, 10:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
Hey Steve,
Sounds like you guys have thought this out. I had guessed D-D for mediums.
What kind of string tensions did you calculate for C-C and D-D?
.....
Standard scale - 25.4 with med strings is about 185 lbs of tension
27.5 with mediums tuned D-D is about 175 lbs
27.5 with baritone strings tuned to B-B is about 197 lbs
Sorry I don't have the exact answer for you. I could calculate it if you need it.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
Do you think the B-B didn't work well because of the smaller body shape, or the scale length, or both?
I think it is the small body. Not enough air volume and the top is a little small.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
......My fat fingers liked the extra real estate of 1 7/8"
Mike - Slim Fast for Fingers?
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Old 10-14-2009, 06:46 PM
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Thanks Steve !
Remember we need PICS !!!


Mike
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Old 10-15-2009, 10:30 PM
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Well, I just finished reviewing an inlay design with Anthony Paule (Andy DePaule's brother). He's going to design an art deco fretboard, headstock, and rosette inlay for me and his brother's going to cut it into brownlip shell.
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Old 10-16-2009, 04:06 PM
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Default Moonglow sinker redwood???

I've a wonderful Saville OM (Belle Noir) with a sinker rw top, but am wondering what is this moonglow stuff?
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Old 10-16-2009, 04:10 PM
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It's just really just super dark sinker redwood with a natural "burst" effect. The boards were harvested from a log in Northern California that had been sunken for over 100 years.
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