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BRUCE SEXAUER: FT-000-C [Red Spruce | Oregon Myrtle]
Bruce Sexauer has been building stringed-instruments for last 53 years. For the last 20+ years he began the practice of formally documenting details each of the instruments coming off his bench (and for the last decade here on AGF). He maintains a running list of his builds on his website called “The Master’s List”. The page on his websites lists 422 stringed instruments in total. These are comprised of not just acoustic guitars but dulcimers, electric guitars, gypsy guitars, harps, mandolins, psalteries, and violins.
http://sexauerluthier.com/thelist.html This commission will be Bruce’s 300th documented acoustic guitar recorded on “The Master’s List”. It will also be my 5th custom commissioned steel string flat top from Bruce. For this commission, I have asked Bruce to build me a 000 sized, long-scale, 12-frets to the body, slot head, guitar for #300. I have several 12-frets to the body single 0 and 00 sized guitars and the extra body length/volume adds to their bass response and alters the overall timbre of these guitars from their 14 frets to the body cousins in a pleasing way. The overall design of this guitar will fall squarely in Bruce’s traditional design aesthetic like my FT-0 and JZ/2-15 do and less reflective of his evolved traditional designs like my FT-L00 and FT-16. It will however deviate from “tradition” in several ways by incorporating:
MODEL: FT-000-C (FT = Flattop, 000=12 fret/15” body, C = Cutaway Serial No. 3000520 (300th guitar, May 2020) DIMENSIONS: Scale Length: 25.4” Nut Width: 1-3/4” String Spacing: 2-5/16” Lower Bout: 15” End Depth: 4-1/8” FEATURES: Headstock: Slot Head Cutaway: Venetian Sound Port: Yes, Elliptical Wedge: Yes, 1/4” Bridge: Belly Other: Bird’s Beak, Bridle Joint MATERIALS: Top: Red Spruce Back & Sides: Oregon Myrtle Neck: One-Piece, Honduran Mahogany Fretboard: Ebony Finish: Oil Varnish HARDWARE: Fret Wire: JESCAR EVO .043”x .080” Tuners: Schaller GrandTune Single Machine Heads Case: Visesnut Active Series 000/OM Model Many of the detailed decorative choices will of course be collaboratively chosen as he builds the instrument. Today is my birthday. What a great present to initiate the construction of a new guitar! This is the Red Spruce top set that Bruce suggested for this build. Bruce sourced this top set a few years back from Matt and Nate Hampton who live in Eastern Tennessee and harvest old growth Red Spruce (Picea rubens) regionally in the Maggie Valley (Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina). So, this is not “Adirondack Spruce” per se, but “Great Smokey Mountains Spruce” if we are ascribing provenance. The non-traditional back and side set that we chose together are figured Oregon Myrtle (Umbelluluria Californica) that Bruce sourced about a decade ago from his friend, Oregon luthier Les Stansell. Down in California where it also grows the tree is known as Bay Laurel or Pepperwood. This was the only set of Oregon Myrtle that Bruce had in his vast wood locker. Surprisingly, Bruce has never built a guitar with Oregon Myrtle, so I am excited to see where he takes this material acoustically combined with a Red Spruce top in this body format. More when I get it…
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#2
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Bravo, Bob!
As usual, you have chosen extraordinary sets of wood for your project. I have heard great things about Oregon Myrtle tone-wise, and wow is that stuff pretty. I bet Bruce will produce an amazing guitar from this. |
#3
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I'm a big fan of Oregon Myrtle and look forward to watching this set as it progresses in Bruce's capable hands!
And Happy Birthday, Bob!
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2013 Stehr Auditorium (Carpathian/Myrtle) 2015 Stehr Auditorium (Adi/BRW) 2020 Baranik Meridian (Blue Spruce/Manchinga) 2020 Wilborn Arum (Tunnel 14/Coco) 2021 Kinnaird Graybeard (BC Cedar/Bog Oak) 2022 Kinnaird CS Student Build (Adi/Padauk) 2023 Kinnaird FS (Italian/Koa) |
#4
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Backstrip
Bruce is moving right along. This morning, installed an Amazon Rosewood Backstrip wit Black Fiber/Curly Maple/black Fiber purfling.
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#5
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000 Shape
Here are the Red Spruce top and Oregon Myrtle back plates rough cut to the 000 shape.
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#6
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Gorgeous woods! Thanks for sharing with us.
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John |
#7
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Quote:
Quote:
My pleasure JT...
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#8
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Yum...
This will be fun to watch! Looking forward to more… Happy birthday! And have fun with this build.
Can't wait for more Paul
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3 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS: Big Maple/Cedar Dread Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro 96 422ce bought new! 96 LKSM 12 552ce 12x12 J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut More |
#9
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Beautiful woods Bob. This is going to fun to watch. I'm still confused about who your favorite luthier is though
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#10
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Quote:
As you well know, Bruce builds superlative instruments...
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#11
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Loving the look of that back!!
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1995 Maton EM725C - Solid 'A' Spruce Top, QLD Walnut B&S, AP5 Pickup 2018 Custom Built OM - Silver Quandong Top, Aussie Blackwood B&S, Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend Pickup 2021 Faith Neptune Baritone - Solid Englemann Spruce Top, Solid Indonesian Rosewood B&S, Fishman INK3 Pickup 2022 Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar |
#12
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Love Bruce's 12 fretters.
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#13
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Gonna be fun to watch! Man, that upgraded ticker is really workin' now!
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Life is like a box of chocolates .... |
#14
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Very exciting project! Happy Birthday! Tim
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#15
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The rims are interestingly figured as well...
12-fret guitars definitely have a different and pleasing timbre. Quote:
Thanks Tim...
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |