S. Kinnaird 2016 #2 (Lefty BC Sitka/Amazon RW OM)

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by DanR

For a couple of months, I've had my GAS under control. And then I saw this:



I don't really want a parlor guitar but that pic made me realize how nice it would be to have a tool to not only make tonally pleasing music, but a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing work of art as well.

Thank you Dan, very nice of you to say! If you could play one of these little guys, you might change your mind about not wanting one. There is an intimacy, an immediacy, a friendliness about these small guitars that makes them go-to instruments when you need to unwind. You don't even need a parlor. Just a sofa, or comfy chair, your own "work of art", and even a bad day can end well.
Thanks again,

Steve

[lizzard]

I heard some rumors of QM under finish - I must have been hitting the hookah too hard

[nacluth]

Originally Posted by lizzard

I heard some rumors of QM under finish - I must have been hitting the hookah too hard

I'm pretty sure that vote didn't pass yet in your state Chris. And while we're close, no finish quite yet. I will give some pics of updates though.

Top with ball and lozenge rosette:




Hand filing the arm bevel relief:




Putting purfling on the back:




Finish coming, but not this week.

[nacluth]

Time for a little update! This OM is going off to the finisher after Thanksgiving, but here's some shots of what has happened.

A cross section of a neck pre-fretboard:




Now gluing on the fretboard:




Arm Bevel piece by piece:




And a completed look (top is not cleaned up yet):




Thanks for watching.

[TomB'sox]

That is looking really good, nice bearclaw top!!! I am sorry if I missed it, I did look back and did not see before asking, but what is the binding/bevel wood, it looks great here? Also love that rosette style!

[nacluth]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

That is looking really good, nice bearclaw top!!! I am sorry if I missed it, I did look back and did not see before asking, but what is the binding/bevel wood, it looks great here? Also love that rosette style!

Thanks Tom. The guitar is completely bound in Snakewood. The "Ball and Lozenge" rosette goes back to the dawn of guitars. The color scheme between the brown of the snakewood and the black of the Ebony will fit once the Ebony headplate, fretboard and bridge are on.

[nacluth]

Some more work as we complete the body construction right before getting the finish put on this guy.

Here's the bridge and rosette:




Steve lining up the neck through the center line:




A shot of the back with the rough shaped neck attached:




Thanks for checking this out, and if you're interested in another Quilted Maple OM that we finished a while back, this one has made it to a store in China. It wouldn't hurt if you brushed up on your Mandarin before watching, but I find the music to be universal.

[lyndsmar]

These are beautiful. How can I see more and possibly purchase one of these?

[nacluth]

You can go to our website (in the signature link below), go to the AGF Marketplace on this site and see some that we offer, or just call us and talk. 936-560-5342.

[nacluth]

Ok, the last shots before the body is off to be finished. While the guitar is going through the lacquering process, I will probably switch to pics of another build coming along just to fill the time. But don't worry, I will update this guitar as it gets completed.

Steve rounding the bindings:




Front shot (neck still rough):




Back shot:



When we see this Maple again it will have some pop to it!

[cigarfan]

Gorgeous piece! You're right, that Maple should jump at you under finish. Great work.

[Nemoman]

Looks awesome with the matching maple neck--good stuff!

[Steve Kinnaird]

Thanks guys, it's gratifying that other folks like maple as well.
In my opinion, maple wins the swim suit competition hands down.
But it also has some depth, personality, and can speak coherently when called upon. Stay tuned for the sound clip, and thanks again.

Steve

[nacluth]

I've decided while the Maple OM is being finished, I would go ahead and start the last guitar to have the bulk of its building done in 2016 -besides Tom B'Sox's in another thread.

This new guitar is another OM made with Bearclaw Sitka and backed with Amazon Rosewood. It looks pretty much like straight grained Cocobolo. The sides are so dead quartered they actually show some fleck to them. We're building this for an old friend who has decided to up his guitar game. He does heart transplants for a living. We've told him when he's ready to do something really exciting, we could always use a steady hand.

I'm going to fly through this build, so there won't be a lot of waiting around. However, the one important note that I have to keep reminding myself - he's left-handed! Hope you enjoy.

First off, a beautiful Bearclaw top with a radial Amazon RW (offcuts from his back) rosette:




Homemade squirrel trap - really just gluing the sides to the end blocks:




The sides right before the linings are glued in. I've wet the top of the sides, so you can see how dark the Amazon will get. There are accents of sapwood on this guitar that should be quite pretty.



More to come.

[nacluth]

Continuing on with the build, it's time to do the under the hood things that make this a lefty. Bracing guitar after guitar for right-handers, getting your mind around the asymmetries of the bracing design is tougher than one might imagine. I kept wanting to put my hands in the same spots or hold my tools a certain way. It wasn't difficult, it just made me think more. For my lacquer-fumed cognitive organ, this was a challenge.

Gluing on some backward braces:




And...gluing on the back. Here through the forest of rubber bands, you can get a glimpse of the dark color of the Amazon Rosewood and the sapwood center.