New Custom Irvin SJ Cutaway Build

[Bhaj]

I am having an Irvin SJ Cutaway built. Why, Irvin? Funny you ask! I have a Larrivee L28 and have loved that guitar for its resonance and strong character.
But then I met the Irvin. Its neck is a great fit for my hand. The sound from the Irvin guitars has a wonderful resonance and distinct sustain.
It fits me well as an acoustic player, playing mostly rhythm and some soloing.

Wayne Johnson, the owner of Irvin, is a newer builder and the buzz is catching. I first heard his guitar a couple of years ago, in a serendipitous situation: a luthier showcasing his guitars (Irvin) at a shoe store.
Ever since playing various SJ and Parlors, I keep coming back to its sweet, consistent sound and feel .
For 2 years I have compared the Irvin to other guitars, and I keep coming back to where now I will have my own cutaway. This is going to be a special guitar!

I have always loved the Larrivee sound: a cacophony of resonance and strong sustain. The Irvin has these qualities as well with its own distinct aspects.
As importantly, I find my fingers easily moving up and down the neck.

A couple of weeks ago, I went over to the Irvin shop in Bremerton, WA, to tap on the tone woods and the back/side pieces, to make choices on which pieces to use.
The top woods, collected by Jean Larrivee, were, as I expected from the revered luthier of high standard luthier,, rich sounding Moonwood Spruce pieces from Austria.
The two pieces had subtle differences in their tone as I tapped them.
Finally, I chose the one I wanted. Big decision made! The back and side Indian Rosewood pieces were easier for me to choose.

Specs include:
Small jumbo - 14-fret
East Indian rosewood back and sides
Austrian moonspruce top
ebony bindings, headplate, fingerboard and bridge
5-piece laminated neck - mahogany, maple, walnut, maple, mahogany
East Indian rosewood rosette ring
Gotoh 510 tuners
string spacing - 1 3/4 at the nut - 2 1/4 at the saddle

Wayne is now building my guitar along with another order.

The first photo is of the rosette on the Moonwood top. I will add photos as I can.

[matthewpartrick]

The Austrian moonspruce is probably from Josef Bergmann; I had a guitar with this top and it's really something special.

[Bhaj]

Cool!!!! Tapping it and the second piece was an interesting experience. I could hear its resonance and some tone already.

[ericcsong]

Congrats on the build. Wayne is a great guy and build a fine guitar. The Irvin guitars that I have played all had a great feel and tone!

[Bhaj]

Here are a few more photos.
These are of the back.
These photos were taken about ten days ago.

[Bhaj]

Originally Posted by ericcsong

Congrats on the build. Wayne is a great guy and build a fine guitar. The Irvin guitars that I have played all had a great feel and tone!

Eric, I totally agree with you, what a feel and tone. It's quite remarkable to my ears.

[Bhaj]

Here is the next update on my Irvin SJ-Cutaway build.

This photo is the top with tone bars being glued


This photo is the top bracing all shaped and completed

[Bhaj]

New photos as the build continues!!! We're getting closer

Tapering the sides


Kerfing is installed ready to close the box. You can see the Moonwood Spruce top in the upper left and the Rosewood back at the upper right.

[Gordon Currie]

The moonwood spruce was pretty awesome to tap (I helped choose the specific piece).
I am 99.9% sure I will be using moonwood on my future Irvin custom.

I look forward to being the second person to play this guitar

[Bhaj]

It's getting closer. I can hear a few tones from where I am, ringing out to me.

Here are a few more photos for you to view its progress:

The top closed up


The back closed up


A view at the heel


A view at the cutaway