Hatcher's Studio '20 #2

[Lonzo]

Hi Mark,
you mention the sitka is pretty old..
Do you happen to know more about age and whereabouts? .. is there a story or some more background to it ? In case yes, pls share it with us.
Thanks!
Lonzo

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Lonzo

Hi Mark,
you mention the sitka is pretty old..
Do you happen to know more about age and whereabouts? .. is there a story or some more background to it ? In case yes, pls share it with us.
Thanks!
Lonzo

I’m afraid the history I know of the origins of this top is more the story of provenance. I bought it from a retiring luthier who said he got it in the ‘90s from another luthier who said he had it for over 20 years. So the best I can say it is an old top. Judging by the patina of the top I’m comfortable saying that much.

[Mark Hatcher]

In addition to the new Tree guitar I am working on I've also been wrapping up the final decisions and details on the Maple Piña parlor.
One fun decision is which tuners? We had three different colors of the Gotoh 510 Minis as contenders. There was metallic gold and gloss black:



There was also the X finish gold Gotoh Minis up for consideration:



No matter which we chose we were going with my custom round wood buttons in Macassar Ebony:



Some of you may have noticed I've got eight buttons going there. I always make extras so I don't have to worry about messing one up.

The little gadget I have holding a button in the middle is a wonderful little device:



I use five different grits of sandpaper to do the final shaping and surfacing before I buff out the buttons. Fingers start to cramp up holding those little buggers while sanding. Hence the rounds clamp.

The choice was the shiny Gold Metallic tuners:



They just go best with the wonderful gold color of the torrified Maple. They also gained an edge when we decided to go with the gold Evo frets:



Thanks for following along!
Mark

[j. Kinnaird]

Mark did you make that little clamp? It’s very nice!
Those buttons look amazing. I particularly like the little brass grommets around the hole. Shop made?

[Nemoman]

Great choices once again, Mark.

I'm with John--the tuner buttons look fantastic!

[Lonzo]

Those knobs are superb..
They add some extravaganza with those carnivore stripes

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

Mark did you make that little clamp? It’s very nice!
Those buttons look amazing. I particularly like the little brass grommets around the hole. Shop made?

Hi John, I didn’t make the little clamp. I remember getting it from a model makers tool catalog. I thought it was Micro Mark but, I don’t see it in their website.
I do make the brass beveled washers. They are counter sunk for the set screw on one side and flat on the other so they help prevent the wood from splitting. The brass is also a nice bushing against the set screw for more accurate adjustments when setting the tuner machine tension.

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Great choices once again, Mark.

I'm with John--the tuner buttons look fantastic!

Thanks Nemoman. Since the guitar is already trimmed with Macassar that was an easy choice. The piece of wood I used for the buttons will also be used for the bridge so it all comes together.

Originally Posted by Lonzo

Those knobs are superb..
They add some extravaganza with those carnivore stripes

That is nice figure on those buttons. That’s an advantage of making my them myself.

Thanks for the comments!
Mark

[ukejon]

Love the shiny gold and the buttons look great. I get the same finger cramping problem when doing the fine sanding on the tools and knives I make....not fun!

[cigarfan]

Amazing as always! The headstock with everything in place looks tremendous. Just another WOW Hatcher moment!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by ukejon

Love the shiny gold and the buttons look great. I get the same finger cramping problem when doing the fine sanding on the tools and knives I make....not fun!

Thanks ukejon, yeah it’s hard to get work done when your fingers lock up!

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Amazing as always! The headstock with everything in place looks tremendous. Just another WOW Hatcher moment!

Thanks you cigarfan, The darker torrified maple I used for the headstock has a great sheen. It really sparkles when it is moving in light.

Thanks for commenting!
Mark

[justonwo]

That headstock looks great. I've always admired the lines on your design.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by justonwo

That headstock looks great. I've always admired the lines on your design.

Thanks for that justonwo.

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

The torrefied Maple Piña is all strung up!
Here's some pictures:




















Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[Nemoman]

Absolutely stunning, Mark!

The continuous line of the backstrip and laminated neck is a particular highlight. The woods, the ab purfling, and the overall lines are just wonderful.

Congrats on another winner!

[Treenewt]

Mark...simply beautiful! What a gorgeous piece of work!