John Mayes new model 00 for Healdsburg build - Page 5

riorider · #61 05-21-2011, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MCK

I am sure you will get to play it before me. Just be nice to her will you?

No, I have an "agreement" with myself that I won't play someone else's guitar before they get to! I've not been 100% successful, but almost.

Quote:

PS. The African Mahogany L-32 says hello! I saw you posted few remarks about her earlier in this thread.

John brought that one to our Oklahoma gathering last October, and it was great. And I'd actually seen and played it (before you were the owner!!) at John's shop. The mahogany is wonderful - and that swayed me on this one. Originally we were talking about it with a mahogany top, and that would have been way cool. The LS top will be special, though.

Quote:

Too bad I can't make it to the show to see all the collection together. It would be neat actually. Let me think about this again.

Whatever guitars John doesn't sell might be shown at our gathering this year, so if you happen to be in or coming through central Oklahoma on October 15, do come by! Details in my signature.

Phil

IPlay2 · #62 05-24-2011, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riorider

Whatever guitars John doesn't sell might be shown at our gathering this year, so if you happen to be in or coming through central Oklahoma on October 15, do come by! Details in my signature.

Phil

Wow...I am torn on that one. I would really love to spend a little time with a few of the guitars John is working on for Healdsburge, but I am also excited to see what wood combos he is going to come up with next! I guess he could bring any that don't sell (really hoping they all do for John's sake though) and any new ones he finishes: 4 or 5 guitars isn't to many to bring I should think. Ok, I am no longer torn.

riorider · #63 05-25-2011, 03:14 PM

These are from a few weeks back but I never posted them - I guess I was too excited about the rosette and medallion! But I thought them worth showing!

The neck blank:

Truss rod channel cut:

Carbon fiber channels cut:

Gluing headplate:

Brazilian back of headplate veneer:

Gluing backplate veneer:

Both plates glued on:

And finally, headstock routed:

MCK · #64 05-26-2011, 12:54 PM

Gorgeous!!! Its amazing to see it come to life like this. Thanks for sharing.

Re. your invite. thank you very much! I don't think I will be able to make it but it sounds like a great gathering by great like-minded folk. Hope to be able to attend in the future.

riorider · #65 05-31-2011, 09:45 AM

Wow. John told me that the addition of the binding and purfling would make a quantum leap - and although I've watched that happen before this was still a huge surprise.

Some of you may wonder at my apparent visual obsession with this guitar - and I can tell you it's true. This is not a "workman's" guitar; not just a tool. The tone and playability I'm expecting would be there whether this were unbound and plain. I made that determination before deciding to ask John to build me a guitar. Sometimes you cannot play one ahead of time with a builder, but my fortune in living an hour away gave me the opportunity to sample several.

John's decision to make this into his new 00 model and to present it at Healdsburg and my enjoyment of letting him go where his artistic senses take him are producing a piece of guitar art that I will enjoy seeing as much as I already know I'll enjoy playing.

I thought that editorial worth mentioning! Now, back to our regularly scheduled obsession....

Binding channels cut:

Binding in place, the glue setting:

African black wood will be used for the binding, but on the top John is inlaying some radial cut Brazilian rosewood:

And, at last, how it looks bound, but not yet cleaned up:

A closeup of the completed purfling inlay. Not, however, finished, as the binding will now be scraped before final sanding and finish.

Still under final scraping, but you can see the beautiful natural wood colors in this shot. John knew that I really liked "wood bling" (as opposed to "shell bling") and he's really captured the warm colors, accentuating the redwood and mahogany with the binding and purfling scheme.

racman · #66 05-31-2011, 10:01 AM

Looks stunning Phil & John!!!!

MCK · #67 05-31-2011, 10:26 AM

This will be a guitar to keep for life thats for sure. Can't wait to see it come together and come alive. Thanks for sharing once again.

Negnewnabala · #68 05-31-2011, 10:55 AM

Just beautiful Phil!!! I'm really enjoying watching this one come together!!! I'm such a huge fan of mahogany and I have no doubt this one is going to be one of the best!

redcloud · #69 05-31-2011, 12:04 PM

What a lovely guitar this will be. John does wonderful things with a guitar. I am on his build list and can hardly wait.

RogerC · #70 05-31-2011, 12:23 PM

Nicely done, gentlemen. Nicely done indeed

JohnM · #71 05-31-2011, 12:23 PM

Thanks for all the nice comments folks.

I'm really liking these new line of guitars I'm building. A new website showing them, ordering info, ect will be forthcoming within the next 6 weeks. or so. Probably right before healdsburg.

Here is another mosaic I did the other night. My vision is a African blackwood body/spruce top, with curly pink ivory binding, and AFBW/Pink ivory worked in through the rosette, and purfling.

Anyway it's just an idea at this point, but you all are more than welcome to put your name on it (come on I gotta do some shameless selling in here somewhere).

Still rough sanded at this point.

JohnM · #72 05-31-2011, 12:30 PM

Oh and silly me..

re:Phil guitar... It's special alright! It has a earthy vibe to it. The colors remind me of autumn (my favorite season). I'm finishing the neck carve tonight or tomorrow, and it'll be off to finish later this week along with 4-5 others.

riorider · #73 05-31-2011, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnM

Oh and silly me..

re:Phil guitar... It's special alright! It has a earthy vibe to it. The colors remind me of autumn (my favorite season). I'm finishing the neck carve tonight or tomorrow, and it'll be off to finish later this week along with 4-5 others.

Autumn is also my favorite season, and that tells me that the name for this guitar will have something to do with Autumn.

"Autumn Leaves" will NOT be its name, but if you all haven't heard Eva Cassidy's version of Autumn Leaves your life is incomplete.

Something with Autumn in the name, or a very close association, will be in the works. Post, PM, or email me ideas. I will credit anyone whose idea(s) I use, but please don't be offended if I don't use yours!

And John knows I've not shown some really spectacular work he did for this guitar over the weekend. I can't show you everything at once or you'd overload like I did.... another posting coming in a few days...

Phil

colins · #74 06-01-2011, 05:01 AM

Guitar is looking great and the Autumn theme is a nice one (hang on, don't you call it Fall?) We have just finished Autumn down here, with fog burning off each morning to give us crisp, sunny days. And the leaves on the tree out front of our house are very similar in colour to your redwood top. Good luck with the naming!

Col

riorider · #75 06-02-2011, 08:48 PM

Well, it's time to unveil yet another special feature on this guitar. John told me he had something special in mind for the end graft, and I think I might have suggested something like this (of course - that's cheap, as I'm so full of suggestions that occasionally one almost has to slip through the lines and get into the plan!).

So, to begin. After the binding and purfling, it's time to work the end graft channel:

John first continued the purfling around the "end" of the sides:

He then inlayed a piece of what looks to me like African Blackwood - same wood as the binding, and note that the grain is in line with the binding - not perpendicular to it. You'll see that better in the next shot.

Cleaned up and sanded, ready for the next step:

I'll continue in the next post..

Phil