Malachite Machinga Meridian--New Baranik Build!!!

[Nemoman]

Super cool pics to share today.

Mike got the Malachite fret markers installed!!! No small feat with the fragile nature of this stone.

I'm really loving the looks and the color palette on this guitar...









Edit--added a few additional pics with the fretboard in its eventual position...







Thanks to all who have commented and those following along!

[Zandit75]

[riorider]

like I said - WOWSER!

[Nemoman]

Thanks, Zandit and Phil for following along and commenting!

One of the hold-ups on progressing this guitar has been waiting for sealer from South Carolina--due to the pandemic shipping has been greatly delayed.

So in the meantime, Mike has been working on the headstock. I could not be happier with the results!

From my sketch--to Mike's awesome execution...











The silking in this top continues to impress me.

All the Wenge on this guitar (except the fretboard) is recessed and will not receive a gloss finish--instead it will be sealed and left with the grain showing...

Thanks for checking it out!

[Vaillant75]

I love how the innovative aspect of that build (especially the fretboard). Baranik's touch is so elegant and organic.

Looking forward to its finalization!

[cigarfan]

What an exquisite looking guitar! With all this "stuff" you almost lose sight of how crazy good the Machinga is that started all the wow factor. Congrats again Kevin on quite the masterpiece. Yikes!

[MThomson]

The detailing on the guitar is off the charts beautiful. I'm usually in the camp of less is more and very spare decoration, but all this ties in so well. It looks incredible.

[colins]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Love seeing all the embellishments coming together. Not sure which part I like the most, they are all so good!

[riorider]

Looking great. And what's so much fun is that the tones out of this will be exceptional. That's the foundation... a GREAT sounding guitar... now let's see if we can make it visually interesting as well!!!

Really looking forward to hearing the response to that first strum....

We could really torture you and have Mike stretch the build until October...

No - any collective "we" you can name would NOT be that cruel!!

Oh - and agree on the Blue Spruce. There's just something magical about it visually and sonically.

Thanks for sharing!
Phil

[doodahdoug]

Looks great Kevin and I can't wait to see it all together. Look forward to your next update!

[j. Kinnaird]

Kevin that is such creative work. Beautiful!

[Nemoman]

Originally Posted by Vaillant75

I love how the innovative aspect of that build (especially the fretboard). Baranik's touch is so elegant and organic.

Looking forward to its finalization!

Thanks for checking it out, Vaillant--Mike's touch has really brought these materials together in a wonderful way.

Originally Posted by cigarfan

What an exquisite looking guitar! With all this "stuff" you almost lose sight of how crazy good the Machinga is that started all the wow factor. Congrats again Kevin on quite the masterpiece. Yikes!

Thanks, Dennis. You're so right--I'm gonna have to keep turning this guitar over to remind myself how stunning the Machinga really is!

Originally Posted by MThomson

The detailing on the guitar is off the charts beautiful. I'm usually in the camp of less is more and very spare decoration, but all this ties in so well. It looks incredible.

Thanks--the intent was to try to use these materials in such a way as to highlight them without overdoing it. Hopefully, we've achieved that--Mike has really done a wonderful job pulling it all together.

Originally Posted by colins

Love seeing all the embellishments coming together. Not sure which part I like the most, they are all so good!

Thanks, Colin!

Originally Posted by riorider

Looking great. And what's so much fun is that the tones out of this will be exceptional. That's the foundation... a GREAT sounding guitar... now let's see if we can make it visually interesting as well!!!

Really looking forward to hearing the response to that first strum....

We could really torture you and have Mike stretch the build until October...

No - any collective "we" you can name would NOT be that cruel!!

Oh - and agree on the Blue Spruce. There's just something magical about it visually and sonically.

Thanks for sharing!
Phil

So true, Phil--I can't wait to hear the voice of this guitar when it's all strung up. It may well be October if the sealer doesn't show up soon--Mike's been waiting on it for 3 weeks now! Thanks for following along!

[Nemoman]

Originally Posted by doodahdoug

Looks great Kevin and I can't wait to see it all together. Look forward to your next update!

Thanks, Doug! Your new Robbins is really a stunner--looking forward to your review full review.

Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird

Kevin that is such creative work. Beautiful!

Hey, John, thanks--really appreciate that!

[Nemoman]

Still waiting on sealer in order to proceed on to the binding phase of this guitar. After UPS lost track of the first shipment, another order was shipped out. And then the first order was located! So the latest estimate is for an arrival of Wednesday or Thursday of this week--and probably 2 of them!

So in the meantime, Mike finished up the endgraft. I wanted the endgraft to be simple and to accommodate an endjack for a pickup. I want to use a Vintage Jack (I was turned onto them by Ben Wilborn--thanks, Ban!) as I feel they they have a spare elegant look that isn't as obtrusive as the typical endjack.

Mike did a great job coming up with an endgraft design that ties in beautifully with the overall aesthetic of the guitar. Let me know what you think!





Until next time, have fun and stay safe out there!

[colins]

The end graft is great Kevin. The malachite was such a good idea.