My first custom build; Edwinson Lutherie

[redcrow]

No new pictures today. Not much to show when we're just watching paint dry. For me, this is the hardest part of the build. The final coats of lacquer were applied almost 2 weeks ago. So the finish needs another 7 - 10 days to fully cure. Then comes the fine grit detail sanding, buffing, and final assembly and set up. So Ariel is right on schedule to arrive in plenty of time for my birthday. Yay!!

Meantime, Steve was very excited to tell me a new client has found him, and is in the process of commissioning several guitars to be constructed with wood from "The Tree". Steve is so thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this legendary material. I'm hoping this new patron will post a build thread too. It ought to be veeerrry interesting.

[redcrow]

The latest news out of Fairhope is that my guitar (Ariel) will get her finish sanding and polish in the first few days of this week. Steve hopes to have her strung up by next Friday or Saturday. He plans to create a photo album of her on his Flickr account, These will be in studio shots with lots of detail. Should be beautiful. Stay tuned...

I smell a NGD coming up in a couple weeks. Oh be still, my beating heart!!

[redcrow]

So Ariel is nearing completion. The bridge needs to be slotted for a saddle and bored for string pins. Then the saddle and nut will be cut and mounted. After all that, strings will be added and the final set up and polishing.

Well, I suspect y'all know the drill.

I do, however, have a couple teaser pictures I'd like to share. These are of the front and back of the head stock.

[IMG]Back Plate by Bert Seltzer, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Front Plate by Bert Seltzer, on Flickr[/IMG]

[redcrow]

Major milestone! Ariel is fully assembled and has strings! Next up is some detail work and fine tuning the set up. She'll be allowed to "settle in" for a few days during which time, Steve will be shooting a bunch of studio pictures. Stay tuned for those. They'll be awesome. Then she heads to her forever home in the wilds of Southern Oregon. I anticipate the NGD of a lifetime when she completes that journey.

Meantime, here are a few pix of Ariel. The first was shot before assembly, but it does give a good idea of just how amazing that Quilted Maple is.

[IMG]IMG_6017 by Bert Seltzer, on Flickr[/IMG]

The next 2 are of the fully assembled guitar. These were shot with an iPhone camera in the shop. Like I said, there will be a set of studio pictures to follow soon.

[IMG]IMG_6088 by Bert Seltzer, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]IMG_6089 by Bert Seltzer, on Flickr[/IMG]

[cigarfan]

Gorgeous as expected. You are a lucky man!

[redcrow]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Gorgeous as expected. You are a lucky man!

Thanks. And yes, I am...

[Nemoman]

Truly stunning--looking forward to seeing it in your hands!

[redcrow]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Truly stunning--looking forward to seeing it in your hands!

Thanks Nemoman! Steve always told me to keep my expectation high. I did, and he promptly exceeded them. I like to think he enjoyed this build as much as I did.

[TomB'sox]

Very nice indeed, congrats! The build seems to have flown by.

[redcrow]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Very nice indeed, congrats! The build seems to have flown by.

Thanks Tom! Steve and I started this adventure at the end of October 2023. If all goes as planned, Ariel will be in my hands in 10 days to 2 weeks. Since I have no prior experience to use as a reference, I had no expectations regarding how long the build might take. Looking at other build threads here, 6 months is pretty impressive, especially since I know Steve was juggling a couple other projects at the same time. Steve is a real trooper. No doubt about that. He kept me well informed throughout the build, and the pictures I've posted are a testament to the very high quality of his work and his attention to detail.

As promised, there will be a comprehensive album of pictures showing the finished guitar is all it's glory. After that, she'll be packed up and sent on her way to me. Oh happy day, that.

[theEdwinson]

Well, hi there, everyone! It's the Edwinson, coming up for air, and in a celebratory mood. I just finished editing a big pile of photos of Bert's brand new Ariel ECP Performance guitar, after shooting them in my bootleg studio earlier today. It's quite a pretty guitar, and right out of the gate, the sound this guitar puts out is immensely gratifying. Remember that old cliche that everybody said Maple guitars don't sound good or don't have much tonal character? Well, let's put that tired old myth to rest once and for all!

Ariel's top is a very high grade German spruce, and is braced with Tunnel 14 Redwood. That's a bit unconventional, bracing a top with Redwood, but it really, really works. This wood was harvested in the late 19th century, so it's very well seasoned, it's very light, very stiff, and super resonant. I felt that combining the Redwood and German spruce to top this awesome Maple back and sides would be a sure bet, and danged if it didn't pay off!

Without further ado, here are some photos of Bert's new Ariel guitar...



And now for the back view. I call this particular kind of figure on Western Bigleaf Maple "popcorn quilt". The photos don't really convey the depth of shimmer and chatoyance in this wood; but they come close. From different lighting angles, the visual character keeps changing, like a quilted Maple kaleidoscope. I think this wood has psychoactive properties.




The headstock is the newest iteration of my Delta Asymmetrical design, which started out as a headstock for multiscale guitars. I think it looks pretty stylish on a uni-scale guitar as well. The front is bookmatched Ziricote (as is the fingerboard); and the back is quilted Maple, that continures the theme of the flamed Maple and Ziricote center laminations of the neck. Kudos to Tom Bowersox for giving us this design idea.

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/

There are plenty more detail photos, so I'm not going to hog all the space. Bert will add some more. I'm late for dinner, so have a good night, folks, and thanks for looking!

[Zandit75]

[Nemoman]

Yowzah--beautiful work, Steve!

[RTaylor58]

Beautiful Steve! Mine is continuing to amaze me in new and exciting ways. Bert is in for a treat!

[theEdwinson]

Originally Posted by RTaylor58

Beautiful Steve! Mine is continuing to amaze me in new and exciting ways. Bert is in for a treat!

Hi, Ron, I've been thinking of you a lot lately and wanted to say HI and see how you're doing. I got myself a little over-committed earlier this year, so the old social life thing got left by the wayside. I'm so glad to hear you're having a good time with your guitar. I really enjoyed building that one, just as with Bert's Ariel guitar. The absolute best part of this work is being able to create great friendships with people like you guys. What a great privilege. Lutherie is a noble craft, and I'm grateful beyond words to have had the chance to make my living this way. And Music is a noble art, the universal language of humanity... And this perpetual circle we're wrapped up in does nothing but make better human beings of us.
Be well, and prosper, my friend!