Sexauer/'14

[Bruce Sexauer]

Yes I will, and the reasons for it, and the reasons why it doesn't much matter . . . in THIS case.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Walnut is currently more PC, but there will always be those who will want something more like this:

[Bruce Sexauer]

I received confirmation a couple of hours ago that the OM-28-like FT-15 (#2131211) I sent to the east coast a few days ago will not be coming back any time soon. My personal opinion of this guitar is so high I have been dumbfounded that it took so long to find it's keeper.

The somewhat similar guitar I started this week has every chance of filling the OM's outsized shoes, and now I am more excited than ever to hear it. A slight hitch has developed, however, which is that we are having a humidity spoke here in the Bay Area, and the back is no brace. That's Okay, but there's no way I'm going to glue those braces on in this rare high humidity condition, so it's got to go on hold for a week or so.

I have it to this point:

[Bruce Sexauer]

The unusual high humidity condition persists here in the Bay Area. We have cloudy skies and occasional thunderheads with actual cloudbursts. This is extremely rare here. So at least another week till I can brace the OMs back.

That's OK, I have the neck on the 0 to work on. It will be a slothead. Here is where I've got it to:

[Leftyprs]

I'll put my vote in for the 2nd Walnut layout as well.

[J.R. Rogers]

Hello, Bruce! This is looking beautiful. I love those black and white strips you used on the inside of the guitar. I was wondering if you had ever built a guitar inspired by your Lotus 7?

JR

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by J.R. Rogers

Hello, Bruce! This is looking beautiful. I love those black and white strips you used on the inside of the guitar. I was wondering if you had ever built a guitar inspired by your Lotus 7?

JR

Thank you, JR. I have not tried to incorporate my moto-speed fetish into my guitars in any way, so far. I learned long ago to separate them physically as one little grease finger print on a guitar top is a real deal breaker where he pristine creamy look is concerned. Certainly the Lotus logo would be straightforward as an inlay . . . if someone asked. My car is actually a Westfield Pre-lit, and it too has an inlay-able logo, though not quite so pretty as Lotus's IMO. I have only had this car a year in August. My ongoing relationship with Ducati (11 owned so far, currently a Multistrada 1200) might have born fruit in the instruments by now if any such were going to, but hasn't. I did notice the other day that the 2nd gen Hoffee case, viewed from the side, has elements of the current crop of F1 cars to it, sort of.

Here's me in my car last weekend at an AutoCross event:

[tjp]

I like the car! Must be a hoot to drive. It has funny looking eyeballs though.

[Bruce Sexauer]

This car is said to have a drag coefficient of .61, and removing the headlights would help . . . . except I love them. The fenders are a lot of it: At 100 mph they lighten the front end 150 lb., any faster is considered inadvisable.

[tjp]

I agree, the lights need to stay. I think you should paint eyelashes on them.

Read a little bit about the cars - looks like a really, really good time.

[Bruce Sexauer]

The car takes itself a bit too seriously to have eye lashes. Enough of that!

Here's what I'm working on today. Probably about another hour of finessing to get the head carve cleaned up, but definitely on the way! I am taking a break:

[Halcyon/Tinker]

Is that a padauk bridge plate?

[J.R. Rogers]

Hey, Bruce - I love that Lotus 7! I'll bet that's a blast to race. If you ever get the itch to do a crazy showpiece, I'd love to see a Sexauer Tele based on your 7. A silver body with your number painted on the upper horn, green pickguard to match the fenders, yellow control plate, humbucker in the neck position with custom cover that hearkens to the front grille on the 7. Lipstick or single coil in the bridge with a perforated cover like those side exhaust pipes. Two glass top knobs for the headlights, and then maybe a big "7" across the 11th, 12th, and 13th frets or maybe even the Lotus logo if that was cool. Ebony board, no other inlays.

[Bruce Sexauer]

That does sound like one cool Tele, JR! Good job with the description, I can easily envision it. I started with Solidbodies, low those many years ago, making about 35 of them. I'll give it some thought. . .

Not Padauk, assuming you mean the OM on this page! That is Jatoba, the absolute toughest wood I have ever worked. I used Tucarensis for 25 years, and have recently tried several other woods just 'cuz, and Jatoba now seems like the best choice to me. Its most common use in our world is for flooring, where it is called Brazilian Cherry.

[Halcyon/Tinker]

Interesting...

I just turned down a brick of Brazilian Cherry cause it was completely flat saw. Jatoba was something they had good stock of last time I was at Windsor plywood...

Any thoughts on flat/rift vs QS for bridge plates?