Stehr Build - Auditorium 8 string, Brazilian Rosewood and Sinker Redwood

[hnuuhiwa]

Joel started this build a month or so ago, and things have been moving fairly quickly lately.

This is the back and sides we're using;

Here's the braz rosewood headstock backplate;



Cocobolo fretboard;



Cocobolo headstock front plate;



Mahigany, Cocobolo Laminated Neck;



This will be one of Joel's Auditorium model, with 8 strings. We'll be using cocobolo for the accents and the bevels which will be arm, cutaway and rib. Throw some burl into the mix and paua zipflex for the purfling throughout.

Initially this was going to be another of my Hula Girl series, however after several back and forths I decided to go with a Stehr Leaf theme. It'll have a Stehr leaf soundport as well as some other touches.

I'm also looking at using the same Kanji inlays that was used on my all Koa Cornerstone Zion build -which would make this Stehr one of the heirloom builds to be passed on to my sons.

[JoeCharter]

I was just wondering about having an 8-string guitar built for myself so I'll follow this thread closely.

Congrats on your fine selection of woods.

Joe

[hnuuhiwa]

Joel's got the sides bent....



and has the bevel form installed....



We had been discussing the backstrip design - I had wanted a 3/4 strip design and Joel was looking to work in the leaf theme;



at the same time Joel was working on an idea for the back of the neck;



We decided to leverage it for the back strip and came up with this;



And Joel finished it up and sent me this pictures...I like how he did the paua leafs with the veins..









We still need to work out the details on the rosette, but it will definitely have a leaf in it!

[racman]

Congrats on the start of what is going to be a fine guitar Hen!

Looking spectacular already!

[Trevor M]

Wow, that's a beaut.

[dekutree64]

Love that backstrip! Great use of the natural stripes in abalone shell. I always love digging through materials to find the perfect pieces with shapes naturally grown in them, rather than having to resort to engraving.

Those are some fine woods as well. I'll be keeping my eye on this build as it progresses

[mikealpine]

That looks gorgeous! Joel will be building me a guitar of yet to be determined size (we're narrowed down, though), so I'll be watching this thread with a lot if enjoyment and anticipation. I can only imagine it is going to be stunning when complete!!

[haolebrownie]

Wow. I really like the back with the paua leaves. I'm looking forward to watch the build.

[mcozma]

Originally Posted by hnuuhiwa

We still need to work out the details on the rosette, but it will definitely have a leaf in it!

What's going on, Hen?
I just came back from vacation in the Alps and what do I see - even more leaves..?
That's going to be yet another spectacular guitar by Joel, including his signature design.
Congratulations to both the builder and the owner!

[riorider]

Hen, as you know I follow your builds - and especially your Stehr builds - with great glee!

Looks like another one to get "lodged" in my memory.

Wow!

Best,

Phil

[Steve Kinnaird]

Looking great! Another beauty from one of my favorite builders.
Thanks for posting.

Steve

[dk63]

Love the rosette design. I've been struggling with what to have Joel do for my rosette when my build comes up but I think you've given me something to build on. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery of course.

[hnuuhiwa]

Thanks guys for all the nice comments. Joel and I still haven't finalized the rosette design or even the top. We're still working on it.....

We initially were going with a dark sinker top, but I'm now thinking of using one of the sister sets I have to the curly sinker top that is on my Edwinson. Since I'm selling the Edwinson, if I use a sister set for the top I'll still have a guitar with that crazy gorgeous look.

According to Joel, they are both of similar stiffness so there shouldn't be too much of a difference in tone once he voices the top. We briefly considered the LS that he has in my stash of tops, but I decided to save that to pair with the Mun Ebony set we have for a future build.

Aloha!

[hnuuhiwa]

Well, we decided to go with another sinker redwood top, one with a little more stiffness, given the eight string tension. We still have to finalize the rosette, but it's all coming together...

Here's the back being braced..





And the fretboard with the 12th fret Leaf marker..





And the Moon(s)...







More to come....stay tuned.

[Sandcastle Gtrs]

Really impressive. The fretboard perimeter inlay and the tie in with the stock is really something. Nice job.