Lefty Baranik Meridian Build!

[guitarlifter]

Well, it's been a cool experience with the decision process, but, after careful deliberation, I've decided to go with Mike Baranik as a builder! I'm very excited for this build because it's going to be my first ever hand-built guitar. Mike and I are still in the very early stages of the process since we just confirmed with one another that I will be going with him, so it will be at least a year or two before the guitar is started. I am going to savor every moment!

Since you guys have been so gracious in helping me throughout the process, I've decided that it would only be fair to share the whole process with you guys! Feel free to give me recommendations!

Here is what I'm looking at right now. Keep in mind this can and likely will change:

Model: Baranik Meridian
Orientation: Left-handed
Back/Side wood: African Blackwood
Top wood: Adirondack
Cutaway: Florentine
Scale Length: 26"-25.25" with 5th fret parallel
Evo Gold frets
1 3/4 width at nut
2 1/4 width at saddle
Saddle and nut material: undecided (perhaps fossilized Mammoth/Walrus ivory or bone?)
Sound port
Pick guard: Likely tortoise
Neck profile: Undecided
Neck material: Mahogany? Undecided
Bridge/Fretboard material: Ebony or African Blackwood
Fret Inlays: Paua dots perhaps? I love blue
Rossette: Maybe some Paua in here as well?
Headstock design: Unsure
Tuners: Unsure

I'm not well-versed yet on the inlays and rosettes, bindings and purflings yet, so if you guys could give me some insight on those things especially, I would be most grateful. I like the color blue although it's uncommon to see that on guitars. However, I think that it could look sharp if done tastefully such as maybe some blue fret dot inlays from using Paua or using it with the Rosette or pick guard.

Feel free to make recommendations on anything though (except the builder, that's set in stone)!

Thanks again, guys! You've all been great!

And a special thanks to ericcsong for personally guiding me through the whole process! I don't know what I would've done without you!

For those that are wondering, I don't have any woods chosen/reserved yet. When I get those, I will post them up.

Enjoy!

[Leftyprs]

Congrats! It sounds like it's going to be a beauty, and I'm excited to see yet another custom lefty guitar come to life during the build process. Blue Paua is very cool looking to my eyes, and you should check it out as an option. It sounds like you have a while to research different spec options before your build begins. I can't wait to see it!

[justonwo]

Congrats. The Baranik Meridian definitely does not suck. Enjoy the process. My Meridian has blue-green accents from a wood called lignum vitae. Unfortunately, the UV used during finish curing knocks a lot of the brilliance out of that wood. I think blue shell done right could look very classy.

Kevin Ryan does a lot of blue paua on his guitars so you might check out his site for some ideas (though Mike's aesthetic is more contemporary).

[ericcsong]

congrats! I didn't do anything but listen! also advised you to talk to the builders! Can't wait for this build. Will be such a beautiful sounding, playing, and looking instrument

[guitarlifter]

Originally Posted by ericcsong

congrats! I didn't do anything but listen! also advised you to talk to the builders! Can't wait for this build. Will be such a beautiful sounding, playing, and looking instrument

You also answered probably 5,000 questions that I had, too. Nothing big. haha

But yeah, I think that Blue Paua on this guitar would look awesome. Blue Paua pickguard, blue paua fretboard dot inlays, blue paua rosette. I don't want to go overboard though.

Oh, and one cool thing that occurred when I talked with Mike is that we both had the same exact ideas about the perfect fan fret. We both though that having a bigger offset that the bridge and saddle and a parallel fret closer to the nut was important because of some of the difficulties that can occur in the earlier frets with the huge stretches especially with the thumb. Mike said that he did a 26"-25.25" 5th fret parallel fan fret that turned out fantastic. He loved it.

What kind of bridge/nut material should I go for?

[El Conquistador]

Originally Posted by guitarlifter

I'm not well-versed yet on the inlays and rosettes, bindings and purflings yet, so if you guys could give me some insight on those things especially, I would be most grateful. I like the color blue although it's uncommon to see that on guitars. However, I think that it could look sharp if done tastefully such as maybe some blue fret dot inlays from using Paua or using it with the Rosette or pick guard.

Feel free to make recommendations

I have no doubt that you will be completely blown away by your Baranik.

A couple of comments. Mike is really known for his use of wood rather than shell for accents like rosetts. However, if you like blue,you might like what he did on my parlor:





As to the rest, I will advise letting Mike be your guide here. I really cannot stress the importance of this enough.

Have fun. You are in for a truly great guitar.

Steve

[old6strng]

Congrats! Sounds like it's going to be an awesome guitar and I can't wait to follow this build!

[guitarlifter]

Originally Posted by El Conquistador

I have no doubt that you will be completely blown away by your Baranik.

A couple of comments. Mike is really known for his use of wood rather than shell for accents like rosetts. However, if you like blue,you might like what he did on my parlor:





As to the rest, I will advise letting Mike be your guide here. I really cannot stress the importance of this enough.

Have fun. You are in for a truly great guitar.

Steve

That is hella sexy. I would go after something like that in a hot second. What is that made of exactly? How did he make that?

[El Conquistador]

Originally Posted by guitarlifter

That is hella sexy. I would go after something like that in a hot second. What is that made of exactly? How did he make that?

You would have to ask Mike about that. I just play 'em and appreciate 'em, I don't build 'em.

Steve

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by guitarlifter

You also answered probably 5,000 questions that I had, too. Nothing big. haha

But yeah, I think that Blue Paua on this guitar would look awesome. Blue Paua pickguard, blue paua fretboard dot inlays, blue paua rosette. I don't want to go overboard though.

Oh, and one cool thing that occurred when I talked with Mike is that we both had the same exact ideas about the perfect fan fret. We both though that having a bigger offset that the bridge and saddle and a parallel fret closer to the nut was important because of some of the difficulties that can occur in the earlier frets with the huge stretches especially with the thumb. Mike said that he did a 26"-25.25" 5th fret parallel fan fret that turned out fantastic. He loved it.

What kind of bridge/nut material should I go for?

I actually found the 7th fret parallel on my Mustapick to be super comfortable, particular for low barre chording, and never found stretches to be an issue. With this configuration, my hand more or less very comfortably paralleled the frets in the first few barre positions. I really like the fossilized walrus testicles on my guitar. Color is cool, but I don't know how the tone compares to other materials. I can say the guitar seems to have a lot of testosterone.

[guitarlifter]

Originally Posted by justonwo

I actually found the 7th fret parallel on my Mustapick to be super comfortable, particular for low barre chording, and never found stretches to be an issue. With this configuration, my hand more or less very comfortably paralleled the frets in the first few barre positions. I really like the fossilized walrus testicles on my guitar. Color is cool, but I don't know how the tone compares to other materials. I can say the guitar seems to have a lot of testosterone.

Low barre chording isn't my worry so much as low thumb fretting where the thumb is on the back end of the chord such as in an FMaj7 like this: 133210 where the thumb is fretting the first fret on the low E string. Try doing that. Or try doing an Fm9 like this: 1x1113 where the thumb is fretting the first fret low E while the index is barring the first four strings and the pinky is fretting the 1st string, third fret. If you haven't tried those chords before, try them and tell me how well you're able to do them. It just seems like I would have to hyper-supinate my wrist and really reach back there to fret with my thumb unless the strings were more parallel at the earlier frets. I'm just theorizing, but it seems to me like most chords would actually be improved in playability in the upper frets past the parallel fret. I don't see pretty much any chord becoming harder.

[StringMeUp]

Congratulations!

You are going to love this guitar. I happened to play a Baranick a couple weeks ago and it was quite nice. When is Mike going to start?

Oh "....the waiting is the hardest part."

[guitarlifter]

Originally Posted by StringMeUp

Congratulations!

You are going to love this guitar. I happened to play a Baranick a couple weeks ago and it was quite nice. When is Mike going to start?

Oh "....the waiting is the hardest part."

Either next year or the year after. It all depends on how his schedule goes.

[Fsgeek]

Congrats... you can always get a Bashkin after

[Trevor M]

Congratulations, I am looking forward to seeing this progress.