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  #61  
Old 03-01-2022, 07:07 PM
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Default Drilling & Routing a Slotted Headstock

Steve is drilling for the holes tuner shafts with a StewMac guitar drill jig for slotted headstocks.



Now to routing the two slots. He does this after drilling the six tuner holes for the obvious reason (not blowing out the holes!).



After the routing the two slots, now we can really begin to get some of that two tone appearance of the Macassar Ebony heartwood and sapwood to good effect.



Steve has begun to file the two ramps. At this stage, he told me that he can that one of the ramps needs a bit more work (The one on right does). It is better to file them shorter and lengthen them later, than cut longer (too long) and kick oneself.



Here are the Rodgers tuning machines being fitted into the drilled holes. You can see how the black engraving and Black MOP buttons visually tie into the Gaboon Ebony binding and back overlay veneer.



The tuning machine center bushings are not installed yet until after finishing.

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  #62  
Old 03-02-2022, 09:28 AM
Aspiring Aspiring is offline
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That is shaping up to be stunning! I love the aesthetic with the color split on the slot head.
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  #63  
Old 03-02-2022, 12:10 PM
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Very pretty work. Inspired!
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  #64  
Old 03-02-2022, 01:09 PM
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That is shaping up to be stunning! I love the aesthetic with the color split on the slot head.
Thanks...

With custom builds, you and your luthier frequently need to make decisions in response to material options at hand and be visualize as to what something might look like in a finished form.

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Very pretty work. Inspired!
Your little brother is inspired...
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  #65  
Old 03-02-2022, 04:57 PM
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Very pretty work. Inspired!
Dang that headstock is beautiful

The tuners are BOSS

Sweet stuff, gentlemen

Paul
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  #66  
Old 03-02-2022, 06:22 PM
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Default Binding the Sound Port

Here is a shot of installing the final layer of a multi-layer, laminate of Black Fiber/European Maple to create binding on an elliptical sound port. You can also see that the Spruce side reinforcements have been installed between the reverse kerfed Honduran Mahogany linings. The top portion of the neck block can be seen as well. The top piece is Spanish Cedar and the vertical portion is Honduran Mahogaany.



This is a shot of Steve using the Ultimate Stew-Mac scraper on a delicate job in an awkward area. He said that it “saved his bacon” today. He needed something small, roundish and sharp to clean up binding veneers inside the body. The black fiber layers when glued in with CA glue became as hard as rock. This was the perfect tool for the job!



Now the binding layers are leveled and scraped flush, Steve applied a bit of shellac to get an idea of what the finished appearance of the bound sound port will like against the Macassar Ebony rims. The elliptical sound port is 1-1/4” x 1-3/4”.

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Last edited by iim7V7IM7; 03-02-2022 at 06:47 PM.
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  #67  
Old 03-02-2022, 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Aspiring View Post
That is shaping up to be stunning! I love the aesthetic with the color split on the slot head.
Very kind of you, thanks!

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Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird View Post
Very pretty work. Inspired!
I’m glad you like it bro. But I think Bob is the one with the vision here. He took this daring, two-toned leap, and I’m certainly glad he did. This will be (to me, anyway) one of our most memorable headstocks.

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Dang that headstock is beautiful
The tuners are BOSS
Sweet stuff, gentlemen
Paul
Thank you Paul, glad you stopped by.

Steve
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  #68  
Old 03-04-2022, 07:51 AM
Carpinteria Carpinteria is offline
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The binding on the soundport looks wonderful! Dave
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  #69  
Old 03-06-2022, 07:13 PM
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I was fortunate to be able to see this guitar at the shop while I was there this past week. Both the materials and craftsmanship at at the highest tier of quality. As amazing as it looks in the pictures posted, believe me when I say it is all the more amazing in person. All the elements, from the woods, to the headstock, to the soundport, to the tuners, all work together in concert to form what I know will be a superlative instrument.

Kudos to Steve and Ryan and congrats to Bob in advance.

I can't wait to hear this one sing!
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  #70  
Old 03-06-2022, 09:53 PM
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The binding on the soundport looks wonderful! Dave
Thanks much, Dave. Kudos from fellow builders is a particular joy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemoman View Post
I was fortunate to be able to see this guitar at the shop while I was there this past week. Both the materials and craftsmanship at at the highest tier of quality. As amazing as it looks in the pictures posted, believe me when I say it is all the more amazing in person. All the elements, from the woods, to the headstock, to the soundport, to the tuners, all work together in concert to form what I know will be a superlative instrument.

Kudos to Steve and Ryan and congrats to Bob in advance.

I can't wait to hear this one sing!
Kevin, your very kind words are greatly appreciated. We will be closing the box on this guitar this coming week, so you know first hand what we will be doing. And I tell you what, binding a guitar with 6 hands, instead of 4, proved to be a shot in the arm. Why don’t you come back next week and help out on this one? 🤩
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  #71  
Old 03-07-2022, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
And I tell you what, binding a guitar with 6 hands, instead of 4, proved to be a shot in the arm. Why don’t you come back next week and help out on this one? 🤩
If only it was possible I'd be there in a heartbeat!
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2021 Kinnaird Graybeard (BC Cedar/Bog Oak)
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  #72  
Old 03-07-2022, 11:20 AM
BlackKeys36 BlackKeys36 is offline
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If only it was possible I'd be there in a heartbeat!
One of my favorite moments from my student build week was when we had "6 Hands" binding my student build and I "got in trouble" with Steve for taking one hand off to take a picture of the process. Steve wasn't about to let the opportunity to have extra hands in there go to waste. When I commented about it being embarrassing for me to post the pic and have the other luthiers see that he had 3 guys binding he insisted that they would all be jealous.
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  #73  
Old 03-07-2022, 09:23 PM
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Default Back on…

Steve glued the Macassar Ebony back to the rims this weekend. They use a combination of cauls to affix the neck block, end block and cutaway along with some serious elastic straps tied to the body mold to apply clamping pressure to the reverse kerfed linings.

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  #74  
Old 03-08-2022, 06:54 PM
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Default Closing the “Box”

Steve took a few shots before closing up the “box” today. You can see the beautiful figure of the Macassar Ebony back against the now refined Port Orford Cedar ladder braces. The back label (0322180) indicates this is guitar #180 off their bench. A Spanish Cedar extension can be seen against the Honduran Mahogany neck block.



Looking lengthwise towards the Spruce end block you can see that they have glued in a vertically oriented, tight grained piece of Redwood as a reinforcement strip.



Here is a shot of the refined Sitka Spruce top braces on the 25’ dished, Adirondack Spruce top. You can see a scalloped, capped x-brace, a “Don Musser” styled brace adjacent to an African Padauk bridge plate. The tone bar nearer the bridge plate is scalloped, but the one nearer the end block is straight tapered. The poetry appears to be in “unrhymed iambic luthometer”..::



Here is the top being clamped/glued to the rims/linings. You can see quite a bit of medullary for an Adirondack Spruce top indicating that it is quite well quartered. The aesthetics of the radially arrayed Macassar Ebony rosette purfled with Zebrawood can begin to be seen even before applying finish.

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Last edited by iim7V7IM7; 03-08-2022 at 09:07 PM.
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  #75  
Old 03-08-2022, 10:59 PM
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Smile Rhymed….

Looks like RHYMED iambic luthometer to me…

And the guitar is beautiful!!!

Paul
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3 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS:
Big Maple/Cedar Dread
Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC
Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC

R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro
96 422ce bought new!
96 LKSM 12
552ce 12x12

J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut

More
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