Tom Sands M-12 / Swiss Spruce and Malaysian Blackwood

[Nemoman]

Love the lines of this one--the woods are really something special.

And that rosette--mindblowing!

[nobo]

Looking great! (As are Mr Sands' toes )

[Vaillant75]

Hi everyone!

Tom paused on my guitars to take care of the previous batch that just came back from finish, including 2 sister Ms that have been receiving some love on other threads - namely the Tree and Oak model Ms, both stunning!

But he is now back to work on the neck, which I am quite excited about given its relatively "unorthodox" nature: 12 frets to the body, 25-26 fan fret, streaked ebony fingerboard and head plate. Tom sourced that ebony from Bob Taylor's mill in Cameroon, which is usually sorted out because not perfectly jet black. Not only I dig the grain and coloring, but it also favors sustainable wood sourcing, which Tom really cares about.

I spend at least half of my time tuning down to D and C, so the fan fret arrangement appeals to me. Tom also have been building a similar arrangement on a L model, named Kealia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzKQcu1vTKY&t=179s), which I really liked.

Here is a shot of the fan fret positioning.

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And a closer look to the board with bindings. Looks a lot like rosewood to me, with all spider webbing, and should match the rosette and MBW colors quite well.

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Tom also carefully prolonged the grain to the headstock (he will add a copper inlay later on).

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[Vaillant75]

As discussed previously, Tom's most noticeable trademark is the use of copper. I wanted to keep the straight MBW back free on inlays, but Tom got the idea to use copper for the back of the headstock. Here is a shot of the final outcome on the Madagascar model S that was built for BIG(er):

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And below is the result for the red/gold color arrangement. I trusted Tom with this one and I am so pleased with the result. Being located at the back of the headstock, it also avoids having too much "in your face" factor (it will mostly be "in my face") while possessing a distinctive touch.

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I also sense that Tom is having a lot of fun with this one, which for me is a recipe for success. More to come soon!

[MThomson]

I've been following this one on Tom's instagram and I think it looks great. I love the way that he matched the finger board and headstock grain.

[Vaillant75]

Yep, Tom's Instagram is a great resource for anyone looking for guitar building insights.

[Treenewt]

This one is looking quite lovely, for certain. Everything about that neck is crazy cool! I know you’re stoked Tom has been able to move forward on it!

[Vaillant75]

The guitar is ready for finish! Tom did a video on his Instagram to go through the features and design choices, so I figured I would share the results with you. Really happy about how it turned out, and I can't wait to see the guitar coming back from painting



Thanks everyone, have a lovely week end.

[cigarfan]

Quite a statement ... "This is what I would build for me".

Sure is a beauty!

[bmh1]

What a beautiful instrument by a great builder!! And I'm sure the sound will be something special!

Thanks for sharing this journey with us!

beth

[Vaillant75]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Quite a statement ... "This is what I would build for me".

Sure is a beauty!

Originally Posted by bmh1

What a beautiful instrument by a great builder!! And I'm sure the sound will be something special!

Thanks for sharing this journey with us!

beth

Thanks for the kind words.
I feel Tom has had some fun building that guitar, which makes me happy. It's also a great feeling to see the complete guitar for the first time, I can't wait to see it back from finish.

To be continued...

[Deft Tungsman]

Great video ! The lava and blackwood are going to be insane under finish ! Can't wait to see it in the flesh. And it's lightweight, too !

Happy waiting, dude.

[Vaillant75]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Great video ! The lava and blackwood are going to be insane under finish ! Can't wait to see it in the flesh. And it's lightweight, too !

Happy waiting, dude.

Thanks Marc, Excited to hear the guitar soon in your capable hands!

[Vaillant75]

Hi everyone,

Just a couple of glamorous shots of the guitar before being sent to finish. I hope you find them as mouthwatering as I do. Getting so close...

Thanks for looking!

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[MThomson]

That's beautiful enough before finishing, goodness knows how stunning it will be once it's done.