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  #1  
Old 08-15-2018, 10:38 PM
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Default Wilborn Black Lion DONE: VIDEO ADDED!!!

This spring my S.O. and I combined a wine country trip with a visit to Mr. Sexauer and Mr. Wilborn, coming home with some very nice wine and 2 bespoke guitars. Bruce has started and has shown some pics on his thread and Ben is about to start the other tomorrow, well actually today since it is 12:30 AM here.

We have some cool ideas for this guitar. It will be his Lion model which is his second smallest guitar, but has a big sound. The back and sides are a very dark BRW set and the top will be redwood, but with a couple of twists.

The first twist is the top is being cut from a shelf. Ben knew we were coming to visit and I think he forgot to get wood for me to look at and at the last minute pulled a shelf off the wall and tried to convinced me to build a guitar from it. Here are a couple of pictures to prove it:

Ben showing off the shelf he pulled off the wall, he seems quite proud of it....

ben.jpg

Here is a series of pictures kind of highlighting our discussion of the matter. Please note the stamp on the board indicating the lumber yard it was being sold at! Many folks search the world for wood, in tunnels, under water, Ben...hardware store!

bena.jpg

More convincing, Ben still seems quite sure that this is a good idea:

bena1.jpg

Finally Ben convinced he has won the discussion, me not so sure:

bena2.jpg

Well anyway, Ben said the shelf was perfectly straight grained as well as perfectly quartersawn which it appears to be and you know what, it tapped quite musically as well, so we are going for it. All kidding aside, it appears to be a great piece of Redwood, but it did in fact come from the hardware store several years back LOL. So we have tunnel 13, tunnel 14, Lucky Strike, Sinker, and now .....what, Lowes Redwood or perhaps top shelf redwood!!!!! I like that last one.

Here is the color palate for the project, however, there will be more surprises to follow (which is twist 2), so this palate will be changing later! Snakewood bindings. We are also going to try something quite unique on the fretboard, but that is still in the planning stage and by that I mean all in Ben's artistic brain at this point.

bena4.jpg

And one last pic of the top shelf in all of its 3/4 inch glory with some lines drawn on it to pretend it is a suitable top:

bena3.jpg
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Last edited by TomB'sox; 10-23-2018 at 06:16 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-15-2018, 11:06 PM
sakar12 sakar12 is offline
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This cracks me up. I'm sure it will be amazing!
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  #3  
Old 08-16-2018, 05:32 AM
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Congratulations Tom! In following your posts, it is a shame you don't have more guitars and certainly you NEED this ha! Well, I'm confident you and Ben will come up with yet another masterpiece. Anxious to see it!
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Old 08-16-2018, 06:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sakar12 View Post
This cracks me up. I'm sure it will be amazing!
Yes, humor was a major part of the visit, but in the end, the guitar will be awesome I am sure!

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Originally Posted by invguy921 View Post
Congratulations Tom! In following your posts, it is a shame you don't have more guitars and certainly you NEED this ha! Well, I'm confident you and Ben will come up with yet another masterpiece. Anxious to see it!
If you think "need" drives these builds, you are on the wrong forum haha.
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Old 08-16-2018, 07:29 AM
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This will be great fun to watch. Congrats on not only finding some fine builders, but more importantly an amazing S.O.!

Steve
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Old 08-16-2018, 08:09 AM
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Tom - you definitely found your 'happy place'!

In another two years I'll be able to post my Fairbanks F-30 build thread!
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Old 08-16-2018, 09:26 AM
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Smile Perfect redwood from a shelf!!!

Wow, You guys are off to a fine start! How fun to find the perfect top in Ben's shop already! Top Shelf Redwood indeed.

This will be fun to watch and if It goes on Ben's normal rapid schedule it will be over FAST!

Woohoo

Paul
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Old 08-16-2018, 09:42 AM
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this one's gonna be fun!!! Congrats!! Yes, "top shelf" Redwood happening with this one!!
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Old 08-16-2018, 10:06 AM
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Ben is watching you, like I'm watching this thread: with interest!

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Old 08-16-2018, 11:17 AM
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Default Top Shelf Lion

I think the AGF has already named this one for me. The Top-Shelf Lion.
To be fair to the piece of wood, let me clarify. It actually came from a now defunct lumber yard in the Reno area, where a friend of mine with a keen eye for wood found it, and numerous other perfectly q-sawn old-growth planks nestled among the more ordinary fare in a pallet of S4S redwood boards. That was in the late '80's. It was Tom's (pedestrian) imagination that turned it into a shelf. It could easily have been made into a planter, a gazebo, or a lintel. But shelf it is.

I absolutely love redwood as a tonewood. It seems to have all the warmth, immediacy and responsiveness of Red Cedar, but with an added sparkle that moves it one click along the spectrum towards spruce. It also, at least in very nice, stiff examples like this one, provides a very surprising amount of headroom and power. I love it! It also has a deep, geometric chatoyance that makes it as beautiful as anything out there- and no one minds a beautiful guitar, no matter how good it sounds.

This is going to be an awesome build. To match Tom's MYSTERIOUS OUTLAW
mystique, we are going to make a very dark, elegant, possibly dangerous guitar.
The BRW back and sides are, as you can see, approaching black, and we are planning a darkening treatment on the top. Along with paua abalone purfling, and the snakewood bindings, it should be pretty stunning!

Thanks Tom, for another opportunity to do my favorite thing in life, and build a sweet guitar!
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
This will be great fun to watch. Congrats on not only finding some fine builders, but more importantly an amazing S.O.!

Steve
Thanks Steve, it seems to me that in my very first commissioned guitar I found a great luthier! I am thankful for that every day when I play them as well as being thankful for the wonderful SO aka Kathy, who does not say a word about these builds. I think this guitar habit is much better than some on our relationship and we got a trip to Sonoma and Napa!

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Originally Posted by srick View Post
Tom - you definitely found your 'happy place'!

In another two years I'll be able to post my Fairbanks F-30 build thread!
Rick you work hard for your money, I think that Fairbanks could come sooner than that...yes I am the devil on your shoulder!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitars44me View Post
Wow, You guys are off to a fine start! How fun to find the perfect top in Ben's shop already! Top Shelf Redwood indeed.

This will be fun to watch and if It goes on Ben's normal rapid schedule it will be over FAST!

Woohoo

Paul
Funny you should say that, I specifically asked Ben to take his time because I wanted this experience to last hahahaa! You know how it is, the build and watching the project is such a huge part of the fun!

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Originally Posted by islandguitar View Post
this one's gonna be fun!!! Congrats!! Yes, "top shelf" Redwood happening with this one!!
I agree, top shelf is the way to go and Ben is a great bartender!!!
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BenjaminPaldacci View Post
Ben is watching you, like I'm watching this thread: with interest!

That is such a great picture, if I did not know better I would say he is giving me the stink eye for my shelf comments, I knew I should have gone with planter or gazebo!
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WilbornGuitars View Post
I think the AGF has already named this one for me. The Top-Shelf Lion.
To be fair to the piece of wood, let me clarify. It actually came from a now defunct lumber yard in the Reno area, where a friend of mine with a keen eye for wood found it, and numerous other perfectly q-sawn old-growth planks nestled among the more ordinary fare in a pallet of S4S redwood boards. That was in the late '80's. It was Tom's (pedestrian) imagination that turned it into a shelf. It could easily have been made into a planter, a gazebo, or a lintel. But shelf it is.

I absolutely love redwood as a tonewood. It seems to have all the warmth, immediacy and responsiveness of Red Cedar, but with an added sparkle that moves it one click along the spectrum towards spruce. It also, at least in very nice, stiff examples like this one, provides a very surprising amount of headroom and power. I love it! It also has a deep, geometric chatoyance that makes it as beautiful as anything out there- and no one minds a beautiful guitar, no matter how good it sounds.

This is going to be an awesome build. To match Tom's MYSTERIOUS OUTLAW
mystique, we are going to make a very dark, elegant, possibly dangerous guitar.
The BRW back and sides are, as you can see, approaching black, and we are planning a darkening treatment on the top. Along with paua abalone purfling, and the snakewood bindings, it should be pretty stunning!

Thanks Tom, for another opportunity to do my favorite thing in life, and build a sweet guitar!

I think Top Shelf works well for the working model, but as this build progresses and the top is darkened and the back and sides come alive, please feel free to find its forever name, although top shelf is still better than gazebo or planter....pedestrian imagination, jeez

Ok 80's is longer than a few years ago I guess. I'll give you that. At least it is a dry shelf.

Yes, I live the Mysterious Outlaw persona every day, in fact Kathy never really knows who she will be dealing with each day...TomB'sox International Man of Mystery!!!! Trust me, this guitar is going to be much cooler than its owner! That being said, this is going to be very exciting to watch it come to life in your very capable hands Sir Ben! I Thank you!
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:32 PM
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Tom, you know I LOVE redwood, and that particular plank looks great! Very happy to follow this build along, my friend.
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Old 08-16-2018, 04:11 PM
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Well, well, well. Another in a long succession. And top-shelf with the roar of a Lion no less! Awesome guys but then we have come to expect nothing less from Ben and Tom. This is going to be loads of fun to watch! Congrats on what looks to be wonderful guitar.
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