S. Kinnaird Port Orford/Osage Orange SJ (Video/Final pics added!)

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Pernambuco and Osage orange are both a developed taste, IMO. I think cultivation of such taste is helped along by stellar performance. I have a couple of sets of O.O. but have never built with it. I am encouraged to try it by this example. Congratulations.

Thank you Bruce. You know how startling this species is to look at (freshly sanded) but it's also startling to listen to. It simply works. Thanks for dropping by!

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Beautiful to look at and beautiful to listen to. I was particularly drawn to the purple heat oval frame for the "K" and the little 12th fret inlay. Any story on that? Another stellar Kinnaird guitar (Texas edition)!

Thanks Tom. Inlay story? Well, we experimented with several ideas, but all of them competed with the rosette. The triangle was suggested by the triangles in the rosette, and the bow was suggested by the wood's nickname, Bois d'Arc, "bow wood". Seemed appropriate, and it wasn't competing with the rosette.

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Beautiful guitar Steve and Ryan (kudos)... Congrats to Jamie.

Thank you Bob!

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

I think it sounds great - really deep but clear bass, note separation but lots of natural reverb; sweet, full trebles. Kind of a seductive sound - no harshness. I can't tell if it sounds like good rosewood or not, since it sounds better than most rosewood guitars I've played. The Port Orford may also be a big factor in me liking it so much - too many elements are new to me for me to tell. I just know I love the sound. It doesn't hurt that the playing and recording were so good on this demo - great job all around!

That's gratifying, Stan, thank you.

[Jamiejoon]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Beautiful to look at and beautiful to listen to. I was particularly drawn to the purple heat oval frame for the "K" and the little 12th fret inlay. Any story on that? Another stellar Kinnaird guitar (Texas edition)!

Tom, I should really let Steve explain the inlay, since he was the one to propose it (though I had been thinking of something similar and hadn't expressed it)...but here's my attempt:

The inlay at the 12th fret is meant (to me) to represent a bow and an arrow (or arrowhead). Osage Orange was known to homesteaders and farmers as Bois D'Arc, or "Tree of the Bow". Native Americans used it to make bows. Later the pronunciation changed to the current "Bodark" which it is often called now. Anyway, it is a tree with a cool history, and which was once highly valued, but has come to be treated as a nuisance to be chopped down for firewood...until now! My sincere hope is that it comes to be valued once again, and if the old giants must be cut down by farmers that they at least become treasured musical instruments. Which this one certainly will be.

The wood for my guitar came from a very nice guy who is a luthier as well as a sawyer, Zebulon Turrentine. Cool name! Zeb has an excellent supply of Osage Orange. You can find him if you Google his name or Osage Orange Tonewood. That's what I did, because I am a tree geek and I got really interested in the history of it, where it is grown, etc.

As for the Purpleheart: I have heard (from Bob's invaluable Tonewood Datasource) that Purpleheart makes an outstanding tonewood. I am interested in some day having a guitar made with Purpleheart back and sides if I can find an exceptional set, and I told Steve that. He thought it would complement the Osage, Cherry and Guatemalan Rosewood well on this guitar...and I think it does! I know it will ultimately oxidize to brown, but hope it maintains its beautiful color for a while.

[Jamiejoon]

Steve beat me to the explanation! I just move too slow...

[Jamiejoon]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Pernambuco and Osage orange are both a developed taste, IMO. I think cultivation of such taste is helped along by stellar performance. I have a couple of sets of O.O. but have never built with it. I am encouraged to try it by this example. Congratulations.

Thanks for commenting, Bruce. I have admired your masterful use of interesting woods like Pear, Magnolia, Pernambuco, Honduran Rosewood, etc.

[jmat]

Lovely outcome. Sounds great, looks beautiful.

[mountainguitar]

Beautiful guitar with such interesting woods! Sounds great already too! Congratulations to all!

beth

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by jmat

Lovely outcome. Sounds great, looks beautiful.

Thank you jmat, glad you dropped by!

Originally Posted by bmh1

Beautiful guitar with such interesting woods! Sounds great already too! Congratulations to all!

beth

And you too, Beth, many thanks!

[Kenneth Casper]

Congrats Steve and Jamie on that gem of a guitar!

[Jamiejoon]

Thanks Ken! I am nervously waiting for the stork to bring it to me.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Casper

Congrats Steve and Jamie on that gem of a guitar!

Thank you Ken, that's most appreciated!

Steve

[Guitars44me]

Congratulations to Steve, Ryan, and Jamie on a spectacular instrument and a job WELL DONE!!

Have fun Jamie. We will get our builds from Kinnairds east and west within a day or three of each other...

Whee

Paul

[CaE]

What a wonderful use of colors throughout the design! Well thought out and executed. It's not easy building a yellow guitar and keeping it tasteful. Well done.

[Skarsaune]

Originally Posted by Jamiejoon

The wood for my guitar came from a very nice guy who is a luthier as well as a sawyer, Zebulon Turrentine. Cool name! Zeb has an excellent supply of Osage Orange. You can find him if you Google his name or Osage Orange Tonewood. That's what I did, because I am a tree geek and I got really interested in the history of it, where it is grown, etc.

Thanks for mentioning his name! I've been looking for OO sets; looks like I've just found some.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

Congratulations to Steve, Ryan, and Jamie on a spectacular instrument and a job WELL DONE!!

Paul

Thanks so much Paul, for your continued support. (Even though you do buy quite a lot of "brand X"! )

Originally Posted by CaE

What a wonderful use of colors throughout the design! Well thought out and executed. It's not easy building a yellow guitar and keeping it tasteful. Well done.

Chris! Thanks for dropping by, and the kind word. You are correct about the challenge of bold colors. Your encouragement has us thinking of other avenues, maybe branching out? Fast cars? School busses? Submarines?

[Jamiejoon]

Normally I try to withhold judgement of a new guitar, knowing that it is likely to go through a number of changes as it gets played in.

Nonetheless, I thought I would share my initial impressions of my new Steve Kinnaird Osage Orange 12 fret SJ, which I have named Bodark, because it's AWESOME. Loud but not brash and with some nice complexity already; clear but not too bright (harsh); very well-balanced; terrific tone all the way up the neck to 14; excellent bass.

If I have any critiques, it is that the lowest notes on the 5th and 6th strings are not quite as clear as some of my other guitars, BUT 1) I expect that is because of the stiffness of the Port Orford top which should change a bunch over time, and 2) everything about the tone of this guitar, including the slight "softness" in the bass notes, is super enjoyable. I think the mark of a great guitar is that you want to play it all the time, and this one has it. Obviously there is a huge subjective component to that, but I reckon most folks would love to play this guitar. It feels REALLY good to play, and it is basically the only guitar I am playing these days. The Kinnaird family has done it again. I have two of John's guitars and one of Steve's, and they are each unique and (to me) outstanding. This Bodark is different than most of my other guitars, and it is without question a keeper. Nice balance between vintage and modern sound, perhaps slightly biased toward the vintage side. And yes, as far as I can tell, other things being equal, Osage Orange does have a rosewood vibe to it. Steve can opine far more intelligently than me on that point (and anything else guitar-related).

In conclusion, I declare this experiment - Osage Orange and Port Orford Cedar - a great success. And, I expect it to get better and better, as I have observed changes (all positive!) each day that I have managed to play it 1-2 hours. And those of you who have worked with Steve and Ryan on a custom build can attest that they are fantastic to work with - kind, funny, patient, creative, and attentive to details. You will not be disappointed if you work with them.