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  #1  
Old 03-28-2021, 10:47 PM
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nootis nootis is offline
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Default Nacogdoches Student Build FINAL PICTURES

Howdy folks. I write this as I made my journey to Nacogdoches, TX, today and landed at the abode that I will stay at this week. I asked Steve Kinnaird and Ryan Middlebrook about their "Come build a guitar with us for a week" program, and here I am about to embark on a journey that should end up with a treasure and an experience that I will never forget.

While I'm grateful we are finally getting started, we originally had plans to do this at the end of February. However that was when Hell and Texas froze over, and on the eve of my flight both Steve and Ryan were out of water and power. We valiantly hoped for the best, but eventually capitulated to the circumstances and later we rescheduled for this week. Thankfully they got their power and water back after a few days, and I probably still could have attended. However, besides the fact that they were both in survival mode at the time, the prospect of unbathed guitar geeks working by candlelight and eating canned soup just wasn't worth the risk.

The build:

I initially told Ryan I have 2 goals...

1. To make a guitar that I’ll love to play.
2. To make a guitar that I’ll love to look at.

Deep down I am a Rosewood kind of a guy, and I also have a thing for Redwood. Maybe it's Star Wars' fault due to the speeder bike chase in the Redwood forest? The fact that it's the tallest tree in the world? Who knows? It's just too cool though! Sinker Redwood also floats my boat, and I have a choice to opt for one, but due to my zany idea of having two different bindings, I might opt for a more tame, but nice, piece of redwood. I am however, waiting to tap and see them both in person before making a final decision. The inspiration for my wood choices stem from my trip to Colombia in December. My wife is from there, and we visit about twice a year. Each time we go, it's like Christmas because we pack so much to give to relatives, not to mention our own luggage. I also like to take my drone, so taking a travel guitar isn't an option because of all the crap we have to take. I can only have one carry on. Not per the airline, but per my wife. We have a small apartment above where her mom lives, and it stays pretty much empty when we aren't there so I bought an entry level Alhambra classical guitar to keep me company while I'm there from here on out. Problem solved. The Alhambra has a Cedar top, African Sepele back and sides with maple top binding. It doesn't have a bottom binding, and that is where I got the idea of having the bottom binding on this build to match the back and sides. Thank you Alhambra! I also love the color palate of the Alhambra, and while we are using different species, the scheme is similar. The sinker option would change that, but it's still tempting me.

With that said, here are the particulars...

12 Fret Short Scale OO
Redwood Top or Sinker Redwood Top (leaning towards Redwood)
Rosewood Back and Sides
Maple Bindings on the top, Rosewood Bindings on the bottom
Ebony Fretboard
5 Piece neck
Pyramid bridge
Dyed burl accents
Gold EVO frets
Schertler Tuners

Here are some pictures of some of the materials. My plan is for this thread to move as fast as the build does, and I figure I don't have much better to do in the evenings whilst I stay in my little studio Airbnb. I know it will be a hoot for me, so hopefully you'll all enjoy this little thread from Texas.

Redwood/Rosewood scheme


The Star Wars Sinker option

Last edited by nootis; 07-14-2021 at 10:45 AM.
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  #2  
Old 03-28-2021, 11:09 PM
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Congrats fine sir. What a great time you will have and somewhere down the line I hope to be doing the same thing as you!

You are in great hands with the guys as you know, but also they know their way around an OO, I have the prototype and it is a very nice little guitar, I don't say that in front of it as it thinks it is a big guitar by the way it sounds.

One more thing, a shout out to Mr. Bob Tucker, may he be resting in paradise now playing his guitars, as he was the person that pushed the boys into doing an OO for the first time. He had a sycamore built if I recall that is stunning.

Have fun!
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Old 03-29-2021, 06:29 AM
BlackKeys36 BlackKeys36 is offline
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Congrats!

Good looking wood choices! You will come away impressed by the company (Steve, Ryan, and Billie are as good as it gets), the workmanship, the food, and how much work it is to build a guitar. The week will be over before you know it; enjoy every second!
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Old 03-29-2021, 09:13 AM
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Lovely! I really like following these student build threads, it helps to understand and appreciate the craft more from a myriad of perspectives, not to mention pique the ever-growing interest in lutherie!

Good luck choosing the redwood! From an aesthetic perspective I like the plain set better...
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Old 03-29-2021, 09:57 AM
Nemoman Nemoman is offline
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How awesome--I will be following along with great interest as I plan on doing this with Steve and Ryan next March!

Your rosewood choice looks wonderful--hope your redwood choice doesn't become too difficult.

Enjoy!
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  #6  
Old 03-29-2021, 10:14 AM
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You could not be in better company for this build. Steve and Ryan will take years off your learning curve, and you'll get a great guitar out of this experience. My best advice is, get as much quality sleep as you can so you'll be alert and energetic in the shop. They're going to drive you pretty hard, to build a guitar in such a short time. So save the late-night celebrations for the finish line. And take good care of your eyes and fingers. Situational awareness is essential!

Looking forward to seeing how this develops...
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Old 03-29-2021, 08:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomB'sox View Post
Congrats fine sir. What a great time you will have and somewhere down the line I hope to be doing the same thing as you!

You are in great hands with the guys as you know, but also they know their way around an OO, I have the prototype and it is a very nice little guitar, I don't say that in front of it as it thinks it is a big guitar by the way it sounds.

One more thing, a shout out to Mr. Bob Tucker, may he be resting in paradise now playing his guitars, as he was the person that pushed the boys into doing an OO for the first time. He had a sycamore built if I recall that is stunning.

Have fun!
Thanks Tom! I remember Bob's build and his name popped up in conversation today in the shop. He definitely knew how to keep good company by working with Steve and Ryan on several builds. I also remember the prototype thread. They are such cool little guitars!

Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackKeys36 View Post
Congrats!

Good looking wood choices! You will come away impressed by the company (Steve, Ryan, and Billie are as good as it gets), the workmanship, the food, and how much work it is to build a guitar. The week will be over before you know it; enjoy every second!
Thanks so much. After seeing Vaso do it, I was intrigued, and after seeing you do it, I couldn't take it any longer, I had to try it. My wife thanks you too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanter View Post
Lovely! I really like following these student build threads, it helps to understand and appreciate the craft more from a myriad of perspectives, not to mention pique the ever-growing interest in lutherie!

Good luck choosing the redwood! From an aesthetic perspective I like the plain set better...
Thank you. Spoiler alert... I went with the "plain" set.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemoman View Post
How awesome--I will be following along with great interest as I plan on doing this with Steve and Ryan next March!

Your rosewood choice looks wonderful--hope your redwood choice doesn't become too difficult.


Enjoy!
Thanks Kevin. It was fun having the suspense, but in the end Steve and Ryan helped me talk myself through it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by theEdwinson View Post
You could not be in better company for this build. Steve and Ryan will take years off your learning curve, and you'll get a great guitar out of this experience. My best advice is, get as much quality sleep as you can so you'll be alert and energetic in the shop. They're going to drive you pretty hard, to build a guitar in such a short time. So save the late-night celebrations for the finish line. And take good care of your eyes and fingers. Situational awareness is essential!

Looking forward to seeing how this develops...
Thanks Steve! You are correct. "Kinnaird West" as Tom likes to call them couldn't be any more welcoming.

After the first day, I already have a sense of accomplishment and can't wait to get back at it. I can't help but to get some rest, and I will as soon as I'm done updating this thread.
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  #8  
Old 03-29-2021, 09:19 PM
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One thing I mentioned on my specs at the beginning of the thread was some dyed burl accents. I've followed a fella on Instagram (_the_blank_space_, Kevin Dougherty) that makes knife blanks out of all sorts of materials, but mostly dyed burl and epoxy. He has some really neat designs, and the reason I follow him isn't for knives. I've always thought it would be cool to contact him to make me one to perhaps have an adventurous luthier use it on a future commission. Who would have thunk that the adventurous luthier would have been me? So early on when I decided to do this with Steve and Ryan, I brought it up, then ordered a block that could be used for our guitar. Kevin's blanks are sometimes very colorful and often use epoxy, but for this build I asked for something a little more subdued, but still colorful. I had it shipped directly to the Kinnaird shop and Ryan gave it the green light to use it as a backplate on the headstock, perhaps an end wedge. I had the idea of using it in the rosette, however I also wanted to try to keep things traditional, so I asked if we could use the burl as the color in the center ring of what I think is called a Style 42 rosette.

Little did I know, that for Steve and Ryan, they found themselves challenged to make the ring out of a limited amount of material, so they built a jig to accomplish the goal of cutting the minimum amount of wood to complete the full diameter of the rosette. From what they tell me, their contraption is sure to be used on future guitars, and it's all thanks to my newbie idea. They don't know this yet, but their jig is now to be called the Dan Jig.

Anyhow, if you haven't guessed from the previous replies, I went with the plain old Redwood, but all indications is that this isn't going to be a plain old guitar, it's going to be mine! What a hoot!

The Burl from Kevin



The Dan Jig and pieces precut. In fact, the color ring was pre-made for me.
Hey, I can't do everything!



I routed and inlayed the 3 rings including the color ring.



Bending sides



Setting Blocks


Last edited by nootis; 03-30-2021 at 08:08 PM.
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Old 03-29-2021, 09:36 PM
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Cutting the top closer to its final shape.



Making a sandwich with Steve after eating a delicious Ruben sandwich. Both were satisfying.



Ryan had cut a couple of strips off the sinker top I was eyeing, and I'm glad I get to use a little piece of it in my guitar. Here I am applying and buffing Shellac on it after going over it with a plane then sanding.



Bracing and go bar gluing.





I'm blown away by the sense of accomplishment I'm already feeling, and it's only the first day. I can't wait to push forward, but now it's getting late and as Steve suggested, I need to get my rest. More tomorrow.

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Old 03-30-2021, 06:41 AM
SColumbusSt SColumbusSt is offline
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Looks like fun!
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  #11  
Old 03-30-2021, 08:24 AM
Nemoman Nemoman is offline
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Amazing progress for the first day!

It looks wonderful so far--thanks for sharing!
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Old 03-30-2021, 10:32 AM
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Very exciting to see this, and amazed at how far along you already are!
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Old 03-30-2021, 12:07 PM
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It’s looking really great! Nice choices and great progress. Congratulations. Dave
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  #14  
Old 03-30-2021, 12:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemoman View Post
Amazing progress for the first day!
Get ready Kevin!
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Old 03-30-2021, 12:39 PM
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Default Yeah!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
Get ready Kevin!
Oh man--your students thus far are setting a high bar!

Can't wait!
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