Build Thread: Tahoe Guitar Co. 00-12 (Mahogany/Carpathian)

[OddManOut]

Here is a build thread for my latest from Larry Nair of Tahoe Guitar Co.. It will be a 00-12 in mahogany and Carpathian Spruce. I will keep the thread updated as pictures roll in.

Today we completed the material selection save the final back and sides. I posted a few pics of the materials. We're waiting for delivery of a set of Sinker Mahogany (first pic). If we reject it, we have picked an alternate set (second pic). I decided to go with herringbone top purfling rather than the flitch purfle shown. EDIT: I have decided to go with rosewood binding rather than the curly walnut shown.

Tahoe Guitar Co.
Model: S-12 (00-12)
Top: Carpathian Spruce
Back/Sides: Honduran Mahogany
Binding: Rosewood
Top Purfle: Herringbone
Neck: Curly Maple/Walnut/Curly Maple five-piece
Bracing: Adirondack Spruce
Rosette: African Blackwood
Bridge: Ebony Pyramid
Fingerboard: Macassar Ebony
Tuners: TBA
Paddle Head w/ Ebony Plate
Scale: 24.9"
Nut: 1 3/4"
Saddle: 2 1/4"

The sinker mahogany set. We shall see if it is a good as it looks.



The alternate mahogany set. More vanilla in appearance (though not wet with naptha), but a nice set.


Binding against mahogany.


Binding and blackwood rosette with the top.


The maple neck woods.


Fingerboard, head plate, the pearl logo, and the curly walnut for the tail wedge and heel cap.




I realize I didn't snap a full pic of the top. Here is the best I have. It is a light, stiff, nicely quartered, and ringy set of Carpathian Spruce.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Hi, OMO, did you take a decision re. the mahogany?
Our experience with sinker mahogany (two guitars so far) is that it is a bit denser than mahogany being cut now. Which stands to reason, it comes from older trees, and whatever mineral leach has occurred under water only adds to that.
What you have shown so far promises to be a beauty! Keep us posted.

Steve

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Hi, OMO, did you take a decision re. the mahogany?
Our experience with sinker mahogany (two guitars so far) is that it is a bit denser than mahogany being cut now. Which stands to reason, it comes from older trees, and whatever mineral leach has occurred under water only adds to that.
What you have shown so far promises to be a beauty! Keep us posted.

Steve

Thanks, Steve!

The sinker mahogany set is a keeper! It is nicely quartered, has nice ribbons and subtle beeswing curl throughout. Taps nicer than most mahogany I've tapped. It is not as red as in the seller's pic, but still a nice mahogany hue.

I also got a proper pic of the top, with and without the bracing pattern (those tone bars will be reversed).

First design note: The x-braces will be rotated in to increase their intersection with the pyramid bridge. The x junction will not be moved.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Oh yeah, that's really nice. I think you'll be happy with that choice.
And what a cool story you have about the back/sides!

Steve

[OddManOut]

Some pics have come in from Larry. Here Larry has milled the neck lams. The primary pieces are very flamed Big Leaf Maple. The thin dark lams are Black Walnut and a middle lam of hard eastern maple of some sort.

Also shown is the neck block being stamped. "S12" indicates a 12-fret Spooner model. 'Spooner' is a summit east of Lake Tahoe above Carson City, and has two 'O's. Hence "double oh". 'C' is Carpathian Spruce and 'M' is Mahogany. This guitar is #144.

[OddManOut]

Larry traced the bracing pattern from a 1902 Martin 00-12 gut string. The initial tracings were done on tracing paper, then transferred to yellow card stock. The bracing design was modified by narrowing the X-brace without moving the x junction (compare the intersection with the bridge and the lengths of the sound hole strips on the two patterns), and generally beefing up the braces to accommodate steel strings. The back brace pattern is also shown.

A cool note on the bridge plate wood: Local Nevada wood! Because Nevada is known for tonewood... Of late, Larry has been using Black Locust for most of his bridge plates, but his stock was almost gone. About 18 months ago I overheard a conversation in which a colleague mentioned removing a mature Black Locust tree from their land in Douglas County. To make a long story short, I got a section of the main trunk, and Larry milled it into bridge plate stock. He prefers to use rift sawn stock to prevent grain line cracking in the plates. Larry will cut out the knots and use only clear wood.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Really? You're number 144?
That's just gross.

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Really? You're number 144?
That's just gross.

Why? I assume some bit of humor, cleverness, or clever humor has been lost on me.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Ooh, sorry. Should have used a smilie.
144=1 gross.
Silly pun...failed attempt at humor...
But actually 144 is a cool number to own.

Steve

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Ooh, sorry. Should have used a smilie.
144=1 gross.
Silly pun...failed attempt at humor...
But actually 144 is a cool number to own.

Steve

Got it! No worries at all.

After posting my question about your comment on 144, I dozed off on the couch. I popped awake an hour later with "144 = 1 gross" in my head. I guess it is a bit of an esoteric term anymore. I had been thinking "12 squared is 144 and it is a 12-fretter...is that what he means?"

[FantasticMrFox]

If it makes you feel better, I giggled.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by OddManOut

Got it! No worries at all.

After posting my question about your comment on 144, I dozed off on the couch. I popped awake an hour later with "144 = 1 gross" in my head. I guess it is a bit of an esoteric term anymore. I had been thinking "12 squared is 144 and it is a 12-fretter...is that what he means?"

I am not even from Texas and I found Steve's quip hysterical...

A "gross = 144" is easy, figuring out what song G7-C9-Edim-B9-B7b13-E7-E9 beneath your avatar is hard. At first, I thought it might be it might be the music to the verse from the lyrics in your signature line, but alas it is not. That is C#m11-Bm11-Gmaj7-F#m11-Bm7-D/G-E/A.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

A "gross = 144" is easy, figuring out what song G7-C9-Edim-B9-B7b13-E7-E9 beneath your avatar is hard. At first, I thought it might be it might be the music to the verse from the lyrics in your signature line, but alas it is not. That is C#m11-Bm11-Gmaj7-F#m11-Bm7-D/G-E/A.

A song? Really? I thought that was the formula for classic Coke...
Can't keep up with you guys!

Steve

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

I am not even from Texas and I found Steve's quip hysterical...

A "gross = 144" is easy, figuring out what song G7-C9-Edim-B9-B7b13-E7-E9 beneath your avatar is hard. At first, I thought it might be it might be the music to the verse from the lyrics in your signature line, but alas it is not. That is C#m11-Bm11-Gmaj7-F#m11-Bm7-D/G-E/A.

LOL. I feel a bit dense in my failure to grasp Steve's pun. *duh* I guess I didn't "score" any points on that one.

That chord sequence is not from a song. It was a sequence I came up with many years ago using the high G note as a harmonic link to modulate down three half steps. PM sent.

Dang it...I hijacked my own thread!

[OddManOut]

In this sequence the sides are being bent over the 00-12 mold. Larry uses a heat blanket and a spot of water. Once bent, the sides are placed in a cooling jig which preserves their shape while they cool.


The first bend is the waist. The side is then flipped and the bend placed concave up in the waist of the mold.






Now the sides are bent into shape. Some of the wood figure is visible.










And into the cooling jig...