Finished the Soundboard on Dave Hilyard's Baritone

I've finished installing the curly koa binding and bevel, and I've completed a first round of finish sanding on Dave Hilyard's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Baritone. Cutting the binding channels for guitars with the Manzer wedge takes a little extra care to achieve a super-clean result. Shaping the Ryan bevel so that the purfling lines flow elegantly is so much fun. These features are described on the options page of my site. Next I'll be working on the neck. More soon!

Thanks to Mark Blanchard!

Big thanks to Mark Blanchard for sending me along this incredibly beautiful and fine set of Macassar Ebony. My next customer Bill and I recently changed his specification for the back and sides to Macassar ebony, and then discovered that there's a bit of a temporary dry-spell in the market. Mark had this set in his shop and was incredibly gracious in allowing me to buy it from him. If I never get a chance to return the favor to Mark, hopefully I can at least pass along this kind gesture to some other builder down the road. Over the last two Healdsburg festivals Mark and I had tables right next to eachother, so we've had a change to talk a little bit, and I've been able to admire his fantastic guitars. Last time I had a chance to enjoy the incredible guitar he build for Steve Wildey (incidentally, a great guitarist) for a few minutes. So, if you haven't already, take some time to check out Mark Blanchard's guitars. Also, while I'm thinking of it, Steve Wildey runs a shop of fine guitars in South Florida called Glades Guitars. Happy surfin'!

Closed Up Dave Hilyard's Baritone Soundbox

Yesterday I closed up the soundbox of Dave Hilyard's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Baritone. The pre-assembly thickness of the braced top was 102/1000". After assembling the top to the rim, I use a palm sander to thin the perimeter of the lower bout to about 80/1000". This allows the perimeter of the lower bout to flex so that the top can flex as a unit and resonate low frequencies. The top area near the bridge is left relatively stiff so that the instrument will also resonate strong trebles with sustaining upper partials. This morning I routed the binding channels. Next I'll be installing the curly koa binding and matching curly koa veneer of the Ryan bevel. Though it's not the essential means of making an excellent guitar, meticulously detailed binding and purfling are a mark of fine craftsmanship. I really enjoy taking my time with this part of the process so that the final result is especially beautiful.

Dave's Baritone Soundbox is Coming Along

Dave Hilyard's Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Baritone is coming along great. I've braced the top, completed the rim, and assembled these two components. Next I'll be bracing the back and closing up the soundboard. Hopefully Dave, who lives right near me, will find some time to come by and have a look before I close up the box.

Happy Birthday for Aaron's Arena OM!

I've been playing Aaron's European Spruce and Cocobolo Arena OM this morning and I love it. It responds to just a light touch with a deep, rich tone, and when you give it a little gas it really roars. I took a few pictures of the final stages of the building process. One of those that I'll highlight now is fretwork. Precise fret leveling is absolutely fundamental to a fantastic setup. That's where it all begins. Proper crowning of each fret provides for excellent intonation, and smooth clean fret ends make the whole playing experience real comfy. This kind of attention to detail makes a huge difference in the playability and responsiveness of an instrument. I'll keep the guitar for the next couple weeks so that as the string tension sinks in and subtly shifts the geometry of the instrument, I'll be able to fine-tune the setup. Comin' up soon, Aaron! :)

Dave Hilyard Baritone Rim is Shaping Up

I'm making good progress on the rim of Dave Hilyard's Brazilian rosewood Baritone. As with most of my recent instruments Dave's will feature many of the options I offer. You can see in the shape of the rim that this will feature both the Manzer wedge and the Ryan bevel. This combination really makes the instrument so comfortable to play.

Aaron's Arena OM is back from Addam

Yesterday I picked up Aaron's Cocobolo and European Spruce Arena Cutaway from getting lacquered by the great Addam Stark. Today I glued the cocobolo bridge on. I sure like the way that koa bevel glows. The real fun will come in the next few days when I get some strings on this beauty and hear what she has to say. Another "Happy Birthday" is comin' up!

New Sets of Cuban Mahogany

I just got two really beautiful high quality sets of Cuban mahogany in the shop from Bob Cefalu at RC Tonewoods. Bob runs a great website because you can see a lot of what he has. I really enjoy browsing Bob's inventory along with my customers, sending links back and forth as we're considering options for an upcoming instrument. Thanks again, Bob! :)

New Sets of Cuban Mahogany

I just got two really beautiful high quality sets of Cuban mahogany in the shop from Bob Cefalu at RC Tonewoods. Bob runs a great website there because you can see a lot of what he has online. Many times of traded emails with customers regarding the woods pictured on Bob's site as we're considering our options. Thanks again, Bob! :)

Dave Hilyard's Baritone!

Hey, that's my friend and fellow Santa Cruzan Dave Hilyard, and he's holding up the cutaway side of his upcoming Sitka Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood Mustapick Baritone! Dave came over last night to pick out the koa rosette and headplates and to just hang out while we bent the non-cutaway side and jointed the top. Today I laid the rosette into a real pretty Sitka spruce top with some nice bearclaw figure. Dave's guitar will be decked out with all the options, the Ryan bevel, the Manzer wedge, the multiscale fingerboard, and the side soundport. Come by any time, Dave! :)

Victor's 7-String is Ready for Lacquer

Victor Tsaran's 7-String guitar is ready for lacquer now. The scale lengths on this guitar graduate from 28.25" along the bass-side edge of the fingerboard to 26.25" along the treble-side edge. This 2" differential will a moderate adjustment for the player, but will allow for very nice string tension on the low 7th string. Victor is a very accomplished player, so I'm really looking forward to hearing what he'll do with it. Fortunately he lives near me here in the SF Bay area, so I'll get to keep in touch.