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I'm so thrilled...finally strung up...still need to lower the action quite a bit though...and while doing the last little bits inside the box, I chiseled in my left middle finger, so serious playing will have to wait one more day or so...but so far I really like the sound.

thanks so much to everyone here who helped along the way.

It features a bearclaw sitka top, waterfall bubinga back, bloodwood bindings, and a spanish cedar neck, finish is frensh polish...

some images:







Christian

Wow waterfall bubinga. You're braver than me. How was that to bend?

Guitar looks great. Congratulations.

Christian, I can see why you're excited. It looks incredible, especially for your second guitar!! The bearclaw really works with the bubinga. How was the french polish for you? Did you have any trouble with it?

Thanks Neil,

having only done a walnut guitar before, I have to say that compared to walnut, waterfall bubinga is a pain in the @$$ to work with. It can crack fairly easy and I chipped of a piece of the sides while routing for the binding ledge with a freshly sharpened router bit. I guess it just wanted to chip there...
Anyways - it's a gorgeous wood ... it just comes with a price - I questioned my sanity more than once working with it on my second guitar - and that's with lmii doing the initial bending.

Randolph - I really wanted to try french polishing (I chickened out on my first guitar and used tru-oil). I was close to chicken out again, but Michael Dale Payne's tutorial gave me the last push I needed to go for it. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of it - I followed the tutorial very closely (I also read the Millburn tutorial). I just wanted to use more shellac all the time, because 4-5 drops seems so little. It's really astonishing how little material is needed to complete a guitar.
My finish is not perfect - but I have enough confidence now to use it again in the future.

Christian

That, Christian, is positively glowing. Shellac really give a nice sense of depth, doesn't it! Lovely bearclaw and bubinga. Nice choices.

I have a lead on a lot of bubinga, but after your experience, I might pass...

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Thanks Steve,
I agree, shellac is a wonderful finish...I'm interested to see how it holds up to everyday usage - I tend to not worry to much about my guitars when playing

Don't weigh my experience with bubinga to heavily - it's looks and sounds wonderful - I just found it hard to work (and before building guitars, my woodworking experience was mostly limited to putting together IKEA shelves, so the problem may very well just be me )

Christian

This really looks nice, quite a combination!!

As for shellac holding up with less worried usage, do not hold your breath! It needs to be pampered.

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Build log

Beautiful build Christian!
That bearclaw top just glows under the shellac, mighty fine job!
And I'd just play the heck out of it, that's what they're for.

Joe

Is that a koa rosette?

Wow, that wood is crazy! Very good looking guitar Christian

Had to get home from work before I could see the photos - it's gorgeous. I have been planning on using bubinga on one of my next two. I'm just finishing my first (walnut ) so I guess I won't try to do a cutaway with that bubinga

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.

Alexandru - I'm aware that it's more delicate than lacquer or poly - I'm just curious how much more delicate.

Zach - the rosette is koa indeed. It looks gorgeous under the finish and I'll probably use it again for rosettes.

Christian

Wow! The top is outrageous!
I like the shape you put on the fingerboard at the soundhole...

Christian that is a stunning guitar. Only your 2nd? You sure? And that is one of the finest specimens of Bear Claw I have ever seen. The depth of the figure is awe inspiring. Has a major WOW factor. You are one truly gifted artist for sure.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Thanks Robbie and Bill,

and the true artist has been mother nature...I was really blown away myself when I opened the box from LMI and saw the top and back/side set.

Christian

So, I've had quite a bit of time to play it now, have tweaked the setup and I have to say that concerning how the guitar sounds, I pretty much nailed it

It's the best sounding guitar I've played (I've only played higher end factory guitars like Martin/Taylor/Larrivee)... It sounds very warm, has good separation, and more overtones than I expected from a Sitka top. I especially love the sound when playing fingerstyle.

I really start to wonder how great a guitar from one of you more experienced builders must sound...

The sad part is - I really have no idea what I did to produce this sound... I read somewhere that you can thin a (bearclaw) sitka top down to 0.10", so I did (0.105 to be exact ), but I didn't measure deflection or anything - and since it's my 1st steel string, I really can't say how stiff the top felt in my hands...
Same with bracing - I read about the effect of scalloped braces, so I gave it a go. I took a shaving here and there until it sort of looked and felt right, but I can't say I knew what I was doing...

Oh well - at least I really enjoy playing/hearing it, and for my next guitar(s) I know a couple of more variables that I can measure and write down...

best, Christian