So, yeah, can't seem to find the little cam I was taking pictures with on said weekend (which is annoying), but I popped up and took a few pics of the project where it stands. Will go off and thickness sand some sides sometime this week, now that I've settled into my new job. Overvall view of the 'bits and pieces': jointed tops and backs, cut to size, two-piece sapele neck blanks (quartered, matched from the same board. Still pondering the need for contrasting/center strips of some sort), blocks of bracing spruce and a pile of headplate blanks. Madagascar Rosewood, in case that wasn't clear. Binding will be ebony, macassar ebony fingerboards:
The backs, Chris's on the left, mine on the right. I have trouble deciding which one I think looks better. Body design's 16.7" wide at the lower bout, 21" long, just for reference purposes. Too big for most of the wood in my stash - certainly for a lot of the rosewood sets I have, which will take a dred or grand A no probs, but this is a stretch.
Now the tops. Both are bearclaw Italian spruce (from Rivolta), initial rosette ring (offcut from the back; chris has a nice scrap for his headstock veneers from the back, mine didn't match nicely so I'll use a headplate blank) has been inlaid, we'll route for and install b/maple/b/-abalone-/b/maple/b purfling strips around inner and outer ring.
Chris's top:
My top:
