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My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
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Author:  Christoph [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:44 pm ]
Post subject:  My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
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Last week I finished my first guitar and thought I could share some pics and say thank you for all the help I got and found over the last years.

It’s a 25.4 scale Sitka/Walnut Dread. The typical body dimensions of a dread have been altered lightly for a tighter waist etc. The build took almost 20 months, because the jigs were built when they were needed (Side bender, Williams binding machine, ...).
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If I had to comare it to a factory guitar I own, I would compare it to the my Taylor dread 410CE.
1) Build quality: I made a good number of mistakes during the build and finish, but have learned my lessons. One of the most difficult things to do turned out to be buffing the finish by hand. Putting on the finish itself was relatively easy (with lots of years of practice doing airbrush), but buffing the finish to a high gloss by hand turned out to be almost impossible. I consider upgrading to a buffing wheel as a serious option for the guitars to come.
2) Playability: Compared to the Taylor I don’t feel a difference in playing. I gess that is a good sign for a first.
3) Sound: From what I have read the sound is likely to change over the first weeks. But right from the start the dread sounds warmer (less „metallic“) than the Taylor with the same kind of strings on.
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IMG_4946-2.jpg

Here are the specs:
• Sitka Spruce top
• Walnut back & sides
• All Adirondack Spruce bracing (with scalloped X bracing)
• Cocobolo rosette
• Cocobolo headstock overlay (with Maple logo)
• Cocobolo binding (with b/maple/b/maple top purfling)
• Ebony fretboard and bridge (with Amazon rosewood bridge pins)
• Mahagony neck with black fiber accents
• Schaller tuners
• Bone nut & saddle
• D'Addario PB lights strings
• Z-Poxy pore filler
• KTM9 finish for the body and headstock
• True oil for the neck
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Author:  Christoph [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
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In my day life I work in Marketing and don’t have anything to do with woodworking or any other „craft“. I never talked to anybody in person who knows about woodworking or building stringed instruments. All I know about building guitars comes from either books or reading the OLF on a daily basis for several years. So I am more than happy about how this first turned out.

But more importantly, I want to thank everybody contributing to the OLF. Your help, patience with beginners, will to share knowledge and overall friendlieness amazes my every time. I am very thankful for everything you have done for and contributed to the OLF. A very special thank you goes to my buddy Hesh for his help and great tutorials and to John Mayes for his fantastic videos. Actually seeing someone perform a task gave me the confidence to give it a try. Overall I think it is amazing what you can achive with the help and knowledge of selfless people like you. Thank you.

Hey, and don’t forget to let me know what you think. ;-)

Chris
Author:  Daniel Minard [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Lovely lovely lovely... For a first, or a tenth!
Nice work.
Author:  Jim Watts [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Nice work Christoph [:Y:] [clap]
Author:  Mike Baker [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Yummy! Love the walnut.
Author:  Zach Ehley [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Looks awesome. [:Y:]

My only comment is that those three seam patches you have on the top look really big. You could take those way down in mass and still serve their purpose. Its doesn't take much on those to be effective. Other that that, the bracing looks great.
Author:  Edward Taylor [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Congratulations! It look fantastic!

Especially like the tasteful rosette and binding.
Author:  Tom West [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Took you 20 months because you had to build all those jigs...!!! Now look what you've done to yourself,can't waste all that time and jigs. More guitars to come. The guitar building rehab programs are not working...!!! Congrats Christoph,an excellant looking guitar.The 1st guitars that are shown on this forum never cease to amase me. I only wish my first had looked as nice. [clap] [clap] .
Tom
Author:  Darryl Young [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:33 pm ]
Post subject:  My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
It looks great Christophe!!! Congratulations!
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Great work, Christoph!
Author:  Hesh [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Christoph my friend she is absolutely beautiful and YOU should be very, very proud!!!

Not only is she a looker I get the biggest kick out of seeing when a new builder takes the time and expends the effort to make the inside as neat as the outside. Your bracing shot depicts a work of art, very neat, very clean, shows a deliberateness of purpose and then some.

Great guitar Christoph! [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [:Y:]

PS: She will warm up and open up and expect more bass as the weeks pass and you play her.
Author:  alan stassforth [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
swee-hee-hee-heet!
great job.
ready for number two?
Author:  Chris Ensor [ Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Great work. All that time you put into the guitar really paid off. Keep up the patience and your work will continue to get better and better.

It is nice to see another walnut guit-fiddle coming out of the forum. I have always found walnut to be an unappreciated wood. My third was an all black walnut (top/back/sides/neck). I love it. I am currently working on #11. It is a clairo walnut and englemann spruce.
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Really nice guitar! I love that walnut, and the little "kick" in the side grain right at the butt (kick in the butt?) is extra sweet.

#1, huh? Man oh man.......


Steve
Author:  SteveSmith [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 4:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
A really nice job. Now you're just gonna have to go build more.
Author:  Antonio [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 7:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Beautiful!!! Congratulations. [clap]

One question: Below the cocobolo binding there is small yellow binding. Can you teel what woo is and the dimensions on the visible part?
thank you
Author:  Christoph [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Hey,
You got me stunned with all those nice comments. Thanks a lot for your kind words. [:Y:]

Antonio: The side purfling is some simple b/w/b (0.030") from LMI.

Don't you worry about me not taking up pace. :D Here is a shot of #2 (Sitka/Koa/Mad Rose OM). She is currently getting ready for Finish and will be finished beginning of October.
My cat Jerry seems to like its smell. :)
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Author:  cphanna [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
I'm generally not too interested in dreads, but omigosh I'd be proud if she were mine! I like everything about it. Most particularly, I love the headstock design. Very, very elegant in front and in back. That volute combined with the shape of the head is pure sculptural beauty! Really nice wood choices, too. She is a very pretty instrument--inside and out.
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Chris, can't add much since it has all been said. Lovely work in all aspects. I guess you are hooked for good now!
Author:  Randolph [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Christoph, This is a magnificent guitar for your first! Congratulations!!! Your work is clean well appointed. What's next? [clap] [clap] [clap]
Author:  JohnAbercrombie [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Christoph:
Very nice and clean work!
Taking on the challenge of mitering the purfling at the tail on your first build (and doing a very clean job on it) is very impressive.
Congrats!
John
Author:  James W B [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Great guitar,but don`t let that cat eat that second one.It looks like it will be a beauty as well
James
Author:  Mark Groza [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Very Nice Christoph! And great selection on the woods used. Walnut is one of my favorite woods to work with. I'm sure she will open up just fine for you. Congraduations on your first! [:Y:]
Author:  Gtrman13 [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Beautiful work! Glad to see you're waist-deep in #2 already!
Author:  Pat Foster [ Sun Aug 08, 2010 2:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My #1 finished! - Sitka/Walnut/Coco dread (lots of Pics)
Wow. That is as fine a first effort as I've ever seen.

Pat
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