Official Luthiers Forum!

I finally finished my first solo build, I had done a couple of OM size guitars in a class I took from Frank Finocchio but this one was all on my own and I decided to try a dreadnought design based on the Stew Mac McRostie plans. I used Goncalo Alves for the back and sides, Sitka for the top, Adirondack bracing, BRW bridge plate, ebony board, bridge and headstock. As you may know, I had some issues along the way, for example, sanding through one of the rosette lines, which this forum and participants (Mike O) were invaluable resources on the fix. I used Steve from VA's finishing technique, using U-Beaut shellac and FP technique. Playability and neck angle are great thanks to guidance from Hesh's tutorials. I am headed down to my Brother's in Atlanta the end of the week (From Buffalo) to deliver this long awaited Christmas present I promised 2 years ago.

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Kurt Thomas

"There's a first time for everything even if you do it by mistake."

Very nice!

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Nice work, Kurt! Your brother is going to be very happy, two years late, or not!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Utterly gorgeous! Well done.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Dang! That's a beauty!

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Very nice, lets pick:)

Looks fabulous. Way to go.

Steve

That would be one lucky brother.

Beautiful! Man that back and sides look a lot like Koa. Must be from the same family. Is that a Mario pickguard?

Good going Kurt. What's next?

Cheers,
Danny

Yup that's from those resin turtles he raises up there in Canada. Next one is same model but with a nice set of EIR and some Engelmann I got at the Woodstock 2013 show. I inlaid the rosette already using some abalone and will be sure not to sand through it on this one. I want to do the fret board inlays based on the D-41 design, any ideas where I can get dimensions on them or pattern?

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Kurt Thomas

"There's a first time for everything even if you do it by mistake."

The ever helpful John Hall, Blues Creek guitars is the resident Martin guru here.

Bravo!,, she's a beauty!!

Gorgeous guitar! Could you describe the binding/purfling scheme you used? I can't quite make out the arrangement from the photos. I see side purfling below the binding but I also see what looks like a white line on the top edge of the binding in the side shot and a white line outside the herring bone from the top.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Very tasty dred

This is a hell of a first. Beautiful.

Really nice guitar, Kurt and I am absolutely sure that your brother will be pleased as punch too!!!

Some guitars just have that "vibe" where everything works toward the whole with nothing overdone or glaringly out of place - this is one of these guitars. Nice design eye too!

Very, very well done and YOU should be very, very proud!!!

Beautiful work!!

Fantastic work!!

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change isn't synonymous with improvement
instagram.com/bucketguitars/

I can't wait to actually lay my hands upon this magnificent instrument! You can all bet anything that I am not only super proud to own a superb instrument like this but I am also really proud of my brother for making it through this process! I think I might have quit when the rosette around the hole was ruined! Anyway, thank you to my brother for giving me something that was made from his heart. It means so much to me and I can only hope that y'all have family like we do. Thanks again Kurt!!

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Always remember and never forget, no matter where you go, there you are!"
Buckaroo Banzai
A.K.A. Peter Weller

Everything about this is cool.

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George :-)

Well originally the top and bottom bindings were supposed to match, but I had a router mishap on the bottom channel and had to make the binding wider. The initial bindings were the ebony ones from Stew Mac with a couple white lines, that I laminated an extra white/black purfling to which is what the white is on top of the guitar next to the herringbone. On the bottom binding I think it was a w/b/w purfling that filled the extra space from the router slip, and gave me the w/b/w line looking at the back. Actually, I shot a video of the entire build and put it on my YouTube channel so my brother could watch the process, but I left it public. So if you go to you tube and search Kurt Thomas Channel Guitar it should come up. Video 24 and 25 of A Guitar for My Brother will show exactly what I did because even now, just looking at the guitar, I forgot about the router slip because I like how the thicker lower binding looks.

And thanks everyone for the kind words of support, much appreciated. And hey Scott, welcome to the OLF, I see you found it!

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Kurt Thomas

"There's a first time for everything even if you do it by mistake."