Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm nearly finished with a pair of prototypes for the kit version of my small-body acoustic/electric which we have affectionately named "The Weaver". I'll begin taking pre-orders in about a week, but in the meantime here some photos...

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

Sweet!
Very cool John.

Do you have an approximate cost of the kit yet?

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Looking great, John.

I can't wait to see the kit and possibly a completed guitar on April 18. I'm planning to be there and looking forward to meeting the Chicago Bros!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Looks good so far. I'm also curious about the cost - I just hope I can afford one!

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks Blain. The price will depend on a few options that will be available. For example, the good folks at LR Baggs have put together a special version of their Element Active VTC system just for this guitar. I'm hesitant to throw out a number until I have all the details worked out, but it'll be comparable to some of the other high quality kits available.

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

Anyone who orders a kit and is able to attend the get together here in April can pick up their kit at that time. I'll also have a several completed instruments on hand. It might help with the assembly process to have a completed one to look over.

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!

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jw ( o)===:::

Stop with the teasin' and start with the pricin'!

Mike

Posted in the other thread too.

John that is awesome. Looking forward to hearing the price. I think these are going to sell like hotcakes dude!

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Thanks, Rod. Regarding your note in the other thread about building a few of these for friends, let me say first of all that I appreciate you checking with me about it first. I'm going to have to keep this design pretty close to the vest, but I don't want to be inflexible either. I believe strongly in the notion that the more we share, the better the whole community is. I'll shoot you a PM about it, and I would ask anyone else who wants to replicate the design to contact me on the side to talk it over. I have no problem with folks making replicas for their personal use, but I'd like to avoid anyone else offering a commercial version of this guitar to the public at large. On the advice and encouragement of pretty much everyone who's played or heard the prototype, I have begun the patent process on this design.

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

John,

In the other threat there was talk about a bolt on neck. What did you decide to go with? Or is this an option? For the record, I like the non bolt on. I think for this type of guitar it adds a bit of that Les Paul feel.

John

John, just wondering if the builder has any latitude on the neck width? I have big fingers (my wife says I really have paws ) and prefer a neck that is about 1 3/4 or even 1 13/16 at the nut.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I worked up a bolt on design, but decided that it really didn't work. The bolt on body had about 15% more mass, wasn't as strong, and would have allowed for neck alignment errors that will not be possible with the set-neck design. There is good news, however, for those that were counting on the bolt-on; we will offer as an option to have your neck glued in here at our shop. I'm also planning on including a little step by step sheet in each kit that goes over my own method for clamping set necks for a perfect fit every time.

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

Thanks for asking Steve. The kit will be 'one size fits all', but I've tried to pick a happy medium that will satisfy just about everyone's tastes.

Here are the specs of the kit;

scale length - 24.625"
nut width - 1.75"
string spacing - 2.188"

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

It is a cool looking guitar, but with that center support I suspect it is more of an electric hollow-body than an Acoustic/Electric. That is not criticism, I have been thinking about building an electric hollow-body that looked and felt more like a flat top rather than building a traditional hollow-body from the archtop model.

I am sure you will have success on your unique offering!