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Please do me the honour of checking out my latest work. This guitar is based loosely on Michael Payne's wonderful OLF-MJ design.

Materials
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soundboard = bearclaw lutz spruce (love that stuff!)
back/sides = EIRW
bracing = lutz spruce
kerfed linings = basswood
neck block = 0.5" finish birch ply
tail block = 0.25" finish birch ply
fb, bridge, headplate = ebony
binding = ebony/b/w/b
purfling = herringbone
neck = 9-piece figured honduras mahogany with walnut and birch stripes, dyed amber/brown
tuners = Gotoh 510's
strings = D'Addario light (from the OLF group buy)
finish = Enduro pre-catalized eurathane, HVLP sprayed

Features
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My own design bolt-in neck - no external heel - neck angle/height easily adjustable using a simple hardwood shim (about 15 minutes to do a neck reset if needed).
Fingerboard/neck doesn't touch the soundboard at all, leaving the soundboard free to vibrate more.
Four carbon fiber rods (a la Rick Turner - thanks for your permission to copy your ideas Rick!) transfer all the string tension from the neck block into the sides of the guitar.
Parabolic (in two planes) shaped bracing thoughout. Soundboard upper bout bracing is modified from standard.
Dual-action truss rod and pair of carbon fiber neck stiffening rods (courtesy of Stewmac).
Bolt-on bridge.
Laser-cut circular "dovetail" rosette design with all-side-grain center ring

Comments
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I rushed the finishing on this one so I could see how it would turn out and hear it sooner. I will have to strip it right back to the wood and start over (this time actually filling the pores properly and giving it enough coats of finish so the sanding doesn't blow right through it!). Also, I learned a lesson about leaving superglue under the finish on this one! Check out the yellow tinge all the way around the rosette . I sorted out the action and strung her up earlier today ready for a show/tell session at one of my local woodworking club meetings in the evening. I didn't get time to finish up filing the saddle to shape, but even with no intonation compensation and a totally flat saddle, it sounds great. It's so loud and has full-bodied sparkly tone! I'll finish off the saddle and then try to get someone to play it properly in the next few days and record a sound bite. I'll have some photos showing the consturction of the bolt-in neck joint later also.

Click on the photos to see/download the high res verions.





















Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

very nice David! . Where did you get the bearclaw lutz spruce from?

Matt

Nice job, Dave!

A lot of thought and engineering went into this guitar! Great to hear that you love the sound. Too bad about the yellow from the CA, but the execution looks really excellent, and I know you'll get the finish sorted out.

Way to go!

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Pretty neat Dave. Do you have a photo of the neck joint you could share?

Dave: You shouldn't have told us about the CA. I thought it was part of the design. Guess maybe the smart folks would have caught on. Nice looking guitar and you may have started something there. Congrats.

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Very nice Dave. I like that headstock inlay. Was that the laser also?
I've been waiting to see this neck joint...

Steve

Dave, great job!! I love that you stepped out of the box on so many places on this guitar. It looks like you are really mastering the laser at this point. I love the rosette. I also think mum should be the word on the CA staining. No one will ever know it wasn't intended. It looks great and what a treat for it to sound great also. Congratulations

Thanks guys!

Matti - the bearclaw lutz came from a vendor at the GAL convention last year - I forget who it was exactly though, sorry. You can get stuff like this from Mario at sprucetonewood.com or from Shane at highmountaintonewood.com

Barry - I'll photograph the neck joint when I de-string it to do the saddle in the next day or two and post them up here

Steve - yes, the headstock inlay was done using my laser also. I vector cut the lines to a depth of about 20 mil, then forced 14-K gold acrylic paint into it, then sanded off the excess paint when it was dry. The result is pretty darned good looking IMO!! I may close the bottom of the "b" to make it look a bit better though...

One thing I forgot to mention in the features is the compound radius fretboard. It has a great feel to it. Everyone who's played any of my fretboards with compound radius on them loves it.

Cheers,
Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"