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Got this one strung up over the weekend. She is based on a Gibson J-185 but is 1/2" wider in the waist. Sitka top, curly koa bindings, mad rose f/b and bridge, mahogany neck (no I didn't make the neck). Finish is EM6000. She's a real gem and gets to stay in my personal collection!

Thanks for looking,

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Gorgeous!

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Jim Hansen

Very nice Ken! That walnut sure looks nice indeed. How does she sound with the sitka top?

Yup. You're moving along incredible Ken! You've also just given me an idea, thank you....

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Great looking instrument and gorgeous finish!

Trev

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Real nice job Ken. I'm truly a real fan of walnut, but it gets no respect among a lot of potential buyers.

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Randy Muth
RS Muth Guitars Website
RS Muth Guitars Blog
Facebook Fan Page

Thanks Guys!

Mark, it sounds really nice. It was a little flat the first couple of days, but today was a noticeable change. The bass is starting to fill out now. I picked it up this evening and ended up playing it for an hour and a half! If I can ever get over to your place to resaw that board, I'll bring it and you can hear how it sounds first hand!

Rod, I hope it was a good idea!

Randy, yeah I know what you mean. I have a friend who is a rosewood guy. He does have one small Koa guitar, but his other dozen and a half are rw. He isn't a big fan of domestic woods at all. I think a lot of folks are like him.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Stunning!!!

Wow, that's really nice. That neck is a perfect match for the body.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

That looks great Ken. The finish really looks great. Why did you choose those tuners? Just curious.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Wow, that is a beauty. The abalone inlays on mad rose fingerboard really pop. The binding/purfling scheme is great too. I have yet to encounter a walnut guitar in person, but I've heard some great ones in recordings, and I love the look. One of the entries on my building list is a medium/small redwood+walnut, but maybe I'll have to add a large spruce+walnut too

How does this one sound compared to maple jumbos? I've only played a J200, and I love the boomy sound and feel of how the whole instrument vibrates, but I did wonder how it would be with a more resonant wood. Does the bass overwhelm everything, or are mids still clearly defined, or does yours not do the whole instrument super vibration thing? Maybe it's too early to tell though, since you said the bass is just starting to fill out.

That's one nice guitar, got to try walnut sometime - love your scheme, very balanced look.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Stunningly beautiful.

Many thanks again!

Burton, I went with the tuners for the vintage look. I have a LP reissue and a SG that have the tulip tuners. I don't believe Gibson uses the tulip/keystone tuners on their current J-185, but it did years ago. These tuning machines are not something I would use much, but for this guitar, I wanted that look. Yeah plastic buttons aren't as cool as those nice wood ones you make!!

Dennis, I haven't picked up a J200 for a long time. But I built an OLF SJ in maple with a cedar top a year ago. The OLF SJ is just a tad smaller than this one, maybe an inch or so in most dimensions. I am going on memory as that SJ was built for someone else, but this one seems to have a bit more punch than the SJ. It doesn't have the definition that RW may have, but I think it has more pop than maple. But I am comparing sitka to cedar, which likely isn't fair either. I really like the tone. I think it is great for this style of guitar. Granted, this is the only walnut guitar I have knowingly heard and played!

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Lovely Ken!
I have a set of Zoot Claro that is just spectacular in flame, saving it for a special occasion.

Top notch Ken! (And great finish!)
Lovely instrument.

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Dave
Milton, ON