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I recently completed my seventh guitar and thought I would share a couple of pictures here. Continuing my ongoing explorations of tonewoods native to North America, this one features Lutz spruce over white oak, with a Port Orford cedar neck. The bridge, fingerboard, end graft and bindings are all ebony. The body shape is based on the specifications of a Martin OM, although I altered them somewhat according to information gleaned from threads I found here and elsewhere online. The finish is Pratt & Lambert #37 varnish. It doesn't show in these photos, but the varnish polished out to a lovely gloss.

My decision to try white oak was greatly influenced by Johann Brentrup's beautiful work. I've a great distance to go before my skills allow me to complete an instrument matching his standards, but I can say that this guitar turned out quite well and represents my best effort yet in all aspects. I'm not a particularly accomplished photographer, but I thought it would be fun to attempt an homage to the classic tableaux Haans often creates when displaying his instruments, albeit with a slightly modernist approach.

Thank you, Haans, for your encouragement and inspiration! And thanks to all of you here on the OLF for your tremendous support and generosity.

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George :-)

OH, MAN! Love the back, George. Well done.

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

Beautiful, George!!

Love the oak! I also really like your pick gauge shape!

M

Very nice, I like the simple bridge, and its size, a belly bridge just looks big on anything smaller than a D

Nice!

Well done George, love it!
I am guessing it sounds and plays as good as it looks!

Rob

George great looking guitar. I really like the white oak. Did you cut out your own pick guard? I really like the shape as well.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I have some Oak to make my own guitar, won't look as good as this one. Nice back.

Love that guitar! Very nicely done.

Marc

Very nice George. I like it a lot!

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Very nice, George. Another one to be proud of.

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Blue Ring Acoustics
blueringacoustics.ca

Wow! Beautiful! I'm sitting on a pile of oak that was milled from my trees....never thought of building a guitar from it....until now.
Your design is very unique and eye-catching.

Congratulations, George. I'd say you just set the bar fairly high for everyone. I think it's an exquisite guitar and quite beautiful in terms of the restraint you exhibit here. I think it's very understated--allowing the wood to speak for itself. That's one of the things I like so much about it. When anyone builds such an understated guitar, there is simply no room to hide imperfection in a bunch of surface flash and bling. You haven't even tried to do that. You just built a beautiful, excellent, understated instrument that I think is as good as a guitar ever needs to look and I hope I can do as well one of these days!

Patrick

PS: If I ever had the means to commission such an instrument, the only thing I'd ask for that is different would be a slight bit more roundness in the tail area. But that's just me. That is purely a personal preference, and not meant as a criticism of your instrument.

Very nice! Simple and elegant, just like an OM should be.

Wow, guys, thanks for all the wonderful compliments. I'm a fan of simple--mostly because I consistently screw everything up at least once, so, you know, it's important to keep mistakes to a minimum! I did add a little ornamentation on this one, but not much. Hopefully I'll get a chance in the next day or two to post a couple of close ups. I did indeed cut the pickguard myself. The shape, however, is influenced by something Bruce Sexauer does on a few of his instruments.

Thanks again,

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George :-)

Very elegant guitar. I agree with the comment on the nice shape of the pick guard. I also like that the curve of the headstock end is repeated in the end of the fretboard. The figuring in the back is cool and the grain in the cedar neck looks great too. Well done.

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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 nice George, congratulations on job well done!

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Well done, George, that is a lovely guitar!

Alex

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

Well done George. I especially like your bridge - sort of a low-fat-belly bridge. The neck is quite outstanding - I have thought of an entire guitar out of POCedar. Let us know how it sounds and how the sound changes and how long the oak takes to mellow out.

Ed

So beautiful! As per the other comments, I love the simple yet elegant design. Very well done!

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It will probably be alright.

That's a fine looking instrument, George! Fine workmanship.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

George, very nice! Excellent work!

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Guitar Maker and Purveyor of the World's Finest Tonewoods
http://www.aaronhixguitars.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hix-Tonewood-a ... r-Supplies

I'm a big fan of white oak too, looks great.

George

Very nice! I am looking forward to some more pictures. - Mike

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guitarsbygiltzow.com

Very nice, I like the wood choices. Post more pictures and maybe a sound clip.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866