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DriftwoodGuitars
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:24 am 
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Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:54 pm
Posts: 135
Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
First name: Chris
Last Name: Alvarado
City: Santa Rosa Beach
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 32439
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
I wanted to share my latest build with you folks. I haven't posted on here in ages, but have been building for about 7 years and figured its time I start contributing. I have gained a TON of information from you guys here on this forum, and look forward to learning more as the years pass. I'm a musician for a living and I needed a nice studio guitar. I spent several years going back and forth on the body size/wood selections to achieve the sound I was looking for, for the type of music that I record. I finally had a opening in my build schedule and decided its time to build one for me.

Here she is. A 12 fret Triple 0 with Sinker Redwood top, Brazilian B&S, Brazilian Fretboard and bridge, African Blackwood Headplate, and Curly maple binding. I also did a slightly less flashy D45 style inlay around the top, back, sides, neck, fretboard, and headstock.

I couldn't be happier with the sound of this guitar. I feel like I'm finally beginning to have some control and understanding on how to shape the tone of my guitars.


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meddlingfool
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:13 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:15 pm
Posts: 7555
First name: Ed
Last Name: Bond
City: Nanaimo
Country: Canada
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Nice!
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Chris Pile
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 4:38 am 
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5903
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Dark and yummy.

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Leftyprs
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 4:59 am 
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Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 6:14 am
Posts: 195
First name: Brad
City: St. Louis
State: MO
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Beautiful work!

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mqbernardo
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:02 am 
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Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:22 pm
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First name: Miguel
Last Name: Bernardo
Country: portugal
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
amazing!

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Lonnie J Barber
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:32 am 
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Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 12:45 pm
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First name: Lonnie
Last Name: Barber
City: Manchester
State: Tennessee
Zip/Postal Code: 37355
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Very nice. Glad your speaking to us now. Love that guitar


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Terence Kennedy
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:43 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:21 pm
Posts: 3446
Location: Alexandria MN
Looks great! I've never built with Redwood. What were your impressions?

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Kent Wilkinson
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:52 am 
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Last Name: Wilkinson
City: New Carlisle
State: Ohio
Zip/Postal Code: 45344
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Stunningly Beautiful.
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Haans
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:08 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:34 am
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Although I'm a spruce guy through and through, that is a beautiful guitar. Nicely traditional too.
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sdsollod
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:18 am 
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Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:08 am
Posts: 1906
Location: Raleigh, NC
First name: Steve
Last Name: Sollod
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Nicely Done! [clap] [clap] [clap]

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Nick Royle
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:22 am 
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Gorgeous!
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jack
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:48 am 
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Nice!!
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DriftwoodGuitars
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:56 am 
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Posts: 135
Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
First name: Chris
Last Name: Alvarado
City: Santa Rosa Beach
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 32439
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Thanks for the feedback everyone. Terence, the guitar has a very warm and responsive sound. Because it's a studio instrument, I made it with an "Active" back that contributes to the overall sound of the guitar. If you use a strap and rest the back on your belly, a good amount of the complexity of sound goes away, yet this is all part of the design. I'm building the same model guitar for a client now with a Bearclaw top and African Blackwood Back and Sides that will be used for bluegrass, so I'll be making a stiff back that won't have the contributing effect, due to the new owner always using a strap.
This is my first sinker top guitar, and I can honestly say that I don't miss the spruce at all. I'm not sure if it's due to the extreme amount of mineral deposits in this particular top, but it still has a lot of crispness and projection, yet it's sensitive to a light touch and has a very warm and balanced sound. My previous instruments have struggled in the mid range without sacrificing bass or treble, but I can honestly say that its an even tonal spectrum on this one. Although I did brace the top with Adirondack so this may contribute to the best of both worlds I seem to be finding.

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WendyW
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:17 am 
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First name: Wendy
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State: Arizona
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Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Beautiful! I'd love to see a closeup of the binding/purfling.
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DriftwoodGuitars
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:18 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:54 pm
Posts: 135
Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
First name: Chris
Last Name: Alvarado
City: Santa Rosa Beach
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 32439
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Here's some better detail shots if the Binding and Purfling.


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WendyW
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:58 pm 
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First name: Wendy
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State: Arizona
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Status: Amateur
Very nice, thanks for posting those additional photos!
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Randolph
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:19 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:34 pm
Posts: 639
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
First name: Randolph
Last Name: Morris
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Absolutely stunning guitar! So glad the sound matches it's beauty!
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jfmckenna
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:20 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 10:44 am
Posts: 6262
Location: Virginia
Chris Pile wrote:
Dark and yummy.


Like you can pour it over your vanilla sundae.

Nice!
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Quine
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:31 pm 
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:42 am
Posts: 1135
Location: Hudson, MA
First name: Kevin
Last Name: Quine
City: Hudson
State: MA
Country: Usa
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Wow!!
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LarryH
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:16 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2006 1:47 pm
Posts: 1624
Location: United States
First name: Larry
Last Name: Hawes
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
LOVE the 12 fretters and LOVE redwood tops. Very nice build.

Question about the bracing if you don't mind - how wide is it?

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Beth Mayer
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:21 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:46 am
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First name: Beth
Last Name: Mayer
City: Tucson
State: AZ
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Amazingly beautiful!
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DriftwoodGuitars
PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:36 am 
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Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
First name: Chris
Last Name: Alvarado
City: Santa Rosa Beach
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 32439
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
I'm a metric guy so I use an 8mm width for the X and Tone braces, and a 6mm width for the small fan braces. I built this guitar after reading Somogy's "The Responsive Guitar" and I feel I really made huge leaps in voicing a guitar because of some of the info in the book. I don't swear by any one method from any one builder, but prefer to take a little from those that I respect and look up to. I will say that the book helped me to focus on the small things that add up to help improve the overall sound.

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Lonnie J Barber
PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:29 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 12:45 pm
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First name: Lonnie
Last Name: Barber
City: Manchester
State: Tennessee
Zip/Postal Code: 37355
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I just checked Amazon and they didn't have that book any ideas?


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DriftwoodGuitars
PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:46 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:54 pm
Posts: 135
Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
First name: Chris
Last Name: Alvarado
City: Santa Rosa Beach
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 32439
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Stewmac:
http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Books/Bui ... uitar.html

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DriftwoodGuitars
PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:48 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:54 pm
Posts: 135
Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
First name: Chris
Last Name: Alvarado
City: Santa Rosa Beach
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 32439
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Being an acoustic builder, I had the mental tools and physical tools needed to take on an archtop, but I will say that these guitars are a totally different beast. It took me almost 9 months to build versus my usual 4 month build time.

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