Catch- on some recent 2024 builds....

Healless Acoustic   – 2024 – s/n 00100

I was given a beautiful 2”x7”x10’ mahogany board by my son for Christmas.   Wood has become very expensive, so this was a nice gift. I took half of it and made this acoustic guitar.  Recently I saw a new design by Martin for SC13E which has a unique neck joint design where there is a bevel which allows easier access to upper fret positions.   I did something similar with this instrument, allow I used a different method for attaching the neck.  Also I leveraged several features form the Martin 000 and added a Florentine cutaway vs a rounded Venetian cutaway.   Used a slot headstock design.  Back, sides, neck, kerfing, and mounting blocks all from the mahogany board.  Fingerboard, bridge, endpin, tail joint, and headstock veneer all Brazilian rosewood.   Fingerboard bound with flamed maple, Top is quarter sawn Douglas fir with walnut and maple bindings.   Inlays are abalone.

 

“The Les Paul” – 2024 s/n 00101

Many years ago Gibson made a limited series run of approx 100 special guitars called “The Les Paul”. I’ve always wanted one, but could never afford one (selling now for 40,000+), so I made my own close copy. The top, back, sides, and neck are flamed fiddle back maple with rosewood binding. Fingerboard, pickup rings, pick guard, head plate, and cover plates on back are Brazilian rosewood. Inlays are mother of pearl and abalone. Gold hardware with locking tuners. This is s/n 101 that I’ve made and it turned out well. Even found a vintage case which was in excellent condition.

Pirate Uke – 2024 – s/n 00103

Made this for my cousin Sam, who had expressed an interest in learning to play   I like making these tear-drop shaped tenor ukuleles because bending the sides is so easy.  The body on this one is a little thicker than I usually make (about ½”), to help increase the volume.   I like doing some little personalization on my ukes, so this one is ‘pirate’ motif.  I based it on the enclosed painting by N.C.Wyeth for a 1921 life magazine cover – I wood-burn the art into the wood, then use acrylic paints.  The finish is polyurethane. 

The body is made of poplar, the top is quarter sawn spruce.  Back is a carved arch.   Not sure what the fingerboard and bridge are made of (I had the wood for so long I forgot what it is, but searching on-line I came up with 4 possibilities – honey mesquite, black locust, santos mahogany or amendoim -  It is hard, but a little brittle, so the bridge is also a little thicker).  Nut and saddle are bone.   Trim is rosewood.  Sides are 0.10 inch, top is 0.09, back is ~0.20