Guitar No. 30

Date Completed:

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Quilted Figure
Quilted Figure with the Spalted Maple really popped out after French Polishing

Graf Tuners
The tuners were custom made by Jorg Graf in Canada

650mm Scale Length

Lutz Spruce Top
This is the best out of the batch of beautifully quartered Lutz Spruce Tops that I ordered a few years ago

Fretboard Binding
It became quickly clear that the guitar wouldn't be complete without a maple fretboard binding

Heal Cap Inlay
The heal cap has a book-matched, ambrosia maple inlay

Headstock
Like the back, the headstock is four pieces

Side Purfling
Purfling under the heal cap rests in line with side purfling as ususal

Ziricote Bridge
The Ziricote Bridge was the perfect median weight for the sound I had in mind

There is a slight elevation in the neck angle in addition to a sloping down of the top that given better access to the upper frets

Fingerboard Elevation
There is a slight elevation in the neck angle in addition to a sloping down of the top that given better access to the upper frets

Gold Evo Frets
These gold evo frets are .057" high, easing playability and decreasing fretboard ware

I made a custom mold specifically for gluing the binding to the top of the fretboard

Tropical Walnut Neck
This Tropical Walnut Neck is very similar to Spanish cedar in density and workability

Purfling
The matching purfling lines of the sides and heal

Maple Binding
I have always used tiger maple binding - an influence from working at Gallagher Guitar Co

Display Case
This display case protect the guitar during an art show where I displayed in a local brewery

The Set
The formation of the back and side set was achieved with a double book matching. So it's technically a four piece back

This guitar was a project spanning about 3 years. It started when a young man that worked at a local hardwood supplier gave me an enthusiastic invitation to see a board of maple. This particular guy sees enough wood in his job to be completely sick of it, so the fact that there was one piece of wood out of the thousands in that warehouse that made him blush peaked my curiosity. This spalted maple board inspired me to create a guitar completely unencumbered by the status quo or a production goal. It is the culmination of my creative and technical skills to date and on top of that, it is an immense joy to play.

Specifications:

Lutz Spruce Soundboard.
Red Maple Back and Sides
Custom Tuners by Jorg Graf
Tropical Walnut Neck
Ziricote Bridge
Ebony Fingerboard (Maple Binding)
Scale Length - 650mm
String Spacing
- Nut - 42mm
- Saddle - 60mm
Current action at 12th fret
- 1st String - 2.3mm
- 6th String - 2.75mm

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Guitar No. 30