Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

This is my latest completed effort, my first commission build will be presented to its owner in another week, has taken nine months to create, very happy with this one.
Blackwood b/s from Tim,
Sitka top,
Rock maple and purple heart neck with custom inlay
Kent Armstrong hand wound pup,
Curly maple binding with GWGW purfling
Ebony fretboard
Ebony bridge
Bone nut
Grover Rotomatic tuners
Nitro laquer
Some pics for your perusal!!!
Cheers,,, Rod

Eye candy!!!! Guitar porn!!!!

Nice work Rod. If that was my build I'd have alot of trouble parting with it.

Absolute stunner Rod.

If it were mine it'd be going straight into the pool room.

Now I have a problem to navigate away from your post. Just can't stop looking at this beauty!

Bloody hell, thats sensational.

Steve

Bloody Hell indeed

Tell us more about the inlay on the back of the neck. Does it go all the way through or put in like purling?

If I ever build anything that good it would be going no where.

Amazing simply amazing, what an eye catcher.

Geez Rocket, another few years and you might just get the hang of building those things
Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor....

Inlay really isn't the correct term for the fancy stripe in the neck, sanwhich is probably a more acurate way to describe it, Allen, it goes all the way through to the fretboard, laminated in with the purpleheart and maple when i roughed in the neck blank. This guitar has a very deep bassy tone, something that the customer was wanting, also displays quite a lot of sustain.
Although this instrument looks great and sounds great, customer is happy, i'm happy with my effort, i still know of the little imperfections in it, mind you they are small, very small, they say ones worst critic is ones self, and i think it is true.
Can one build the perfect instrument? I'm just a beginner at this caper and every time i finish a guitar and go over it with a magnifying glass and find all the shit i should have seen way back, i say, next time i'll do that better. I hope one day to be able to consistently build flawless instruments, but until that day i'll have to be happy to progress and improve as i go.
Anyways,,, although the customer is parting with the fun tickets to take this little number home, this is a hobby for me, i'm not in it for the cash, i'm in it coz i love timber , tools, and beautiful instruments.
Cheers,,,
Rod.

That makes more sense. I just couldn't wrap my head around how you would do that as an inlay.

I don't believe that anyone who is a craftsman would ever be truly happy with something they've built. Especially an instrument. Once you get all the visuals right, then there are those esoteric things that will keep you wanting to try another one to see if you can improve it.

Well done Rod.

To Rod & Allen ....
And everyone else involved in this most satisfying of crafts ... how true!

Outstanding work in every way Rod.. a real thing of beauty any way you look at it, well done.

Cheers

Kim

What everyone else has said!

Truly a work of art.

Absolutely gorgeous Rod!

Cheers

Alan

Shiny aint it!
Nice job Rod, you're certainly getting grips with these babies .

Rod, I won't repeat what everyone one else has said. So.....

Totally stunning detail, Rod. Tipping the hat