Slow guitar day (a custom build)

Tannin

In go the frets.



An on goes the first coat:



Mrs Tannin wants to know if it comes with the nice balloon.

tomjax

Wow, they build fast! Looking fabulous already.

Soupman

It's not often I'd want to display a guitar with its backside out (if you pardon the expression) but that back is gorgeous!
 
 

guitarjack66

Tannin said:

In go the frets.



An on goes the first coat:



Mrs Tannin wants to know if it comes with the nice balloon.

I'd pay just for the balloon and present it to Mrs Tannin. 'Here you are love,three grand for that!'

WafflesOnHorseback

That back is especially stunning. 

thomasross20

Agree, back is stunning and I do follow this... Thanks for keeping it going

thomasross20

I also like the balloon

Tannin

On the last lap now: the bridge goes on.

thomasross20

Love these build pics!

Tannin

Notice the truss rod cover a few pictures above. Paul says he has never built a guitar with the truss rod adjustment at the headstock end and prefers to have it accessed through the sound hole (as do I) but it's a consequence of the fretboard placement high above the soundboard.

I'm not sure exactly why he chose to do that. Possibly it's because that's the way the Thunderhawk does it and he feels that the resulting high bridge and saddle is part of the magic of the sound. I do remember that he borrowed the Thunderhawk back at one stage and had a good think about it, so clearly there is some method there. 

He did comment that it made that point (the headstock join) the weakest part of the guitar, but then that always is the weak spot and there is still plenty of wood there on this one.

The headstock veneer is Paul's own idea. I wanted a simple combination-of-timbers design along the lines of a Cole Clark or Maton WA May headstock, but left it to Paul to choose the timbers and do it in his own way. (My motto is never tell the chef how to cook a chicken! Just tell him you like chicken and let him go for it.) 

His choice - made while I was away in the UK recently - was a surprise to me. I was expecting the dark Tiger Myrtle (matching the bridge and fingerboard) and Huon Pine but now that the neck is Huon Pine (instead of Celery-top) he decided to use Musk instead. It's quite something!

http://www.distinctivetimbers.com.au/products/musk/tasmanian_musk.htm

Soupman

I know it's a baritone so will be large, but I didn't expect to see half of Sydney harbour bridge in there!
It looks great, although I may have to review my position on being past GAS now...
 
 

Tannin

^ Somebody wandered into Paul's shop the other week and saw it under construction, ordered one for himself. This one will  have the same big jumbo body but in Blackwood with a spruce top (Englemann, if I remember correctly), a 50mm shorter 686mm scale length, and two extra strings - so an 8-string baritone tuned to B in Guild and Taylor style with two octave strings in the middle. 

WafflesOnHorseback

It's gonna be incredible!

thomasross20

Bagsie first shot... Lol

WafflesOnHorseback

I think when it's finished we're all gonna be fighting each other to make Tannin an offer he can't refuse

Wazmeister

Great thread, pics and inspiration!

Thanks for sharing; a lot of time and effort has gone into it - much appreciated. 

Tannin

Tannin

Just odds and ends to finish off. I suppose I'd best start scratching around for some money to pay for it with now. (That's the trouble with such a slow build process - for ages it seems as though it won't be ready practically forever and one tends to fritter cash away on other things in the meantime).

Soupman

Beautiful workmanship. I love everything about it.
 You must be like a kid at Christmas waiting to pick that up.
And yes, as someone above mentioned, it's been great to see the build stages. It feels like we've all been involved!
 
 

WafflesOnHorseback

Beautiful. Can't wait to hear it!