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I still haven't cut the dovetail slot in the head block so the neck is shifted one fret from its eventual position, but this shot gives a general idea of what it will look like when complete.

This is turning out to be really pretty. This is with only a couple thin coats of shellac. It ought to be spectacular when I get the finish completed.

I like how the twisted rose birch and curly maple binding (and the HB purfling, too) work together. Gonna be a stunner when finished.

She's looking mighty fine.

Dovetail is cut and the neck mostly fitted. I'm currently in the process of finishing. I decided to enlist Carter's help on the fihinshing. He's going to spray a few coats of finish for me, since he is really good with a spray gun and I'm not. It's progressing...slowly...

I had to pull the frets from the fingerboard extension because they were making the extension curve downward so much it was interfering with fitting the neck. Once the neck is in place and glued I'll put the frets back in.

MaineGeezer wrote:
With the top glued on, I've started cutting the binding and purfling channels around the top. As with the back, I'm starting out with a gramil and chisel, doing it by hand. It's very meditative. I may yet resort to a router as i did on the back to do a final cleanup pass.

This picture has inspired me to try this method whenever I get around to closing the box on my second. I have an inherent trust in power tools.

I've got an LMI gramil (actually, it's a coply of the LMI gramil that I made). It works pretty well. I found that I had to do a pass with the gramil, chisel away that layer, then do another one. Experiment until you find a combination that works best for you.

The gramil does have the disadvantage that it takes longer to screw it up. With a router, you can manage a total catastrophe in seconds. <grin>

The binding and purfling you chose goes really well with the sides I think.

Yes, that combination worked out quite well. I saw something similar and decided to try it. It may have been this:
http://www.beauhannamguitars.com/publis ... ment54.jpg
That guy does stunning work.

I was a bit apprehensive that the curly maple and the wild grain of the sides would fight each other, but they don't.

Status update: the body is still with Carter so he can do the finish. He's a busy fellow! He promises it "soon," maybe this week. Then:
Attach the neck.
Locate and attach the bridge.
Install tuners and strings.
Hope it sounds good.