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Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 8:01 am
by MaineGeezer
This is described in the Build blog as Cherry Parlor Guitar Project #2, but I'll post some pictures here under Show It Off! as well.

Top is red spruce that I bought on eBay. It is exceptionally stiff, even for red spruce, which probably contributes to the ice-cracking crispness of the guitar's tone. It's also LOUD, considering its size.

Back, sides, and neck are cherry. Fingerboard, bridge, binding, and head cap are African blackwood.

The fancy bridge pins, tail pin, fret markers, and purfling are from Bruce Petros at purflex.net.

I sawed the snowy owl inlay out of a mother-of-pearl blank, inlaid it, and engraved the lines, which got filled with black ink to make them show up. Considering my lack of artistic ability and that it's my first attempt, I think it came out remarkably well.

Tuners are Gotohs from LMI.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 8:03 am
by MaineGeezer
More photos.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 9:01 am
by johnnparchem
Looks great. I like the use of the purflex also the headstock is nicely done.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 10:22 am
by John J
Excellent! I like the color variations on the red spruce top.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 12:16 pm
by Diane Kauffmds
Wow, it turned out excellent! That cherry is really beautiful, Congratulations.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 5:08 pm
by ColestineGuitar
Artfully done! I'll have to review the blog. Any chance of a sound recording? Given your description of the spruce, and of the sound, I'd like to hear it and know how the top was thicknessed.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 11:53 am
by MaineGeezer
I hope I'll have a decent recording of it that I can post soon. I'm trying to arrange a time for a friend of mine, Jud Caswell http://www.judcaswell.com, to try it out. Unlike me, Jud can actually play a guitar so it sounds good! He also has quality recording equipment.

The top got thicknessed to about 0.100", maybe 0.110" to start, then it got sanded down a bit more prior to finishing. I also tried to thin the edges a bit. Carter has a theory that thinning the edges gives the main area of the top more of a chance to move. This wasn't drastic -- the edges may be 0.090" to 0.095". Whether it actually makes a significant difference or not, who knows. Probably the most significant thing about the guitar is the unusual bracing pattern.

In the meantime,this gives an idea of the sound.

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 6:12 pm
by Diane Kauffmds
Sounds fantastic Steve. Congratulations on another great guitar!

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 5:30 pm
by Kevin Sjostrand
Way to go! Turned out great.
Now on to the next one!!

Re: Cherry parlor guitar is done

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2016 4:19 am
by ColestineGuitar
Hey, not bad! It has some character to it. Seems fruitwood can contribute nicely to the tone, eh?