J-185 Sunburst

[DaveH]

Just finished the latest Acoustic Guitar. Tried some new stuff on this one. Strings have only been on for 24 hours, but already sounds impressive. Specifics include:

- Model: J-185 (16" Lower Bout)
- Top: Sitka Spruce provide by Ken (KMG)
- Sides and Back: Quartersawn Cherry purchased locally and resawn (three piece back)
- Binding & Purfling: Figured Maple, Black/White combinations
- Neck: Five Piece Figured Soft Maple with Cherry/Walnut Center Strip
- Headstock Overlay: Figured Cherry with Inlay done by England's Custom Inlay (Caneyville, KY)
- FB: Rosewood, Martin Long-Scale, 1 11/16" @ Nut, MOP Inlay by England's Custom Inlay
- Pickguard and TR Cover: Terrapin Guitars
- Finish: Behlen's Nitro Lacquer with various colors using TransTint Dyes (Toner).
- Tuner's: Grover Imperials

If you have not familiar with England's Custom Inlay I highly recommend that you visit their website. Top Notch work and very affordable.

[johnnparchem]

Nice looking guitar. I really like how the three piece cherry back came together. The finish work looks great as well.

[deadedith]

That is a very nice piece of work, DaveH. Impressive. Got a clip?

[Tony_in_NYC]

Beautiful job!

[David L]

I'm not a big fan of sunburst but yours however I like, it is a bit subtle and the color is not loud. Did you build your own neck?

David L

[hummingbird]

That turned out great Dave. I like that you did the sunburst on the back too. Those tuners look awesome.

[DaveH]

Yes I make my own necks. In reality it's fairly straight-forward. I also prefer making 5-7 piece laminations. I typically use Rift or Plain Sawn lumber and carefully orient the grain. This technique makes for very strong and stable necks.

I tried to keep the sunburst on the subtle side. I could have made the toner's stronger, but using a slightly lighter toner you have much more control. I also used a dark brown toner rather than black (which is more traditional). For the most part I followed the pattern on the factory J-185, but backed off on the upper bout. The sides are also toned, primaily at the tail, waist, and neck. I used an airbrush to apply the toners and did not use a center mask. I tried a mask at first but did not like the results.

[Jim_H]

I'm not a big fan of bright colored sunbursts, but this one is very classy.

That is a very nice looking instrument!

[nkwak]

That's beautiful, DaveH. I like the burst. It's sort of like a "tea" burst with that reddish color, an effect that I personally prefer to the darker "tobacco" bursts. I also love the curves of the J-185. How does she sing? ;o)

[Darryl Young]

Dave, very nice guitar. I'm not brave enough to try a burst!