Cherry / Redwood slope dread

[Skarsaune]

I’ve been using my own lumber for the last couple of builds, but a beautiful set of cherry showed up on FB and I had to have it:

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I sold the last two guitars I built, so I put some of that money into upgrades - fretboard radiusing jig and the elevate lutherie ultimate binding jig. I really wanted to improve my binding ledges.
I also sold the last Gibson J shape guitar I had, and kind of regretted it. I’m pretty fond of a short scale slope dread, it turns out. So build one! I used a little more guitar money to get a J-45 mold and bending form from John.
Best sounding guitar I’ve built was a redwood top. I had another set left from that board so that’s what I’m going with.

[Skarsaune]

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Slightly different mosaic rosette with a shark tooth look. Spalted hackberry and walnut. Diameter is getting a little out of hand; next guitar I’ll make a little smaller OD.

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Gibson bracing historically is what I’d consider very loose. Butt joint at the X, not lapped. Nothing’s tucked anywhere. I couldn’t make myself go there so I lapped the X and tucked the top ends. X angle is pretty wide and forward. I’m starting from a GAL plan of a 50’s J-45.

[Skarsaune]

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Snakehead headstock for straighter string path, and a spalted hackberry headplate have become kind of a standard for me. Logo is inlaid ebony.

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More hackberry, and carry the zipper strip up the back too.

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Tortoise-y celluloid for the binding.
The celluloid swells up if you're using Duco to attach it. Give it a few days to calm down before you scrape it or it will sink too low.

[Skarsaune]

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Walnut fretboard with a reddish tinge. Mosaic pin fretboard markers. Almost the last of my EVO gold fretwire stash.

Bridge will be reddish walnut as well; need to select the wood for it.
Got a custom Holter pickguard coming that should match up with the tortoise-y binding.
Got a nifty set of Schaller tuners I picked up.

Neck is bolt on design. 14 fret, short scale. It's rough carved, so gotta finish that.
Binding is almost scraped to my satisfaction. One more session ought to do it.
Final sand, coat of shellac, and it's time to put finish on.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

The whole thing looks yummy