Thanks for your comments and questions. With bout widths of 10.5" and 14.5", this guitar is a little smaller than the standard OM-size it was originally intended to be. I don't have a great deal of experience bending sides and this wood didn't seem to want to accept the exact shape I was asking it to take. (Perhaps that's the potential for warping Tim referred to above.) I thought it was "close enough" but when I pulled the box from my mold it had a bit of a twist. Luckily I had another set of sides that allowed me to start over again. Removing the plates cost me a bit of real estate.
It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I'm simply terrible at describing tone. The best I can do here is say that I have paired Lutz tops from this same batch with both mahogany and EI rosewood. On that spectrum, I would say the liquidambar is closer to the rosewood. If I get a chance to record something before the guitar goes away I'll post a clip.
Thanks for the lovely wood, Dennis! Yes, finishing was a dream. For those with skills that are less than expert in that department (like mine) not having to deal with pores is a truly wonderful thing. Would this work as soundboard? I have zero idea. It seems a little dense and hard to me and doesn't have a particularly musical tap, but it sure would look cool!
The pickguard is Tor-Tis material purchased from LMI. I hadn't seen such large swirls before either and at first I wasn't sure I liked them, but I think they look fine installed.
Tim - Thanks for the correction of the spelling and background info on the wood. I knew it was "ambar" and not "amber," but can't seem to get my fingers to work properly when it counts. These trees are not native to my region (Pacific Northwest) but when we bought our house the elderly woman living next door had a large, beautiful example growing in her backyard. Great fall colors and always the last to lose its gorgeous leaves. Gertrude was the lady's name and she was very sweet to us and our daughter. She passed away several years ago and her lovely tree was cut down when a new house was put up. When I saw this wood for sale I just had to have it. I call this guitar Gertrude, of course. How could I not?
There is indeed a MOP dot incorporated in the headstock veneer. Let's just say that was the result of an "opportunity" that arose during the building process and leave it at that. 
Clay - Thanks for your thoughts on the bridge. I looked at that long and hard and made several blanks from scrap to see if I could put a jog in it somewhere. As much as I wanted it to work, everything I tried seemed forced to my eye. Coupled with my fears that I might be adding weight and perhaps a stress point unnecessarily, I decided to go this direction. I'm still working on that and have lately been thinking it might work to add a subtle element to the surface of the bridge, as opposed to along an edge. We'll see.
Thanks again!
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