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Paul,
Great looker buddy!! I like the blackwood a lot. The bindings are also a great look tonally with the back and sides. Great Job.

Homeboy

I've just noticed your fretboard ,which looks deliciously wide . What are it's dimensions ?

Looks to be an ideal fingerstyle guitar , and as you say , perfect for a couch session.

It really is stunning !

Regards , Kiwi

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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Hi Kiwi, yes it is pretty wide, don't remember the exact dimensions off hand, I'll have to have a look at my drawings when I get home. It is a bit over 1 7/8" at the nut. It was a bit of an experiment, I figured a shorter scale would bring the frets closer together so stretching would be a little easier, and the strings a bit further apart might make playing a bit easier with my big clumsy fingers. With my lousy playing I need all the help I can get.

I did build this as a fingerstyle guitar. I also spent a lot of time thinking about the wood combinations, I was after some earthy tones without much if any contrast between back/sides and binding.

This guitar fought me every step of the way. I ruined one top, managed to save the abalone rosette and re-use it. I also destroyed one half finished neck. Had the router in the router table shaping the headstock, next thing I know the neck's been ripped out of my hands and thrown across the workshop, split the headstock down the middle. That neck was an experiment too, made it out of Narra. Live and learn. I just hope the next guitar goes together a little more smoothly.

Paul,
That is so very nice! Great job.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Paul, that is a fantastic looking instrument!

Gorgeous finish... Hmmm... too bad we can't lay our hands on that stuff over here... Like nitro, tuff like poly and easy to apply as FP!

Did you rub this stuff on? Spray?

Keep up the awesome work!

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Thanks Alain, it was a bit of both really. I started out french polishing, but it was taking too long - I'm not very good at FP. I was once an industrial spray painter. so I put away the muneca and went shopping for a spray gun seeing as my wife and daughter had bought me a compressor for fathers day. I gave it two fairly thick coats with the spray gun, I used the hard shellac neat straight out of the bottle.

There were a few very small places where I'd rubbed through the finish while levelling so I pulled out the muneca and touched it up FP style. I love this stuff

Wow Paul... No kidding, that stuff seems very forgiving... Hard Shellac... I think I'm in love!

Thanks for the info!

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Paul,

You are certainly proficient at multi-tasking!
The guitar's not too shabby, but MAN!--that kitchen!
What a looker! Tell us more. Or--on a serious note--which project fought you more?

Both look great, and validate a year well spent.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

[QUOTE=Steve Kinnaird] Paul,

You are certainly proficient at multi-tasking!
The guitar's not too shabby, but MAN!--that kitchen!
What a looker! Tell us more. Or--on a serious note--which project fought you more?

Both look great, and validate a year well spent.

Steve[/QUOTE]

, thanks Steve, which fought me more? Actually its a toss-up between the two, I ended up in hospital under a general anesthetic building the kitchen - filleted my thumb with a stanley knife - wrong tool for the job, and too busy to go fetch a chisel. Say, those stanley knives are plenty sharp, huh?

I guess I got off lightly building the guitar.

Paul.

That's a fabulous looking guitar that stays very elegant at the same time. Lovely wood combination and build. That finish is looking good to. Keep us posted as to how it holds up to normal wear and tear over time - and a guitar that good will get a lot of playing!!

I'd love to give that guitar a tickle on the sofa. Well done you - and John

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Paul,

You have excelled my friend, that little guitar is just stunning. That dark blackwood is simply superb as is the silk in that top. The tiger myrtle bindings ties it all together so very well.

For what its worth from me, full marks for wood combination, full marks for skill in construction and full marks for the incredible finish.

Plus a huge thanks to both Craig and yourself for bringing Hard Shellac to my attention, what can I say but, "U-Beaut" .

Cheers

Kim