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I've been working on this guitar for quite some time and you have seen some pics of it along the way. I just strung it up this morning. I had some doubts about how it would sound since I tried a slightly different bracing pattern on the top but I think it worked out quite well. It is about a 00 or slightly lager size guitar but with my own shape. Koa back and side of course and a redwood top. It will be shipped out to Texas as soon as the case arrives. Check it out.



John How38500.6880671296

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Beautiful John

JOhn - thats beautiful! just stunning! Your NOT taking it to Healdsburg?

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Fantastic, John! Tell us more! You are one busy dude lately! Are you getting any sleep these days?

Next week is "Take your Guitar to Work Week". I promise not to drool all over it.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I wouldn't mind taking it down to Healdsburg but it's new owner has been waiting long enough. I don't thinks he wants to wait till the middle of August to get his guitar. Besides I got 6 more in my shop getting finished right now. I'm gonna have to get a better camera, so I csan take some decent pictures.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

That looks awesome! I wish my guitars were looking that good.
The pics look good to me.

Wow! Beautiful, John. The fret position markers are a neat touch.

About your pics - are you using a tripod? It makes a huge difference on close shots.

BruceH

John, man that looks nice. Love that redwood and koa combo. I'm sure the new owner will be very happy. What did you use for the finish?

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

I like it!

Amazing....really a luscious looking guitar.
Do I detect a small wedge in that body?Don Williams38514.2934027778

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Yummy!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Thanks guys, Yes I probably need to get a tripod. Don A, This is finished with Ktm9, of the 7 guitars I've been working on, 5 are getting KTM9 and 2 are the Rockhard Varnish. Don W, you got it, It's a wedgey. Did you ever try that Rocjhard yet? I like what I've seen so far. I have yet to string one up but I think it'll work pretty well.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Beautiful!!! You work is impressive.

That's a beautiful guitar John. It has a vintage look to it that I really admire. The koa with maple binding is a great look and the neck seems to be shaded at the heel and near the peghead, is this how it is, or is that a trick of the lighting? I believe that matching the heel cap with the veneer on the back of the peghead was a good choice, and then binding the heel below the cap with maple is just a very nice touch.

John

How do you like KTM-9? How does the final look compare to nitro? Did you use epoxy sealers?
I’ve been using Target USL and I’m not really satisfied. I’m going to switch to KTM-9 or nitro lacquer. Your opinions on KTM-9 should help me decide. Thanks

I've had good results with KTM9 so I will probably continue to use it till I see something waterborne that works better. I am also experimenting with rockhard varnish see this for the results if that. Both of these were sealed and fill with Z-poxy.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I had the priveledge of seeing and playing John's guitar today. Pictures don't do it justice! I was amazed at how light in weight it is. The wood combination really works. The Koa is absolutely mesmerizing. I was particularly impressed with the KTM- 9 finish. It sure was inspiring to see a real pro effort.

The sound is beautiful and the action low and easy to play.

Great effort, John and thanks for the phone call!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

[QUOTE=John How] I wouldn't mind taking it down to Healdsburg but it's new owner has been waiting long enough. I don't thinks he wants to wait till the middle of August to get his guitar. Besides I got 6 more in my shop getting finished right now. I'm gonna have to get a better camera, so I csan take some decent pictures.[/QUOTE]

John,

Your guitar is beautiful! What is the perfling and how nong did it take?

I own 2 Sony's. An older 1.4 Megapixel and a brand new F-828. The F-828 has Zeiss optics etc. While using a tripod is important, I can't begin to tell you the difference in quality of the pictures! The size is one thing but good optics make ALL the difference.

BTW, the pics you took aren't too bad but I would move the guitar away from the glass that reflected due to your flash. That can "swamp" a digital camera and make crisp photos almost impossible. I recently bought a couple of books; one on digital photography and the other on Photoshop CS. There is a wealth of information out there regarding digital photography and if you take a lot of pictures, as I do, you will get the most out of whatever camera you have.

Regards, Steve Brown

I think they are offering a class on photgraphing guitars at the ASIA Symp, and I am hoping to attend that class. My camera is a Canon 2 MP and it takes pretty good pics but I don't know much about photagraphy and I'm sure the lack of knowledge is my biggest problem.

The purfling on this guitar is just Pau ablam but it is a lttle lighter than most. I might not have inlayed it as deep as I should have and it got a little lighter after sanding. I now inlay my shell purfling at full depth so there is little leveling to do.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Ablam can look a bit funny when sanded, especially when part of a lower layer is is showing through the upper layer of the laminate. You can get some funky patterning. That is why I prefer natural pearl and abalone.

You know the way a Ferrari looks like it is moving at about 60MPH even when it's parked? That's how this guitar looks. Without actually playing it myself, of course I can't really say, but I'll bet this ax can take a hairpin turn on a mountain road at 90MPH without spilling a drop of coffee.

All that Ablam should be overpowering to the fiddleback Koa, but somehow, it isn't. Maybe that's one of the visually mellowing influences of the Redwood.

Very nice blend of elements, including the elegant, understated headstock.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

John, let me raise my glass to you as well. That's a really pretty guitar.
I wonder if you have some closer-up pix of the rosette? There's some shimmery stuff going on there, and I'd like to see a bit more detail. Is that possible?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

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John,

I was so inspired by this guitar, that I bought a beautiful set from Colonial this week. I was going to show a picture here, but Steve is way too efficient and yanked the pic from the website. He has some really great wood! If you're in the market for some nice looking ziricote for a classical, he's got some that will knock your socks off.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks for your kind comments guys. Don, I do hope to score some nice wood next week.
Dennis, it is a fun guitar to play. My customer wanted a wider neck than standard (1 13/16 at the nut and about 2 1/4 saddle spacing) and I think that is ideal for my fat fingers also. I really like the responce of the redwood top, and of course this particular piece of Koa is just as pretty as any I've seen.
Steve, I'll try bto get some closer shots of the rosette ASAP.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.