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Finished 1st Guitar - Bordeaux Inlay pics
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Author:  Pete Harrington [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:56 am ]
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Hi All,

Well, I've finally completed my first guitar. It has a headstock inlay of our dog Shiner, exquisitely done by Paul Bordeaux.

Details of guitar :

Cedar top, 4 piece, from old house siding, wormholes and all
Walnut B/S
EI rosewood binding
WB purfling scheme
OM shape, deeper body depth
Mortise and tenon, bolted neck attachment
Cocobolo end graft
Bridge shape/design ala Mayes (great DVD's should have got them before I started)
Tru oil finish, 10 coats (not final polished) over ZPoxy and Shellac
1.87" nut width (I wanted a wider neck, I'm not really an experienced guitar playr and didn't have a clue as to how wide was too wide <G> I'm getting used to it though

She sounds like a guitar, plays nicely and most importantly, with the Shiner inlay my wife likes it (thanks Paul)!

By the way, Paul did this inlay from a photo I sent him shown below

Original photo

Inlay closeup






Thanks for looking; without the resources of the OLF, this guitar probaby would never have been completed. You've all provided valuable information and more importantly, inspiration. All the mistakes on this guitar will be rectified on others.

I was particularly annoyed at the top. The old cedar was soft and I managed to tear out some of the soft grain peeling up the binding tape (I didn't learn 'til later from you guys that a coat of shellac protects!) But what's done is done.

Now off to play!

Pete
Author:  Pete Harrington [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:57 am ]
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Sorry about the wide pictures, man I hate that!
Author:  Hesh [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:13 am ]
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Very nice Pete - well done!!!

The top looks beautiful and I liked how you reused the former house siding.

The inlay is indeed superb and Shiner looks every bit the cool dog in the inlay as in the actual picture.

Great job - what's next?
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:39 am ]
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Author:  LuthierSupplier [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:58 am ]
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Fantastic first effort. Don't worry about the cedar, if you just look at it wrong it will ding! Another good tip for next time...heat the tape with a blow dryer while removing the tape. Just extra insurance against that delicate cedar top. Now, just enjoy it!
Tracy
Author:  Pete Harrington [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:48 pm ]
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Thanks for the kudos!

Hesh, I am currently building an OLF SJ out of Mad. RW and Sitka. I have to say, it is much easier to build the second one <G>.

Thanks for the tip Tracy; man, hindsight is really 20/20.

Thanks, Michael, I don't post much, but I really appreciate you taking the time to look.

Regards,

Pete
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:50 pm ]
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Great accomplishment on your 1st guitar! I like
your bridge and that top looks good too! The inlay is awesome.
Way to go Pete!
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:56 pm ]
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Way to go.  That looks really great.  The inlay is outstanding.     
Author:  leerobs42 [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:32 pm ]
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That looks great....
Author:  Cambrian [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:51 pm ]
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Nice work Pete! Hope my first one turns out as good as yours!!


Cheers,


Dave F.
Author:  Billy T [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:15 pm ]
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Great looking first!
Really like the binding!
Great looking dog too!
Author:  FishtownMike [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:25 pm ]
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Great guitar and i love that inlay. So life like.
Author:  mgcain [ Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:54 am ]
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Awesome Job Pete, and Shiner looks good too! You can always tell a happy dog, and now he's immortalized on your guitar!



Mitch
Author:  Pete Harrington [ Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:10 am ]
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Thanks again for the positive comments <G>

I still can't believe the lifelike quality of the inlay Paul did; he is a true artist.

Mitch, you're right, I think he did capture the essence of our dog.

Pete
Author:  Don Williams [ Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:29 am ]
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Really nice job Pete!

That cedar top has a lot of character to it... I really like it! My first guitar had a cedar top cut from a cedar board intended for a house. I have a cedar lumber dealer near me, with huge amounts of quartersawn, vertical all-clear cedar. It's not always pretty, but some of it would make great guitar tops.


I'd do a guitar with an inlay of my cat on it, but folks would think I'm more nuts than they already do...
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