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My favourite steel string guitar has always been the slot-headed OOO 12 fret, I’ve built quite a few over the years, but this is the first one that I’ve put a redwood top on. In fact the first redwood guitar I’ve made. Here’s the details.
B&S: Cuban mahogany
Top: Redwood
Rosette: Redwood burl (curtesy of Steve Kinnaird)
Neck: Honduran mahogany
Binding: Curly maple
Purfling: Cuban mahogany, B/pear/B
Bridge/FB/headplates: BRW, (this wood went into the college stores in 1840!)
Finish: Frank Cooper’s chunky cut Oxford marmalade.

This of course has my usual ‘parabolic’ bracing but on this one I added an ‘A’ brace inlet into the X brace and headblock and passing through an open UTB. It also has my usual bolt on neck with the FB glued to a neck extension inlet into a mortice in the headblock rather than glued to the top. Never seen the point of bolting on the neck, only to glue the FB to the top

I’m really pleased with this guitar, which was built more as a test of the top and bracing, but I think will probably become my main standard tuning guitar.

I suppose you want some pictures.











Here's a soundfile for you, sorry to the dial-up brigade. Just a little late night twiddle, recorded this very late at night after enjoying a fair quantity of 18 year old Talisker so don't be too critical!

Slowdown

Thanks for looking and listening.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Beautiful guitar, Colin! The back and rosette are stunning.

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Brad Tucker

Beautiful guitar, Colin! Tried to listen, but got a "link not found" on the clip.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Colin,

Mmmmmmmmm . . . Cuban!!

That's a fabulous guitar. Gorgeous wood combinations very elegantly put together. The slot head detail is great and the rosette, binding and purfling just work so well. Very Lowdenesque. The Frank Cooper marmalade finish really gives the wood a great lustre and it looks like a tactile wooden creation rather than something in shrink wrapped poly. I like the look of that straight grained redwood top rather than the curly wild stuff that seems to be all the rage at the moment.

It sounds fabulous too (Colin sent me an e-mail of the mp3, when he fixes the link you'll all love the sound too ) - I can hear the inbuilt reverb of the Cuban Mahogany and the balance and complexity of sound is really nice. And it's only a few days old. The Talisker certainly oiled the wheels - really nice grove and bounce to the playing.

Well done!!

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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

Sorry that link doesn't seem to be working (spaces in the name I think) try this one

slowdown

Colin

Yep this one works.

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Man that's wonderful. I love the bell-like trebles. Beautiful sparkle, even temperament, nice playing, per expectations!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Love the tune Colin, both the playing and the tone....and the guitar is lovely looking as well.

Cheers,

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Gwaltney Guitars

Beautiful, Colin! I've built two 000-12 Frets and consider it my favorite as well.

Your playing is even more impressive. Thanks for posting.

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

What a stunning, sweet guitar...the sound is so lively and the strings chime!

I love the classic elegance of this instrument!

Good Stuff Colin!!! What do you like about the Redwood so far compared to spruce? I like the design of the posterior headstock veneer. Got any closeups of that? Let's see- any other questions? Oh yeah, looks like you veneered another lighter wood under the headstock overlay. looks nice. What wood did you use?
Thanks
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Looks beautiful, Colin. Bet she sounds wunnerful.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Colin, that guitar is just gorgeous. I haven't seen much Cuban Mahogany and I've got to say it looks as stunning as any other wood I can think of.

Would you be willing to share more details on your method of neck to body attachment (and maybe a couple pictures) I think I get what you're doing by your description but I'm not sure and it's got me intrigued.

-Clint

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-Clint Beacock

Yeah buddy! I've been waiting for this one, and you didn't disappoint, Colin. Beautiful guitar, that sounds even better than it looks. I can hear the "reverb" that Dave was speaking of, and am now looking expectantly at my set of Cuban from uncle Bob.

Great work--you should be proud.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Pure gorgeous!

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Colin:
Someday I want to make music like that........... Someday, Mikey

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
I love building guitars!

Beautiful. The back bookmatch makes it look like it's on fire.

Darrin

Colin that guitar has such a smooth, luxurious sound. Now I understand why you are reaching for that (Cuban) mahogany the more guitars you build. Fantastic Guitar

Regards

Craig.

Thanks everyone for your kiond comments as always greatly appreciated. Can I just say thanks to Dave and the Da Faoitettes for their input into this one through the Da Faoite Design Consultancy. Seriously I do find it very helpful bouncing my ideas off of Dave, helps to clarify my thoughts.

Some answers to specific questions:

Terence, redwood almost seems to be cedar on steroids, a kind of transition between cedar and Euro spruce, I like it very much and will be bulding with it again. This top came from Hank Mauel.

Heres a couple of shots of how I do the back plate on the head, I'm afraid the first one is from a previous guitar but shows the process before routing and carving.






Clint, there are several threads in the archives on my neck system and body joint. Heres a shot of the neck and body apart, the FB glues to the neck and its extension and this extension fits into the pocket routed in the top/headblock. I just use the normal two bolts to hold the neck in place.




Oh here's a shot of the top bracing, the A braces pass through openings in the UTB, much like those on a classical, and are inlet into the X brace and headblock. Only the braces above the waist are inlet into my laminated solid linings.



Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Very nice Colin!
I do have a question. On your fretboard extension, when you bolt it down to the top, is there any fret
board leveling needed? And if there is, what happens to the set if the neck is removed after the frets are installed?
To put it another way, can this neck be taken off and put back on, after the guitar has been fretted and set up, with out any change in the set up?

Thanks!

PS That Carter Redwood from Hank is the stuff eh!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

That's really nice Colin (of course!). I love that wood combination. You really have some great details there too.
I was working on a OO with that combination of woods right before I got sidetracked with the wood biz stuff. Now that the cnc is done, and the wood biz is winding down, I can think about getting back to that and getting my personal guitar done as well. Just need to get the shop cleaned.

Here's the back set for this...back and sides are flitched....

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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."

Lance, I don't bolt the extension down to the top it just sits in the pocket after all there is 140 or so pounds of string pressure holding it in place, why bolt it? So to remove the neck I just undo the two normal bolts, this neck can be taken on and off the guitar as much as you want with no effect on set-up. The whole idea is that the neck/fingerboard are one system with the FB glued to the same surface all the way. I of course fret the neck off of the guitar, bolting it to the guitar has no effect on the FB at all.

Don, lovely Cuban there, most certainly it is the King of tonewoods! All my BRW gets cut up into FB and bridges.


Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Nice Colin! Sounds really really sweet, great playing too. Looks like cool BRW, can we get a closeup of the bridge?

Best,
Lars

Here you are Lars, my OOO bridges are a bit wider than my normal bridges, so that I can keep the X nicely open.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Colin, Beautiful work, as usual you raise the bar. I enjoyed the sound clip, relaxing and smooth.

Very Very Nice.Beautiful guitar and beautiful playing.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee