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It is finished! I will be shipping this one out on Monday.
This is the first one that I built specifically for someone outside of my family.
It was the forth guitar I started, but the third one I finished.
It was so fun to work with someone and design a custom guitar.
The process of choosing woods and dimensions and custom inlays etc. is a thrill.

This was the most difficult guitar for me yet.
The Venetian cutaway was my first and I made the radius to tight.
It made bending the binding and purfling a real chore.

I like this guitar a lot and I'm going to miss it.
It is a strange feeling seeing the first one go.
I learned so much building this guitar.
I am very excited to start on my next one.

This guitar is in no way perfect.
There are several flaws that you can see in the pictures.
I think it plays nice and sounds good.
We'll see if the new owner agrees and decides to keep it.

Here are a few shots of the finished product.

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

I have a thread on another guitar forum that has a lot of detail on the build. If you are interested, click here.

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

Steve, that is sooooooooooo nice. Wow, I don't think my 4th turned out that nice.

Is that Acacia? Very nice zoot. Looks good to me, I can't see anything wrong with it.

What's the finish? Nice work with the spalted maple too. I realy like it.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Thanks Rod!

The finish is a water-based satin. The customer realy wanted satin. I wasn't too excited about it. But I must say that I really like it.

The back and sides are figured black walnut, the top is cedar. The bindings are koa and the purfling is maple. The rosette, bottom wedge, and dove are spalted maple. The neck is 5 piece laminate with mahogany, maple and walnut. The "S" is maple.

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

Wow! That looks real good! What kind of finish is that? I really like it!

    The cut out really is nice! It has an unusual contour. Tastefully done!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Steve, very nice work, you can be proud of what you have achieved, especially if it was your first commission, the stress involved with it and also your first cutaway which is really great looking and audacious for the tight curve! I see that you have a 5 piece neck like mine, yours looks really nice!

Thanks for sharing this great experience with us!

Serge

Great guitar you should be really proud of your work. I really like the finish, it allows the wood to just do it's thing and still look like wood. The wood combinations are inspired the fact that they all come from the same colour palette shows great taste. The walnut should let the warmth of the cedar come through so the sound should be great. Wonderful work your customer should be really pleased.

Colin

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

Great work Steve, love the satin, and I think Colin said it just right, your customer will be VERY pleased I'm sure.

Cheers

Kim

Man that is beautiful. Terrific work.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

That looks amazing Steve!!! I love the wood combo as well. That walnut is something else. Great execution too. I'm going to have to try a laminated neck as well some day.

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

Wow, that thing looks old right out of the box. I like that.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Congratulations, Steve! Very handsome guitar. I love the wood and the satin look.   

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Great looking guitar! How does the walnut sound?

[QUOTE=vpelleri] How does the walnut sound?[/QUOTE] This guitar sounds nice. The fundamental is clean and strong with good sustain. This guitar does not developing the lush overtones that it would if it were rosewood. It has nice bass, I think due to the cedar top. It is nicely balanced, not very loud but it is a 000 size.

I like and and would surely keep it if it weren't for that customer that paid for it and keeps asking for it.

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

Great guitar, great story!

Mike
White Oak, Texas

That's a really pretty guitar. I love the end graft. Nice choice to use the spalted maple for that and the rosette. Very nice. Can't wait to see your next one!

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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."

Great job SteveS.
I like it a lot. Anyone check on sound bites for this site?
Jeff

Great job Steve
I am sure the customer will keep it. I know it is hard to let it go!!!
That just means you can build another one!!!!

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Very Nice Steve, I love it the wood all works together really nicely, it is beautiful.

Dude, I know eyes go bad after 40, but I can't see any flaws! Good work and congrats on your first leaving home!   

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

WOW Is that ever nice Steve!
You will no doubt miss her. Ask for a recording, its sorta like a phone call home

John Creech, the owner of one of mine has send me 2 very nice recordings and It just makes my day to hear them.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Thank you all for the kind words. I just put the guitar in the mail. It will arrive on Friday. This being my first one to a client is a new a strange feeling. I can't wait to hear from him, but I'm nervous about it at the same time. I'll keep you posted.

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

The new owner received his guitar yesterday. I was nervous. This guy has a few high end guitars.
Here is his response.

[QUOTE] Steve, Your marvelous creation has landed safely! I have slowly brought it up to tuning and have had the pleasure of playing one of my own songs on a beautiful, articulate and attractive guitar built just for me!!

The tone (while very fresh and new) is what I'd call a traditional voice, no part of its tone fights the other. It is warm and very focused on the upper bass and lower mid of the sound spectrum. WARMTH DELUXE!!! I could not have described or expected a more perfect tone for this beautiful little guitar. The action is super sweet, and very, very easy to fret anywhere. I have done some strumming and some fingerstyle and it more than shines on both.

As for the appearance, it just rocks. All the woods and their tones just melt together and you really captured that "Lowden" vibe I was after. I see myself and this great little giant creating some wonderful music together for years to come.

I am proud and very privleged to be your first official customer. What a great guitar from a great builder!!! My friend, keep up what you are doing,,,you are a gifted builder and this guitar speaks that in volumes. Thank You, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Folks, I can't tell you what a pleasure it was dealing with Steve and watching him create such a great guitar. If you have been considering a handbuilt, I would contact Steve before he becomes backlogged like all the other great builders. It sure is cool to watch our own new luthier grow right before our eyes. I look forward to watching as Steve creates more guitars in the future.[/QUOTE]
Obviously he is a nice guy. I am so lucky to have him as my first customer.
It felt strange sending out the guitar. It is my forth start and my third one finished. I saw so many things that I could do better on and I was a bit embarrassed to send it out. But it took me six months to finish and it was time to move on.




Someone asked about the finish. I used Crytalac Super Premium Clear Satin - available here here.
SteveS38913.5624074074

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

Congratulations, Steve!
The owner's praise says it all.
I'll add to the chorus, though, and say how pretty it is.
I love the Walnut / Cedar combo.

Steve K.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com