Anya's guitar in the raw

cocobolo trimmed in maple

nearly ready for the finisher

Dale's dread under finish

incredable Brazilian Rosewood

bee's wing narra binding

Adirondack spruce top

BRW overlay with torch

neck joint not tightened

closing up the box on Anya's guitar

cocobolo and red spruce braces

sanding a spherical radius to the sides to accept the top

clamping down the dop

ready for cutting the groves for the binding

getting ready for the binding

David's 000 nearly done

only a pickguard is needed to complete the guitar

curly mahogany, rope purfling, BR rosewood binding, red spruce top, ebony fingerboard

pyramid bridge and lots of bearclaw

bracing is all red spruce, lining is red cedar.  It helps keep out the mouths

Light and resonant.

Anya's guitar all braced up, back, top and sides

There will be a sound port on the players side.  Hence the veneer.

A special epoxy must be used on all woods glued to the cocobolo, since coco is a very oily wood.  This epoxy incorporates the oils and makes a great bond.  But it must harden a bit before it is cleaned off.

double X bracing.  Well scalloped for real growl.

Red spruce is used for all braces, top, and back.

Dale's guitar ready for the trip to Michigan

You can see the final trim piece added to the top.  It goes around the fingerboard extension and had to wait until the neck was well fit before it could be let in.  The guitar is off to Michigan because Tony, the worlds best instrument finisher lives and works there.  The White Room awaits.

The neck needs a little shaping, unless Dale wants  to play this guitar Dobro style. (which I do not believe is the case)

Dale's neck work

The new torch (which I really like) is set in place, the headstock is bound and purfled with abalone, and the fingerboard is being glued and clamped onto the neck.

Everything is bound with bees wing narra to match the body

After the glue sets the fingerboard is given a final flattening and a 16 inch radius with a rather expensive sanding block.This extruded aluminum block has been machined both flat longitudinally and given a curved cross section.  It trues up the neck very nicely, just takes a lot of elbow grease.