a resonator and small jumbo guitar

A couple of new ones...

First up is the return of the Terz guitar, in a 14 fret resonator form. It'll be all sycamore; back, sides, top, neck and binding. The cone is hand spun by Beard Guitars in the US of A and is the smallest one they make. Cramming everything into such a small body is an interesting challenge but great fun!

Next is a custom guitar shape; a small jumbo in... mostly cocobolo. The soundboard is Sitka spruce and the neck is laminated lacewood, back sides, fingerboard, bridge, headstock veneers (front and back) and laminations are cocobolo. To buck the trend the bindings are ebony.

The neck is joining the body at the 13th fret, there will be a sound port, only 16 frets... should be a nice one!

well after a long journey in the back of at least 3 vans the Terz guitar eventually made it up to Lanarkshire so I can show it off for all to see here. As you might expect from such a small bodied guitar it responds very well to a light touch- no heavy strummers please. Its great for gentle fingerpicking whilst on the sofa watching TV its new owner assures me! I have another Terz in the pipeline for early next year.

...And so on to the next one. I've been working with guitarist Paul Brett to resurrect an idea for a harp guitar from the late 19th century. What makes it different from usual harp guitars (if there is such a thing!) is that the extra bass strings are played with the thumb of the left hand. Paul was keen to take inspiration from the original design and use environmentally sound materials so we settled on oak for the back and sides as per the original, Sitka spruce from a naturally fallen tree, sycamore for the neck and neck dowel, bog oak fingerboard, bridge and head veneer and English walnut binding. The body is based on my 12 fret Cilgerran model. Hopefully it'll be finished by the end of the week so I'll put up a couple of completed pics.

A little update to the Terz guitar; it's coming along very well, only the frets and logo to go on before lacquering (and a LOT of sanding). To avoid tearing the grain when routing the binding ledges I give the edges of the body a coat of shellac, it also stops glue sticking to the bits of wood where you don't want it.

binding and purfling ledges routed out

Using masking tape to hold purfling in place while the glue dries

Koa binding with a very thin strip of maple to stand it out from the mahogany sides

Ziricote headstock veneer, koa binding with maple and dyed maple purflings, tuners will be Waverleys, fancy!