Ever closer to done!
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Printable View
Ever closer to done!
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https://www.facebook.com/Samrodriguezcustoms/ is the place. With the carved spalted top, p90s and mahogany body it will be about $1750
Head stock is now rough formed with the spalted mapel veneer on it. It is really starting to take shape!
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More shapingAttachment 193849Attachment 193850
Scale vs his personal SRC guitar Attachment 193851
Test piece color sample. No clear applied.
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The blue is the same, just the camera difference shows.
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I have just realized I need to start looking for a hard case for my octave. Is there any company out there making hardcases for smaller electrics? This thing won't be small in body size, just short in scale. I've only ever had gig bags, but I want to protect this unit well.
Any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks all!
I got a hard case with my Eastwood classic tenor that’s a good fit. Maybe you could try Eastwood for one of those cases.
Finish on the back of the neck
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First of 3 coats, then clear after it all dries.
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SRC started adding the clear. I think it will take several coats...
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The spalt just keeps absorbing the lacquer...
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What a long, strange trip...
On the final carve, the builder had the spalt chunck and crumble. He thought he could save it. Try as he might, It was catostrophic wound 😥 I loved that spalt... affer many attempts to hide the issues, he decided the quality wasn't good enough.
So, new body with the built neck is happening. He now has all the tools and is almost ready to stain the new body. Maybe, just maybe it will finally be done.
I wasn’t sure what spalting was, so I looked it up…slightly rotted is what I learned. I’m surprised that luthiers would use it seeing as it has to affect the structure not just the aesthetic.
It is such a beautiful wood. Here is the new piece.
As mentioned above, ‘spalt’ is a stage of rot. It’s typically only seen in small boxes or bowls. There’s a reason for that.
If you want the look, to me the best way to utilize it is as a laminate over something solid, ie, not rotten. Personally I still wouldn’t use it.
Good luck on the next attempt.
A woodworker friend who makes bowls and other artwork from wood told me once that spalted wood is actually wood that has been infected with a particular type of fungus. He said that some folks who use it actually inject the fungus into the trees to get them started. No idea if that's true, but . . . I don't know, but I been told . . ..
I have seen it used in instruments before, but the description usually says "stabilized" spalted XXX. No idea what that means, but I can speculate that it is some sort of resin that is allowed to soak into the wood/fungus spots and then harden to keep it from falling apart. I suppose you could soak it in CA glue if you had enough.
Then, of course, there is ambrosia maple, which is maple infested by a beetle. The wood becomes discolored where the beetles bore into the tree. Might also be caused by fungus? Out of my element here; maybe some of the wood gurus can help out. Anyway, it's also beautiful wood. No idea if it is suitable for instruments.
The spalted maple bowls that I have are beautiful.
Not as dynamic of a spalt, but more progress...
In response to your earlier case question, I have an arch top guitar shape OM. It came with an Ameritage case. Sort of tweedy purplish finish with vinyl binding. Perfect fit, bullet proof, and weighs a ton.
More progress Attachment 197058