Purpleheart Guitar

[Anthony Scira]

Hey guys just thought I would share the progress on my current project. It is a purpleheart 000 guitar. Mahogany neck with purpleheart/maple/purpleheart skunk stripe. Making it for my daughter who will hopefully appreciate it someday.

Hope the Google+ picture sharing thing works.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/101560197017027439650/posts/D4LAK7y1Jvm?pid=6106552029463752866&oid=1015601970 17027439650

[David Falkner]

Very nice! How's the Purpleheart work for you? I just picked some up and plan to do some resawing soon for backs/sides.

[Julie Moriarty]

You obviously know what you're doing! Very nice work! When I saw the inlays on another guitar in the background, I was hoping you'd show how you got those fine points routed out so I could get some tips on how to do mine. Then I saw... I don't have one of those tools.

[Anthony Scira]

Purpleheart is so far really nice to work with. Smells good when cut too. Still wear dust mask though

Only thing I don't know about is how the purple color will hold up. I hear as it ages the strong purple may become muddled. Oh well still having fun doing it.

[Anthony Scira]

Yeah I cheated a little with the laser. LOL

[Shawn Pixley]

Nice progress. Clearly this isn't your first rodeo.

[David Falkner]

Is your back bracing laminated Mahogany/Purpleheart? Whatever it is, have you used that before? Do you notice a difference from Spruce?

[Anthony Scira]

Yeah it is leftover scraps from the neck and body. Laminated them. I forgot whose guitar I saw that did the laminations and thought it looked cool and a good use of all the scraps. As far as tone I am not sure it effects the tone too much vs spruce. Maybe to a better trained ear it might ? I got the DVD course by Kent Everett on voicing the top of a steel string guitar. And what to listen for when you are listening to the tap tone of your back. It is really a great video. Next video I want to get is the arm bevel.

[David Falkner]

30 years ago I wanted to build guitars and started buying wood but I moved and had no shop (until now) so I now have wood from 30 years ago ready for guitars today. I got one under my belt in 1985 by using a neck and sides from an existing guitar and built everything else for my 'first' - fret board, back, top, head plate, inlay, etc., and I used Spruce with graphite epoxy composite bought from Luthiers Mercantile International (LMI). Matter of fact, I bought just about everything from LMI and still have some of that material for bracing - may use it on a couple of builds I have up and coming.

So it's kind of neat to see your laminated bracing. I had no idea what I was doing 30 years ago on mine but it still plays and sounds good.

[Mike Cutler]

Anthony

Nice work, and as Shawn pointed out. "This isn't your first rodeo.
If I ever get done with some of the house projects I'm doing, an acoustic guitar is the one project I want to do.

[Anthony Scira]

Well ended up getting a commissioned guitar for the purple heart guitar. This one is for a winery owner that loves to serenade his customers.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...JNcF84M0tzUzhB

[george wilson]

Very neat work.

If you want any advice from a long time builder,I would advise designing inlays that READ well from a little distance. Yours only read (meaning you can tell what they are) from very close up. This reading well applies to jewelry(which my wife and I have a small company) and other decorative objects as well.

Otherwise,nice,well organized work.

[Anthony Scira]

Thanks George. I have learned to take criticism and advice well. It is the only way to learn. My biggest concern was making them too big they would be well they would be too big. The inlay of the Phoenix was a picture taken on a guys arm. Traced into Corel and laser cut. So it is a really custom inlay LOL.

In my thinking I wanted to keep the size of the inlay small enough to be able to fit at the 12th position. I tried making them gradually bigger but it just did not balance well to my eye. Next time I do one I will shoot the design over to you so you can let me know what you think. Or make a post in this group.

But I have noticed just like anything the more you build the better you get. I still have a long way to go even though my work will impress the average person it is far from the work of master luthiers.

[george wilson]

Your build is very neat and professional loking. But,if you made a "spread eagle" view of the Pheonix instead of the side view-in-flight,it would be more recognizable from several feet away.

I have made things that did not read well myself. I test them by showing them to friends at distances. If they do not know what the object depicted is,time for a re do in design.

[Anthony Scira]

Actually there are 3 different fretboards. The side view one are Macaw Parrots in flight. That one if for my daughter. One of the parrots on ebony is inlayed with maple. The rosewood one is inlayed with Corian. The Phoenix is the commissioned one is inlayed with Maple.

My technique is perfected with the Phoenix. I almost want to scrap the first two, but they are complete. So I will just live and learn.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resi...hint=folder%2c