Lots of carving tonight! Primarily with a gouge, although I did use a rasp a bit to blend the curves a bit. The top:
Plenty of rasp and spokeshave work on the back to give it a simple bevel for the most part, with a broader bevel around the ribcage area:
Before starting the carving I marked guidelines on the side so that I'd be left with a faux-binding on both top and back. I love the result:
I sense an epic sanding session in my near future. Not looking forward to it.
I'm looking forward to getting some dye and finish onto this sucker! The finish will be Tru-Oil, and I'll try a grain-popping dye routine with ColorTone (aka Transtint) on that top. I have no idea what colour to go with though! Since this is such an over-the-top guitar I'm tempted to go for something lurid like bright purple, or toxic green. I am normally a fan of more conservative finishes however.
What do y'all think?