Rosewood / redwood acoustic

[Andy Bounsall]

I often build two or three guitars in parallel. Here‘ s the third of three that I’ve built most recently. This one is a grand auditorium sized body of East Indian rosewood with matching EIR bindings. The top is old growth curly redwood. Neck is sapele with rosewood fretboard, bridge, and head plate. The guitar features a sound port in the upper bout and is fitted with Grover Rotomatic tuners and a JJB Prestige 330 surface mount pickup. It’s the first time I’ve used a curly redwood top so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I‘m pleasantly surprised as the sound is big and well balanced. I really like this one and may just decide to keep it for myself.

[Chuck Tweedy]

Beautiful!
Is the top arched more than a usual flat-top (1/8"-ish dome)? From the reflections it looks that it might be more. Or is it the curl and shadows?

[Andy Bounsall]

Thanks Chuck. It’s a flat top so no unusual arch. Must just be the light reflections / shadows.

[Brian Evans]

I like curly redwood too, I have one more top set that I'm waiting to glue up and use. I really like your design. I did a sunburst on my first one to try to get the curl to pop a little bit.

[Darrel Friesen]

Great looking guitar Andy. Really like that archtop too Brian. I've had a 000 in the works for a while that should be done soon, life permitting. You can see a little of the Zpoxy still on the top that will disappear with final sanding. I've used it for "stabilizing" the curly redwood as per Fillipo Morrelli a former OLF participant. Seems to do the job as I haven't had issues with curly redwood as some seem to.

[Ken Nagy]

I commented on Andy's cool instrument on another forum, and he even showed the bracing system that he used. It looks very cool, and well thought out. I saw the other redwood tops, and thought I'd show mine; my first guitar; an arch top I finished up around Christmas. I've made maybe a dozen violins and violas, but the first few don't really count. I'd do things different on the next one. First I have to buy some string to tie frets on a little baroque I made.

I used Zpoxy on mine too. It does seem to make a nice hard surface, but it isn't easy to apply in a 50 degree basement! I'd use curly redwood again.

Brian, You don't have snow already; do you?