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Close
Up
Body | Head | Bridge
Model D 1-6 #4
Design based on Martin-style
Dreadnaught
Koa, Douglas fir, maple, & ebony
Several years ago my wife and I went to Hawaii and stayed two weeks in Kailua-Kona. Toward the end of our stay we found a wonderful lumber yard just north of town. They had a palette load of Koa that was priced less than half of what it costs here in Central California. I bought some already resawn into guitar sides and backs plus a 6 foot long 2 x 8 I'm resawing myself. I had it all shipped home via UPS.
The top is recycled Douglas fir. The neck is maple with an ebony fingerboard, and the head is laminated with Koa. The bridge is also ebony. Because the 1-18-style parlor guitars I built with tiled sides worked out so well, I decided to apply it to this guitar with some of the highly figured Koa I got in Hawaii. The result is a beautiful looking and warm sounding instrument that is a pleasure to play.
E-mail or call for price and availability.
Close Up
Head
Model D 1-12 #1
Design based on Martin-style
Dreadnaught
Zebrawood,
Douglas fir, maple, & ebony
For my second guitar I wanted to use some zebrawood I've had since the '70s. I used this for the sides and back. For the soundboard I used Douglas fir.
Douglas fir, you ask? I was given several "chunks" of first-growth Douglas fir by my good friend and standup bass builder, the late Phil Yost. He told me it came from 100 year old 14" x 14" columns out of a demolished warehouse in Portland, Oregon. I milled the 2 foot long chunks on my bandsaw into around 40 9" x 24" x 1/8" thick pieces. The grain is narrow, tight, and incredibly musical when tapped.
The neck is maple with an ebony fingerboard, and with an adjustable truss-rod. The head is laminated with an old piece of Brazilian rosewood. The Coog Moon head inlay is antique ivory. This is a sweet, full, mellow-sounding instrument, probably due to the dampening effect of the medium density zebrawood. And... it even stays in tune.
Personal Collection: NFS
Model D 1-6 #3
Original "Dreadnaught"
design
Oak, Douglas fir, maple, & ebony
This guitar was an experiment from start to finish. I drifted away from the standard Martin-style bracing pattern and tried out a design of my own (a type of fan bracing). I built this guitar in 1994 with nearly 75% recycled wood.
The sides and back are the remains of a veneering project. It's 3/32" oak that almost bent into shape without steaming. The top is recycled Douglas fir. The neck is laminated maple and kingwood with an ebony fingerboard. The bridge and head lamination are kingwood. The Coog Moon head inlay is recycled abalone. The abalone is farmed, not fished, and is from the remains of a dinner I had at a local restaurant. There were six of them in a tasty pasta, and I took the shells home. I've cut and used several Coog Moons out of them.
This guitar produces a loud, sustaining, deep-throated sound that carries quite well.
Donated to the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County for their 2005 "Hearts for the Arts" benefit auction.
