Madrona Guitars Workshop Updates

[TomB'sox]

Mark Hatcher has gotten into using a lot of stone, you might send him a PM.

[Zandit75]

Fantastic looking guitars so far Joe.
When you started this thread I'm guessing you were thinking the Purple Heart would take a back seat to the Koa, am I correct?!!
Have you been surprised by the reaction to the Purple Heart??

[mikealpine]

Those look great!

[colins]

Great to find the agate. It makes fossicking on the beach more memorable, and reminds me of finding tiny garnets in streams when I was hiking in Nepal, a looong time ago.

Mike Baranik has used malachite to good effect - see Kevin's thread here.

And I recall Bill Tippin using opals.

[Joe Whitman]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Mark Hatcher has gotten into using a lot of stone, you might send him a PM.

Thanks for the suggestion! Mark has been doing some amazing things with stone lately.

[Joe Whitman]

Originally Posted by colins

Great to find the agate. It makes fossicking on the beach more memorable, and reminds me of finding tiny garnets in streams when I was hiking in Nepal, a looong time ago.

Mike Baranik has used malachite to good effect - see Kevin's thread here.

And I recall Bill Tippin using opals.

Thanks for the leads! I’ll check into these.
Stream garnets sound fun it’s amazing how a little stone can brighten the day and later bring back memories.

[Joe Whitman]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

Fantastic looking guitars so far Joe.
When you started this thread I'm guessing you were thinking the Purple Heart would take a back seat to the Koa, am I correct?!!
Have you been surprised by the reaction to the Purple Heart??

Thanks! Yes definitely, I’ve always liked Purpleheart, I’ve made boxes with it and even lined the inside of a cabinet with it. But I had the notion that a purple guitar may be too much. I showed the tone wood to my wife and kids and they all liked it and thought it would be a good option to stand out at the LaConner guitar festival. I’m glad I did, people seem to be enjoying it here on the forum and I love seeing it on my bench.

[Joe Whitman]

Here are some more progress shots of the necks and fingerboards coming together.

[Joe Whitman]

Finally got to some neck carving this morning. I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely the Wenge is for shaping. I usually make my necks out of Honduran Mahogany or Maple. The Wenge definitely takes a little more effort but the outcome is looking good.







Thanks for following along!

[colins]

That wenge neck looks nice.
Does the density and stiffness of the wood used for the neck (e.g. wenge versus mahogany) affect the sound of the guitar at all?

[Joe Whitman]

Originally Posted by colins

That wenge neck looks nice.
Does the density and stiffness of the wood used for the neck (e.g. wenge versus mahogany) affect the sound of the guitar at all?

I’m sure it does have some effect. I’m really not sure one could quantify how much of an effect. Maybe with a lot more guitars under one’s belt and a side by side comparison.

I am getting excited to hear this one soon though.

[Jlhunt]

I love your choice of Wenge for the neck on this guitar. The dark color really works beautifully with the Purpleheart! I am looking forward to seeing this one under finish and hearing how it sounds! Great work!

Jim

[Joe Whitman]

Originally Posted by Jlhunt

I love your choice of Wenge for the neck on this guitar. The dark color really works beautifully with the Purpleheart! I am looking forward to seeing this one under finish and hearing how it sounds! Great work!

Jim

Thanks for the encouragement Jim!

[Joe Whitman]

I always love this step, once the necks are carved and set. I can bolt them on and get a feel of what it will be like to slide my fingers across the frets and play.








The Cocobolo fret board on the Vendovi will have a nice contrast with a little oil and some time. Here is a preview.

[Joe Whitman]

Heel caps and Waverlys today.