It is always an exciting time when guitar is completely built and ready for finish. This little model CL is at that stage now.
This guitar will be getting a full color treatment with a classic Gibson style sunburst on the top, a dark tobacco stain on the back and sides and a black neck. It will also have a vintage style pickguard to match all of the bright white accents which will tie the asymmetrical bridge shape back into the whole design. I’m feeling a bit like it will be a shame to cover up the beautiful wood we chose for this little guy but I expect the sunburst and color will give it just the vibe it is asking for. Also, a nice thing about the black neck is that it allows me to run my carbon fiber reinforcement rods all the way into the headstock. You can see them below in the gallery photo of the headstock. Usually with slothead style headstocks you have to stop them before the headstock joint but I much prefer to run them through and add strength to that specific area.
This will be the first full sunburst guitar I have done and I (and the soon to be owner!) am very excited to see it in its finished state. There is some excellent silking in the Red Spruce top and nice curl in the mahogany. The color on the back and sides should be deep and dark but light enough to just glimpse the visual interest in the figured mahogany beneath.
There is a repeated theme in the details of this guitar of a bar with one straight end and one rounded end. I tried to pick it up in as many places as I could. The end graft and 12th fret inlay are the most obvious but I found a few other places to include it also. I may have a few more subtle references up my sleeve for the finished guitar. Please check out the gallery and check back in a month or so for the final photos.
