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In this series I am trying to keep the price point down both by using lower cost materials and less build hours…. (50 hours)
Sitka spruce top
Hard maple back ( one piece) and sides
Poplar neck
Ebony fretboard (#2 grade)
Semi gloss nitro finish straight off the gun(4 hours less work)









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Nice looking guitar. It kind of has an old "blues box" vibe - low cost materials, and a fancy, but unpolished paint job -cool!
Dark red meranti might be another good choice for a low cost neck wood. Although a bit heavier than poplar, the stuff I have used has been considerably stiffer than most of the poplar I have run across. I'm sure the ebony fretboard will stiffen the neck up considerably.
The machine heads look pretty decent. Tuners have always been a significant material cost for the stuff I build - were you able to source reasonably priced hardware?

Although I build instruments for the "love of it", I still try to keep track of the costs, so I'm not too far "underwater" (maybe snorkel depth ) when I go to sell them.

Hi Clay,
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Actually normally I would use the Stew Mac tuners which are about $100 these happen to be Rubners which are more like $225 because I just happen ed to have them on hand and they were already paid for .
I’m just finishing up another one like this but it’s six string which I’m using the stew Mac tuners which are $50 for a six string .

As far as the poplar neck goes, I have used them before with the double action, Martin style truss rod, and they are plenty stiff enough.
The nice thing about the poplar is I could just run down to my local lumberyard and I have to pay for shipping and all that .


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Really nice looking guitar Brad, I especially like your tobacco burst (if that is what it is called).

Simple and clean looking guitar. Especially the matt finish,

Great job again

Cheers,
Bob

Lets face it guitars are tools for musicians. It's nice that they look nice but high cost accoutrements are just that. Nice as always Brad.

What sweet work!

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Peter Havriluk

Knocked it out of the park again Brad!

That is a nice looking guitar. Pulling off simple that well, is not simple; but takes great skill. I'm beginning to like the look of slotheads better than pegheads.
I don't know what the Stewmac tuners look like, but at twice their price, the Rubner's look like a deal.

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Why be normal?

Very, very nice!!!