My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

[andrizzle]

Hey guys,

I'm purely posting this out of excitement and wanting to share with some bros. I recently went on a hunt for a high end acoustic. I've always been a primarily acoustic player and when I sit down with a truly great acoustic it inspires me to create and to just be better in general. Anyway... I went to a couple of local places and GC and just couldn't find what I wanted. I looked at Taylors, Martins, Larrivees, Breedloves... etc. ... I'm not typically a guitar snob, but this is just one of those things I couldn't settle on. So I decided to bite the bullet and have a local guy to build me what I'm looking for.... I know everyone says this but the guitars that this guy produces are EXACTLY how an acoustic should sound. The quality is undeniable, the tone is perfect, and the old school way he hand-builds EVERYTHING is exactly how I want my guitar to be.

Anyway, I sat down with him for a couple of hours and he talked woods, styles, inlays, bindings, etc. while I just marveled in his extensive expert knowledge of EVERYTHING related to the business of building guitars.

So I decided on some specs and now it's a couple of months later and I have my first round of pictures...

Some of the specs are: Indian Rosewood back and sides, Red Spruce top, Koa binding, 5 piece neck: mahogany/maple/rosewood, and ebony fretboard....

Lastly, I really wanted a tung-oil type finish done to it but he said it wouldn't really take to the rosewood very well, so we settled on lacquer (in the back of my head I wasn't really pumped about that)... so I came back this past weekend and he had done a sample piece in shellac ... THIS IS THE LOOK I WAS AFTER.. just a couple of coats, to not look like laquer and just the right about to see see and feel the grain in the wood... I'm SO pumped about how it'll be in the end. Lastly, I'm planning on having NO dots on the frets (just on the side)... but I'm going to put something custom on the 12th fret... I haven't decided what yet, but I want this to be a family heirloom, so we'll see.

SO, if you're with me so far, here's the pay-off... THE PICS!

Realize that everything will darken up when the shellac is applied, but this is so exciting for me... thanks for letting me share!

Red Spruce top with the beautiful inlays already in it.

Bracing inside the top:

Here are the sides inside the clamps still drying:

Here's the 5-piece neck (kinda one of his signature things now)
Not quite a neck yet, but it'll be so smooth and beautiful when it's done:

I set the ebony fretboard blank on top of the neck just to see in pics:

And now... the beautiful back... If you don't like the imperfection in the middle you're crazy! I absolutely LOVE how it looks, it's perfect and smooth!

And the bracing for it:

Thanks for letting me indulge for a minute

Just a quick plug for this amazing luthier... http://www.barukeguitars.com/

 

[sosomething]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

"psalmist" ?

King David was said to have played the harp, I thought.

Kind of a cheesy name, but a gorgeous-looking guitar for sure.

 

[andrizzle]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

"psalmist" ?

King David was said to have played the harp, I thought.

Kind of a cheesy name, but a gorgeous-looking guitar for sure.

Haha... Yeah man... It may have been a harp, but I'd bet David would have rocked the crap out of a Psalmist if he'd had the opportunity...

Fortunately tone, and not the name is my priority, and this is where it's at!

thanks for the compliments!

 

[BloodRose]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

thats amazing! Im sure you must be crazy with excitement! I love the pattern in the center.. Kinda like the art where you put paint on a paper, fold it over and get the unique pattern.

I wont ask what you are investing, but since Id like to do the same one day, could you tell me if it substantially higher than a taylor??

look forward to the progress!

 

[andrizzle]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

thats amazing! Im sure you must be crazy with excitement! I love the pattern in the center.. Kinda like the art where you put paint on a paper, fold it over and get the unique pattern.

I wont ask what you are investing, but since Id like to do the same one day, could you tell me if it substantially higher than a taylor??

look forward to the progress!

thanks man!

as for pricing, it's NOT substantially higher than a Taylor... (actually quite less than their "REALLY RIDICULOUSLY HIGH END" ones... I really like Taylors but on my quest to find "the acoustic" i just didn't find one that worked...

let's just say you can have it for about the price of a new 914ce grand auditorium

and this was one of my biggest deciding factors.... WHY IN THE HELL would I go out and buy a top of the line off the shelf *insert brand name guitar here*?? ... when I could go and have it built for me to my specs for the same price, if not cheaper!

I don't care about resale value in this guitar because of the fact that it's personal to me and I'd like to make it a family heirloom possibly one day. So with all that taken into account, a custom build was the way to go


the worst part is the wait!!! :banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[Sanford]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

Can't wait to see the finished product! Are you doing anything special for the headstock?

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

You could always rename it the "Palmist" after guys like me with no wife/GF and who have free access to I-Net Porno.

 

[andrizzle]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

Can't wait to see the finished product! Are you doing anything special for the headstock?

No, I'm gonna leave that like the guy's standard headstocks. I think they're really cool looking as-is, and that's kind of his signature.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

That's looking great ....what size body is it ? I'm having trouble working it out without a neck and bridge ... is it a dreadnaught, 000 or what?

As you have said, you plan on keeping this one, and with that in mind, and as an older geezer, may i make a suggestion? I have found myself in the last few years preferring slightly wider nut widths, and i have discussed this with other older players. It seems that the fingers become 'fuller' with age, and what i used to achieve on narrower necks now seems to need a little extra width. I'm talking mostly about fingerpicking where fretted strings are interspersed between open strings and you want to have them all ring out clearly, but it would also be an issue when strumming. So i am kinda suggesting 'futureproofing' the playability of the guitar by having the nut width a little wider than you might need now so that in twenty years you can play intricate things comfortably.

I'm not sure if i've expressed that very well, but it is a real issue and it is a shame to end up not playing a great guitar simply because you kinda 'outgrow' an narrower neck.

I'm looking forward to reports on the progress of this guitar and of course to your reactions when it's all complete and playable. It must be a really exciting buzz seeing it coming together from the raw materials. It'll be really something to hear it over the first few years as the woods open up and it develops it's personality. Thanks for showing it to us.

 

[B Bent]

Re: My (In Progress) New Acoustic (Baruke Guitars)

I wont steal any of Andrew's steam, but I have now seen the finished product!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!