Really pleased with how this is coming along..... still have to do the finishing off tidying up sort of jobs, the nut needs lowered a hair, the piezo needs fitted under the saddle, the jack socket & strap buttons need to go on too and a clear Mylar scratchguard, oh yes, and the label, but it's great to have it strung up and playing. Hopefully I'll have sortyed out whos going to get it by the start of August, after the Summer Madness & new Wine festivals I'm going to.

top stuck on & binding (mahogany) on top & back. Getting it bend rund the cutaway was tricky, but well worth the effort

a bit of time rough sanding lets the grain of the wood stand out.

the neck is carved, sanded and fretted. two bolts from the inside hold the neck on. a little glue will hold the fingerboard to the top, but that's the only glue in the neck/body join

Surplus round the back trimmed off and linings glued in place on top of rim. A few extra braced glued onto the top (just a little weight to hold it ;o) and truss rod slot cut and maple veneer and fretboard glued in place.

so, the next guitar build is a "pay it forward" Ive been given a bunch of goodies over the last year or so by different people from the internet community, particularly the good folks on the OLF forumand it seem only right that I should "pay it forward" by making a nice guitar for someone who cant afford to buy a decent guitar. The recipient will be a worship leader with potential, somewhere in Northern Ireland. I have feelers out there in the church community asking for nominations. I HOPE to have this one done by the end of June. I'd hate to leave it in school all summer rather than handing it over to it's new owner......

Ah well, time will tell.

Back & sides are walnut. Gorgeous to look at and even nicer to work with!! the body is a Mini Jumbo shaped with a cutaway. I bent the cutaway freehand as it just sort of looked right.......

the top is sitka spruce. The patch supports the soundhole and reduces the chances of splitting. End blocks are walnut from the same block of wood as the sides so it should match ok!!

Rosette will be a solid wood ring, maybe a series of rings, depending on how the notion takes me tomorrow when I hope to get back at it.

Neck, I'm thinking either one piece walnut or a lamminated neck with walnut on the outside and mahogany & maple veneers in the middle.

Right now it looks like it'll be right handed unless I get a lefty nomination soon (like tonight!!)

Tomorrow I don't have any classes in school and no exams to mark yet either so I'm HOPING to get the linings cut and fitted to the back of the sides, carve the back braces, and glue the back on. While I'm waiting for the glue to dry, I might just get the rosette cut and assembled on the top too.......

Strings onto the shortened mandonaught. The frets still need levelled so no sound sample yet and still need to make the truss rod cover.

Looking REALLY nice though!!