The new "lion"

[Murray Kuun]

Number 3 of my "African Big 5", here are some pics of the new "lion".
Made almost entirely of African woods, kiaat back/sides with blonde mahogany soundboard.
I'm not too keen on the way the blonde top looks but am more than happy with the performance
Unusually, I used a lattice bracing which has worked a treat.
I have also made a short video which I will upload soon.

[Murray Kuun]

Front view

[Murray Kuun]

The back.

[Murray Kuun]

The lattice bracing.

[Jason Rodgers]

Another one, knocked clean outa the park!

[Michael Lewis]

Murray, you have a flair for design. I'll watch for more from you.

[Murray Kuun]

http://s1089.photobucket.com/albums/i34 ... NDIRK2.mp4

A very short video. The sound is a bit too soft but one can hear it quite well with headphones or a small sound system

[Steve Senseney]

Another Nice instrument!

Can we see the rosette and close ups of the soundboard?

[Ron Belanger]

Very Nice!!

[Mark Swanson]

It is beautiful, I like the look of it very much. I have nothing to say that is critical, but I do wonder about one thing. Where and how do you draw the line between a pretty feature, and the functionality of a guitar? In other words, that "swoop" in the top takes a piece right out of it, and adds a couple of glue joints and a piece of wood that may take away from the tops' ability to work as well as it should. I think it is possible to add so many artistic elements to a guitar that some of them begin to impose upon its ability to perform as well as it might.

[Alain Bieber]

Hello Murray,
A nice balance around a perfect oval soundhole. You are expertly reviving some old under rated skills such as Laprévotte's. Plus your original ideas of course. Bravo, as usual.

[Murray Kuun]

Fair point Mark and I gave it an enormous amount of thought and I have done this before (on the Leopard) and I did not feel it impaired sonic performance then (which is my first priority always). In fact, this lion is very definitely the best sounding steel string I have made (to my ears). The glue joint is painstakingly done and there is also some support from the lattice.

So, I don't believe it affects the tone negatively (I wonder if it has a positive effect?). But time will tell, this feature may not have the longevity I hope for:-)

At the end of the day, I just wanted to do it

A close up pic of the "rosette" area and the subtle "lion" on the FB.

[Murray Kuun]

And another view of the back and heel/neck. The kiaat is not quite as red as the photo suggests.

[Mark Swanson]

At the end of the day, I just wanted to do it

Well, there's no better reason than that, and a really honest reply too!

[Dave Anderson]

Gorgeous guitar. Great design - It does remind me of a lion!!

[Patrick Hanna]

I always enjoy seeing your instruments, Murray. I really like the visual impact of your design ideas.

[Phillip Lee]

I like the bridge, somewhat Rickenbacker in spirit. Really, a guitar such as this shows "Artist" more than "Luthier". A muddled area for sure betwixt the two.

[Tom Harper]

Beautiful! I love the stripe in the top. You do such good work. It's always inspring to look at. Sounds good too. THanks for posting the sound link.

[Matthew Lau]

It's beautiful, and impeccably built.

Just one question--what's the deal with the bridge plate?
Is it floating above the lattice, really big, or is it tucked in place?