MIMF

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.

Front view

The back.

The lattice bracing.

Another one, knocked clean outa the park!

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

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

Another Nice instrument!

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

Very Nice!!

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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?