My Deadhead Cypress "Bandsaw Box" Acoustic/Electric Guitar

[G.S. Monroe]

My current project is a "Bandsaw Box" Acoustic Guitar. Instead of bending the sides on this guitar, I pieced together blocks from my scrap bin and cut it out on the bandsaw. The body is recovered Gulf Cypress from the St. John's River. The hand carved neck is laminated cypress with a cherry "skunk stripe" in the middle. It has an adjustable truss rod, cypress veneer on the headstock, and a mahogany fingerboard. The bridge plate is also carved from mahogany. It will have a rod piezo under the bridge saddle connected to a pre-amp equalizer mounted in the upper side, and the nut & saddle will be carved from a piece of ox bone. The finish ( in process ) is hand rubbed amber shellac & linseed oil with a minwax poly high gloss top coat. This is the most ambitious project I've tried so far, and I wanted to share it with you at MIMF.

[Don Penniman]

Looks like a fun project. I like the nods to Gibson with the Les Paul shape and the reverse belly bridge, and the apparent nod to Guild on the heel.

Looking forward to a report on the sound of the finished product. Is the top quite thick or is that just my perception?

[G.S. Monroe]

This is the third "full size" guitar for me, my first with a handmade neck. I usually build dulcimers and CBG's.
Yea the top soundboard is a little thick by "traditional" standards just under 1/4 inch ( @ 3/32" ).
I have had good results from my cypress wood at that thickness with my other 4 string box guitars and dulcimers, and until I get a little more experience with bridge plates I wish to err on the side of caution. This is what I would call a "student instrument" as this is a learning experience for me.

[Barry Daniels]

The neck joint sure looks strange. Why all the pieces?

[G.S. Monroe]

Barry, the answer to that question is long, and involves religion, shop politics, and conservation efforts.
Honestly I wanted to do it a bit differently, but I'm a 3rd generation woodworker with 2nd generation micromanagement.
And the shop owner ( father ) knows nothing about building musical instruments.