Serial Number 005

1st Customer Guitar

Started on December 15, 2022: completed on February 21, 2023

*edited on July 18, 2023

This is the first of two customer guitars ordered at the same time (but for different people). I tried not to build them side by side past the completion of the body as I did not think that would be the best idea with the limited experience I have in building guitars at that point.

S/N 005: a classical guitar with Pau Ferro for back and sides and 2A Sitka Spruce for the soundboard.

After looking through the tonewoods I had available at the time, Pau Ferro was also chosen for the fingerboard and an Ebony piece for the bridge.

I brought in some fingerboards and bridges to match back and sides sets that I have available. I know it is not the norm to go outside of the Ebony, Rosewood or Maple for fingerboards and Ebony or Rosewood for bridges but I think it could compliment the guitar’s back and sides set visually with having the option available to a customer.

This would be more for those that don’t play professionally and sound isn’t all that matters.

The neck was laminate with two Oak veneer strips running along the length to give it a little accent from the Spanish Cedar.

This was the first time that I used Pau Ferro for back and sides. It was easier to bend the sides than I had anticipated but it is from the Rosewood family so it should have been on the easier list of woods to bend. It looks completely different from Indian Rosewood that I had gotten accustomed to working with: there are stripes of different colours along the grain which I feel gives it a lot more appeal.

SPECS

Body Classical Ramirez

Scale 660mm

Top Sitka Spruce

Back Pau Ferro

Sides Pau Ferro

Neck Spanish Cedar/Oak veneers

Fingerboard Pau Ferro

Bridge Ebony

Tuing Machines Gotoh 1800s

Strings D’Addario Pro-Arte normal tension