Serial Number 015

Parlour

Started on September 8, 2023: completed on September 20, 2023

*edited on September 14, 2025

Not too long ago, I went to visit Michael Costa and he mentioned of being interested in S/N 009. I ended up leaving S/N 009 with Michael for display to students and for him to play on. I was in a need for another Parlour guitar.

This Parlour guitar will use the soundboard I made initially for S/N 014 but ended up changing the guitar size after seeing the amount of figure in European Ash that was being used for the build.

S/N 015 will be a Padauk guitar – quartersawn back and sides, bridge and a two tone fingerboard. The soundboard is Sitka Spruce and White Ash will be used for the neck.

This is my first time working with Padauk – it is an African hardwood. And I prefer to try out different types of wood to get some variety in my lineup. I think the Padauk body turned out really well. It has good colour to it.

It was really this two tone fingerboard I purchased to begin with. It caught my eye when I was looking around for materials. I think it might have go well with a Rosewood/brown bodied guitar.

I had a comment on Facebook about using tung oil . When I started building guitars, I wanted to use tung oil for the necks but accidentally purchased one that had white colouring to it. I did try it out and wasn’t really happy with the results I got – but maybe it was the type of guitar and kind of wood.

I have used that Country White tung oil on the White Ash neck for this guitar. It did amber the wood a little but I think overall, it managed to keep more on the whiter side. I also have a natural coloured tung oil but I will use that in a future guitar neck.

This guitar didn’t get a routed logo. I am trying to figure something out in regards of routing the thickness. But I do expect the next guitar to be a routed logo.

In September of 2025, S/N 015 has received some rework; the black side marker dots has been replaced with white side marker dots. The black is quite hard to see against the deep orange of the finished Padauk fingerboard. The neck angle is good but the heel of the neck has been reshaped and thinned out.

SPECS

Body 0/Parlour

Scale 24.9″

Top Sitka Spruce

Back quartersawn Padauk

Sides Padauk

Neck White Ash

Fingerboard two tone Padauk

Bridge Padauk

Tuning Machines Gotoh 381

Strings D’Addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze