Serial Number 052

Orchestra Model Modern – Pistachio

Started on May 08, 2026

This one has been a long awaited curiosity for me – using Ebony back and sides. I have always held off on certain woods because of the price point but I feel this is a good time to start getting into those woods.

I quickly decided on a 4A Caucasian Spruce soundboard set knowing that I will be using Macassar Ebony for the back and sides. This would be a premium build for sure.

Building an Orchestra Model size was the best option in terms of using up the most of the Ebony boards. I feel this way when I have woods with really great pattern. I feel it would be a waste to use it up on a Parlour build.If it were for a customer build, that would be a different story though.

I added wings to the lower bout on the back as the boards are slightly small for OM size. I did consider to make a bevel on one or both of the lower bouts because of this but I didn’t quite feel that was the better thing to do.

A Black Walnut neck was chosen after some colour comparison with a couple of other tonewoods . It doesn’t quite match the Macassar Ebony colours but it does keep the colour theme on the darker side.

After checking the inventory list and seeing how the Ebony fingerboards looked, I decided on a piece of Macassar Ebony. Kind of my usual on keeping the same tonewoods for the build. Even though the fingerboard colour isn’t quite the same as the body wood, I actually didn’t think the other Ebony boards matched better.

I initially was hoping to get some cat themed thing CNC’d but there was another project going on and eventually I ended up using the dremel to cut out cat paw prints and a cat along the side panels. I did to a partial cat head shaped sound hole but it is little on the smaller side and hard to get my hand in.

A new thing I tired on this guitar is a carbon fibre bridge plate. I did see it on a customer’s modern Martin guitar and thought that it would be worth trying.

SPECS

Body Orchestra Model

Scale 25.34″

Top Caucasian Spruce 4A

Back Macassar Ebony

Sides Macassar Ebony

Neck  Turkish Walnut with Bloodwood strip

Fingerboard Macassar Ebony

Bridge 

Tuning Machines 

Strings D’Addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze