Serial Number 055

Parlour Modern

Started on September 14, 2026; completed on October 21, 2026

This guitar was started from waiting for CNC work to be done on the fingerboard of S/N 054. I don’t like to work multiple guitars at the one time as I worry about mixing up what I am doing or forgetting to do something from the back and forth between guitars. I believe I have built multiple instruments 2 or 3 before and it was a juggle.

With the new categorization of my builds in models instead of “Generations” as I had before, it is easier to see how many of what guitar models I have built. Leading is Orchestra Model and Parlour size being the least. I feel that when I come across some back and sides sets with great/interesting grain patterns and it would be a waste to have a smaller guitar unless the wood was for a customer build.

I have always felt that Parlour guitars I build seem to have a really good voice to them – at least when I follow blueprint specs. As I have started to do “modern” options on the guitars that I build, I feel that all the steel strings are more in the same level. This may not necessarily be a bad thing but I think I need make sure that the Modern Parlours are still on par with those that are traditional, blueprint specs.

I did see that I have a good number of Honduran Mahogany back and sides sets but I felt that I should save those. I also wanted this guitar to be use set of back and sides that I haven’t tried before and decided on Zebrawood after checking my inventory list and seeing the woods in person.

At a certain point, I decided to stitch or sew back sets as they come into my stock. The Zebrawood back set, after looking at it with a customer was cut and restitched. It was initially in a more arrow pattern up the middle of the back and now it is more uniform and straight which I feel would be better for sound. After building a few guitars, research and reading and watching videos online – the information says it is hands down that a boring straight grain pattern to the wood will produce better sound than wood that is fancy looking (figured) wood.

The soundboard is a set of Sitka Spruce I got from Luthier Tom. Tom had a good number of soundboard sets.

With the paler colour combination with Spruce on top and the Zebrawood for the back and sides, I used some Black Walnut for binding strips – just to give it some colour. I also did use laminated bracing as well for the build.

I also used an Indian Rosewood piece for the fingerboard. I like that this piece of wood has some character to it. It is not straight grained but there is something to the different colours that the board has.

With how the Zebrawood looked, I went with Ash for the neck. I tried to do the stained grain look and I feel like it is a little better than my attempt on S/N 008 (and I did attempt it twice on S/N 008). There is a thick cut of Bloodwood for the middle strip – I did this intentionally as the Bloodwood is hard on the bandsaw blades and the sap in the wood crystalizes (or something) up the sandpaper for the drum sander.

As I was at the point of installing the truss rod, I was thinking that maybe I should look into some spoke wheel truss rods. I don’t actually like cutting into the head plate to make an opening for truss rod access. Unfortunately, my search results were of spoke wheel truss rods for electric guitar builds only. I know I can do what most guitar manufacturer does and use a longer truss rod and have it adjusted through the sound hole. I personally don’t like this and I don’t believe that the truss rods needs to go longer than a length starting at the middle of the first fret to the about the heel.

Through the process of making the body and even after the body was completed, I was debating on putting a subtle arm bevel and (a) sound port. I kind of felt that this was to replace S/N 015 that sold. I do want to have some guitars of blueprint specs and others that I have tried some new things on. I ended up in adding some small “speed holes” on the upper bout.

SPECS

Body Parlour

Scale 24.9″

Top Sitka Spruce

Back Zebrawood

Sides Zebrawood

Neck Ash with Bloodwood lamination

Fingerboard Indian Rosewood

Bridge Chechen Rosewood

Tuning Machines Gotoh 35P450

Strings D’Addario EJ26