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Banker Builds Guitars!

CBRmatt600

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Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Messages
280
I've got not one but two Ronin guitars now and I can attest to the spectacular tone of Redwood

maybe I'm tripping but both guitars resonate and you can really feel them against your body and in your hands more than other guitars

again, might be tripping

but i"m sold on redwood!!!

You’re definitely not, I think the same thing. It is a very tightly grained wood that seems to have a ton of resonance. I am surprised it is not used more frequently.
 

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
IMG_0488_zps89knaegb.jpeg

Zactly what I wanted- a little redder than the red oxide.
The end is beginning. Too cool.
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
IMG_0482_zpssyiak38i.jpeg

Banker does TV Yellow. Er Yeller they call it here is Forsyth Co.
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Top coat with scraped binding
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Side shots
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Another top shot- love the mahogany peeking through
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The whole magilla
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Yes Ren- it's a close match for Matt's stove- but he really got the color I was after. This weekend frets and neck shaping, and the oil finish- which will darken it a bit. The board colors and streaking is great. I think we are waiting on pick ups from Tyson. They are as meticulous as Matt is.
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Clearcoat punches up the colors. This is just the first one- several more to follow- "It will be like glass" is the quote.
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IMG_0503_zpsx5iudnkr.jpeg
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Oiled board with clay fret markers incl Bankers TM 40 cal SW 12th fret inlay
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Medium jumbo fretwire- a little more modern take on the old standard.

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corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
The neck- randomly picked board if you recall; a dark piece of sinker that ultimately broke when being shaped. Matt was able to salvage a full shape from the remaining blank- it was very a handsome piece of stock. I am surprised between Matt and I we didn't get a shot of the raw board. You can see the rough cut neck on the first page.
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It yielded this candy-stripe effect which is, to me, stunning. A friend expressed a concern that it might cause the neck to twist, but I am not too terribly worried.
1) The neck has a steel truss rod and two composite reinforcement strips running parallel
B) It sat and dried for months/years after being in a river for 100 years (so they tell us)
3) The guitar has a lifetime warranty and Matt is at least 10 years younger then I am.

IMG_0568_zps6at9zgqn.jpeg

This shows the neck and the "body will be finished like glass"- thing. The neck looks so nice I might have Matt bolt it on backwards, and hang the thing as art.

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Shape is a 57 LP JR "D" at the top that tapers down to a "C" by the 10th fret or so.
 

CBRmatt600

Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Messages
280
Warping is always a concern when making a bolt on style neck out of a softer wood like mahogany, which is why Leo used maple. The reasons you stated above are why I don’t worry much about it- a 3/8” wide aluminum truss rod plus two carbon fiber rods are installed under the fretboard to insure against that problem. I’ve yet to see one twist or warp. This old wood is pretty stable to start with, far more so than a flame or quilt maple neck. And if for some reason it ever does, I’ll make you a new one!
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
The top outdoors after four coats of vintage nitrocellulose. The color is just what I had in mind.
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The back is the stuff that could inspire hours of intense meditation- I tried to zoom in a bit in the second pic and it only shows a hint of it. The zillions of tiny grain going on- there's a word like medullaries that spellcheck keeps vetoing. Someone can help me out.
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It has to remain a hostage there. Some lame excuse like"the pick ups aren't here". Hmm. And "the lacquer has to cure".
Fucking craftsmanship.
IMG_0648_zpsnl9axkdt.jpg

Here is a composite of all the bobs so far. You can see the neck pic, where the lacquer demarcs and the oiled finish begins. Little piss shiver there. Did I already say I always wanted a guitar with an oiled neck?
 
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corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Thank you. Pick ups shipped. Lacquer has to harden. 3 weeks out. Tempted to take a drive up there but I am going to hold out. Check out the Instagram. No moss grows on Matt.
 

RocknRollShakeUp

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Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
IMG_0043_zpsqy7pez3c.jpg


Ah eff it. Here it is. A Loller Mini-humbucker and a Tyson P90. Just a smoking guitar. Dig the fine tortoise binding. Love the knobs off a junky old radio. I need to get a shot of the 1/32" fading cut on the cut-away side for the neck pocket... don't sneeze Matt. The neck join is identical to Matt's '57 Jr- heel, angle, everything. The tone is just a RCH different. Has a great bark with a chewey thing going on- 57 Jr with something modern thrown in. Clay dots. Look at the color on the board...too cool.

The tele build is cool, but it is this one that has me intrigued. How much does something like this go for and what turn around time?
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
He's not a sponsor and this isn't spam so I don't want to get into numbers. The tele is a bolt on neck and the specials are glued in- so I am thinking some extra love there. Reach out to Matt- he would love to build you a guitar. He really makes the process fun. I feel a jones for one of those as well.
Pick ups can screw up the process if they are some odd thing.
About fourteen weeks total. Three to four for the process to start and ten to complete the build and cure.
 
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britbender

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
241
All the guitars in this thread looks awesome !!

Do you do aged/worn finishes too ?

An aged black single cut a la Neil Y. would be epic :)
 
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