Guitar #037 

Spruce and Black Locust soprano guitar.

Solid Sitka Spruce top, solid Black Locust back & sides, African Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fret board & Bridge.

#037
Completed April 11, 2013

Here is my second Soprano Guitar (formerly called a Steel-string Ukulele).  This little instrument would occupy a similar position in a band to where a mandolin or maybe an actual Ukulele would find it's self.  How ever, with the strings tuned A - D - F# - B from low to high, thus tuned in 4th (a mandolin is tuned in 5th's), and single instead of paired unison strings, and steel strings (not nylon), get ready for a completely unique voicing, for a lead instrument.  This is a serious musician's mini axe.  Featuring bone nut and fully compensated bone saddle, the intonation is every bit as outstanding as the best full size acoustic guitars.  The steel string provide the power and drive, for great sustain and crystal clear ringing notes.

So lets talk about Black Locust: the Golden Guitar Wood...   This guitars back and sides as well as a laminate down the center of the African Mahogany neck are made of Solid Back Locust.  This tree is a member of the same family of plants ( the legumes) as Rosewood and Koa.  In fact, many of this wood's properties are in the same numbers range as Indian Rosewood, giving a tap tone equal to any of the true rosewoods.  All  this with a rich golden color and silk (the medullary rays) that picks up ambient light and shines like the reflectors in a set of tail light reflectors.  This guitar must be seen to really see how how it sparkle.  An other big point is that no rain forests had to be attacked in order to get at this wood, since Black Locust is a native eastern North American tree, actually deemed invasive in some areas of Ontario such that it's removal is actually promoted.

Top	Sitka Spruce
Rosette	Black Locust with black pin line boarder
Bracing	X-braced Sitka Spruce
Back and sides	Black Locust
Body Binding	Flamed Hard Maple with a black pin line
Purfling	Black/Maple/Black
End graft	Manitoba Maple
Heal and Tail Blocks	African Mahogany
Kerfed Lining	African Mahogany
Neck	Two laminate African Mahogany, with two Black Locust center laminates separated with Black pin lines.
Head Cap	Black Locust
Head Inlay	A half Maple leaf made of the Blood Streak heartwood of Manitoba Maple.
Truss Rod	Twin rod two-way adjustable at head
Fret Board	Gabon Ebony
Position Marks	Mother of Pearl 3mm Dot Position marks on the top surface and 2mm Black Plastic dot at the side.
Fret Board Binding	Flamed Hard Maple with a black pin line
Bridge	Gobon Ebony
Bridge pins	Ebony with Mother of Pearl Dots
Bridge Saddle	Bone, compensated for intonation, graduated for string thickness
Nut	Bone, Graduated for string thickness
End pin	Ebony with Mother of Pearl dot
Tuners	Grover  Mini 2 plus 2
Finish	French Polished Shellac

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