03 / Material study

Before the first string

Roasted flame maple, neck blanks, and a routed body. An instrument begins as a collection of parts.

Figured wood stock, neck blanks, and a routed guitar body laid out on a work surface

Study: Materials and preparation
Archive caption: Roasted flame maple
On the bench: Wood stock and a routed body
View: Work in progress

There is a lot of instrument here already.

A body profile sits beside boards and narrower blanks. The shapes are at different stages, but the relationships are becoming visible: long pieces for neck work, broad surfaces, and pockets routed into the body.

Material preparation belongs in the story alongside the finished instrument. It is where the work takes shape, before hardware, strings, and the final adjustments.

Ask about the work