No 28 – Adirondack Spruce and Tasmanian Blackwood

Front of a slope-shouldered dreadnought guitar body with sunburst — The heart and engine of this guitar is a lovely red spruce soundboard from Old Standard Wood.

The commissioner of No 28 got in touch with me after seeing number 27, the first slope-shouldered dread I built. He was sure that was interested in a J45-like guitar, but it needed to work well for strumming and fingerstyle playing. I knew that the Adirondack spruce tops I buy from Old Standard Wood would produce a crisp, articulate sound great for fingerstyle, and we decided on Tasmanian blackwood for the body wood. Sourced halfway around the globe from Australian Tonewoods, this acacia species is a relative of Koa, and has a mass similar to Honduran mahogany but a harder surface. The result is a sound that has many of the desirable qualities of a mahogany guitar (dry, woody tone and a relatively quick decay) with increased definition and crispness. The acacia worked beautifully with my water-based dye sunburst technique, and looks very deep and shimmery under the sunburst and waterborne lacquer finish.

The top is an absolute powerhouse. When I first played it, I was instantly aware of how “awake” the neck is, with plenty of tactile feedback for the player. It has the powerful, beefy bass desired in this size of guitar, but the mid-range and higher treble notes have dimension and interest far exceeding what I would expect from a guitar this large. All of the purflings, bindings and rosette are crafted from real wood, and Taylor Mullins (Holter Pickguards) made a custom celluloid pickguard that looks perfect. I’ve used an adjustable neck joint inspired by Mike Doolin, though I keep tinkering with the joint design. This guitar is electrified via a K&K Pure Mini.

Overall, number 28 is a beaut, and a thrill to play; I hope it provides many decades of thumping excitement and rich sound.

Front of a slope-shouldered dreadnought guitar with sunburst — This is my take on the classic J45 guitar, but with transparent coloring.

The back view of a sunburst guitar — The Honduran mahogany neck pairs well with the acacia body.

The back of a sunburst guitar. — Tasmanian blackwood is a close relative of Koa, and it’s quite evident in the way the wood takes dye and glows under finish.

The commissioner requested a custom headstock inlay made up of many small pieces of gorgeous pearl.

Tuners bodies mounted on the back of a guitar headstock — We used Gotoh SXN-510V tuners with ivoroid buttons on this guitar, which marry modern threaded bushings with classic open-backed gear assemblies for smooth operation and good looks.

The neck body joint on a guitar. — The Tasmanian blackwood shimmers under the dye and finish, especially on the curved sides.

Here is a sound sample played using a Clayton “Raven” pick.

Specifications
Serial Number	28
Completed	December 2022
Size	Slope-shouldered Dreadnought
Top	Adirondack Spruce
Sides & Back	Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
Binding & Accent Wood	Curly maple
Fretboard	Rosewood
Bridge	Rosewood
Scale Length	24.9″
Nut Width	1.6875″