The Russell Deep Lake, our 16″ jumbo size guitar, is ready for its neck carve. In these photos you can see updates of the completed herringbone purfling, end graft, headstock, fitting the fretboard to the neck, and working on the fretboard end curve. The fretboard is made of figured Madagascar Rosewood. The first photo shows a mock-up of this Deep Lake before the neck carve and the fretboard end curve.

Russell Deep Lake Guitar in Progress
Fitting Neck and Fretboard
Marking the Fretboard End Curve
Russell Deep Lake Headstock
Deep Lake End Graft

Herringbone Purfling on the Soundboard of a Russell Deep Lake Guitar

The herringbone purfling is being fitted to the perimeter of the Deep Lake soundboard. First the purfling slot and binding slots are routed.  The flamed Koa binding and the herringbone purfling are bent to shape, then James tapes both purfling and binding in place as he prepares to glue them to the body. With the purfling and binding in place, he will then wrap the body with his truck tire tube rubber band and start the gluing process.  Both purfling and binding are glued at the same time. We will post photos when we get to that point.

This is the custom Russell Deep Lake being built for a singer-songwriter in Anchorage, Alaska. The Deep Lake is our 16″ jumbo model.  Our customer wanted an elliptical soundhole and he loves herringbone. There is also a herringbone back strip on this guitar. The body is Madagascar Rosewood and the soundboard is Carpathian Spruce.

The bracing on the soundboard of the Deep Lake is made of Adirondack Spruce and is nonstandard elliptical bracing.  The soundboard is Carpathian Spruce. This particular Deep Lake has a custom elliptical soundhole.

Carving the Bracing on a Russell Deep Lake

Deep Lake Bracing Close-up
Russell Deep Lake Bracing

© 2008-2011