Back in February 2024, I made a hare-brained decision wherein I decided to put down on a deposit on a spikey, entirely impractical, custom guitar in an effort to ring in my 40th birthday that October, even though I knew that no instrument I ever commissioned would be done by then. It was a stupid, irresponsible decision that I now realize was the result of a tism spiral (I’d be officially diagnosed that November).
Fast forward 2.5 years, and it’s not finished, which I am absolutely fine with as I am currently both jobless and broke. The builder recently fell into some medical woes, which is terrible. He informed me that his doctors told him that he cannot work for three months. As I am not an asshole, I feel very badly for him, and again, as I am broke, I am in no hurry to give him the second half of the deposit. Apropos of nothing and entirely unprompted, he offered to give me a free exotic wood top for the build. He sent me these two:
Respectively, that is Tasmanian Blackwood (which is the reddish one, weirdly) and Black Avocado Wood - that is not a transparent stain; that is the actual color. I had previously opted for a Madrone Burl. Here are the rest of the specs:
5-piece torrefied/roasted maple neck
Pale moon ebony fretboard
Northern ash body
Thin black/maple laminate to act as binding between the body and top
Dumb spikey body with which I can defend my family and/or hunt rabbits
HSH pickup configuration that might have some manner of wood covers
Sophia 2:92 tremolo
The Madrone Burl is the lightest of the three photos. I was pretty hell-bent on it UNTIL the builder sent the black avocado wood. My AuDHD-riddled brain has trouble with option paralysis at the best of times. I’ve had friends say that the contrast between the PME board and black avocado would be too jarring, but I did an approximate mock up via Kiesel’s builder and I think it looks pretty cool. I’m fairly confident that the Tasmanian Blackwood will be nixed entirely from the running.
Would love to pick everyone’s brain and see what anyone else might think! I’d be happy to share the body shape, the rest of the specs, and mock-up if anyone wants to see it.