These are a few guitars I’ve built over the past 2 decades. I’ve never built the exact same guitar twice, since I like to mess around and change things each time so I don’t get bored.
Hollow body with bolt on neck & floating Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup. I use this a lot for gigs, because the pickup is wonderful and the hollow body makes for a nice jazzy tone. The pickup was modified by removing the legs and adding a bracket to the casing so it could be mounted to the neck instead of on the top of the soundboard. I also modified the headstock to place 3 tuners each side, as I preferred that arrangement and aesthetic.
Grand Auditorium – V braced with bevelled lower bout. A strumming machine! I built this to play everything but jazz on it. The bevel alleviates that numbness you get from big guitar after hanging your arm over the edge for a while. The bevel effectively makes the body feel much smaller, and no pain!
Engleman spruce with maple back and sides. 2021.
#35 Corona style – maple body, x-braced arched cypress top. Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. 650mm scale. 4″ deep body, 16″ wide.Hollow body bass, short scale (30″) with hand made pickup. Walnut body, torrefied cypress top, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard.Corona II – x braced arched top with projected fingerboard. Engleman spruce soundboard, maple body and neck. Body depth 80mm, width 400mm. the Corona Gold – parallel bracing, thin body electric. Cedar top ( very old piece), maple body and neck. The extra soundhole improves the tone and provides access for the pots and plug.Guitar #29 Model O-65. Cedar domed x braced top, walnut body and neck. X braced domed back panel. Bubinga fingerboard. Body shape is Martin O.the Valerie – my own design – 2007. Spruce top, rosewood body, mahogany neck. Arched parallel braced top. Hybrid of a Selmer with a Favino!D hole – 2008 – Selmer gypsy jazz style – no trim – Picasso style headstockukelele & guitar – 2014 – The guitar is Selmer gypsy jazz style but with arched x-bracing
two X-braced Selmer style with round sound holes
Three petite bouche Selmer styles & a DiMauro style (f holes)000 style with cutaway – 2003 – copied from a custom shop Martin 00028000 with Selmer style braces. Inspired by a Martin R18 c. 1932jumbo style with F holes and pickup – ladder bracing – 17″ wide bodycarved cedar archtop, with bubinga back & sides – 17″ wide – A bracesFavino style – cedar & mahogany – 67 cm scale – 2002. Favinos are slightly wider than Selmers, and hence a little bassier and louder
That is of course one of life’s great mysteries! I hope that whatever is played will provide someone the same kind of pleasure I get from making music.
Hey, nice guitars! I’m thinking of building a smaller bodied ‘gypsy jazz’ style, with most aspects the same, but a smaller body width. Looks like that’s what you did with the O-65. Was it a heavily arched top (bent even?) like the Selmer models, or flatter? How did it work out, soundwise? Any feedback greatly appreciated! I’m in Finland so can’t just come round to try it 😉
Hello Mayim,
Thank you. The top braces use the same radius as a standard Selmer/Macaferri. The sound is bright and powerful enough to cut through a rhythm section. Good luck!
Don
the pickups look like old framus humbuckers. is that what they are? i’ve owned an early 1960’s framus jazz archtop (red/black sunburst) with one of those gnarly pickups for over 30 years. love it.
nathanguitars 
This must be worth millions.
I played a cedar top with f holes of your design and build today at Guitars Plus in Victoria. Loved it!
What would you do to put a pickup in it?
Interested.
Dean
Dean, thanks – the simple way is to use a bridge pickup of some sort. You could put one on the inside too with the right sort of apparatus.
Still got the D35? I’d love to see a pic!
Gone to a good home long ago, but sometimes I do miss it.
They certainly look beautiful.
I think so, but then again I love to browse guitar stores just to look!
Me too, me too.
Very beautiful work. I trust they sound great too.
Played your Selmer style… Cedar with f holes… In Victoria last week. Love that guitar! Sounds great , looks beautiful. If only I could play jazz…
Wow, you are sending some machines out into the world that make music and look great. Wonder who will play what on them decades from now?
That is of course one of life’s great mysteries! I hope that whatever is played will provide someone the same kind of pleasure I get from making music.
I’ve Played the 0-65…..just fantastic…..cuts through the “noise” at a jam! One of the most comfortable guitars I’ve ever played!
Hey, nice guitars! I’m thinking of building a smaller bodied ‘gypsy jazz’ style, with most aspects the same, but a smaller body width. Looks like that’s what you did with the O-65. Was it a heavily arched top (bent even?) like the Selmer models, or flatter? How did it work out, soundwise? Any feedback greatly appreciated! I’m in Finland so can’t just come round to try it 😉
Hello Mayim,
Thank you. The top braces use the same radius as a standard Selmer/Macaferri. The sound is bright and powerful enough to cut through a rhythm section. Good luck!
Don
the pickups look like old framus humbuckers. is that what they are? i’ve owned an early 1960’s framus jazz archtop (red/black sunburst) with one of those gnarly pickups for over 30 years. love it.
Yes, Framus! Vintage.