I am building a GL-OO sized guitar. It has been a long time since I built a guitar on speculation. This may actually be that guitar I promised I would build for myself. This guitar is now in the very capable hands of Jimi Pappas - mdg
I am using a very nice set of Koa for the back and sides and a really spectacular curly Redwood top. Neck will be Mahogany with a Maple piece down the middle. I am planning a maple strip down the sound board to match the Maple strip in the neck. Never done that before so how this works out will be interesting to me.

Joining the Koa back with a zipper center back strip :

Back, sides and curly Redwood top:

Bending the sides:

Sides in form with tail block and neck block glued in

Installing the linings that will give extra gluing area for the top and back:

Back braces glued:

Carving back braces

Back and sides mated

Installing sound hole inlay and rosette:

Bracing the sound board

Sound board glued to sides and routing bindings

Binding ledges routed and purfling installed

Bindings glued

Bindings scraped and sanded

Routing for sound board decorative strip

This is not the first guitar I have built with a curly redwood top but it is the first where the top could not handle the stress. I finished this guitar and strung it up with custom light strings. It played and sounded very good. But the curly redwood top was not up to the pull of the strings and started to show signs of failure. So the top was removed and will become a nice clock for someone to hang on the wall. I am replacing that top with a Mahogany sound board.

Cutting off the top. Normally I would route the bindings off and then remove the top but I wanted to keep the top for another project (clock); so I needed the bindings.

New rosette in Mahogany sound board

Mahogany top almost ready to install on sides

Binding channels cut for new top

Initial fitting of neck

Bridge and bridge pins installed

Pictures of finished guitar by Jeanne Giltzow