Blackwood and Bird's Eye Maple

Two little beauties. Chalk and cheese. Black and White. Night and day.

The Alexander is based around African Blackwood back and sides. Not very often used, very rare, particularly in full size sets, and expensive, but well worth it. Cutting these trees is a local affair, not “clear felling” or illegal logging which has stripped so many areas of the world. Professional, concerned makers would not use it otherwise.

The timber is fine, hard and resonant, often used for clarinets and bagpipes. I do like a little colour in a guitar, most woods are a shade of brown and it does get a little boring after 40 years. So ~ blue. Plus curly Koa bindings, fine Englemann top, and a curly Mahogany neck with the same blue lines. I think it looks gorgeous, and the tone is the same, words don’t work very well for sound, so gorgeous will have to be enough.

The white guitar was a coincidence, just happened to be made close to the black guitar. The back and sides are Birdseye Maple which I have had for a long long time. White Englemann top, white plain Maple bindings, white curly Maple neck, and fine blacks lines around all the borders. Even the bracing and linings inside are black and white.

The design is unusual. It’s a Goodfellow shaped body, but with a 12 fret neck like the Ariel. It is loud, pure and very white.

Each guitar belongs to someone special to me.