DECORATION SCHEMES
These are my most common styles of decoration, the names indicate decoration
complexity rather than guitar quality. You get just as good a guitar with the
same quality of timbers (the best I can find) whether you go for a plain guitar
or add a bit of bling!
STANDARD
My
'Standard' decoration scheme is designed to enhance the natural hues of all
the woods with elegant understatement. Box and rosewood are combined in fine
purflings and a simple but elegant ring style rosette. There are many choices
of binding woods, including; indian rosewood, ebony, bloodwood, pernambuco,
palo escrito, flamed maple, acacia, pear, yew etc. to contrast with the particular
colour of the back and side timbers you choose. The ebony fingerboard has front
and side mother of pearl dots for clarity and a clean purposeful look and my
new B head logo comes in a range of materials including; pearl,
paua abalone, awabi abalone, green malachite and turquoise. Ebony bridge pins
with pearl dots enhance the ebony bridge. Chrome Gotoh 510 18:1 machineheads
with ebony buttons are supplied as standard with gold and ebony or new 'Cosmo'
black as options. The finish is a light, flexible coating of specialist cellulose
lacquer for rich tone, beauty and longevity; satin for a woody look with high
gloss as an option often suiting darker woods.
Left: JOM with 'Standard' decoration scheme, here with a plain fingerboard
face and optional Tor-tis scratchplate.
An abalone rosette looks great if you want to spice up the 'Standard' scheme
a little. See 'Additions' on the 'Prices & Ordering' page for extra cost.
NEW STANDARD
New
for 2007 is my 'New Standard' scheme, debuted on prototype JOM #77 combined
in that case with my new 'Scoop' cutaway and 'Percussion' construction. This
decoration scheme includes a hardwood soundhole ring inlayed with awabi shell
or contrasting wood and purflings made from wider veneers matching the back
and side woods and the soundhole. The soundhole ring protects the relatively
soft soundboard edge to help reduce the wear commonly developed here and the
wider veneers used for the other edgings show off far more grain and colour
that the more traditional narrow lines I use in my other schemes. In general,
a type of wood is chosen for the bindings and ring which contrasts well with
the back and sides and then this is used through out the edging scheme in combination
with more of the back and side timber. My most common wood options for the ring
and bindings combination will include; Indian rosewood, bloodwood and Palo Escrito
rosewood. Includes all the other normal options.
Left; prototype 'New Standard' JOM, with Scoop cutaway and
pinless bridge. This guitar combines Indian rosewood soundhole ring and bindings
with the Palo Escrito rosewood of the back and sides.
Please note that the 'Scoop' cutaway and 'Percussion' construction
(to which the pinless bridge is a part) are not included in the 'New Standard'
scheme and can, indeed, be used with any of the other decoration schemes. For
example you could have a 'OM Scoop' with 'Deluxe' decoration or a 'Percussion
Jumbo' with 'Abalone' decoration. The pictured guitar combines all three new
elements so would be know as a 'Percussion JOM Scoop' with 'New Standard' decoration.
ROPE (formerly 'DELUXE')
My
'Rope' decoration scheme combines all the same multitude of binding wood, head
inlay, finish and machinehead options as the 'Standard' but sports a distinctive
rope pattern wooden edgings around both soundhole and soundboard edge. The rope
edging is made up from rosewood, box and mahogany, and blends beautifully with
most of the woods used in my guitars, it is a unique pattern made especially
to my own design.
Left; 'Deluxe' purflings and rosette on a cedar topped OM with optional
Tor-tis scratchplate.
ABALONE
Purple,
green and pink Paua abalone or more subtle iridescent Awabi abalone is inlayed
around the top's edge and soundhole for a classic look, given extra class by
the use of wooden purflings throughout. There ain't no plastic or fibre on a
Benjamin!
An abalone rosette looks great if you want to spice up the 'Standard' scheme
a little. See 'Additions' on the 'Prices & Ordering' page for extra cost.
You can also substitute my 'New Standard' soundhole edging for the more traditional
style pictured here.
Left ; Awabi 'Abalone' JOM with redwood soundboard.
Right; Paua abalone rosette.
Alternative Schemes
Any scheme of decoration you desire can be accommodated, although I tend to
steer clear of plastic bindings and purflings since plastic never seems to bond
to wood permanently and wood edgings are so much more attractive and appropriate
on a properly handmade guitar in my opinion. For a 'traditional' black and white
edging look; holly or maple with ebony or dark rosewood can be used to great
effect. Please ask for a quote. Some common extras such as MOP snowflake or
diamond fingerboard inlays and abalone soundhole as well as other edging styles
are quoted for in Options.