Monkman Guitars
On the bench
"On the bench" updates:
01/12/2019
"The body closet"
These unfinished guitars spent the year in the closet as I spent all of my time on an addition to our house and a new shop.
So these guitars will all be finished in 2019 and are available for sale and customization. Please email me for more specs on each guitar if you are interested.
All are built with vintage Martin specs, hot hide glue braces, super light and built to last.
09/27/2017
#27 Lutz spruce top / Sinker Mahogany B & S
Shipped out #27 to it's new home in Colorado this week. Lovely sounding dreadnought right out of the chute. Very light, weighing in at 3.95 lbs.
Nitro-lacquer top finish with hand rubbed Shellac on the rest.
Hide glue used on all bracing and bridge. Carbon fiber rods in the neck. Madagascar rw faceplate. Grover tuners.
Dovetail neck joint. Wood fiber bindings. Narrow fret-wire.
Chechen bridge and fretboard.
Slotted bridge with ebony pins.
04/15/2017
#15 00-21 Adirondack Spruce / Brazilian Rosewood
12-fret 00 with vintage Martin specs. 24.9" scale. Torrefied Sitka bracing. Very old Brazilian rosewood. All BRW is not created equal. This wood is the real deal. Almost feels like slate. Glassy tap tone.
The top is Red Spruce cut and harvested over 10 years ago in NY.
Chechen bindings. Brazilian rosewood fretboard. Recycled vintage Brazilian rosewood bridge with Ivory saddle.
Hot hide glue on the bracing.
*****SOLD*****
04/15/2017
#24 and #25Started building this pair simultaneously this winter.
Both are 12-fret 00's. Vintage Martin specs. 24.9 scale. Torrefied Adirondack tops. Non-torrefied Sitka bracing on the tops. Torrefied bracing on the backs. Very lightly built. Cloth sides strips. Vintage bracing dimensions. Hot hide glue.
One with Brazilian rosewood B & S.
One with sinker Mahogany B & S.
Ready to install the binding then on to the sanding and filling stage.
04/15/2017
#26Tenor Ukulele - Mahogany top / Monkey Pod
Just getting started on a tenor uke. Torrefied bracing, hot hide glue. Solid mahogany neck.
04/15/2017
#22Crossover guitar. Cedar top. Classical bracing.
A lot of acoutic players like the sound of classical guitars but they can't get used to the wide, flat fretboard.
This is a crossover guitar which is a hybrid of a typical Martin style steel string guitar but with Ramirez style classical bracing and nylon strings.
Very light and resonant. Western Red Cedar top, Black Walnut back and sides. Side sound port. 1 3/4" nut width. Cocobolo bindings. Mother of pearl inlay on the headstock.
A little fine tuning then it's shipping out to Virginia.
Shipped 4/29/17
04/15/2017
#27Dreadnought - Lutz spruce top / Sinker Mahogany
Very nice Lutz spruce top. Uniform straight grain and color. A touch of bearclaw.
Just getting started on a dreadnought with cutaway. Lutz spruce has won me over and become my personal choice for the soundboard.
More on this build
Great voice. Lots of personality in the tone. Not harsh like new Red spruce and much more interesting tonally than Sitka.
Top bracing will be Sitka, rear shifted, 40's Martin style. Tapered. Back braces will be old style, torrefied Sitka.
Black locust bridge plate. No popsicle brace.
I will have the body put together before the humidity picks back up. I will not build guitar bodies during the summer months. Although my shop is climate controlled it's best to build bodies during the colder months. Generally speaking.