New Work Shop

I am making a dedicated work shop for my guitar making. This is a tiny 8"x15" legal limit size custom shed. I selected a nice green color for out-side to match surrounding trees. For the inside, I selected yellow to make emotionally active. In California, 8"x15" shed can be built without government permission, and I selected the largest possible size. As a guitar work shop, this is a super small size. However, I added large shelving spaces. Those extra storage spaces make this work shop large enough for my guitar making activity. I will install two work benches, jointer, drill press, drum sander, air compressor, and dust collector. I am very excited about moving to a new nest. I will spend next couple of weeks for my relocation.

 

Custom MD Complete

      Custom MD Project is completed. I installed D'addario EJ16 phosphor bronze strings. I made two saddles one for low action setting and the other for normal setting. A fresh built guitar requires approximately 48 hours to stabilize body construction against strings pull. Now, the MD is stable and ready for evaluating the sound character. Sound character is just like my standard MD sound with well balanced tonal distribution from bass to treble. MD model was originally designed by Late Taku Sakashita. He specially designed for studio recording purposes. He wanted to realize a guitar that does not need any equalizing work for the studio recording. He mentioned that making over tones is not difficult. However, optimally distributing over tone generation from bass to treble is a really challenging subject. Taku mentioned that many modern guitars have too much buss and over tones in low E strings. Therefore, equalizing work is requires for compensating the strong buss in a recording session. I was afraid of generating more stronger over tones in low E strings due to the different bridge location from the 12F joint design. 12F joint makes bridge location almost center between the sound hole and the body tail. This makes the highest bridge excitation from the strings forces. However, the 24.9" scale made the bridge location closer to the standard 14F joint position with the 25.4" scale. So, this special MD model created just like standard MD model with 25.4" scale. There is an advantage from the 24.9" scale design. This guitar has specially easy playability, because of the 24.9" scale. In conclusion, this guitar has the best playability without sacrificing the Taku's signature MD sound.

Guitar Specifications

Body design: Modified-D with cut-a-way, scrolled edge, and beveled armrest

Body binding: Madagascar RW

Bridge: Madagascar RW

Bridge pins: Ebony

Side and Back: Honduras Rosewood

Top: Carpathian Red Spruce with Taku Sakashita designed X-bracing and two additional graphite braces from top to the bottom for the body deformation protection.

Bracing material: Adirondack red spruce

Rosetta: Brazilian RW with two original ornaments

Neck: Spanish cedar, Bigleaf maple, Ebony, Bigleaf maple, and Spanish car laminate.

Head stock front veneer: Madagascar RW

Head stock back veneer: Katalox

Neck Head Joint: Classic V-joint

Neck joint to the body: Mortise joint with two dowels

Neck heal cap: Brazilian RW

Finger board: East African Ebony, and 12G joint to the body

Finger board scale: 24.9"

Fingerboard binding: African black wood

Truss rods: Double action steel truss rod and two Epoxy carbon fiber rods

Nut and Saddle: Breached Bone

Tuning Machines: Gotoh 510