Ziegenfuss Guitars

Inlay Work

2012-02-10T14:18:00.001-05:00

Yeah, so here are a couple shots of Steve's fretboard inlay. Figured white MOP. I think it is going to beautiful when it is all done up. Also, he wanted me to include sapwood in his fretaboard, which just makes me really happy...

Here a some shots of a new student and his coming bass. He picked an incredible drop set of cocobolo for his Ziegenfuss Signature bass. It is going to be unreal.

All glued up with epoxy. You have to use epoxy with coco, waterbased glues simply won't cut it because the wood is so oily.

Just whats been going on?

2012-02-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

Is a good question to ask. New orders have maintained their growth rate, which is really cool. A couple more per month, and I might be able to do this full time. I started cleaning out a new section of the basement will be setup to be more tightly climate controlled, and used for guitar setup, repair, voicing, etc...all of the delicate work. That is exciting.

I have a number of guitars that have moved forward this week, and I did successfully drop off Feldman, Huff, and Pelham to be finished. Here are a couple of progress pics..

This a shot of my new comp guitar...It is going to be totally cool. I have a show coming in the summer, and I plan on taking this to it.

The above three shots are Huff's hollowbody with the red/brown prestain. This will help pop the figure during finish, and will help secure the moody visuals that Seth is looking for.

The above 4 shots are of Feldman's OM. I set the bridge, stained the neck and got this baby ready to go.

This is a shot of putting the center support strip in Corey's GA.

The same in Steve's GA.

A finished shot.

And another.

Well, these two shots represent a umph....moment. After I got Jakes GA all ready to go to finish, it just felt heavy and thick. So I removed the neck, and removed the back. Now I can remake a new back and resecure and bind it, AFTER I thin the profile of this guitar up a bit. The cool thing is, I have never seen one of my guitars in this state, because I glue the top on last. So I was able to voice the top a little more, now that it is attached to the sides...VERY COOL.

This is a shot of installing the back strip in Adam's EIR GA.

The above two shots show why guitar building sometimes takes so long...I spend a great deal of time ensure that the box is as clean as I can make it. So I scrape all glue, remove all scratches, and otherwise try to ensure that the box is immaculate. You can see the before and after shots of such a process.

And here are the collection of sides that I bent this weekend. The bender was busy for sure...

Thanks!
Stephen

Installing Locking Input Jacks

2012-01-27T15:33:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to throw up a couple of pictures of the pocket inset locking input jack that comes standard on all of my electrics. It is one of the last details that gets completed before the guitar goes to finish.

General Update

2012-01-25T08:49:00.000-05:00

Well, as some of you know, things have been exceedingly busy at my place in the past several months. My wife and I had a new baby, I have been working on remodeling some rooms, been exceedingly busy during my engineering day job, and on top of that, I have 9 new guitar orders,with new orders coming in at a rate of several per month. That being said, I am trying to stay more disciplined, and have to stay more structured. To date, I built what was 'inspiring' to me when I walked down into my shop. With so many orders, that is simply not fair to many of you who have supported what I do for so long. So, I have developed a scheduling system that I will attempt to hold myself to. In the down time on my focus guitars, I do however, have time to get things started on the new orders.

I also have 3 'students' who are building with me. This sort of frantic timing now is the only way I am going to be able to do this for the rest of my life, which is my goal. So please hang in there with me.

The Feldman OM, Rye GA, Huff Hollowbody, and Pelham Singlecut will be going to finish inside of two weeks, which is VERY EXCITING. At that point, 'all' (and I use that term slightly sarcastically) I need to do is setup. After those guitars are delivered, I will jump headlong into finally finishing the Rye ALS, and then move into the new orders more aggressively.

Here is a batch of new orders, 5 new acoustic backs that are all joined and braced. I need only carve the braces and install the joint liner.

Here I am gluing the liner into Corey's GA. His back is ready, and as soon as I install the soundport, I will be able to join the sides to the back.

This is the Rye GA, a beautiful guitar. We made some choices - elimination of the soundport, increased box volume, etc... to make this guitar ideal for a big, full, dynamic recording guitar. Jake is incredible, and runs a great studio that can be seen at http://www.sonusclarusmg.com/. Check it out.

This is a shot of the Feldman fretboard. You may not be able to see, but this is my FIRST SEMI-HEMISPHERICAL Fretting job. It was a learning process, and something I balked at for too long. But now, I love it, and almost want to do it on all of my guitars...It eliminates so much post setup fretwork. Each fret end .030 before the edge of the fretboard, and are filed to be little hemispheres...comfortable.

Here I am gluing the fretboard down.

Clamping the fretboard

The new baby Leighton chilling with the Feldman box.

Here I am gluing on Jake's neck to his body.

I am doing final neck fitting here on the Feldman OM

This is Jake's neck to body connection.

This is the final carve on the ALS Hollobody. This is going to be a really cool guitar!

And a final shot of the hollowbody.

Steve's GA

2012-01-25T08:32:00.002-05:00

This is going to be a premier GA, built for another Steve...It is in its very initial stages now...

Mike's Commission

2012-01-25T08:29:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Here are some sequential shots of the development of Mike's singlecut 4 string. It will feature Nordstrand dual coils and a Nordstrand 3 band preamp. You can see how I joing the neck and body plates, and I accomplish my carving. Enjoy!

A NEW YEAR - A LOT OF NEW GUITARS

2012-01-04T10:33:00.001-05:00

Like I said, I was going to be busy.....

This is a shot of the ladder bracing going on Adam's EIR back

Here is a headplate with MOP Ziegenfuss inlay and MOP outline on red heart abalone wheat inlay for an upcoming special bass.

Here is a quick shot of the binding on Jake's close up box...curly honduran mahogany on cocobolo.

and another shot showing the same thing, but the back

Here are the two closed boxes of Jakes' and Stephens GA and OM, respectively. They are SOOO close to heading to finish.

Here are the bent sides for Corey's cocobolo GA.

and a couple of closing shots of Seth's ALS hollowbody...

December Updates

2012-01-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

Well, there is a great deal going on. There have been a large influx of orders recently, and I am busy. Here is a quick update of where things are.

Here is Seth's ALS hollowbody. It is coming together! I finished fretting yesterday, and will be gluing the body together for final shaping, sanding, and preperation for the bridge and Bigsby tremelo.

This is Pelly's neck laminate. Cocobolo inside of quartersawn maple.

This is Adam Hundley's EIR GA. It is going to be a beautiful guitar - dark and stunning.

This is Drew's set of Cocobolo for his Bryleigh - another stunner.

This is Jake's ALS singlecut, almost refinished. I am super slow on this one...

This is a shot of the neck assembly of Seth's ALS hollowbody. I use a two-way truss rod, and two .125 carbon reinforcement bars for rock hard stability. I don't always use carbon, but though that this would be important on a heavy tremelo based guitar.

This is Feldman's almost done OM. Between he and Jake, I have a learned that good people offer me waaay more patience than I deserve. This should be off to finish in a couple of weeks.

This is Jake's GA - beautiful guitar with amazing Coco B&S. I will show better pictures soon.

This is Corey's Coco GA - I have the ladder bracing in on the back and the sides bent. It is coming along!

Some Recent Work

2011-11-14T09:10:00.001-05:00

No time to elaborate, but here are some shots of what has been going on. My main focus as been finishing the Feldman OM, and this Cocobolo GA. Both are getting there.

Just a quick update

2011-10-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

I have a great deal more going on than what these pictures suggest, but this is what I quickly lastly night before putting Bry to bed. Basically it is Seth's Hollowbody ALS, his neck glue up, and Bry riding his neck glue up like a horse...great fun.

General Update

2011-10-22T21:12:00.001-04:00

Well, here are a bunch of pictures of what I have been up to in the past couple of days. The first is a shot of the roughed in body of the new ALS Hollowbody for Seth. It is coming along nicely. Not much more work can happen on the body until I finish and set the neck. Then it is about sanding and incorporating my classic heel-less neck joint.

Now, Corey's inlay...I finished cutting all of the pieces late Friday night, and got them glued in place...the ugly duckling stage.

The ugly duckling stage of Stephen's ebony fretboard inlaid with a custom red-heart abalone design.

Re-cutting fret slots through the inlay....gritting my teeth, praying I do not blow through the pearl...

Fret slots cut and ready to go...

Stephen's ebony board mostly sanded....almost clear of the ugly duckling stage

And Corey's inlay....the picture does not do it justice

And finally a couple of pictures of how I do my FB purfling. PITA. I use a dremel router drill press with a custom jig to route a 0.032" line, the fill it with fishpaper veneer and CA it in place.

Inlay Work

2011-10-21T13:13:00.000-04:00

I know these do not look like much as of yet, but they are two pieces of inlay that I have been working on solidly for the past several days. The first is red hearted abalam laid into ebony. I used the classic technique of 'smush and crack', using a spoon to smash straight strips in the appropriate pockets. The cocobolo fretboard shown below are all the pockets for the clipper ship inlay that will adorn Corey's GA. I will post update pictures as they come through the ugly duckling stage.

Brilliant October Skies

2011-10-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

Well, we will start today's post off with my friend Corey's back and sides. This will be my 4th guitar headed to Australia, but the first to a friend like Corey. Considering, I wanted to do something really special for him, and I thought this cocobolo captured the epicness that is Corey and the life and times he and so many others have given me the 2 times I have the privilege of being over there.

Then, here are a couple of shots of Seth's ALS Hollowbody. It is the first of its kind, so we shall see what it is made of.

And finally, another picture of one of the reasons I smile so much when I go home after my day job...The specular highlights were included for Corey...

Almost Done...

2011-10-17T08:58:00.001-04:00

Starting off well

2011-10-14T10:47:00.005-04:00

Well, here are a couple pictures of my life right now. Leighton and Bryleigh. They are both simply awesome.

I finished Stephen Feldman's bindings as well. "finished is loose", as I still have to scrape sand and fill.

While I was hanging out, I glue up Corey's Back...CHECK IT OUT! Cocobolo is literally my favorite wood in the whole world.

And I glued up Dave's bridge.

Jon Foreman's Bryleigh Series Done!

2011-10-11T13:28:00.000-04:00

New Babies!

2011-10-10T09:51:00.001-04:00

This is the new addition to the Ziegenfuss family. Leighton Shaw. She was born 7 lb 15 oz, 21.5 inches long.

And these are a couple pictures of attaching Dave's neck to his body. I am getting really close on this one, and am very excited to get it into Dave's hands.

Removing and Replacing Bloodwood Backstrap

2011-10-04T18:14:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the R&R of Stephen's bloodwood backstrap. I have literally taken years on this guitar, and the accents evolved from ready to brown...so the bloodwood had to go to match the honduran RW binding package.

First Weekend in October

2011-10-03T14:59:00.001-04:00

Well, my wife has yet to go into labor. So I have been biding some extra time in the shop with Bryleigh. This is a smattering of pictures....Rob's sides, Seth's sanding and prepped plates for his hollowbody ALS....I did the top binding and purflings on Stephen's OM, glued Rob's back to his sides, and prepped Dave's neck for final touches. I will try to be more detailed in my next post...but for now, enjoy the pictures.

Below is the ladder bracing on a very special project...I just could not walk away from it any longer....

Rob's FB material and inlaid headstock overlay.

Late September

2011-09-27T10:16:00.002-04:00

Just a couple of update pictures of what has been going on.

My awesome daughter...so happy to be in the shop with me :)

Rob's back and fretboard...nice color palate

Feldman's OM - a closeed box!!!

Here is a sample of his binding scheme.

And a couple of pictures of rosettes...for Rob's and Jake's guitars.

I also glued up the primary x-bracing on Rob's top...

I promise she was so much happier than these pictures suggest. She loves being in my shop with me...I will get some better pictures to prove it...

A Smattering of Work

2011-09-22T13:27:00.001-04:00

I put the backstrap in on Jake Rye's Coco Grand Auditorium. Now it will be much more stable to work with and will be mated to the sides very soon.

I simply have to finish sand and prep Goodrich's Bryliegh, and it will be ready for finish!

I also pretty much worked out Feldman's soundport, so I am ready to close the box...hopefully tonight

This is Jake's back with the backstrap installed.

And finally, I put the back strap in on Vischers Bryleigh.

Hollowbody ALS

2011-09-20T08:52:00.000-04:00

And...I glued and jointed and glued wood for Seth's Hollowbody ALS. Just the body will will composed of 5 nice layers of wood...Beautiful stuff though. You cannot really tell from the pictures how nice the maple is, and how QRTSWN the mahogany is. I cannot wait to start putting this thing together.

OH yeah, and here is my awesomely messy shop. I actually thought it looked clean...

Goodrich Bryleigh

2011-09-20T08:48:00.001-04:00

These are a bit out of order, but I got Dave's neck flossed in, fretted the FB, and finished up the assembly. Not long now!

Feldman OM Progress

2011-09-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

Well, it has been a hectic and exciting week. I have been focusing on efficient workflow...i.e. continuing to work on other projects while waiting for glue to dry on current projects. Hence, I have a lot of progress to show. Beats picking my nose. Here are some shots of the Feldman OM. I got the soundport patch in, and roughed in the sound port. Now I need to clean it up and close up the box!

Lee Roessler

2011-09-16T08:35:00.000-04:00

Another shot of Lee at a show with his / my sweet baby...

Stephen

2011-09-15T08:13:00.002-04:00

Well, for all intents and purposes, my wife and I have completed the new room! Now I can lug some furniture into it and get back to building guitars. I am really proud of it, and love that I do not have to spend countless hours filling every crack and void in the woodwork :)

The new baby is very soon in coming, any day now!

2011-09-14T08:40:00.001-04:00

Well, I have been literally busting my rear end these past days and weeks - unfortunately not all on guitars, but also on completing my soon to be new daughter's room. I completely gutted it (of 1924 lathe and plaster), put in new electric, insulation, new Anderson 400 series Smartsun windows, and refinished it. Hopefully it will be nice and warm through the Michigan winter months.

Additionally, I have been staying on my guitars - trying to ensure the top 4 projects are all moving forward - in whatever capacity. To be honest, it is too easy to let a guitar sit on a shelf for months. Not good. I finished up Dave's ziricote bindings on his granadillo Bryleigh, put all the basswood kerfed linings in Rob's granadillo Bryleigh, put all of the mahogany kerfed linings in Jake's GA, and not shown - just about finished voicing Stephen's OM top.

Feldman OM Progress

2011-09-05T21:05:00.003-04:00

Well, amidst getting my daughters new room completed in preparation for our new baby (who should be here in less than two weeks!) I was able to get a good deal done on a very patient friend's guitar. This will be my first OM, and it will feature flamed Koa B&S, and a port orford cedar top (also a first)). The binding package is currently slated to be flamed honduran mahogany, flamed new guinea rosewood, or similar. At one point, we had decided on bloodwood for the binding package, which is still seen in the back strip. I will be removing this soon. I will be voicing the top this week, and should be moving on to closing the box, doing the binding, and getting the neck done!

We still need to decide on the soundport design. But with any luck, we can keep this thing moving.

Thanks for looking!

Stephen

Lee Roessler Live

2011-08-09T20:22:00.003-04:00

Well, here are a couple shots of Lee playing his new guitar live. I think he really liked it, but I am waiting for him to get a couple more live shows under his belt with it before I push him on feedback. Aside from the fact that the extremely high gloss cat poly finish with the smooth tapered carve shows off finger smudges really really well in spot lights, the guitar was beautiful.

LR Singlecut

2011-07-27T21:34:00.000-04:00

More Update on the LR Singlecut

2011-07-25T13:21:00.000-04:00

New Body Style Almost Done

2011-07-19T07:56:00.002-04:00

This guitar will be ready for delivery in about two weeks. It is a new body style that will eventually become a hollowbody. This one is a light solidbody version with mahogany, aspen, and wenge. I think it is a very beautiful piece that should sound pretty cool.

Again, thanks for the patience in lack of updates. Things have been worse than busy recently between work, getting ready for a new baby, and work...

Stephen

Weekend Work

2011-05-17T08:49:00.003-04:00

So, here a couple of shots of what has been getting done - which admittedly is not as much as I want. I am redoing major parts of my house right now in preperation for a our new baby, so things are busy.

Rye's coco back - profiling the back braces
Rye' s sides - bowl sanding in preperation for kerfed linings.
Roessler's neck - FB getting glued up
Roessler's guitar pieces - getting close.
And finally- the new design element offered with my acoustics - a removeable sound attenuator and artistic accent. Shown here in Goodrich's Bryleigh

I know I have been busy. Here is an update

2011-05-06T13:09:00.000-04:00

Rosettes, Cocobolo, and Inlay

2011-03-07T16:04:00.002-05:00

So I just finished up one of the headplates for the ziricote twins that are still not out of my shop yet :(. It is purfled and everything//.This is Jake Rye's beautiful cocobolo back for his GA. I LOVE COCOBOLO! Quite frankly I think it is as beautiful as wood can come - and consistently so.
And here are all the installation shots of Feldman's rosette. I used segemented pearl and ebony for the soundhole binding.

Been a while

2011-03-07T16:00:00.002-05:00

So I have a lot to post. Below you will see the beginnings of a beautiful new mahogany bass that I am working on with custom single coil pickups. I will also be debuting a new 'body' pickup in conjunction with the standard electromagnetic coils,
The pictures below are all the recent developments on DGoodrich's bryleigh series. Very earthy guitar, but is coming along really well!

The Twins are Bound!

2011-01-27T09:49:00.002-05:00

Aside from that sounding a bit weird, I have successfully finished the binding of the ziricote boxes. One has bwb with amazon rosewood bindings (the flashy brother), and the other has wbw with ziricote (the understated elegant brother). Though they are both in the ugly duckling stages of their existence, I little tender love and care with my scraper, a razor blade, and several sanding methods will make these to beauties shine.

take care!

Stephen

Shop Progress

2011-01-25T16:29:00.002-05:00

A couple update shots of what has been going on in this shop. First, I got the binding rabbets cut in the ziricote twins last night, so that is exciting....

Then, I got Feldman's back on his side...we need to settle on a soundport, and I will start getting that in...then on to the top.

And finally, here is a shot of my messy shop. It gets the job done though...but in looking at this picture objectively, I really need to straighten up.

GC Guitars Done and Delivered!

2011-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

GC Guitars Getting Closer

2011-01-04T08:16:00.002-05:00

The GC Guitars should be ready for delivery this weekend.

Ziricote Bryleigh Update

2011-01-03T09:31:00.003-05:00

Well, though I wanted to build the ziricote twins entirely together, my plans have fallen apart. Now I just want to get one done in time for a show in February. This will be for sale at that time. Anyway, here is a shot of the inspiration of the guitar with the guitar - Bryleigh. You can see the pink macacauba that I will be using for binding in the shot. Hope you enjoy!

Stephen

GC Guitars Update

2010-12-28T08:19:00.002-05:00

These are the finishing photos of the next two guitars coming down the pipe. Obviously, they should speak for themselves, but these are going to be sweet when then they are done. I believe the customer is going to be very happy.

Thanks for looking!

Stephen

A couple more

2010-12-14T08:29:00.002-05:00

This is a shot of Dave Goodrich's granadillo back. Though he does not want a high gloss finish, and oil/ shellac application really brings out the warmth in this wood. In my humble opinion, it sounds 10 times better than it looks.

Then it occurred to me that the ziricote twins were inhabiting the molds that I need to move forward with Dave's guitar, so they have been getting some attention again as well. I glued up the back on #2, and am working on their tops now.

Goodrich's Bryleigh Series

2010-12-14T08:25:00.001-05:00

Well, this is an order to be finished sometime in the summer, but I have been getting a head start because I really just felt like working on it. It is a Bryleigh Series for a close friend, with granadillo back and sides and a carpathian top. I used granadillo for both rosette rings as well, and will be using a mixture of sitka and carpathian for the bracewood.

Pete's Finished Bass

2010-12-06T09:56:00.002-05:00

Just a couple quick pictures.

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-01T08:55:00.003-04:00

Look at that curly maple. CV tonewoods gave me some seriously special wood for these 2 special guitars that I am building.

I had a clamping war with myself. I won.
The neck joint on Ziegenfuss set necks is a bit complicated. Basically, I key it into the back, as well as the top plate, so that I can get the heavy neck to body carve without giving up too much structural integrity.

Some recent work

2010-10-28T08:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I have a list of things I need to get done and soon, including 2 new builds, 1 refinish, 1 new finish, and 1 repair - then I can get back to relaxed acoustic building. Regardless, here are a couple of pictures of the recent work around the shop.

Jung DoubleCut

2010-10-20T08:15:00.003-04:00

Well, this bass is a bit of a long time coming, but she is just about done and ready for finish. Enjoy the pictures:

Finally - Back in the Shop

2010-09-10T07:52:00.002-04:00

Well, first, I would like to say please visit my full website at ziegenfussguitars.com. Though it links to this site as my blogging page, once I get the full blogging setup going at that site, I plan on transitioning over.

Anyway, here is some recent work in the shop. The first couple pictures are of twin doublecut electrics that are going on consignment to a very special music store. More on that later. Below that, you will see a couple pictures of Pete Jung's Custom Tradition 35" scale 4 string bass. I finished the inlays and just finished the neck bolting scheme last night - so we are pretty close to going to finish. Hopefully very soon.

Also, I would like to let everyone know that Lynn Burke at Blues City Music will be selling guitars for me, and he has two available right now.

Thanks so much!

Stephen

Update

2010-07-08T09:59:00.002-04:00

Well,

I just got back from Montreal, and am trying to catch up on all of my stuff. I have several repairs to do, which I am diligently working through in order to clean out some of the guitars in my house. Once I done with those, I will be able to focus on the projects at hand, including the Feldman OM, the Jung doublecut, and finishing a group bass build for the MIMF forum. Until then, I will show off some pictures of my parents honduran rosewood SJ, which is really looking nice under finish. We had to amber the top a little bit because I had some CA leakage around the rosette (depsite my considerable attempts to prevent such things). This is going to look really nice when it is all gussied up.

Stephen

Almost Ready for Montreal

2010-06-15T08:02:00.002-04:00

These are the two 6-string pieces that I will be taking to Montreal. I am still workong on the electronics packages, but other than that, all of the hardware is on. So as soon as I have things soldered up, I will move to set up, then to playing.

The macassar really jumped under finish, and the burst was just executed so well. As a whole, the singlecut is a very congruous piece, every color tone, from the sapelle to the coco to the bursted maple speaks to the rest of the guitar. I could not be happier.

Stephen

Need I show more?

2010-05-24T08:32:00.001-04:00

This guitar is breaking the expectation. This is going to play like a dream, sound like a dream, and of course, look like a dream. IMHO.

Enjoy!
Stephen

The Montreal 6 Strings

2010-05-17T13:44:00.002-04:00

Well, here are a couple of shots of the Montreal 6 strings...They are under and initial coat of clear, done by the amazing Tony. The singlecut shows the remnants of some warm brown stain that I had rubbed into the grain before delivering to Tony. He will then take it and burst a honey brown right on top of that to make the top come alive. It will be exciting to see. I will keep you posted.

Stephen

The Growth of an Inlay

2010-05-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

A nice little inlay for my parents SJ.

Last Week of Progress

2010-05-11T09:23:00.002-04:00

I have been getting a few things done. Here area couple of shots of the latest in the que. First is the Honduran SJ, with amazon accents. I need to bind it up, clean up, and get it ready for finish. Then there is a shot of one of the Ziricote twins, looking very nice IMHO. I am excited about these guitars as they are meeting my expectations as I am building. Also, there is a shot or two of Pete Jung's doublecut Ziegenfuss bass. The body is together and will be carved this weekend - Then on to the neck.

Enjoy,
Stephen

2010-04-23T10:28:00.002-04:00

Yeah, that's mine on the left. This ad is posted in the May issue of Premier Guitar Magazine. I am pretty stoked.

Getting The Macassar Done

2010-04-20T07:56:00.002-04:00

First, a note of safety: At Ziegenfuss guitars, we take safety very seriously - even the new assistant came to work on her first day fully decked out in the proper safety attire.

Then, you can see some pictures of the last of the Montreal offerings - the Macassar ebony doublecut 6 string. I am trying something new with the binding, where I used curly aspen as a solid laminate layer under the macassar. Then during the carve, I will come down precisely to the aspen to make it look like a full binding.

Stephen

2010-04-13T08:36:00.002-04:00

Well,

It has been a little while. I have been busy recently, traveling most weekends - and now that I have an 8 mo. old in the house, running machines past 8 PM has been unnacceptable, laving me exactly 1 hour each night to get anything done - if I can spend all my free time guitar building. Regardless, We'll get these worked out. Below you will see a couple pictures of the maccassar ebony doublecut 6 str. that is slated for the Montreal Guitar show - provided I can get it done. As well you will see a couple pictures of Jung's doublecut bass, which will be sweet. I am hoping he likes the two tone coco for his fretboard. I think it really catches his vision.

Stephen

Some March Work

2010-03-11T08:02:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick shot of the solid linings I made for the Feldman OM I am working on...

All the rest of the shots are a Honduran rosewood E2 with all amazon rosewood (macacuaba)appointments. I think this guitar is heading to my parents, If I can make it flashy enough for their tastes...The honduran is just so elegant, relatively straight grained. Nice stuff.

Grace and Peace.

Solid Linings for the Feldman OM

2010-02-25T09:03:00.002-05:00

Well,
I am finally finishing up the solid cedar linings for the Feldman OM. They are 4 ply 0.050", and are laminated around a male mold. Then I clean them up, route a roundover and glue them in...

Pretty nice looking. smell good too.

Stephen

The New Case

2010-02-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Ameritage is awesome.

Stephen

The Montreal ALS Singlecut

2010-02-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

Finally, here is a quick update on a very special project for the Montreal Guitar Show. This will be a top of the line ALS singlecut - sapelle back, 1" thickhard flamed maple top, coco accents...I am going to do 3 coco covered P-90's with a 5 way selector. Scale length is 24.9, 24 frets. It is going to be a very deep carve, accentedby a smooth reddish brown burst. She will be for sale at the MGS.

The Ziricote Twins

2010-02-22T10:13:00.002-05:00

I picked up two small pieces of Ziricote a while back, and after I resawed them, I had just enough to make two matching guitars. So, here I introduce the Ziricote twins...They are going to SJ's, though more along the lines of an OM in box depth...I am pretty excited about them. Beautiful wood...

Update on the Feldman OM

2010-02-22T10:10:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally bucked up and bent the curly koa sides. Went of without any significant damage. Now I am on to making the solid linings... We'll have this box closed in no time!

Stephen

I look stupid, I know...

2010-02-15T10:22:00.002-05:00

More Pictures

2010-02-15T10:19:00.002-05:00

Some more Pictures

2010-02-15T10:15:00.001-05:00

Had a couple of minutes: glued this thing up...

2010-01-15T16:27:00.000-05:00

WooHooo

2010-01-07T14:15:00.001-05:00

Finished Electric Basses - FOR SALE

2010-01-05T12:17:00.003-05:00

These two guys are all but done. They will be heading off to a couple of guitar shows with me this year, but are otherwise up for sale. Please contact me for details.

Stephen

Development of a Burst

2009-12-07T08:54:00.003-05:00

Well, the burst is done....I think it is beautiful. Joe White did a fabulous job, and was willing to work through my color vision with me. I cannot wait to get my hands on this.

Stephen

WLG Finishing Up!

2009-12-03T08:25:00.002-05:00

Well, my first WLG is coming down the pipe to completion as well. Here is totally sealed up, compliments of my friend Joe White at Sunset Guitar Finishing. The koa looks like it is really popping with that dark coco. Though it is destined for a burst, you can see the beauty of the carpathian top...I can't wait to hear this one - or make delivery as I know the recipient is going to LOVE it!

2 More Almost Done

2009-12-02T09:37:00.002-05:00

These two basses should be totally done within a couple of days, and will be up for sale. I need to finish the wiring, make the knobs, and cut the nuts - thats it!

Enjoy!

Guitars in the White!

2009-11-11T10:59:00.002-05:00

Just got an update from the amazing Tony Ferguson, the new finisher of my electric guitars. These shots are after spraying a couple of coats of clear. After a very short career in guitar finishing, I decided that it just was not feasible for me to continue because my finishes were preventing me from reaching the level in my guitars that I am striving for - so in comes Tony. These are the first two that are done by him, and from now on, will come standard on all orders.

Thanks,
Stephen

Binding Installed

2009-11-11T08:22:00.002-05:00

Well, I got all of the binding and purfling in yesterday, and now we are in the final ugly duckling stage of the game. Just a little scraping and sanding and the box will be done! The flamed koa looks very understated right now, but as soon as we hit it with finish, it will come alive.

Enjoy!
Stephen

Binding Channels

2009-11-10T08:23:00.000-05:00

Finished the binding channels and bent all of the binding...Ready to finish up the box!

Stephen

Vine Inlay

2009-11-09T08:39:00.003-05:00

Well, I finished the inlay on my brother's WLG. He loves his bling! I don't believe I am particularly good at inlay, and the sapwood/heartwood transition on this brazilian made it nearly impossible to cover my many mistakes...BUT, there is so much going in between the fretboard and the inlay that mistakes are hard to dwell on - and the frets aren't in yet!

So, that is that.
Stephen

Getting Closer...

2009-11-02T08:05:00.002-05:00

Well, I finished some really good work this weekend. I got the neck tenon and mating mortise done for the neck joint - rough carved the neck - inlaid the signature, and bound and slotted the FB. I am moving on to profiling and inlaying the FB, and final assembly on the neck - after I perfect the joint...Then I will bind this thing and finish it. I cannot wait to see it done...

Stephen

Work on my Brother's WLG

2009-10-30T08:17:00.001-04:00

Well, I got the box closed up on this thing last evening. It is always a very exciting step for, as the pieces and parts start to look like a guitar. I was very suprised with the 'thump' response of the closed box - LOUD, LONG, and VIBRANT. I am really excited to hear this thing with strings...ENJOY!

2009-10-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Bass Work

2009-10-21T08:49:00.003-04:00

This is some new wood I got in - salvaged maple with a great many colours and figures. It will be adorning a new smaller body doublecut bass.

Also, there are some pics of the redwood singlecut with soapbar pickups that will heading off to finish at the end of the week. This bass will be up for sale as soon as it is ready, but I do plan to take it to the Musicians Expo with me in March...

Thanks
Stephen

'Nother "Lectric Done

2009-10-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

I just finished this one up...I just have to do final photography...

Bolt-on Progress

2009-10-05T08:53:00.002-04:00

I finished roughing out the bolt-on neck joint for Musician's Expo bass (one of). The bolt on is certainly easier, as this bass is moving along incredibly fast. It should be really pretty darn nice.

Musician's Expo Bass Progress

2009-09-28T08:50:00.002-04:00

Well,

I have decided to attend my first show, the Musician's Expo in Louisville in March. I will be taking my best and newest work, and have grand plans. This bass is the start of those plans. She is a flamed redwood on white walnut (butternut), weighing essentially nothing as far as a bass is concerned (only a couple of punds without hardware). Mad rose FB, with honduran rosewood binding, rock maple neck with wamara rosewood striping...well it is going to be beautiful.

This will also be the first guitar that I will be sending out for a pro finish job - which I believe will push my guitars up several notches.

Stephen

Finished!

2009-09-24T13:29:00.003-04:00

The latest finished piece. Spalted maple on sapele ALS Singlecut. 3 P-90's, vintage sets with super fat in the bridge. Passive electronics.

Neck work

2009-09-23T12:52:00.002-04:00

Back to Work

2009-09-21T08:52:00.002-04:00

Well, I have definately made an atempt to get back in the shop. I am finishing up to singlecut electrics, and will have pictures to show hopefully sometime in the next day or so... Additionally, I will be attending the Musician' Expo in Louisville, KY in March, and started on two basses for that show. These are some the progress shots...Maple, Amazon Rosewood (Macacauba), and walnut are the dominant woods you are seeing. One neck is reinforced with steel, the other with carbon fiber (to maintain a strength to weight ratio).

I will be posting a lot in the days to come, so check back often!

Stephen

2009-08-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

I will get back to guitar building soon enough, but have been on a bit of a respite because I was working on a very special project - pictured below. This is my wife's and my first daughter, and looks better than every guitar I have ever seen...

I am working on finishing up to ALS Singlecuts this week, so I should have some good eye candy shots within the next week.

Stephen

Progress?

2009-07-15T08:12:00.003-04:00

Of sorts. I have not posted in a while because unfortunately I have not gotten that much done - in addition to completely gutting and refinishing my soon to be daighter's bedroom. But finally, at long last, I got some work done on a pair of ALS singlecuts last night. I am hoping that I will be spraying finish by this weekend on both. I just have to do final sanding.

Stephen

More Interview with the Cit Pat

2009-06-29T08:54:00.001-04:00

Area guitar makers get to see -- and hear -- the fruits of their labor
by Bill Chapin Citizen Patriot
Sunday June 28, 2009, 6:00 AM

By Michael J. Metts Jackson Citizen Patriot
Stephen Ziegenfuss works on a cutout in an acoustic guitar in the basement of his Jackson home. An acoustic guitar can take up to 150 hours of work to complete.
Manufacturing in Jackson isn't exactly booming, but there's one small segment that is growing: hand-crafted guitars.

The Jackson area has at least two custom guitar-makers. After their day jobs, both of them spend their weekends and evenings in home workshops, turning simple planks of wood into musical instruments.

The more recent newcomer to this craft, Stephen Ziegenfuss of Jackson, has completed 10 guitars so far and has another six or seven in progress.

Ziegenfuss, 25, got into guitar-making while he was attending Cedarville University in Ohio. There was a certain bass guitar he wanted, but he couldn't afford it, so he decided to try making a similar one on his own.

"Applying woodworking to engineering has always been a big passion," said Ziegenfuss, a mechanical engineer at SeaLandAire Technologies Inc.

Though he had experience building cedar-strip racing boats at the university, he didn't know anything about building instruments other than a few things he picked up on Web sites.

"That first instrument fell short, but it created a passion to keep working at it until I could create and instrument that I, as a player, could really appreciate," he said.

In addition to bass guitars, Ziegenfuss also has tried his hand at making regular, six-string electric guitars and — with some mentoring from the area's other guitar-maker, Lance Kragenbrink of Vandercook Lake — acoustic guitars.
Like Ziegenfuss, Kragenbrink got into building instruments to replicate a guitar that he couldn't afford. That's a common story among guitar-makers, he said, but they rarely end up saving money in the long run.
"Next thing you know, you've got a lot of money in wood and tools," Kragenbrink said.
Kragenbrink has made about 25 acoustic guitars since 1998, mostly on commission. This year he has to make a few extra to take with him to a pair of guitar shows in Montreal and California.
He also owns and moderates a Web site for guitar builders, www.luthiersforum.com, with more than 4,000 registered users.
He said he has heard several people say that we are in the middle of a "second golden age of acoustic guitars," with a shift away from cheaper, mass-produced guitars as more small-scale manufacturers spring up.
"The bar for excellence continues to be pushed higher and higher," he said. "A lot of that has to do with the ability to share information over the Internet."
Kragenbrink's guitars start at a base price of $4,650, with extra charges for more exotic wood and other custom requests.
Ziegenfuss had been making guitars for customers who covered the cost of materials up front, ranging from $300 to $600 depending on the type of guitar. Only recently has he started to feel confident enough "that I can warrant charging for labor," he said.
His electric instruments start as thick planks of wood that are cut into pieces, glued together, carved and finished.
"With instruments, people tend to hear first with their eyes," Ziegenfuss said, "so you have to work so you present a project that is blemish-free."
Kragenbrink said the process is unique for each guitar.
"Sometimes they almost seem like they build themselves and you're just assisting the process," he said. "Other times you have to fight them tooth and nail.
"The hardest thing is trying to make my guitars sound different from everybody else. ... What I try to shoot for is a guitar to have a nice, even balance across the spectrum — low strings, high strings, and all up and down the neck."
Both said the reward comes in delivering the instrument to a customer.
"When you actually get to play it and hear it, there really is something to that," Ziegenfuss said, "and then when you give that instrument to someone that knows how to play it really well," it's exciting.
That makes one business where picky customers aren't such a bad thing.

My Interview with the Cit Pat

2009-06-29T08:49:00.002-04:00

Guitar hero

And Closer...

2009-06-24T07:57:00.001-04:00

Zebrawood SingleCut Getting Close

2009-06-22T09:25:00.004-04:00

I need to finish fretting, and get everything installed. Then give it a final setup. Then she will be ready to go out the door. This will either be going to a friend, or a store in Cleveland, OH called the Music CoOp...A pretty cool place owned by an even cooler dude.

I did an interview with the local paper this past week. Aside from sounding like a floozy with my talk of "the tactile sensation of engaging with wood during the build process" I think it went pretty well... But seriously, this is my expression. It is hard to explain to people what is like to open up a set of wood and just see it s potential - wherin the build process all you are trying to do is realize the full potential of that wood. I know that I am not where I want to be yet, because I still see so many areas in which I fall short is advancing the rough materials to what they are truly capable of being. Each guitar gets closer to my goals. Each guitar gets my hands during the whole process - hands just as easily capable of completing something amazing as introducing flaws that were otherwise not there. A bit of a life lesson.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Getting Close!

2009-06-18T12:29:00.002-04:00

Well, I still have a significant amount more of sanding and buffing to do, but this is zebrawood singlecut will soon be available! I am setting it up with set of 62' classic Fender singlecoils, 1 master volume, push pull series/ parallel, blend pot, and master tone...should be a really nice instrument.

Acoustic Progress

2009-06-08T07:58:00.002-04:00

I got the backs on two of the acoustics I am working on...These are for family. I have a third being made with someone else's wood, so I am going through all the steps with these guys first -refreshing my memory so that I do not make any mistakes....

This is what's new...

2009-06-04T08:10:00.004-04:00

I got some work done on the zebrawood singlecut...
I also have some work done on the cocobolo WLG, and the honduran RW LKE2, but I do not have pictures now. I will post as soon as I do.
Stephen

Last Night's Efforts

2009-05-29T08:07:00.002-04:00

I got the neck fit done on the zebrawood 4 string singlecut...she is all glued up and profiled...Now on to the fun stuff - making it feel right against my person. This things is suprisingly heavy right now, we'll see where it ends up...Enjoy the pictures!

Progress Update

2009-05-28T08:23:00.002-04:00

Last night, I got over to Lance's (Kragenbrinkguitars.com) and the top sides of my Honduran LKE2 and my cocobolo WLG bowl sanded. They are looking pretty good. Now I just need to clean them up, put in the soundports, and attach the backs...

I also have been making some progress on a flamed walnut/ zebrawood top single cut 4 string as well. I have completed the neck prep, and routed the appropriate tenon pocket in the back...Now I need to route a matching pocket in the top, to create the sandwich neck joint that allows me to create my blended neck/ body carve.

And as a final heads up, I had to throw down a picture of Jake Rye's singlecut. This guitar and I are fighting right now - over carving...Being that it is spalted maple, I have to fill the wood with epoxy, carve until the wood is bare again, fill with epoxy again and so on...the bare spalted maple does not cut evenly because of all the varying densities in the wood...Looks hot though...

More work

2009-05-19T08:05:00.003-04:00

Just staying on top of things...Here are a couple pictures of the work I have been making on the acoustic front... My brothers kerfed linings are in his WLG Grand, and the back is bowl sanded...The e2 Jumbo is at the same stage, just waiting for the top to be bowl sanded and prepped, and the Koa OM back is entirely done now...

Staying Busy

2009-05-19T07:57:00.005-04:00

Busy has been a defining term in my life recently. But, I have still made time to pinker in the shop towards getting some stuff done. Below is a picture of the birdseye maple fretboard w/ walnut binding for a new 5-string singlecut bass that I am working on...I really do believe it is going to be a fabulous guitar - full of life visually and acoustically.
I also made the neck for that same bass this past weekend...Acouple photos for you...