"Art Gecko" Archtop Guitar

This archtop guitar is fairly classic in shape being a large jumbo (17" lower bout). I couldn't resist the pun when deciding on he inlay and sound holes. The simple geometric lines of the headstock shape, inlay, and the Grover Super Rotomatic™ tuners all suggest the Art Deco period. This instrument made its debut at the 2003 Healdsburg guitar festival. Except for the strange lizards where the f-holes ought to be, this instrument is made with very traditional archtop construction. The back and sides are broadleaf maple and the top is a very fine hunk of European spruce. The neck joins the body in a very violin-like manner. The tailpiece is a traditional floating design that attaches to the end button with a "gut." The archings and X-brace are optimized for acoustic solo work, but it would be easy to add a floating pickup attached to a raised pickguard. The ebony tailpiece floats from a "gut" attached to the end pin. The back and sides are made from an exquisite set of broadleaf maple I purchased from LMI during the 1999 Healdsburg Guitar Festival. The heel cap is part of the back which made fitting the neck even more touchy. The neck is fitted much like a violin neck. There is no shoulder on the neck tenon. It fits directly into the neck block mortise. The heel cap is part of the back. This means that the neck must be painstakingly fitted in several directions: It must intersect the heel cap and neck block mortise precisely. It has to maintain the correct angle and the center line must line up with the center of the guitar body. The finish is nitrocellulose, sprayed by my friend and superb guitar maker Julius Borges.