#168621  by augustwest1
 
Something a little different -- a Wolf-style guitar made out of the woods (Cocobolo, Padauk & Western (curly) Maple) that were used on Tiger.  Built like Tiger in terms of the set-neck design, with a bit less ornamentation than a regular Wolf.

The guy who commissioned this guitar decided against an inlay in the "wolf" area from the start.  But once the Cocobolo billet was opened up and we saw the sapwood pattern, and especially the two orange dots, it was an obvious way to echo the original with something organic.

A few photos:

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Jblue76, NeilG1, LazyLightning72 and 3 others liked this
 #168623  by Jon S.
 
I like it! Why not?! Cool the way the sapwood part of the top boards is included - I see that on basses a lot but less often on guitars.
 #168636  by TI4-1009
 
Wow Bob. I've never been partial to the Wolf shape, but I LIKE THIS! Beautiful work- as always.
 #168638  by NeilG1
 
I can still barely believe it, but I am the owner of this incredible guitar. Needless to say, it is the most beautiful instrument I've ever played. The whole process with Bob was just too much fun, and a great learning experience. My initial suggestion was to build Wolf, in Tiger wood, with a set neck. Like any project, of course, interesting decisions and modifications came up along the way. Like Bob said, the Cocobolo billet had some sapwood visible. Before he sawed it up, we both figured we'd try to find boards that didn't show this feature at all. But once it was cut, it became clear that this was the coolest aspect of the wood, and did in some ways evoke the Wolf inlay. Without a doubt the best Zoom call I've had during the pandemic was mocking up the hardware on different boards with Bob and imagining the final layout!

Bob had a great way of nudging me toward the right decisions - the headstock Eagle, for instance. Another change that arose during the build was the tail piece - Wolf had abalone inserts behind the Koi fish cut-outs. This just didn't fit against the cocobolo and brass, so we left them open to the wood grain below, which looks fantastic, in my opinion.

The guitar feels and sounds unreal. The neck is perfect. The range of tones available is massive, and I've only just started scratching the surface in that regard. It's perfectly balanced and the neck plays so well.

Someone mentioned the neck - we went with a Tiger style laminate for aesthetic reasons. The neck is one place to highlight Bob's work, because it still blows my mind. Here's a shot of how it started when first joined to the body:

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And by some magic, by hand, he turns it to this:

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And finally to this:

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And not only is it stunning, but it plays like a dream, and access to the high frets is better than anything I've ever played.

If you're looking for a guitar of the highest calibre, a really fun process, and working with a fantastic builder, give Bob a shout. I can't recommend him more.
Jblue76, TI4-1009, ssmug liked this
 #168639  by LazyLightning72
 
Absolutely beautiful work!

Do you have a site or just do this on the side? I’d love to see other builds you’ve done is why I ask.

But bravo sir, you outdid yourself.
 #168642  by NeilG1
 
The Wolf thread that was active recently is also all examples of Bob’s work. And the “Tiger Tribute” thread too. Augustwest1 is his handle here. All outstanding stuff
 #168643  by LazyLightning72
 
NeilG1 wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:41 pm The Wolf thread that was active recently is also all examples of Bob’s work. And the “Tiger Tribute” thread too. Augustwest1 is his handle here. All outstanding stuff
The Wolf he did, is outstanding too!
NeilG1 liked this