Nice! A sound port and armrest...if it has a manzer wedge, I'm in love. Congrats on the new build. Could you describe your experience. I've been looking into a commissioned piece, but I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. Any advice you could give would be great.
Boone, I've had a good time discussing a potential build with Brad. Although I first wrote him after seeing some of his guitars at the AGF, I had no real intention of ordering until after we talked for a while. We sent quite a few emails back and forth talking about my hearing (I use a cochlear implant) and what I think about my other guitars. Brad asked some very intelligent questions and made some suggestions that I thought were pretty well on the mark. He also talked a bit about his shop and goals. No pressure at all, just very friendly conversation too! So one day a few months back I was reading one of his emails and I thought to myself, "I trust this guy to make me a good guitar." And I sent him a check for a deposit the same day.
The guitar pictured above is actually part of the exploration. If it was not clear, I'm just trying this one out, with the intent of seeing how the woods work for my needs. Based on how I react to it (and to the Tornillo Carmen) we'll have some good information that can guide us on the wood selection.
I think that once you can talk to a luthier and learn how they think, how they react to your questions and needs, it's a lot easier to commit to a build.
