Guitar Of The Month – September, 2023
Congratulations goes out to Jean-Michel Pranno for his guitar build, to earn him Guitar of the Month for September 2023.
Jean-Michel used our ESK-35T kit as the basis to create his guitar.
“This is my second ESK-35T kit (my third kit overall) and I’ve continued to apply my learnings from previous kits on to this one along with trying a few different techniques that were on my mind.
The main thing I wanted to try was a burst finish which is really classic for this body style. I got four different stains from Saman (black, cherry, cognac and hop) to achieve the finish shown in the pictures. Going from dark to lighter colour, I started with the black. After a full day of drying, I sanded the body starting with the center and then working my way outward towards the edge of the body by going lighter and lighter. From there, I used a mix of the cognac and cherry (5 parts cognac and 1 part cherry), repeating the process. And finally I finished the colour with the hop. What I learned from my first kit using the Tru-Oil from Birchwood Casey to finish the guitar is that I needed to apply two more coats of the Tru Oil after the last wet-sanding process using a 2500 grit wet sandpaper. On my first kit, I omitted this and it provided a matte finish. By adding these final two coats after wet sanding, it gives it a nice glossy look and finish.
As for the neck, I used the same stains to achieve a worn look on the back of the neck. For the head-stock, I added an exotic wood veneer, but instead of painting my Fleur-De-Lys logo on the surface as before, I used a scroll saw to cut the logo out of the veneer first and then filled the gap with a resin that looks like an inlay. Really happy with this and will use the technique once again.
Finally, as per my original ESK-35T kit, I added a Bigsby tremolo which I bought separately.
As a whole, I find that this latest kit came together more nicely than my first one (which was the April 2020 Guitar of the Month winner), but both were great experiences. I included a picture of both guitars together and I’m torn on which is my favourite one. But both have really nice playability.
Still interested in doing another one.
Thank you and best regards”
-J-M
6 Responses to “Guitar Of The Month – September, 2023”
That guitar looks absolutely beautiful, as does the blue one. Obviously you put some real love and care into the job, and fully deserve your G.O.T.M. wins. Congratulations.
Beautiful build. I have been inspired by the way Jean-Michel stained the back of the neck. I’m just starting a SGK-20 (my 9th Solo kit build) which will be dyed blue with a black burst, and plan to apply my dye in a similar way to how Jean-Michel did it. It will look so much better than just a solid black. Thanks for the idea.
A Beauty!
What did you use for finish? I am doing a 330 kit r/n ( Gibson pred of Casino) and experimenting with Wipe-On Poly and Saman stains.
Thanks for the details!
Bravo, well done….loving the tone in the body and the blend…. fabulous choice… my hats off to your handy work and good taste… presents beautifully.
Thank you for the compliments. I really do like how it turned out.
For for the finish, I first used all of my Saman stains listed (black, cherry, cognac and hop), starting from darker to lighter. Applied one color, let it dry overnight (even if they state otherwise), sand to the desired finish and then applied the other lighter color over the whole surface and repeat the process. I found that by layering the colors over each other with in between sanding, it added depth. Especially in the burst sections.
To finish, I used Tru-Oil Gunstock Finish by Birchwood Casey (available online or at many different hardware stores). For this, you have to be patient. Use very thin coats twice per day and then after 12-15 coats, wetsand and then do a final 1-2 coats of Tru-Oil to really get the shiny finish. After letting it cure for 7-10 days, polish with a regular car polish. To apply Tru-Oil, I use coffee filters because they don’t shred or leave residue like a fabric, but look it up on YouTube, there are plenty of way people use Tru-Oil and use the one that works for you.
Thank you again for your reply, great info and tips! You are digging deep and result is great looking guitar. I have built 5 acoustics from scratch and have two more on the go and some more electrics. I hand build and use CNC as well. Now I am trying to get more into finishes. Are you on any forum? If you’d like to chat builds I am also on build tour own guitar forum under AldLuthier handle.
Cheers!