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  1. #26

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    Just got this update from Ms. Lora, it must be VERY late in China, or VERY early since I am posting this at almost 10pm EDT... Top carved, F holes cut and bound and what looks like a groove to line up the neck slot (what do I know, LOL).


    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151107102822-jpg

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  3. #27

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    Big Mike, That looks like a great experience in the making. It will be great to see updates on your guitar being made. You will pretty much know everything about it when it's done. That's for posting this.

  4. #28

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    It is an exciting process because you see the progress shots of it being made and it gives you a better understanding of what you are cradling in your arms once you have it.

    This place has been all abuzz with some of Patrick's guitars changing hands, finding new homes. It's kinda hard not sitting here slack jawed in awe at what wonderful stuff he had, and is now being redistributed to The Brothers here. Still I'm excited every day when I get an update, it got kind of quiet and lonely for me while Ms Lora was off visiting family. I'm glad to be experiencing the birth of this Dream Guitar. There's still at least 6-8 weeks to go. I asked Ms Lora to be sure Mr Wu lets the guitar rest and really dry before sending it off to me (also).


    ALSO: consistent good news from Chicago. I talk to my Mom almost every day. She's gotten into the routine at the Rehab Facility, she's working hard too. Her lady (RN that lives with her) said that Friday she did 15 minutes peddling a bike like thing with her arms, and stood totally on her own not holding onto anything for 5 minutes. For someone who is 92 and broke a hip a month ago this is terrific news. I hope to visit her in about 3 weeks when my finances improve a little.

    Big
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 11-29-2015 at 09:37 AM.

  5. #29

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    Well, it has been a while since I updated this thread. And it took me a while to FIND the thread what with all the other adventures of our crazy crowd. So here we go. Sent Lora the remaining funds and triple checked that Mr Wu was using the very nicest woods he could locate and paid the invoice. Boy that felt good. So then it took a while but here are my latest photos. A little bit of a recap on the pieces going together:

    Top and back plates, rims and side shot of the rims

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151129151812-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151129151802-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151129151748-jpg

    Remember fellas this is more of a Byrdland thickness guitar, 2 1/4 inch rim wood (just the wood that makes up the rim, what a Byrdland is) and 17 inch body. I tell ya I am very excited. Also I asked Ms Lora if she was ok with posting photos of herself, Mr and Mrs Wu also, as I feel in my culture it helps to connect a face to a name and also to see the shop they work in. So here's Lora, Mr and Mrs Wu
    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_3739-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_7706-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_7697-jpg
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 11-29-2015 at 09:38 AM.

  6. #30

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    Alright Mike. She's coming to life. Thanks for the photos also. It is nice to put a face on the people you're dealing with. Congrats and hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

  7. #31

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    Yup, slowly making progress. Notice the shop shots, they work near windows with lots of natural lighting. Lora says it is getting cold there and they have snow... Boy

    And an update on my Mom which I was remiss to include. She is still at the Rehab facility getting daily and some days twice daily physical therapy. She's built up arm strength but has trouble working her legs, all due to the slow repairing of her hip and the placement of her leg. BUT they are not letting up on her and my sister and I and my nieces have had to sort of rag on her to work harder. She's 92 and just gets tired really easily. Some days I think maybe she just wants to go be with my Dad (in Heaven)...

  8. #32

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    Wow BigMike! I am sure, it will be a wonderful guitar! It's an adventure ...

  9. #33

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    Howdy everyone. Got an update from Ms Lora today, here's the photos - body appears to be all glued up and bound.

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151216143100-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151216143337-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151216143345-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151216143348-jpg

    Also for anyone who is in touch with China, if you do not hear from your contacts, be sure to reconnect with them, seems electronic mail is spotty at times - 2nd time in a month for me. So when in doubt recontact.
    I'm pumped and very glad to see the progress. Can't wait to play this baby.

    Mike

  10. #34

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    Beautiful top wood, Mike! Coming along nicely. Did you stick with a rim width of 2 1/4"? Looks slightly wider on the photos to me... (I play my Mr Wu daily. Different beast than a Gibby, but a very nice guitar in its own right.)

  11. #35

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    I like this body dimensions Mike. Looks like a smaller upper bout width (12,or12 1/2"? )with a 3" depth? Very D'Angelico'ish. Would have been a nice present to open for Christmas. Looking forward to more photos.

  12. #36

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    You both have good eyes and yes it is a 3 inch depth. Originally I asked for 2 1/2 inch rim wood. THEN I looked more carefully at Byrdland and L5CT specs

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_0529-jpg
    and realized it was a lot smaller, 2 1/4 at the most. And when you add in 1/4 inch top and bottom binding you would have gotten 2 3/4 like a John Pisano model which is very comfortable.

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_8849-jpg
    After I caught my mistake I sent the into to Ms Lora and she relayed the info change but it was after Mr Wu had already glued up the body panels - I really wanted that back so am sticking with these dimensions. I measured the Eastman Prototype I have very carefully and it is 3 1/8 inch total depth. That sounds big but when I lay that thing in my lap (I play sitting down) it is very comfortable. So short answer it is not as thin as originally envisioned but I'm very pleased with it and it will be about 1/8 thinner than the old Eastman Prototype.

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_8860-jpg


    I share an old photo of the prototype a friend once sent me to get ya'll a little excited. The wood on this new guitar will be just as nice. My next project will have the thinner rims, but surely I'm more excited about this job. I was telling Ms Lora as a kid I always looked forward to Christmas and the gifts I was hoping to get. Now that I am older I pick my own presents and I gotta say I am really very excited about this special guitar.
    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-9731_150471882238_700647238_2710437_1186251_n-jpg
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 12-18-2015 at 01:03 PM.

  13. #37

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    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-p1_uovy2dp0w_so-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-p3_useoautgf_so-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-p2_ufhf1okik_so-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-p5_utbhiqaz4_so-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-p4_uvutko4h4_so-jpg


    Not one to rest on my laurels (ass) I contacted Ms Lora and requested Mr Wu plan out another project for me when he is done with this current job. It will be a copy of a Campellone Manhattan Skyline guitar, a one of a kind that commemorates the lost Twin Towers. Here's a link to the guitar on Reverb.com, I have asked to have the pickup mounted close as possible to the end of the fingerboard and that the total depth including the bindings be 2 1/4 inches... Oh Yeah Baby !!

    https://reverb.com/item/1348510-camp...FQokHwodKwgIYA
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 12-19-2015 at 12:47 PM.

  14. #38

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    Mike is Mr. Wu going to do the tailpiece,fret board, bridge,heal end, and nut cover in abalone also? That'll be a sweet one Mike.

  15. #39

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    I think the breakdown in the labor is Mr Wu makes the body, ajnd if there was no inlay work it would be all him. But the inlay is all Mrs. Wu and she's damn good. And right now I'm more interested in chasing the final details of the first project, but once I send a deposit Mr Wu would start building the body for the 2nd one. There sure is no rush. And yes getting the rose inlay on the back of the headstock (see the Reverb link) and the rose inlay on the tailpiece and all the abalone inlay everywhere else, including the heal, would be Mrs. Wu's venue. Actually this guitar might be a bit easier for Mrs Wu to do. The abalone inlay on the fingerboard is a bit less complicated. More or less an L5CT single pickup... Cherry sunburst. Oh Yeah

  16. #40

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    Mike, I picture walking into your home and seeing Guitars all over the place.. Then going out on the deck and seeing them growing in the backyard.. Sort of like a dream that never ends. Thanks for sharing.
    Joe D

  17. #41

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    ​Joe, I don't have that many guitars - at the moment I have 3 arch tops (Eastman, Yunzhi and Yunzhi), one Ibanez AS103 in burled maple and one 80's Greco RG800 which is a Ric 360 copy. Love them all. Got the Campellone Special copy in the works.

    I think if anyone came to Casa Big the first thing you would notice was all the cats heading for the Back 40, they're all not used to visitors - then the smells of food cooking would set in and out on the back deck after a while sitting admiring the view some of the braver cats would come back from the back and the chickens would come around, see if there are any suckers visiting that might pet them and give them a little treat. It's kinda quiet out here except for me calling all the cats in for dinner or cussing out one of the kittens for chasing the chickens. It's definitely different out here.

    And as for this new dream guitar: I only wrote Ms. Lora this morning and due to the time differences there is a delay. They're like 18 hours or so off from New Jersey. I am pretty sure that the Wu's will be flattered that I want another guitar so soon and I know Ms Lora well enough she'll be happy to assist in making it happen. But right now the main focus is wrapping up the Campellone Special copy, the original reason for this thread.

    It might be after Christmas or into the New Year before we get another batch of photos from Ms. Lora and I update this thread so let me wish all of you God Speed, Safe Holidays and a Healthy and Happy New Year.

    Ye Old Grouch, BigMike

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-1800487_10152124641372239_122876964_n-jpg

  18. #42

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    Happy New Year Fellas !!

    Well as I told ya it seemed like I wasn't going to hear anything for a while: next step was making the neck, fitting it to the body and doing the inlay (in what step the inlay is done I'm not sure: is it before the neck is glued in (giving Mrs Wu lots of time to do her part) or after). Anyway this morning there is no email. I did a few things and knee jerk checked again and BANG, here it is guys. This is the kinda update any of us who have bought from Lora can tell you is a real rush to the system, when you see your "dream" really coming together it's a real kick in the pants, a GOOD one !! LOL. Body and neck are mated, inlays on fingerboard are done (I believe they shot this one after the faceplate on the headstock was taped up. Remember the finish is natural blonde. And also remember I have the bound ebony pick guard made by M. Campellone off a Special, this pick guard has the PAF 0 pickup that is hand wound by Kent Armstrong.

    Lora says next thing is to be painted, updates after it's been "painted". Actually I believe that is a french polish for color and then a couple coats of lacquer which once dried is almost completely buffed out. Yesterday when I was wondering WHEN I would see more photos the ghost of my dearly beloved Dad cried out to me one of his famous one liners "Patience jackass, patience"...

    Enjoy, comments are welcome

    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520160104193336-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520160104193412-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520160104193409-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-img_8501-jpg
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 01-04-2016 at 09:28 AM.

  19. #43

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    Wow, gorgeous Mike !

    Indeed, you must be in pain and turmoil now, lol ! Will you find sleep tonight ?

    Those fret markers ! First time i see those ... your design ?

    You're right, when my Yunzhi got to that state it was exactly as you said with the 5 quadruple expressos.

    Actually, i could hear the sound of my hand rubbing this bare wood, and i wish guitars could survive this unfinished state because i think it looks beautiful with maple.

    So ... how much longer ? Three weeks ?

    .............................


    The more i look at it, the more i think that guitar is gonna be real classy ! Nice headstock shape too.

    Well done !
    Last edited by xuoham; 01-04-2016 at 09:58 AM.

  20. #44

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    It's a dead copy of a M Campellone Special, the inlays are copies of what Campellone uses on the "Special" model. About the only differences will be Mr. Wu's name in chinese characters on the headstock and the tailpiece. Look back through this thread and I think there are photos of some Campellone's and the tailpiece.

    Yeah this is the REALLY VERY EXCITING part of the buy process. When you see your dream starting to really take shape, you know it's going into the paint booth and you wait and wait. And yeah maybe 3 weeks. I told Lora to be sure that the guitar really gets a chance to dry once it is sprayed. Yes I am in a hurry to play it but yes I am also trying to be patient. Not easy for a 69 year old man who sometimes feels like a teenager looking at pictures of his first love/crush. This really is a big boost, a big kick in the butt seeing those photos.


    Mike

  21. #45

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    Wow...

  22. #46

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    Ah, i see, thanks, ignorant me, lol. Sorry, not much on the forum these days, so i didn't read the details at the beginning of the post !

  23. #47

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    Nothing to apologize for. There are so many threads here and being the Holidays are just passed everyone was busy seeing family and traveling and relaxing. A fun here that is for sure.

  24. #48

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    Wow. Congrats, Mike. I love the shape of that headstock. What a great way to start the new year...

  25. #49

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    Looking good Mike! Mrs Wu does a great job on the inlay work. We're all waiting with you Mike. Patience Mike Patience.

  26. #50

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    There is a lot going on right now, my Mom isn't making much progress at the rehab facility and in a month they want to move her to an extended care place (convalescent home). She's old and tired and I think they may be over medicating her a little. It's a tough time to see her fading slowly.

    So this guitar news is really a great boost, an up thing I really needed to start out this first week of the New Year with. And I can't tell if they did the inlay on the headstock already and have it taped up or need to do that first and they into the spray booth, here's the inlay they'll do - and it'll have Mr Wu's name at the top of the headstock, like this. And then there is this shot of the back panel, wetted down so you can see the flame, right now the body is all sanded out and probably the lighting in the pre paint area is not so flattering. I'm dying to see this thing sprayed...
    Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-12109789_10153286427022239_7059651383549002465_o-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-p7124728-jpgMs Lora/Mr Wu Special Project-qq-22270-2925520151009185824-jpg