# Ten String XEN Build



## Danukenator (Jul 26, 2012)

Well, the deposit is placed and my top wood is ordered. XEN guitars is a new company, new being quite literal as, to my knowledge, I may have the first order. (I know an order for another ten was placed as well, they may be a member of the board.)Communication with the Eric (ss.org user urklvt), has been excellent throughout the ordering process. I had a ton of questions and all were answered in a super timely manner. I think the record was three responses in the same day. When I ordered my Siggery, I rushed the process and missed some specs I should rethought, live and learn. Normally, I would be hesitant to order from a very new company but decided to take the risk because I learned the guitar was being built by Tom Drinkwater (along side the second run of guitars). Rambling aside, here are the specs.

Body

Body Type: Xen Double Cut
Body Construction Type: Semi-hollow
Body Wood: Swamp Ash 
Top Wood: Redwood 
Top Wood Color (Dye): N/A
Finish: Oil, natural

Neck

Neck Construction Type: Neck-through
Neck Wood: Maple W/ Black Walnut Stringers (7 Pc.)
Neck Binding: Flamed Maple
Neck Scale: 27"-30"
Neck Radius: Infinite (Flat)
Neck Profile: Xen Standard (Super Thin U Style)
Headstock: Headless
Inlay: None
Side dots: Poinpoint system (Luminlay)
Fretboard: Massacar Ebony
Fret Wire Size: Medium Jumbo
Fret Wire Type: Stainless Steel
Number of Frets: 28
Finish: Oil

Hardware

Bridge: AMB headless bridge
Tuners: AMB Headless Head-pieces
Nut Material: Zero Fret
Hardware Color: Black
Pickups: Lace Alumitone neck, Lace Death Bar bridge (5" model)
Pickup Color: Black
Pickup Selector: Three Way
Controls: Volume, Tone 
Pots: CTS
Switch: Switchcraft
Knobs: Xen Standard (match body and top woods)

Guitar shape: 






Top:


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jul 26, 2012)

Tom does awesome work and Eric's designs rape face. They always look so damn sleek!


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## DjentDjentlalala (Jul 26, 2012)

WOW! cant wait to see it,i've been waiting for months to hear from XEN!


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## mphsc (Jul 26, 2012)

Congrats & love that body shape. If I may ask what did you miss on the Siggery that you rushed?


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 26, 2012)

I used to talk to Eric a shit load and he actually works literally down the street from me (although we've never met). Awesome guy indeed. 

Really looking forward to this build. 

I need to save up for a singlecut 8.


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## Danukenator (Jul 26, 2012)

mphsc said:


> Congrats & love that body shape. If I may ask what did you miss on the Siggery that you rushed?



I could have sat on the specs longer and thought about each detail more carefully. I would have had body/neck binding and a wenge neck vs flamed maple. It isn't that big of a deal, I just wanted to avoid the rush this time.


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## bob123 (Jul 26, 2012)

God damnit that top would be fucking perfect if it werent for that knot  


Anywho, looks tasty man! Hopefully everything works out.


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## Winspear (Jul 26, 2012)

So excited to see these! That body design is simply incredible.



bob123 said:


> God damnit that top would be fucking perfect if it werent for that knot



I kinda agree. I'm all for a nice bookmatch but whenever unique features like that creep in I think it looks really weird with it mirrored either side. Most heavily figured tops I'd much rather see as a single piece.


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## Danukenator (Jul 26, 2012)

bob123 said:


> God damnit that top would be fucking perfect if it werent for that knot



The figure was so amazing I decided to ignore the knots. IMO, the more I see them, the more I like them. Adds some character to the wood.

Side note: if anyone is on the fence ordering from Oregon Wild Woods, I can attest that they have amazing customer service. They also guest I was talking about Tom Drinkwater after I had only said "There is a guitar maker who..." "Is it a Tom Drinkwater?"

EDIT: Here is the top that lost out in the final round of deciding. I didn't care for the figure quite as much.


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## Winspear (Jul 26, 2012)

Yeah it adds character. This particular case aint so bad  Not like some of those bookmatched tops where there is a huge circle or face both sides or something - I really dislike that, though it would look great unbookmatched. 

Oregons catalogue is so epic.


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## Thep (Jul 26, 2012)

You can put stickers over the knots... That would make fantabulous.


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## MetalDaze (Jul 26, 2012)

Congrats! I have muting issues on an 8 string, so a 10 string just blows my mind. I'm sure Hollowayy will be jealous


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## Electric Wizard (Jul 26, 2012)

Danukenator said:


> They also guest I was talking about Tom Drinkwater after I had only said "There is a guitar maker who..." "Is it a Tom Drinkwater?"




Can't wait to see this along side the Autumn OAFs. It'll be cool to see a XEN in the flesh.


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## bob123 (Jul 26, 2012)

for the knots, Id do an inlay or something to cover it up, that wood is just phenomonal...


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## mphsc (Jul 26, 2012)

I sort of like the knots. Depending on the placement of things, they may disappear...


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## Slunk Dragon (Jul 27, 2012)

I looked at this guy's guitar concepts, and I definitely dig them! I really look forward to seeing this guitar come to fruition, it looks really stellar and just by the specs alone I'm hoping to see a really sweet build.


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## XEN (Jul 27, 2012)

Hey guys! Thanks for the kind words.
I'm really excited about this and I can't express how much I appreciate Danukenator's vote of confidence. You rule man!!


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 28, 2012)

Do I still get to play a prototype?


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## Vicious7 (Jul 29, 2012)

I swear that wood looks like woody water, it's freaking gorgeous!


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## in-pursuit (Jul 29, 2012)

I absolutely love those xen designs, such a great flow to them and so classy. with those scale lengths I'm assuming you're going down to G#?


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## JaeSwift (Jul 29, 2012)

Mmm this is gonna look awesome, can't wait to see Eric's designs finalized IRL!


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## Danukenator (Jul 29, 2012)

in-pursuit said:


> I absolutely love those xen designs, such a great flow to them and so classy. with those scale lengths I'm assuming you're going down to G#?



The scale is 27"-30". The string is a special Octave4Plus string, .124 guage.


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## XEN (Jul 30, 2012)

Konfyouzd said:


> Do I still get to play a prototype?


New job starts in 2 weeks, but I'm still staying local!


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## Shadowrag (Jul 30, 2012)

All of the Xen models are fantastic, I know some people on here will be interested in the acoustic ones.. 
XEN STRINGED INSTRUMENTS


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## XEN (Jul 31, 2012)

Shadowrag said:


> All of the Xen models are fantastic, I know some people on here will be interested in the acoustic ones..
> XEN STRINGED INSTRUMENTS


I'm really hoping to get started on those soon. In my *ahem* old age I've become much more of an acoustic player.


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## noizfx (Jul 31, 2012)

I'll be following this build... I'm really liking what I've seen on the XEN site!


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## SilenceIsACrime (Aug 2, 2012)

I seriously LOVE that shape.


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## noizfx (Aug 2, 2012)

^ Meeeeee too!


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## noizfx (Aug 3, 2012)

wrong post sorry, mods please delete this


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## Danukenator (May 23, 2013)

So, quite a bit has changed! However, my build is still in the early stages so it didn't really effect much. 

First off, here is the new shape. Eric did a killer job whipping this up. 







I also visited Tom in his new shop. We visited an amazing wood dealer and I managed to snag some pictures of my guitar (in the raw). The story with the wood dealer will come later, it was simply amazing.

The top wood with no finish: 






The body is now going to be made of cherry. Originally, I planned on swamp ash but I later felt I was getting caught up in a fad. I wanted something harder to help make the lower string sound articulated. This piece, while not hugely figured, has a beautiful color and really fits well with the redwood






The neck is now macasser ebony! Tom mentioned that he was having reactions to Indian Rosewood, so I decided to swap it out for something different. The ebony at Rare Woods was just too amazing to pass on. This piece is about five feet long, Tom is going to make fretboards out of the rest. This stuff is at least 15 years old. 

The portion we are using is beautifully quartersawn. We lucked out with this stuff! Hopefully, it will be nice and stable.






The plan is to make a neck blank, slice it in half and glue the outside edges together. This should give it better strength and help if either piece decides to move around. 

Finally, here is a nice group shot! I love how this stuff looks together!






Currently, my neck is going to acclimate to Tom's shop for about two weeks. After that, the neck blank will sit for another couple weeks and then construction can begin!


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## skeels (May 23, 2013)

This looks great-super jelly! 

In more ways than one!


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## Hollowway (May 24, 2013)

Nice! My XEN9 is going to have a Mac ebony neck as well. I can't wait for atom to start on these! You and I are going to have some pretty sweet build threads!


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## CD1221 (May 24, 2013)

Design looks awesome! Why the change from double cut to single?


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## Danukenator (May 24, 2013)

CD1221 said:


> Design looks awesome! Why the change from double cut to single?



On ERG's I really liked the look of a single cut. There are a ton of bass makers who have similar designs and then there's Tosin's guitar from Jesse Hall (SP?). I just didn't care for the "hole" in the original double cut design. After a little while, I emailed Eric and asked if I could get a design that was "filled in." After that, we added that sound hole.


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## superash (May 26, 2013)

that top looks awesome and the bevels on the mockup are making me jelly!
wood giving me wood
*sighs*


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## Halowords (Jun 1, 2013)

Nice wood & design so far! The I love the SC, however the HCC design has really grown on me aesthetically. From a tonal perspective and what I like in my playing and music, I think it makes a lot of sense. The extended upper-bout seems like it should really work well making a warmer/thicker/wonderful sounding guitar. Plus, it looks amazing!

-Cheers


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## tommychains (Jun 3, 2013)

Some big things happenin' here! 

The woods are breathtaking. I'm actually waiting for my mahogany to come in from gilmer wood, than I'll be in the market for a nice maple neck and fretboard. Do you have any links to the places you got the wood from? You have peeked my interest.

Looking forward to future updates, make us jealous!


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## Danukenator (Jun 3, 2013)

Ask and you shall receive! 
Rare and Exotic Lumber in Maine - Rare Woods USA

It has a price list which is nice because you always know what your going to pay.


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## Diggi (Jun 3, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> The figure was so amazing I decided to ignore the knots. IMO, the more I see them, the more I like them. Adds some character to the wood.
> 
> Side note: if anyone is on the fence ordering from Oregon Wild Woods, I can attest that they have amazing customer service. They also guest I was talking about Tom Drinkwater after I had only said "There is a guitar maker who..." "Is it a Tom Drinkwater?"
> 
> EDIT: Here is the top that lost out in the final round of deciding. I didn't care for the figure quite as much.





Those knots could be "nipples" or eyes. I'd use em' if possible!


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## Danukenator (Jun 3, 2013)

We're going to experiment with the layout a little bit. I actually don't mind the knots. However, since the wood looks rather nice in both the "knot-in" and "knot-out" forms, it remains to be seen if you will see them in the final product. People would be surprised by how small the body of this thing actually is.


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## Halowords (Jun 3, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> We're going to experiment with the layout a little bit. I actually don't mind the knots. However, since the wood looks rather nice in both the "knot-in" and "knot-out" forms, it remains to be seen if you will see them in the final product. People would be surprised by how small the body of this thing actually is.



What kind of layout changes are you playing with? Just knob positionings or body placement on the wood? Just curious.

As for the knots, I think this will look fine either way. Has there been any discussion of moving the sound-hole/slice to the lower body? You could do something that would go over the knot if there is any flexibility to that. Really though, it's pretty subtle (to me at any rate) and seems more "integrated" into the overall figure than most I've seen (not that I'm an expert). Actually, have they said what prompted their decision to place the f-hole in the upper bout? It looks kind of cool, however I was not sure if there was any particulars behind that other than aesthetics. or maybe weight making it less neck/head-heavy. Again, just curious more than anything.

-Cheers


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## Halowords (Jun 3, 2013)

tommychains said:


> Some big things happenin' here!
> 
> The woods are breathtaking. I'm actually waiting for my mahogany to come in from gilmer wood, than I'll be in the market for a nice maple neck and fretboard. Do you have any links to the places you got the wood from? You have peeked my interest.
> 
> Looking forward to future updates, make us jealous!



If it hasn't shipped, why not just ask Marc @ Gilmer to find you a nice Maple neck blank? It might save you some shipping, and he might be able to find something that matched well for what you're looking for.

-Cheers


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## Danukenator (Jun 26, 2013)

More photos!

Here is the rough blank:







And here is the end grain. This shows how the blank would work against itself if one piece started to move:






And Halowords, sorry for the belated response, I didn't see your post. The sound hole was the result of me wanting to "fill in" the hole on the regular SC shape. However, we wanted it to be hollow to not add too much weight. The sound hole was just something that would look interesting; Eric's design.


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## Halowords (Jun 28, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> And here is the end grain. This shows how the blank would work against itself if one piece started to move:



I dig it! I was waiting for some picture updates.



> And Halowords, sorry for the belated response, I didn't see your post. The sound hole was the result of me wanting to "fill in" the hole on the regular SC shape. However, we wanted it to be hollow to not add too much weight. The sound hole was just something that would look interesting; Eric's design.



No problem!

I was curious if you meant changing the layout as far as tweaking the design/knob-layout/features any more beyond that.

FWIW, I'm planning on something similar to yours, and like the filled-in hole/grip look. I'm thinking of (well, planning on) going with a solid top, sort of Lucille-style. I think it will look great either way though. I'm also sort-of stealing the Macassar Ebony neck idea. It's unoriginal at this point since I think I'll be the third person to get a Xen with an Ebony-based neck (although the laminate stripes should be interesting). Is yours going to be solely an Ebony neck?

Anyway, gorgeous neck wood! I think yours is going to turn out great and be really pretty w/ the Macassar Ebony & Redwood.

-Cheers


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## Danukenator (Jun 28, 2013)

I'm pretty sure the knob layout is fine. My hand move's more straight up and down (or perpendicular to the strings) so they won't get in the way. 

And go for the Ebony neck! Tom said he really liked working with it so I'm sure he'd be down to do more of them. We're going to try the two piece neck but will add laminates if Tom feel's it won't be stable enough. So far, I really love the look of cherry/redwood/ebony. I'd rather not add some addition wood to the mix unless it's necessary.

When do you think your build will be starting? I'd love it follow it!


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## Halowords (Jun 28, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> I'm pretty sure the knob layout is fine. My hand move's more straight up and down (or perpendicular to the strings) so they won't get in the way.
> 
> And go for the Ebony neck! Tom said he really liked working with it so I'm sure he'd be down to do more of them. We're going to try the two piece neck but will add laminates if Tom feel's it won't be stable enough. So far, I really love the look of cherry/redwood/ebony. I'd rather not add some addition wood to the mix unless it's necessary.
> 
> When do you think your build will be starting? I'd love it follow it!



The Macassar Ebony neck is pretty much a done deal. I think we're doing a laminate to tie it into the body and provide a contrast. The wood (there are a couple that are possibilities) for the laminate stripes might provide/add a little warmth to the guitar too. Or it might do nothing except look cool. More details to follow. I'm going to defer to Tom though (I think he's the one doing the build).

As for when my build starts, hard to say. Basically, we're ironing out the details, then Eric will probably want to figure out a price so I can pay him for it. I think most of the specs are figured out, so a few smaller details and then we'll be off. I can start a thread with my would-be specs and rationale if you'd like, then add pics as I get them. It's all preliminary but it's going to happen.

-Cheers


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## Danukenator (Oct 28, 2013)

Woah, update city!
























To explain what's going on in this pic: basically, the top is going to be fit so that the top of the neck blank is flush with the top of the guitar. The fretboard is then glued on, elevating it above the rest of the guitar. The angle and grain color can make this picture a little confusing. 

Super stoked with how this is looking!


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## Danukenator (Oct 29, 2013)

AH! AGAIN!

Laying out the guts:






And with the top (not glued):


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## Danukenator (Oct 29, 2013)

Sorry, I've got one more update. Anyone see anything familiar in this clip?

http://www.foxbangor.com/news/local-news/3421-a-maine-made-treasure.html

Big congrats to Tom! Nice to see him get some recognition!


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## dudeskin (Oct 30, 2013)

Pics are all upside down man hahaha


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## Danukenator (Oct 30, 2013)

dudeskin said:


> Pics are all upside down man hahaha



Really? They are showing up correctly for me.


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## dudeskin (Oct 30, 2013)

Yeah just the last 2 posts. Confusing to look at haha


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## Cloudy (Oct 30, 2013)

Danukenator said:


> Really? They are showing up correctly for me.



They're also fine for me, weird.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 30, 2013)

It's a common issue with iPhone pictures actually. The information about how they are to be viewed is saved in the metadata I believe, rather than the images actually being turned around. So there's only one correct way to take pictures that doesn't take upside-down pictures. My solution is to open them in photoshop, save them as they are, and then upload. When you save the pictures, even with no changes, Photoshop will write them to display correctly or something magical like that.


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## Konfyouzd (Oct 31, 2013)




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## JEngelking (Nov 1, 2013)

XEN single cuts are gorgeous, will be following this thread!


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## Danukenator (Nov 1, 2013)

Some beautiful maple for the neck binding!


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 1, 2013)

Maple binding... Interesting! That's gunna look amazing!


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## Halowords (Dec 20, 2013)

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, do you have a rough ETA for this? I am going to have a few questions for you once you get yours. But man, so far this looks petty sweet!

-Cheers


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## Danukenator (Dec 20, 2013)

I'm hoping it will be done during my winter break. I'm about 10 months past when I thought I'd be done 

I know Tom got the poly finish for it recently!


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 20, 2013)

This is looking really good.


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## JEngelking (Dec 20, 2013)

Thank you, Konfyouzd, for liking my comment, I had almost forgotten about this thread and I forgot to subscribe. 

Danukenator, still can't wait to see it finished! Hopefully Tom can get it wrapped up soon so our eyes can all behold its greatness.


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## Erick Kroenen (Dec 20, 2013)

Looking great so far


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## CaptainLuckeyBeard (Dec 23, 2013)

Absolutely love the single cut ERG look. This will be epic!


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## jemfloral (Dec 23, 2013)

this is quite the build, 10 string necks are so huge


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## Danukenator (Jan 26, 2014)

Pics are from Eric and Tom! I'm so excited to get this thing. I love how the colors worked together. The ebony cavity cover was a killer touch. I though it was just going to be a plastic one!


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## crg123 (Jan 26, 2014)

I'm loving this build man, I can't wait to see how it looks when its completed.


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## Winspear (Jan 27, 2014)

Absolutely ....ing amazing dude. Too stoked for my 9 after seeing that carve


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## Hollowway (Jan 27, 2014)

That's kickass, man! I think I'm up next, so I'm super pumped!


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## Winspear (Jan 27, 2014)

^ When did you place your order? Curious where abouts things are


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## Hollowway (Jan 27, 2014)

EtherealEntity said:


> ^ When did you place your order? Curious where abouts things are



We started designing the 9 and 10 in the summer of 2012. I paid the deposit in Dec 2012, iirc. I actually thought I was in front of Danukenator, but I got it started right when Tom was building the new shop and starting these runs, so I'm not sure. I don't have a firm date when the builds will start, but he's got all the woods and is ready to go. So hopefully soon. I have an 8 on order too, so it will be cool if he does them all together.


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## Winspear (Jan 27, 2014)

Oh cool! I actually placed mine back in September but I guess you'd be up first given you started discussions way back


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## nikolix (Jan 27, 2014)

Is it with two truss rods and two graphite rods?


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## Danukenator (Jan 27, 2014)

nikolix said:


> Is it with two truss rods and two graphite rods?



It does. How necessary that is IDK. We've been really patient with the wood to make sure it's not going to move but those are just insurance.

Hollowway: I played my deposit in August/September of 2012. Given the delays before the start of the build, I was able to tweak my specs.


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## Hollowway (Jan 27, 2014)

EtherealEntity said:


> Oh cool! I actually placed mine back in September but I guess you'd be up first given you started discussions way back



Oh, shoot, I just saw I did the wrong year. It was December of 2012, not 2013! (I edited the post just now....)


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## Hollowway (Jan 27, 2014)

Danukenator said:


> It does. How necessary that is IDK. We've been really patient with the wood to make sure it's not going to move but those are just insurance.
> 
> Hollowway: I played my deposit in August/September of 2012. Given the delays before the start of the build, I was able to tweak my specs.



Great minds think alike! Think about 10 stings alike, anyway!


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## ThePhilosopher (Jan 27, 2014)

I feel so behind, I'm just now about to put in my deposit for a 9 string SC - I hope it comes out as glorious as this 10.


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## Danukenator (Jan 27, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> Great minds think alike! Think about 10 stings alike, anyway!



ERG master race!

I wanted to start a club at my college called:

The Society Against the Discrimination of Extended Range Instruments

But it's Vermont so...I'd need to get into Folk.


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## ThePhilosopher (Jan 27, 2014)

Tune to m3, recruit, and then back to standard tuned goodness.


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## Danukenator (May 5, 2014)

Oh my!






I'm super happy I went with cherry!


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## Randy (May 5, 2014)

I like the look of all that real estate between the neck and the upper horn. That thing's going to be Tone City.


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## xwmucradiox (May 5, 2014)

That looks incredible!


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## Cloudy (May 6, 2014)

wow just...wow that is nice.


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## MF_Kitten (May 7, 2014)

The cherry looks really nice.


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