Wilson Burnham Guitars

"The many folk names of this tree (Umbellularia californica) tell a tale of the vivid impression it has made on the generations that have known it. To the Oregonians it is Oregon Myrtle, to the Californians it is California Laurel; though not strictly either a Myrtle or a Laurel, it is at least in the Laurel family and, like the classic Laurel or Bay (Laurus nobilis) with which ancient victors and poets were crowned, it has a spicily aromatic and evergreen leaf. Hence the name of Green Baytree, Spicetree and Pepperwood." Donald Culross Peattie, A Natural History of Western Trees , 1953 The neck is on and the cocobolo binding, too. The fingerboard is ready to be glued on. I love the "ice cream cone" heel. This guitar is made in the style of Lacote, I used padauk for the end graft to contrast the cocobolo bindings. The back of the peghead, I will install Grover friction tuners after I finish the guitar. There are many period guitars that used wing nut friction tuners,

" Though you may fret me, yet you cannot play upon me ." William Shakespeare, Hamlet  1601 Fretting, what an appropriate verb to use to describe working on the fingerboard for a guitar, and out of all the parts of a guitar, the neck and the fret board are literally the heart of a guitar. One can always pluck the strings of a guitar over the sound board, but you really "play" the guitar at the neck and fingerboard, that's where as a player you do the real work. Yes, one must look at the guitar overall as an instrument, it must play well and sound well, two things which to me are one in the same. If the guitar doesn't play wonderfully, it won't sound that way. I had a long phone conversation with Marc Culbertson of Gilmer Woods last summer about guitar necks and neck woods and got quite the education on fret work from him. What a great guy! I cut slots in a fret board with a fret saw that I bought from LMI back in the '90's that has a walnut hand