Cornerstone Zion Build - Lutz & Tasmanian Blackwood

[AerialBoundries]

I'm a regular member over at the AGF, and I just thought I'd share my new build over here as well.

This will be a Zion model made by Peter Marreiros of Cornerstone Guitars in California (http://www.cornerstoneguitar.com/Home.html). I wanted an acoustic suited to lower tunings for fingerstyle work, and these are the specs I've decided on:

Lutz Spruce Top
Tasmanian Blackwood Back and Sides
Kevin Ryan Bevel
25.9" Scale

Here are the pics so far - I'll update as we go along. Enjoy!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/uncutbackglued.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/backcut.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/Img_5980.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/sides.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/bentsides.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/Img_5995.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/topjoined.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/Img_6074.jpg

[John Mayes]

Peter does great work. I'm sure you'll pleased!!

[AerialBoundries]

Thanks John! I've admired your work plenty. I think the main thing I was missing from my last few acoustics was the longer scale length. I play in a lot of drop D and C tunings, so the 25.9" scale should work great. I'm also having it set up with a separate nut and saddle as a wannabe baritone, probably for C-C tuning.

[AerialBoundries]

Thought I would bring this up to date - she's almost done!!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6248.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6319.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6320.jpg

[AerialBoundries]

After pore-filler, pre final finish:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/5.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/7.jpg

Catalyzed Poly Finish applied:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6372.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6371.jpg

[AerialBoundries]

Neck pre-finish:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6391.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6400.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6401.jpg

Neck with pore-filler, pre-final finish:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/porefiller.jpg

I just got word that the finished neck has returned to the builder. All that's left now is to install the bridge and neck and set her up :dude

[AnthonyL]

Beautiful!!! What's the current build time?

[soulohio]

man that is beeyootiful...i'll give you 50 bucks and an old alvarez for her.

i thought me old eyes were playing tricks on me with that forearm bevel... does it make that much difference in comfort or sound?

[AerialBoundries]

@ AnthonyL - I placed my deposit in April 08, and he started building in Sept 08. Should be done in less than a month I would say. Not sure what the current wait might be, but I know Peter is very busy. If you're looking at the website (which has some religious overtones - not why I chose him) my Zion is unique in that it does not have a double top. Peter agreed to build mine with a single Lutz spruce top.

@ soulohio - The credit for this particular bevel design goes to the great Kevin Ryan (Peter's mentor). I've only played one guitar with a bevel (Greenfield) but I've discussed them with lots of guys who have and love them. There is added comfort on a large guitar like this (16.5" lower bout - approx 5" deep at tail) supposedly allowing the picking arm to rest in a variety of more natural positions. In addition, the smaller surface area of the soundboard gives the guitar some of the mid/high frequency benefits of a smaller guitar.

Another interesting innovation of this guitar is the side soundport, which allows the player more direct feedback. You know how an acoustic always sounds more full out front? Well, this design feeds some of that juicy tone right in the players direction. Cool stuff!

[AerialBoundries]

Getting closer...

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6442.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6445.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6447.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6448.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6449.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6451.jpg

[soulohio]

ok 60 bucks and the alvarez...

[lazymonday]

Good heavens that bevel is beautiful.

[JSeth]

What a GORGEOUS guitar!!!!

The woods look amazing - love the blackwood (?)... the innovations are very well done; I'd be interested to hear about the "soundport"! They always seemed like a "good idea" to me, but something about the departure from traditional asthetics sticks in my craw, I guess... however, as I stated, they look lovely.

Please post finished pics!!! There aren't enough good pictures of acoustic guitars in this world, let alone this site! (The guy who wrote the "good acoustics are really expensive" post should look at this one!!! Just to grasp what goes into making one of these beauties!)

Enjoy the anticipation!!!!

play on..............................>

John Seth Sherman

[AerialBoundries]

Thanks again for the comments, everyone. Ordering a custom guitar is quite an adventure. I'll be sure to post a full review and clips when she comes home.

All that's left now is the pickup install and final setup!!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6461.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/IMG_6462.jpg

[jcotten]

Wow! That is one beautiful guitar. Of course, coming from Peter, this is no surprise. I've read rave reviews on his instruments several times, though I've not (yet) had opportunity to play one.

One thing I can say, though, is that Peter is a great guy!

jcotten

[AerialBoundries]

Thanks John :) Look for the full report within the next few weeks on the AGF!

[AerialBoundries]

I received my guitar, and thought I would post my review here for anyone interested. What a killer guitar!!!

I received my Zion fingerstyle guitar on Wednesday from Peter Marreiros of Cornerstone Guitars http://www.cornerstoneguitar.com

For those who missed it, the build thread is here:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135338&highlight=zion

Here is a rundown of the specs:

Lutz Spruce, Single Top
Tasmanian Blackwood Back & Sides
25.9" Scale Length
1 13/16" nut width - 2 5/16" bridge spacing
Macassar Ebony bevel, rosette & rear headstock plate
Pinless Ebony bridge, Ebony fingerboard and binding
Soundport

I wanted to give myself a couple of days to get acquainted before making comments on the guitar. I'm still in the honeymoon stage I guess, whatever that really means, but I played it for probably around 10-12 hours since Wednesday and I am head over heels IN LOVE! It stands firmly with the best I have ever played including Laskin, Greenfield and Beneteau. Peter completely exceeded my expectations in every respect. The long scale is something I have wanted for a long, long time and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. With a standard .056 string, I get a nice meaty low C (insert huge grin here -> :D). It is strung with JP mediums now and it handles a wide range of tunings with ease. The extra bit of tension retained by the extended scale is also just enough to help me keep from bending strings sharp while playing a complex chord shape that I might not grab just right.

The whole package is masterfully executed. Finish like glass (thanks again Joe White!!!), extremely comfortable low profile satin finished neck, perfect mix of colors and textures for my taste. The bevel in particular is just outstanding - I like it better than the Laskin style bevels I have experienced. The soundport is doing exactly what I wanted - giving me a more full, 3D tone which in turn inspires me to play cleaner and better. I can clearly hear the difference when covering the port. I was going to work with Peter on a custom neck profile but I decided to let him do his thing with his standard low profile and it came out great. The wide spacing is perfect for me - I have the same on my baritone.

I just want to say again how pleased I am with the tone of this guitar, even only days after receiving it. The nature of build threads is often to focus on the cosmetic side, and while Peter knocked it out of the park in that respect it truly is an incredibly comfortable and big sounding guitar with excellent fundamentals, which is exactly what I asked for. I want to take this opportunity to thank Peter again for creating this instrument for me. Although I paid good money for it (that I worked hard for!!), I still feel that I have been given a gift. Sorry if I just broke the corny barrier for some :D

PS - I'm just getting started with home recording and I've done a few quick and dirty clips. Please excuse any flubs or wacky noises/breathing, this recording stuff is hard but addicting and I'm learning a lot. The first clip I'll post is a take on Don Ross' "So Little Time" from his Passion Session album. The tuning is CGEbFBbD. I'm uploading it now and will post asap. More pics soon too.

Here is the clip:

http://www.supload.com/listen?s=rj8swG

[soulohio]

nice supload ditty

[JSeth]

well, Ryan - she sounds very very sweet! Loved the snippet on supload... do you work in your area, live solo stuff? I enjoyed your playing quite a lot!

Congrats on the new guitar! What's with the "pinless" bridge? Never heard of that before - in the photos, it looked like a normal-type bridge... the edge bevel looks beautiful! Is it really that much more comfortable to play? Always interested in new acoustic guitar technology...

Enjoy! (although it sounds as if you are already are!)

play on..............................................>

John Seth Sherman

[AerialBoundries]

I appreciate the comments :phones

John - I haven't played out solo much and it has been a while, but I've been thinking a lot about it lately. I'd like to get out there soon if it's only just for some coffeehouses or whatever. I've been playing about 15 years and have not spent enough time on original material, and I think that is what's holding me back. I'm feeling very inspired these days, and I plan to focus more on developing some of my own material.

Here's how the bridge is designed:

http://www.cornerstoneguitar.com/News_files/Bridge%20Details.jpg

Here's a few more pics to check out - I am clearly not a photographer :)

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/bridge.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/topincase.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/bevel2.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/HSfront.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/HSback.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/frontface.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/label.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/heel.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c157/AerialBoundries/Cornerstone%20Zion/sidebevel.jpg

[todd richman]

Beautiful guitars-awesome craftsmanship.

[AerialBoundries]

I'm not getting much exposure in the classifieds, so I thought I'd comment here - I made the mistake of playing a multiscale guitar, and now I'm in the clutches of raging GAS - sadly, this guitar has to go in order to fund my new build. Please have a look at the thread - this is a rare opportunity to directly purchase a guitar that you'd normally wait well over a year for:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=643513&highlight=zion

[PeakeGuitars]

Gorgeous...he does awesome work! Thanks for sharing

Trev