“The Bruce” 50th Anniversary

The “Bruce 50th Anniversary Custom” is a guitar I built for my brothers 50th birthday using reclaimed timbers for the main component parts.

The back was made from the lid of an old tea chest/blanket box found in our fathers garage. When I cleaned it up and split it the result was this beautiful piece of bookmatched Cuban Mahogany.

The Brazilian Mahogany sides were made from a  bar top which had been removed from a pub when it was being refurbished 30years ago and had sat in a joiners workshop untouched for all that time.

The neck was made from a piece of Philipine Mahogany which started its life as a mantlepiece top.

The top I bought from a sustainable source and is, top grade, highly figured Bear Claw Sitka Spruce.

The bindings are made from sycamore with a rosewood fretboard and bridge.

The final personal touch was to engrave the two solid silver 12th fret markers with his initials.

To complete the package I photographed the entire build process and presented this in an album along with a provenance for all the timbers used.