This morning I smoked the Foundation Cigar Co Metapa (now Aksum) Claro Robusto. I decided to review it for Whiskey & Whitetails and you can read that review here. Cliff notes are: intense flavors, tons of smoke, no notable strength, and flavors of pepper, baking spice, wood, earth, fruit, cocoa, and cream.
I smoked this while I worked on cleaning up some hand cut maple inlays I made to mark the frets on this neck I am building. This is my first time hand cutting inlay slots and the inlays themselves. I think it’ll look pretty sweet, as the neck is maple with padauk fretboard, so the maple inlays I think will tie the two woods together nicely.
This build has been full of firsts and is still pretty far out from completion, as I have to finish shaping the fretboard, recut my fret slots, install frets, then apply finish to the neck and body, install hardware, wire the electronics, do the final setup, and then hopefully find a home for it. However, it is coming along nicely given the number of first time features for me (tilted headstock, 2 piece neck design, contoured body, Bigsby setup, custom fret inlays instead of dots).
I hadn’t really been sure of my next build after this one, since I have been trying to take them one build at a time. However, I recently received a used Buffalo Trace whiskey barrel from my sister. Shortly after receiving it, I showed someone the guitar I built for Whiskey & Whitetails entirely from a used Jim Beam whiskey barrel. It sounds like my next build may be another whiskey barrel guitar using the Buffalo Trace barrel..
This is something I figured I would try again, as I learned a TON of things during that original whiskey barrel guitar build - including non woodworking things like: how deadlines stress me out, how to let my work interfere with my ability to be present, and how to incorrectly prioritize what is important in life… Needless to say, my wife was not necessarily thrilled about the idea of me attempting another one of these builds…
Creating a guitar from a pile of bowed, cupped, and misshapen wood (including the neck) poses a number of challenges. Given my inexperience with guitar building (and more “fine” woodworking) at the time of my first whiskey barrel build, I definitely had some obstacles that I struggled to overcome physically - and moreso, mentally. Unfortunately, that project took place during a time when I needed to be focussed on much more important things and I needed to be far more present with regards to my personal life and persons in my life.
This next whiskey barrel build is a chance at redemption. Not in the work, as that guitar did turn out awesome, but in how I handle the things that actually matter. I am prepared this time.
Take care,
-Trevor