Legra Aurora Build FINISHED

[MDV]

The said guitar is now approaching completion. These are some build in progress pics and option-illustration photos that Bobs has sent me in the last couple of weeks. The options were taken as seen (such is Bobs perspicacity in guitar design, with even my generally vague guidance the "do you like it like this" pics have invariably been answered with "Yes. Do that.").

These are some of those pics.



This is the top. This is the best pic of the top, rather. Its cocobolo. Its not the same as last time (that some of you may remember) as last times top suffered an unfortunate incident taking off the last 0.1mm needed in a thicknesser (due to its extremely intricate and unstable grain). Thats the truest colour pic that was possible - the reds and blacks in it are generally much closer to the fretboards colours, which were taken in spring/early summer sunlight, as opposed to house lights. There are two outlines of the guitars shape that bob offered the choice of - I went with the higher one.

This is the fretboard. Its indian rosewood.









The guitar, with edge bevels revealing its layering, forearm contour and gutcut done.













There will be no heel on this - imagine a continuous curve between the inner sides of the horns, joining them up; the  neck will only reach the thickness of the body at that line.

Quite beautiful work, imo! Bob and I spent ages coming up with this design and its fantastic to see it take shape as envisioned.

Bear in mind when/if picturing the finished guitar, this is all bone dry, freshly cut wood, and the final guitar will be oiled, so all colours a lot deeper and much more defintion in the features in the grain.

[FernandoDuarte]

Lovely woods on this one!!!

[gingataff]

Looking good.
What is the headstock design?

[MDV]

Thanks....not that I really did anything :lol:

The headstock is the same shape as the MDV602, which this guitar evolved from (one can see at a glance the same neck stucture in the MDV602, that was pretty much its cornerstone, as the Aurora). It has a laminate from the same pieces of wood as the top on it.

http://www.legraguitars.co.uk/mdv602.htm

[CaptainDesslock]

Thanks....not that I really did anything :lol:

The headstock is the same shape as the MDV602, which this guitar evolved from (one can see at a glance the same neck stucture in the MDV602, that was pretty much its cornerstone, as the Aurora). It has a laminate from the same pieces of wood as the top on it.

http://www.legraguitars.co.uk/mdv602.htm

this is the problem with working with Bob,

once you work with him once you can't go back.....my list of guitars I intend to have built it by Legra is long...and costly................. :D

[CaptainDesslock]

Actually MDV now that I think about it,

Both of are guitars I think were initially designed at the same time, redesigned 'bout the same time, put on the unfortunate accident hold at the same time, and looks like are gonna be finished 'round the same time (mine's somewhere in the paint process) and yet they couldn't be more different...

oiled woods to glitter paint, hard tails to floyd rose, 22 to 24, alnico to ceramic, no frills controls to fuzz factories and kill switches, I swear I don't think anything is the same!

[Zaned]

Looks great! The top is gonna look awesome.

The neck-through guitar heels are really comfortable. The guys (Amfisound) that built my guitar also do many neck-through guitars and the body-to-neck area just..flows.

-Zaned

[MrBump]

Very nice indeed.  Have you got an ETA for it getting into your hands?

[Twinfan]

I'm sure it's built superbly, and will suit you, but it does nothing for me.  Sorry.  :oops:

Mind you, I feel the same way about Blackmachines/Caparisons etc too.  It's the "modern metal guitar look" that I just can't like....

[MDV]

Very nice indeed.  Have you got an ETA for it getting into your hands?

Yeah, should be a week if I'm lucky. The fingerboard and headstock veneers are on now and its the neck profiling, fretting, electronics, final fit and oiling to do. Waiting for the oil is the biggest part of that.

And I'm bored by PRSs and telecasters.....and caparisons,

Blackmachine I'll let pass, they dont bore me; dougs doing something different/interesting and fair play to him.

Sos the aurora though; laminate wings on a through neck (for rigidity and vibration transmission; the asthetics are just opportunistic "since we have these layers we may as well...." things) the (intentional and unabashed) use of meranti (DRM) as a primary wood, the unconventional top and FB, the bevelling and contouring on the layering, zero paint; its not reinventing the wheel by any stretch, all these things have been done seperately in other guitars but niether bob nor I are aware of anything else quite like this out there! *am excited* :D

[Twinfan]

Shame you didn't follow through with that MJW amp to play it through  :(

[MDV]

Shame you didn't follow through with that MJW amp to play it through  :(

Its not totally off the cards. I'm just trying to get the best out of my powerball before I do anything rash. I had good success with a 5751 in V1, and have 3 more to place if I want to (i.e. all of them, if needs be), could replace the transformer, the caps, consider full blown mods. Lately I've been mucking about with the combination of the on board eqs and using an MXR and an EQ20 in the loop - the MXR for the EQing, the EQ20 because I really like the effect it has on the sound just sitting there, flat (no, its not transparent at all!). Certain changes make a VAST difference, and I still havent fully explored the sounds possible with just the controls available to me. Sometimes it sounds like a different amp; it goes between JCM800 and VH4 in a few tweaks :lol:.

I like the PB a lot, there are great sounds in there. It might well be able to sound exactly how I want with just need a push or two in the right direction - It has much more in common with the sound I want than it doesnt, if that makes any sense :lol:

[WezV]

i like a lot - personally i think i would have gone for cocobolo on the back too to tie it in visually with the front...  oh, and i probably would have put a black veneer between the DRM and maple layers for some contrast. but thats just the way i like doing it when i go for multilam thru-necks and bodies - just visual touches really

cant wait to see it with some oil on!!


so can anyone else see swamp thing in the cocobolo top? :)

[MDV]

I actually think the red streak through it looks a little like a top down view of battlestar galactica :lol:

But mainly also a pillar of fire. That was my first thought, then it bugged me for ages while I was trying to remember what the other thing was. Regardless, its awesome, I like it even better than the first one.

I considered veneers seperating the layers to give a line to them, but I decided that it would look too busy. I like it like this. I wanted the back to contrast with the front too!

[FernandoDuarte]

so can anyone else see swamp thing in the cocobolo top? :)

Yes!