Moriah Guitarworks

It has been a few weeks since we first posted this article. The finish process has taken longer than we thought, but we are happy to say that it is almost completed now. We will certainly post more pictures when it is. Keith Roscoe has been helping us with our finishing development. There is so much new technology surrounding the finish of guitars. Keith, of Roscoe Basses, has been evolving his finish system over the years, and has graciously offered to assist us in our own understanding of the process. Keneniah will sport a polyester coat, which will be buffed to a high luster. The finish is very thick and difficult to control in certain areas such as cavities and pick up routing recesses. Rik Helderman has been working with Keith over the years and has helped tremendously in bringing Keneniah to the finish line.

Polyester finishing has been coming a long way since it’s debut in the furniture industry decades ago. The Japanese would use it on their guitars of the 70’s. The result was often quite nauseating, as the globs would keep on coming. Looking at one of these hulks with it’s dipped definition would turn off any true player in search of beauty. Alas, the Asian builders learned quickly how to improve on their production, and what we see now on the market is nothing short of miraculous. My hat is off to the guys that can put out incredible quality for insanely low prices. The polyester revolution has overtaken the American acoustic guitar industry now. What was once a globulous constriction of  acoustic movement, has become a refined and tasteful coat of protection for the mass produced and custom built guitar industry alike. Polyester can be cured using UV lamp exposure, which allows additional coats to be applied or final buffing to be performed immediately. In the traditional lacquer process, time is required for off-gassing and curing, adding days to the process.

We feel that polyester is great for electric guitars, and we will pursue this technology to that end. However, our acoustics will remain finished completely with nitro-cellulose lacquer. Our commitment to pursue the edge of acoustic freedom will require us to forgo the benefits of polyester in acoustic production. If we need to wait longer to finish a guitar, then that is what we must do. We have not been convinced that a better product is available for the acoustic guitar, and we will stay true to our conviction in this regard.

Be on the look out for Keneniah shortly. Our expectations are grounded in a history of devoted craftsmen contributing to this project. So many ideas have been brought to bear on this prototype. We can’t wait to fire up this baby and photograph the daylights out of it!

About 5 years ago, I was talking to a dear friend.  We were up in the foothills of Tennessee, sitting on the front porch catching up.  He had a request, which would really be significant toward the formation of Moriah guitars.  His son was getting ready to graduate from university, and he wanted to give him something special.  He was wondering if I could dust off my guitar making tools, and build him an electric.  I started to grin, and said yeah, I could do that.

I had been a building contractor for 15 years since I had been in the guitar building business with Ken Hoover.  The thought of cutting rosewood compared to 2×4’s was inviting.  We agreed to go ahead and start the process to build the guitar.

I made contact with Joseph right away and we started to dream about what character the perfect guitar would have.  We can always try, can’t we?  Joseph would come over to my office and we would sketch and erase and sketch again.  We did in an eraser or two before we took it to the computer to lay the concept into a cad file.  After many edits and re-do’s we came up with a profile that is unique in the marketplace.  The way that it is unique is that it borrows elements from many standard guitars and blends them together in one piece.  If you look closely you will see a mixture of several guitars put together in a very novel way.  The horns are Stratish, with Paul-Gibson carving and lower body roundness, pickups versatile to many sound combinations, along with a block tremolo and super 5-way switch.  The back is carved like the top, and all plates are inlayed out of like material.

Joseph wanted to name the guitar “Keneniah” after the Levitical priest who led worship in the days of King David’s tabernacle.  Joseph is a worship leader and wants to use this guitar for that purpose.  I am looking forward to hearing what kind of sound will come from it.

As time went on, I encountered a lot of difficulty bringing the guitar to the finish line.  It would seem that I would give it a good whack and bring it along a ways, only to set it aside for a season.  Joseph and his dad were and have been so gracious and patient with me about this project.  I have never had such an understanding client!

The one great thing about the time span has been that I have employed many new technological concepts as the project has unfolded.  I always hated the “ears” that pick-ups have. These are the mechanical attachments that allow the pick-up to be adjusted.  Builders will rout the entire shape of the pick-up into the body when a nice figured top is being used without a pick-guard.  I have removed these ears and have found an alternate method to adjust the pick-up height.  I have used graphite bars in the neck to augment the truss rod for neck strength. With this advantage in strength, I have also used Spanish cedar for the neck material and body core stock.  Classical and flamenco guitars have used Spanish cedar for their neck stock, as it efficiently transfers vibration and rich tone.  The other great benefits to cedar are that it looks like mahogany and is incredibly light (smells nice too).

The project now is in it’s final stages, and we are eagerly waiting to hear this guitar in action.  We will post pictures as progress is made, and perhaps a video clip if Joseph feels up to the attention. I will also give a more detailed spec sheet highlighting points of interest when a finished picture can be displayed.

Watch our ”Boring Video”

Click here to go to the Keneniah Gallery.