The addition of the floating back brace for this build didn’t allow me to do a label in the same way as my previous guitar, gluing it directly to the centerstrip.

I decided to go out and collect some leaves from around the neighbourhood of Ervin’s shop, and see if I could make something with them.

Recently, I’ve had a lot of projects going simultaneously.

Squares rosette again, but this time with a twist.

With my first guitar complete, and the Artisan show behind me, it’s time to start on a new project.

I made a video of my entire first build as a Somogyi apprentice, here it is!

Bringing my first guitar as a Somogyi apprentice to the Artisan Guitar Show.

Here it is, Silverman #1. My first build completed during my Ervin Somogyi apprenticeship.

Finally, after about a year working on this guitar, I could hear it for the first time.

It was looking really good! I was just about to glue the bridge on when I noticed something…

Simultaneously finish sanding a Somogyi 00 #524, and my own Silverman #1. The Somogyi will be sent out to be French polished, and I’ve started working on the finish for my #1. I’ll be French polishing the body, and oiling the neck.

I wanted to do something in the Somogyi carved style, but every time I tried to draw some lines for the carving, it ended up looking very similar to what Ervin or another former Somogyi apprentice had already done. It seemed so hard to come up with something a little bit different.

Things don’t always go perfectly...

This Somogyi guitar arrived back at the workshop for final assembly and setup. And just on time, as the customer was flying in, in two weeks to pick it up!

I wanted to do more than a simple wedge for the engraft, but I really wasn’t sure what form it would take.

Sending my guitar out to be finished would be a big time saver, and it is quite tempting. However, as I’m here to learn new skills, I decided I’m going to try to French polish it myself.

I figured out a way of doing it that worked for me, using the tools I had available, and I haven’t yet come across anyone else doing it in this way. That is interesting to contrast with the way I learned recently here at Ervin Somogyi’s workshop.

Working on the binding of my OM build, during my Ervin Somogyi apprenticeship.

The customer is coming from Japan in September to pick it up, and for there to be enough time to do the finish, it had to be ready by the end of June. This ended up as my project, and I had to put in some extra time to meet the deadline.

Ervin Somogyi writing on the inside of my top. I asked for a joke, but he wrote a riddle instead. It’s written backwards DaVinci style, so if you look inside with a mirror you’ll be able to read it.