Busy, Busy Busy, Thats all I can say. The past three months have been work in preparation for my exhibit table at the Woodstock Luthiers Showcase in Woodstock, New York. October 24th, 25th and 26th,. I will have several guitars on display there. All are ready for sale with custom fit Ameritage cases. One just back from finish in the final stages of set-up. (second from left in photo) Hope to have that ready at showtime. The guitars that will be for sale at Woodstock will include a quilted maple parlor, a OOO sized curly maple and lutz spruce guitar, a alaskan sitka topped jumbo with Rosewood back and sides,  an all Mahogany Tenor Ukulele and a Bearclaw and curly maple 00. (still under construction). Other items for sale will include LR Baggs pickups and pre-amps and Phil Jones Acoustic amplifiers.

Acoustic Guitars and Ukulele by Jay Rosenblatt luthier

Acoustic Guitars and Ukulele by Jay Rosenblatt luthier

About the guitars in the photo above, here are their ingredients. Maple Parlor Guitar. (far left in top photo)

• AAAA Quilted Maple back and sides
• AAA Lutz Spruce soundboard
• Lutz spruce carved bracing
• Rosewood bridge plate
• Cedar kerfing
• Spanish Cedar Neck with ebony head plate
• Ebony fingerboard, 12 fret to body, 24.9 scale length
• 1-3/4 nut width, 2-1/4 width at 12th fret
• Cocobolo and Ebony geometric rosette
• Ebony binding
• Ebony wave design bridge
• 18% nickel fret wire
• MOP position markers
• Abalone JR logo
• 2 way truss rod
• Ebony bridge pins with Abalone dots
• Bone nut and compensated bone saddle
• Hand toned amber glow with Nitro Cellulose lacquer exterior
• Shellac finished interior
• Schertler tuning machines
• Ameritage custom case

Bearclaw Sitka with Maple back and sides OO. (Second From left in top photo)

Bearclaw Sitka top on Quilted maple body. Guitar by Jay Rosenblatt luthier

Bearclaw Sitka top on Quilted maple body. Guitar by Jay Rosenblatt luthier

Geometric Rosette in Ebony and maple fibre on a Jay Rosenblatt guitar

Headstock detail on Bearclaw Sitka and maple guitar by Jay Rosenblatt

Reverse of Headstock on Maple guitar by Jay Rosenblatt

• AAAA Curly Maple back and sides
• AAA Bearclaw Sitka Spruce soundboard
• Lutz spruce carved bracing
• Maple  and mahogany 9 piece laminated neck
• 2 way truss rod
•  Geometric design ebony and maple  rosette
• Ebony arc design bridge
• Ebony Head-plate
• Curly maple back plate on headstock, steam bent to match curve
• Ebony binding with coral design purfling
• Rosewood bridge plate, Cedar kerfing
• Ebony fingerboard, 14 fret to the body, 25.4 scale
• 1-11/16 nut width, 2-1/8 width at 12th fret
•  Reversed abalone diamond pattern position markers
• Nitrocellulose Lacquer finish exterior, Shellac finished interior
• 18% nickel fret wire, bone nut and saddle
• Abalone JR logo, Ebony bridge pins with Abalone dots
• Bone nut and compensated bone saddle
• Gotoh chrome Keystone style tuning machines
• Ameritage custom case

Big Maple, (second from right in photo at top)

Maple and Lutz Spruce Acoustic Guitar by Jay Rosenblatt

Maple and Lutz Spruce Acoustic Guitar by Jay Rosenblatt

• AAAA Curly Maple back and sides
• AAA Lutz Spruce soundboard
• Lutz spruce carved bracing
• 40 year old Mahogany/ Maple 5 piece laminated neck
• 2 way truss rod
• Chippendale design headstock
• Ebony and maple geometric rosette
• Ebony wave design bridge
• Ebony Head-plate
• Ebony binding with chevron purfling
• Rosewood bridge plate, Cedar kerfing
• Ebony fingerboard, 14 fret to the body, 25.4 scale
• 1-11/16 nut width, 2-1/8 width at 12th fret
• MOP Maple Leaf position markers
• Lacquer finish exterior, Shellac finished interior
• 18% nickel fret wire, bone nut and saddle
• Abalone JR logo, Ebony bridge pins with Abalone dots
• Bone nut and compensated bone saddle
• Sterling Silver Tuning Machines, (Martin)
• Ameritage custom case

The Prima Fino Geo, 45 year old Alaskan Sitka and East Indian Rosewood. (far right in top photo)

45 year old sitka with Rosewood back and sides 00 guitar by Jay Rosenblatt

45 year old sitka with Rosewood back and sides 00 guitar by Jay Rosenblatt

Prima Fina Geo EIR back view on Jay Rosenblatt Guitar

• AAAA East Indian Rosewood back and sides
• 45 Year old Alaskan Sitka Spruce soundboard
• Lutz spruce carved bracing
• 40 year old Mahogany/ Maple 9 piece laminated neck
• 2 way truss rod
• Abalone B/W/B rosette
• Ebony wave design bridge
• Ebony Head-plate with Chippendale design headstock
• Ivoroid binding with coral rope purfling
• Rosewood bridge plate, Cedar kerfing
• Ebony fingerboard, 14 fret to the body, 25.4 scale
• 1-11/16 nut width, 2-1/8 width at 12th fret
• MOP geometric pattern position markers
• Lacquer finish exterior, Shellac finished interior
• 18% nickel fret wire, bone nut and saddle
• Abalone JR logo, Ebony bridge pins with Abalone dots
• Fully compensated saddle
• Gotoh 510 Tuning Machines
• Ameritage custom case

The guitars above when purchased will all come with custom fit Ameritage Cases. These are beautiful and Durable!

Ameritage custom case for Jay Rosenblatt Guitars

Ameritage custom case for Jay Rosenblatt Guitars

 Currently on the workbench; In the works. I am currently working on a Mahogany and Sitka venetian cutaway acoustic model. This guitar features Honduran Mahogany back and sides matched to a light curly sitka soundboard. A maple and mahogany geometric rosette adorns the sound hole , curly maple binding with Rope purling and B/W fibre pull it all together. The back bracing is of mahogany with a hybrid X/ladder pattern. The soundboard bracing is forward-X pattern, scalloped and hand tuned sitka. Neck block and tail block of aged mahogany. The neck will be a 9 layer lamination with 40 year old Mahogany and maple strips.

Mahogany and Sitka Acoustic cutaway by Jay Rosenblatt

Bracing pattern on Mahogany and sitka top by Jay Rosenblatt

Hybrid mahogany X/ladder bracing design on Jay Rosenblatt Guitar

Assembling body on Mahogany cutaway by Jay Rosenblatt

Roping curly maple binding in place on a Mahogany venetian cutaway acoustic guitar

Binding detail on Cutaway by Jay Rosenblatt

Binding detail on Cutaway by Jay Rosenblatt

Mahogany Cutaway guitar ready for neck by Jay Rosenblatt luthier

 Guitar Building class and Instruction. In the next few months I will be setting up a shop where I can teach guitar building and construction. Group classes of two people per class or individual instruction will be offered. Topics covered from bending sides to carving braces, fretwork to final assembly will be taught in the classes. You can build a guitar too! More information will follow.   Getting out to play a bit enjoying the fruits of my labor playing my hand built guitars with some friends at Hat City Kitchen’s All Acoustic Open Mic, Orange, NJ

Enjoying the fruits of my labor playing my hand built guitars with some friends at Hat City Kitchen’s All Acoustic Open Mic, Orange, NJ

Below are some links to the fine vendors who have provided parts, woods, jigs, cases or finishing.

• Luthiers Mercantile       http://www.lmii.com
• Parts, woods, materials, jigs and more
• High Mountain Tonewoods   http://www.highmountaintonewood.com
• Select Lutz spruce tonewoods and supplies for the luthier
• Allied Lutherie      http://www.alliedlutherie.com
• Woods, parts and elements for the luthier
• Blues Creek Guitars    http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
• Woods, parts, jigs, templates and fine accessories for the luthier
• Luthiers suppliers    http://www.luthiersuppliers.com   
• Specialty jigs, fixtures, forms and templates for building acoustic guitars
• Hibdon Hardwoods     http://www.hibdonhardwood.co
• Fine woods for luthiers and other woodworking projects
• Tony DiDomenico     http://www.didomenicoguitars.com
• Fine hand built guitars and finishes
• Ameritage Case Company    http://www.ameritagecases.com
• Fine custom cases for any instrument
• Gerhart Guitar Works     http://www.gerhardsguitarworks.com
• Custom instrument finishes, restorations and repairs
• RC Tonewoods      http://www.rctonewoods.com
• Fine quality woods and parts
• LR Baggs acoustic pickups    http://www.lrbaggs.com
• Phil Jone acoustic amplifiers     http://www.philjonespuresound.com

In conclusion; I hope you can make it up to Woodstock to see these instruments first hand. If you are a player, picker, professional musician or just like to have fun and enjoy music, please come up to Woodstock, New York next week. It will be a great day of music, musicians, and guitars, built by hand and being displayed by their builders. For moder details go to http://www.woodstockinvitational.com

Woodstock Luthiers Showcase October 25th and 26th., 2014

Thanks for reading this blog. Have a great day!