Dovetail Madness

[Dolamon]

This was sent to me by a luthier friend and really needs to be seen to be believed.

http://www.mimf.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@27.cIOUaAdCm8j%5e18@.ee84a1e

I actually think its a pretty nifty idea. But then ...

[grsnovi]

Wow! That's nuts! Imagine cutting them all by hand...

[sunburst]

Hmmmmm...wonder what kind of neck joint it has?

[douglas2cats]

While it sure looks awesome and the workmanshiop is outstanding, my first thought was - aren't all the tails and pins laid out through short grain? Just makes me wonder about the strength/durability of the joinery. Or am I missing something?

[Bill Snyder]

douglas2cats,
Here is a quote from Howard's description of the guitar.
"The sides are doubled to a mahogany inner side, and the top has a crossgrain center strip like the back's, so all the dovetails are backed up."
I believe Howard is extremely meticulous in his design and execution and would not be too concerned about the structural integrity of the dovetails.
Howard currently has pictures of a slightly more conventional looking guitar available at the mimf, but a few months ago he posted photos of another guitar that was every bit as amazing as "Dovetail Madness".