The Kauri soundboard was quarter-sawn from a kauri stump which had been dislodged by a landslide in the head-waters of the Te Puru stream during the March 1979 flooding event. The large log ended up just above high-tide at the Te Puru stream mouth from where it was retrieved to higher ground using a jury-rigged block-and-tackle. it was quarter-sawn with the explicit intent of guitar building and bowl turning in mind.Mahogany was recycled from cabinets that had once housed the manual exchange components at the Thames telephone exchange. It's exact species and origin are unknown.Totara was retrieved from the Mangakiekie stream in the Kauaeranga Valley where an old abandoned log had been washed down from the hills and deposited in the stream bed during the 1996 flooding event.Puriri was salvaged from a tree-culling exercise in the William Hall Arboretum, Thames in the early 1990's. It was quarter-sawn and tried for more than 20 years.David Fallas, Thames, New Zealand. Completed: January 2023 Soundboard: Kauri (Agathis australis)Rosette: Traditional stained tiles - various timbers - Paua shell. Bracing: Kauri - fan (7)Back and Sides: Mahogany (Swietenia spp.)Neck: Mahogany with Totara (Podocarpus totara) splineFretboard: Puriri (Vitex lucens)Machine heads: Gotoh Classical 14:1 ratio.Bridge: Puriri Nut and Saddle: Bovine bone.Scale Length: 650mm.Weight.1950gm.
