Greg is a musician who plays in the Anchorage Mandolin Orchestra. Tired of being drowned out by several dozen chirping mandolins, he asked me to make him a big, powerful guitar that was certain to be heard. In Alaska, nothing is bigger than Denali. This guitar is 17″ across and nearly 5″ deep, giving it volume, power, and a great bass response. The shape of this guitar is unusual. Greg has another guitar with this shape, and he asked if I could match it. This was a good exercise in making corners.
Back in the 1980’s Greg climbed Denali, walking in from Wonder Lake on the north side, and coming out the same way. I walked that route several times on my way to climb nearby peaks. I could certainly relate to carrying nearly your own body weight in gear across 23 miles of tundra, and across a major river, before even getting to the snow and ice. The inlay is of Denali and part of the Alaska Range, viewed from near the Eielson Visitor Center. The white portions of the inlay are mother of pearl, and the rest is stained glass. It was fun to create this little landscape painting on the fingerboard. In the lower right is a silhouette of Greg, carrying his monstrous pack, staring out at the miles of tundra between him and the mountain.
The rosette is made of mother of pearl and sapele. It represents the braided channels of the McKinley River, which has to be crossed on the way to the mountain.
Cocobolo is a wonderful wood, visually and acoustically.
Heel cap detail – an ice axe made of mother of pearl and nickel silver.