Friday, April 01, 2016

Brondel & Thornton Nowcaster 000 Prototype
























1-piece torrefied figured maple neck
2-piece Alaska yellow cedar body
white pearl side dot and fretboard markers
Gotoh aged vintage hardware
Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups (w/ hot bridge)
EVO 47104 fretwire
nitrocellulose lacquer finish
custom G&G "poodle" half case
7lbs

Observations:
This is the hand built model that served as a template for CAD programming the subsequent Nowcasters. We tried to conceive of a "vintage-modern" version of the S guitar, with different tonewoods, a slightly enlarged neck heel (to avoid the too common "fretting out" due to the wide bridge spacing) and a comfortable C neck shape more akin to late '60s / early '70s guitars.
The subsequent "production" models will have fluorescent side dots, "faux" fretboard binding, custom wound Ron Ellis pickups ('54 A3 neck and '59 A5 middle & bridge), Callaham trem w/ Raw Vintage saddles and no trem backplate.

# 203 "The 28" red spruce / Brazilian RW