Awen Lutherie builds a Les Paul inspired Guitar - GGBO 2020 UnOfficial Challenge Full Build

Welcome to Crimson Guitars and the first video in this series showcasing the guitar building skills of the Top 5 finalists of the UnOfficial Great Guitar Build Off 2020. This builder is Seán Ó Mathúna of Awen Lutherie who came in 5th place - / awenlutheriecustomguitars
www.youtube.co... and Ben’s entry into the Great Guitar Build Off www.greatguita...
Thank you to ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection - bit.ly/36YmKro for the prize -
a set of ISOtunes XTRA.
Here are the Top 5 in order:
(combining the Instagram Likes and the results of the Community page Polls)
And 1st place - Laura Poingdestre - Broken Wind - / @brokenwind5638
2nd place - Jason Makes - / jasonmakes
3rd place - Izac Mrgole Magic Attic Guitars - / atticguitars
4th place - Bogdan - / bobogolf2007
5th place - Seán Ó Mathúna - Awen Lutherie - / awenlutheriecustomguitars
We'd like to make it clear that Crimson Guitars is taking full responsibility for this competition and that KZbin is in no way a sponsor of this competition.
We'd like to thank our partners for helping to make this video series possible.
Triton Tools - www.tritontools...
Wagner Meters - www.wagnermete...
ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection - bit.ly/36YmKro
Support us by supporting our Partners, and at the same time get yourself a great deal with ISOtunes. Use code "CRIMSON10" for £10 off at "isotunes.co.uk" or $10 off at "isotunes.com"
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WEBSITE: www.crimsonguit...
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OTHER
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Thank you again for all your support, we really, really appreciate it! - Ben
Stay tuned and stay awesome!
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[@ChrisFranklyn]

I reckon Seán is a future internet luthier star. He's got the calm demeanour that puts you at ease and totally trust what he's doing.

[@TheBigburcie]

The accent is very soothing too

[@RyaNo321GO]

That's the ol irish for ye

[@DJBuglip]

Sean, once again have to congratulate you on what I thought was the finest guitar in the competition. I think teaching through your videos is the perfect approach, you have great skill, I'm surprised you're self-taught. I figured you were trained in the hollow of an oak tree by an ancient Irish master or something. Keep it up, man, you're a natural.

[@BoneheadGuitars]

Loved this build from the start. The kind of subtle beauty that often gets lost with a single image, but still stood out. Congrats to Sean.

[@rikfroschauer1743]

Can you imagine what Sean and Ben could create on a collaboration? He is a true craftsman simply beautiful!

[@mykhough6614]

Although Laura and Violet got my vote, this is probably the guitar in the whole competition I would most like to own for it's sheer beauty.

[@tho2ea]

The guitar community on KZbin is the best! One of the highlights of entertainment during lockdown so far for sure! Beautifully done traditional build by Seán, He set the bar pretty high here! Gorgeous carving and gorgeous wood! It sounds amazing!

[@TheBigburcie]

That wood grain is not crazy swirly like many modern guitars, but has an old timey farmhouse feel that is immensely satisfying. That fret marker technique was very clean too.

[@S-T-E-V-E]

A man after my own heart, I love guitars that showcase the grain of the wood!

[@chrisjames1924]

Guy next door to me has been building guitars out of B&Q timber during lockdown. His pine Esquire (with truss rod) is jaw droppingly good and only took him a few days to build. He sorts through all the timber and selects nice straight grain pieces without knots as well as anything that happens to be quarter sawn. All timber came to £12 for his Esquire! So, how about something similar: cheap DIY store bought pine/oak with a single pickup, single volume pot config? It could be called the 'Lockdown Basic'.

[@PLCreations927]

That is one of the most beautiful instruments I have ever seen. I love the natural-ness of all of it. My hat's off.

[@markswessinger7814]

Sean, yours was my favorite build of this competition. I love your attention to detail and how you talk us through each decision you made as you were building. Your passion and skill made this a very entertaining series to watch. I have subscribed and look forward to more beautiful craftsmanship in the future.

[@natsterjam]

I'm with you Sean, wood grain is king!!! Beautiful guitar my friend, congratulations on a fantastic instrument and your 5th place! I'm off to subscribe to your channel, looking forward to catching your next project.

[@jeffmaddry4940]

Sean is one of the "unofficial" builders that I was happy I found. It was a very well done and informative series. I hope to see more from him. He could easily be an official contender for next year.

[@gerryloughran1676]

Now thats a hand built guitar ...Ben you got a winner !....and what an amp

[@BlcKjcK-wt8hz]

I just discover a whole new world watching your videos Ben and I can't thank you enough for that. I have health problems that I'm trying to get rid of right now and when it's done I will get myself tools to start making Guitar and Bass Guitar, maybe will be in next year Great Guitar Built Off who know ! When everything turn bad in life it's important to have a goal to follow and grab the life by the horns :) Cheers !

[@grg-mpgmusic7247]

This was my favorite. My winner!

[@xyzyzx1253]

This was beautiful to watch, and originally, I didn’t appreciate it as much as the others, but seeing the attention to detail to the wood grain, and how much care and appreciation was given to the natural forms, and the use of bark!!! It really showed me and made me stop and think about how much detail I should be paying to the simple beauty of natural forms. The lead like back plates and the bark on the head stock, are really a thing of genius, and incredibly beautiful and understated. I feel silly for not thinking this was as impressive as some of the others, Really looking forward to seeing the rest! Really educational! 🥰

[@jimgraves4197]

I love the details in this guitar. The small details like the brass tube inlays and the bark truss rod cover. The attention to the small details is outstanding.

[@henrydarker4314]

The most beautiful colour guitar ever!

[@timothycormier3494]

Very cool!!!! Thanks for sharing this one ben!!

[@damionandy]

Wow, this guy is a master in his own right. I loved the design!! Super unique, personal, yet familiar and warm. Awesome man!

[@sonovoxx]

Brilliant job Sean! Love the sculptured back and gorgeous wood and finish. Just a super job all round! 👏👏👏

[@pdstokes8]

What a beautiful guitar built by a very talented luthier.

[@Dirksdungeon]

Well deserved this was my favorite build to watch There's something soothing about watching you work and explain things

[@scottedelen5325]

Simply put; the best of the final five "unofficial" entrants. (And frankly quite a bit better than most of the "official" entrants.)

[@xyzyzx1253]

Also the tone on that vintage amp is unreal.

[@Dampa33]

Beautiful guitar Seán!! The woods are gorgeous!!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

he did a fantastic job! B

[@Metalbass10000]

I'm so upset with myself. I had already started three customer builds when I learned of this contest, and didn't think it would be right to enter the competition with a one-third or one half built guitar or bass. Plus, with three simultaneous builds, and delivery dates, I didn't know if I could finish all three, record audio and video content, and create edited KZbin videos, but I really should have. I'm not saying my builds are are better or not as good as any other builds, but I would really have LOVED to see/hear what others felt about my instruments. This is a really nice build. I wasn't familiar with some of the woods used, so I had no idea how they would turn out, but quite nice, natural finishes. Looking forward to the next four builds, and to the next competition!

[@ccchicken8889]

Beautiful guitar and fun build video to watch. Looking forward to Sean's future builds!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

me too! B

[@Dad-Gad]

Just bought your fret rubbers , and 3 corner fret file . Absolutely fantastic quality and my frets are as smooth as Kojaks head now 👍

[@stuartliddle7228]

Looking at that guitar makes me happy. Well done and great build video.

[@stuartbarker9373]

Seán's guitar is a first class musical instrument that will doubtless give some lucky person many years of pleasure, but his great strength in the GGBO is his presentation style. No unnecessary waffle, no half-arsed attempt at comedy, just a clear explanation of what he's doing and why. I'd have liked to have seen more explanation of why each of the electronic components (pickups, pots, caps) was chosen, but that was an omission by practically everyone in the GGBO except perhaps Bogdan and Dan/Dylan (G&G).

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

Absolutely beautiful guitar! Beautiful wood grain, beautiful finish. You just can't beat a natural finish!

[@Grown_Man]

I would buy this guitar without hesitation. Very beautiful!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I agree.. he does some very very nice work. B

[@Womberto]

Not the most outlandish of the top five but certainly the most practical and beautiful. My first guitar will be a Les Paul copy and I'm hoping it will be half as good as this one.

[@cyb3r3vil30]

This was definitely one of the best Think I came into his 2nd video Of this build was great watching The process Congratulations to him for sure

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Hopefully you will see a lot more of him soon ;) B

[@sturgis1982fxb]

Fantastic Sean!!! Beautiful work!!!

[@SteveM109r]

I watched all of his videos. This guitar looks amazing. Much prefer this style of natural wood.

[@noelgrant-henderson1950]

Absolutely love this guitar♥🎸

[@ravingcyclist624]

Excellent! Fantastic wood, beautifully finished !!

[@StephenGallacher]

I think this was my favourite build from the unofficial competition.

[@john_kalen_mcclain]

I really liked Sean’s build. I’m going to subscribe right now!

[@alanblott4559]

What's this man got going for him........ Looks, skills, musicality, creativity and great videos. And he has an Irish accent my wife loves. Blast........ All I can say is as the Irish say...... That you may be badly positioned on a windy day. But really, loved your build.

[@davidjohnson00001]

It seems that the quality, imagination and skill that has gone into the unofficial GGBO Top 5 is way better than the official entrants. They should all be in next year's official competition.

[@johnnyh293]

He is brilliant and really good videos.

[@chriskirschten203]

Such a beautiful guitar! I enjoyed watching the build. Quality!

[@jonahguitarguy]

I really like this guitar Sean. It’s both traditional and yet very homogeneous with the wood choices. Nothing against the others but of the final five I believe you are the winner. Guitars need to be very playable and comfortable.

[@gregoryh4601]

To Seán Ó Mathúna. Very awesome Guitar, very underrated Guitar. Sean please enter again. Can believe a Cow Guitar won. Wow.

[@kearnsguitars2236]

Definitely one of my favorite builders

[@Projacked1]

wow, my favorite so far

[@byteborg]

I absolutely love this build. So very inspirational and the choice of linseed oil. I love it. Makes the wood so genuine, so warm. But also here: Please, please, Seán, do not solder inhaling the fumes. Lead is a deadly poison and it's pretty darn slow. It does not go away, but rather enriches in the body. Please, solder with you body in a different position and use some kind of fan or fume extractor. They're cheap, just look on Aliexpress for FA-400. Have a nice one, love your build!

[@DaveDickens]

Sean that is beautiful guitar really loving made! Excellent video and that neck carving jig is something I have to made. Cheers Dave

[@karlalton3170]

Beautiful Axe and the wood is fantastic 😍😍🤘🤘🤘

[@jhpattonca]

Nice work, Sean. Beautiful guitar! I noticed you're playing through a Canadian Trinity TC-15 amp! I've built one of those as a kit. Absolutely love it.

[@alex-simpson]

My build for the 2021 buildoff is already underway! Hopefully a year is long enough to get it done... I've gone ambitious on this one, based on an Auerswald Model B.

[@mattomon1045]

With your comment about teaching we are all teachers and we all are students. so please keep teaching us . thank you

[@outsidestuff5283]

I do my fret polishing with a dremel and a buffing wheel loaded up with autosol. Its really quick and fun.

[@briw4647]

a fantastic build and video, i can see a great luthier future on youtube opening up

[@RomanDark]

cool! nice guitar, interesting to watch build. And fearless work with a band saw!

[@davidwilson6577]

He really has a way with woods.

[@mikeandreychuk3232]

Sean: no mention as to if Granny has noticed her kitchen table missing or not! (I'm sure she would be proud...) Your guitar gets my "Best in Show" vote over all of the others... Reason? It's the piece that makes me really want to build guitars and then learn how to actually play one! Definitely the masterpiece that i would like most to own and play... Should be the main judging criterion... All the Best: Mike A. Calgary, Alberta

[@Thespian-wp6xq]

A work of art sir. Beautiful.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

He did so well that we offered him a job.. he started this morning! I could not be happier! B

[@midi510]

Any tips on doing a compound radius with radius blocks. I'm about to do my first and was considering just using a plane and radius gauges, then levelling beam with sandpaper, but I see you're using radius blocks.

[@JasonMakes]

Congratulations on top five. Really nice looking guitar just be careful running tree bark through the band saw next time lol. I knew this guitar would place in the top five but really thought this one or the ice cream sandwich was taking first.

[@scottblair8625]

Still get my vote for number 1. Violet is cool, but it's a concept guitar. Sean built the best looking Lea Paul I have ever seen completely from scratch! And even added comfort carving on back! He just didn't miss a trick in building the best Led Paul in the history of LP. I would put it up against any of the official contest entries! I'm buying a loto ticket in hopes of going to Ireland to see Sean and place an order!

[@johntailing5283]

I’m just loving your typo, , , Totally agree with everything you say, absolutely beautiful guitar, - but “Led Paul” is killer ! Sounds like Jimmy Page’s favourite guitar too. You need to get a copyright on that! 👍 👏 ( maybe even get Ben to build one).

[@scottblair8625]

F***** auto correct changes it every time to led instead of Les ! Lmao

[@johntailing5283]

@@scottblair8625 💻🔨 😂

[@scottblair8625]

Wish I could afford to have Ben or Sean build me one. At this point wish I had the tools I would build my own. $120,000 in Snap On tools after 30 years as master tech. Not a wood working tool in sight. On disability now from drunk lady pulling out in from of me on my Road King. Broke both knees! 2006 then in 2016 rear tire blew out on way to Sturgis 80 mph face plant w/o helmet. Bike landed on me crushed ribcage. Only reason I'm alive is a buddy of mine from another veterans MC just home from Trashcanistan As Army medic happen to be the one to find me. Keep me alive till ambulance arrived. So a good guitar ain't in budget. But I have decided after wanting to learn my whole life. I'm shopping now. Going to find one and teach myself. Got to be a good way to spend all this down time! Nothing worse on a workaholic than TV all day!

[@ydin9]

Almost Everything was pleasing to the eyes and ears about that. Both the video on the guitar were great! On the guitar the contouring was exceptional, the way grain is set up as a mirror to the body in the head - delicious. -Few things that wasnt as hot as it could be was the weight and those pickup frames, I don't know, maybe bit plain, against the grain and bright? It looks better on video than on the photos. The extreme brace back of the headstock and neck looks bit wild, but knowing where Gibsons break, it makes sense, not sure if its in the way of some play positions without having hold it, just looks scary. And fact that it had no name on the headstock like even when you clearly see on his channel he has an awesome logo he used for another guitar is bit off, its missing its signature. Otherwise it looks like its worth top money. Subscribing in hopes of more good things.

[@m4d_mark_xtr3me79]

I agree that leaf cavity cover is superb

[@alancrossley4461]

Congratulations from Carrick on Shannon, Country Leitrim.

[@mrkennethporter]

Inspiring work and a fellow Irishman.

[@dopebingus]

now that is beautiful. kinda has that very aged look too which is fantastic.

[@martinclayton7260]

This makes me want to do a course at Crimson, when I've enough money, I will!

[@scottedelen5325]

5:42 He speaks the truth here. If you enjoy Ben's builds, Sean's is a must watch. Go to his link and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

[@seancrocker2796]

Stunning

[@olielmineroguitarrista8851]

Saludos desde México.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Hi! B

[@Binhguitar2007]

Is set/Glued on neck guitar hard to build ? And what is the minimum depth of a set neck guitar neck pocket? Thanks!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I have given you the link to a set neck guitar build that may help you: kzbin.info/aero/PLp6z5fUMeeAbxHp9fihB7JuRnXPGv4x5b DC

[@ianstewart1143]

Beautiful .

[@TomPetersonRefuseReuse]

Nice build!

[@kathrynwhitby9799]

beautiful

[@outsidethepyramid]

Very nice guitar

[@somebody.oncetoldme.3516]

That's a guitar I think anyone would be happy to own.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I agree wholeheartedly. B

[@patrickstevenson9527]

fantastic!

[@olielmineroguitarrista8851]

Que preciosa guitarra.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you! B

[@alanagottalottasay997]

guitar is such a smart balance of skills in building but doesn't stray off too far into a distinct artisan flavor....still says rock and roll to me...

[@habbahan]

Woah, i’ve bilt a very similar one

[@dangiven2686]

Linseed oil also brings a lot of gunk. Beautiful guitar nevertheless :)

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Good call! B

[@dangiven2686]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars I use Howard Feed n Wax.

[@johnfrewin7717]

You’d be so happy if your daughter came home with him 👍🎸😀

[@flucazade]

DId this guy get place solely on the vintage hand drills being used :lol

[@jamesgannon2136]

I don't even think Gibson puts that level of care into their instruments

[@mark64tanner]

👍✌😎

[@MikeLuziFer]

Why we haven't seen a flying v build?

[@maroonman3897]

first

[@kennethnielsen3864]

79th.

[@DiamondCatTKW]

Столько отличных материалов, столько проделанной работы, и такой отвратительный результат

[@abrahamyanes2405]

Geez.. I love guitars but constantly seeing the same cookie cutter shapes gets boring..

[@Raul1971xxx]

Well, for good frets, there is the True Temperament frets.