Guitar
Maker
Tony Vines
Date2003
Place MadeKingsport, Tennessee, United States, North America
ModelJoe Carter Model / 12-fret dreadnought
Serial No.M001-41
SignedPrinted on glossy paper label black and dark orange ink, with image of Joe Carter, on inside of back: Fine Handcrafted / VINES / Acoustic Guitars / JOE CARTER / SIGNATURE MODEL / Joe D. Carter [signed in black ink] / JOE D. CARTERPrinted on glossy paper label black, magenta, dark orange ink, with image of Joe Carter, on neck block: Fine Handcrafted / VINES / Acoustic Guitars / JOE CARTER / SIGNATURE / MODEL / M001-41- [handwritten] / SERIAL NUMBER
Branded on back graft with single line border: HAND CRAFTED BY / TONY W. VINES / LUTHIER
MarkingsStamped on tuner plates: WAVERLY
DescriptionTony Vines met and befriended Joe Carter in 2000. Carter wanted to build a guitar in honor of his father, A. P., with mulberry wood back and sides, since he thought that a violin he heard someone play in the Carter Fold had a particularly wonderful sound. Before he had met Carter, Vines had also wished to create an instrument that paid tribute to A. P., whose musical leadership he admired. A. P. Carter had composed and arranged his music on a Martin dreadnought with twelve frets on the neck, rather than the fourteen frets later adopted by Martin. The Joe Carter model was based on this type of instrument, but it is not a copy of particular historical example. The twelve, rather than fourteen-fret, model pushed the bridge closer to the sweet spot, according to Vines, resulting in a better lower end sound. Other custom features include lignum vitae used for the nut and bridge saddle on the special request of Joe Carter, and an eagle inlay on the head, a reference to a song Joe wrote, entitled, “Through the Eyes of an Eagle.”
Stringing: six steel strings
Soundboard: two-piece Adirondack spruce, wide grain
Back: two-piece, quarter-cut mulberry, not book matched; rosewood back stripe
Ribs: two-piece, quarter-cut mulberry
Head and neck: mahogany; veneered on face with ebony bound in imitation-tortoise-shell celluloid with very narrow light and dark hardwood purfling trim; inlaid with mother-of-pearl eagle head with black and transparent yellow painted detail; brass-plated steel strap button
Heel cap: ebony
Binding: imitation-tortoise-shell celluloid with two ply strips of white and black celluloid trim on ribs; light and dark hardwood purfling trim on back; abalone trim on top surrounded on each side by light and dark hardwood purfling
Fingerboard: ebony bound with imitation-tortoise-shell celluloid with single strip of narrow light and dark hardwood trim on edges and two strips of narrow light and dark hardwood trim on top; 20 heavy-gauge nickel-silver frets; single abalone slotted diamonds behind 3rd, 5th, and 9th frets; two abalone slotted diamonds behind 7th and 12th frets;
Nut: lignum vitae
Bridge: ebony; angled lignum vitae saddle; black plastic bridge pins with abalone eyes; inlaid treble clef in lower part of bridge constructed from bent narrow light and dark hardwood purfling strips
Tuners: six copper-plated steel Waverly worm-gear machine tuners with copper-plated steel heads and decoratively cut plate outlines
Endpin: black plastic with abalone eye
Rosette: two layers of light hardwood, dyed pink, brown red, and black hardwood angled and checkerboard trim with white celluloid binding on inside edge of soundhole
Pick guard: photolaminate plastic pickguard with printed tortoise shell design
Lacquer: clear
Linings: kerfed maple
Neck block: mahogany
End block: two-piece mahogany; rounded corners
Top braces: X-bracing, the central joint reinforced with white cloth; scalloped finger braces; spruce bridge plate
Back braces: spruce back graft; four maple back braces with tapered ends
DimensionsTotal guitar length: 1005 mm (39-9/16″)
Back length: 526 mm (20-11/16″)
Waist width: 285 mm (11-7/32″)
Lower bout width: 394 mm (15-1/2″)
Rib height (including edging) at heel: 103 mm (4-1/16″)
Rib height, at waist: 116 mm (4-9/16″)
Rib height, at end block: 128 mm (5-1/32″)
Head length: 156 mm (6-1/8″)
Head width, top: 72 mm (2-13/16″)
Head width, bottom: 58 mm (2-1/4″)
Neck length (nut to ribs): 321 mm (12-5/8″)
Neck width, nut: 44 mm (1-23/32″)
Neck width, heel: 54 mm (2-1/8″)
Soundhole diameter: 101 mm (3-31/32″)
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge edge): high E: 645 mm (25-3/8″); low E: 648 mm (25-1/2″)
ProvenancePrevious Ownership and Use: Built for Joe Carter's (1927-2005) personal use.
Credit LineAndré P. and Kay Marcum Larson Fund, 2008
Object number13565
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