The Odieng process
Eight stages.
Roughly 14 weeks.
Every Odieng is built one at a time, by one luthier. Fast enough to deliver, slow enough to get every detail right.
Conversation
t starts with a call. We talk about how you play, what you reach for, what frustrates you about your current instrument. The build brief is yours, written together.
Wood selection
We open the wood store. You pick the body blank, the neck billet, the fretboard slab. Every piece is weighed, tapped, and matched for resonance and character.
Body shaping
Templates are cut. The body is bandsawn, then carved on a duplicator and finished by hand with rasps and files.
Neck carving
The neck profile is roughed, then shaped with a spokeshave. The carve is dialed in over hours — measured, played, adjusted until it disappears in your hand.
Fretwork
Fret slots are cut, frets pressed and seated, then leveled, crowned, and polished. Every fret is checked under a straightedge and a fret rocker.
Electronics
Pickups wound or sourced from our short list of trusted makers. Wiring is point-to-point, shielded, and quiet.
Finish
Oil, lacquer, or burst — your call. Multiple coats, hand-rubbed between each, then cured for two weeks before final buff.
Setup & voicing
String height, intonation, nut slots, truss tension. Played for a week before delivery.