GUITARS!!

[AmericanBuffalo]

You are a talented Artisan, they look so well made.

Well done

Thanks you. They are handmade with lots of love!

How many hours gets put into a build?

It really depends upon the guitar but most take between 175 to 300 hours from start to finish. I typically took about 4-5 weeks to build one.

[NoAngels]

You should change your strings every gig or couple of rehearsals so that sorts that out, but I see your reasoning 

I see you worked for Washburn, I used to like the look of their extended fret range guitars (was it ec29 or something like that) Didn’t they also buy out Parker guitars?

Had an American deluxe Fly many years ago, and that thing could play it self it was so effortless

[AmericanBuffalo]

Bodies in various states of building

















I know where the bodies are buried!

[vonclod]

You should change your strings every gig or couple of rehearsals so that sorts that out, but I see your reasoning 

I see you worked for Washburn, I used to like the look of their extended fret range guitars (was it ec29 or something like that) Didn’t they also buy out Parker guitars?

Had an American deluxe Fly many years ago, and that thing could play it self it was so effortless

I have a Parker acoustic, plays like butter!

[NoAngels]

That flames beautiful, I’m getting a BC Rich St vibe with the styling on tiger one

[vonclod]

Bodies in various states of building

















I know where the bodies are buried!

Nice!!!!! love the flamed or figured tops!

[NoAngels]

Yeah, seriously good players

I parted with mine because I had niggling doubts that the electrics and piazo would eventually pack up

[AmericanBuffalo]

You should change your strings every gig or couple of rehearsals so that sorts that out, but I see your reasoning 

I see you worked for Washburn, I used to like the look of their extended fret range guitars (was it ec29 or something like that) Didn’t they also buy out Parker guitars?

Had an American deluxe Fly many years ago, and that thing could play it self it was so effortless

Well yeah if you play everyday you should be changing them every week or so. But few do. Yes the Stephens Extended cutaway. They were just coming along with those when I left along with the Nuno Bettencourt model. So I had limited time with the extended cutaway. It was old news to me coming from Hamer anyway. Hamer had the Californian which had a 32 fret extended cutaway and the Virtuoso which had a 36 fret extended cutaway. So the novelty to me was meh. But they were fairly well received guitars and sold more than either of Hamer's models.

Now Parker thats a story! Those are remarkably fabulous guitars! You have to understand Washburn is part of a music distribution company years ago that was called C.Bruno distribution. That morphed into US Music corp. which was recently bought by JAM industries. US Music Corp. bought Parker guitars several years ago. US Music Corp. is run by the same guy who was president of Washburn when I worked there. They also have Randall amplifiers too and just recently bought Hamer guitar brand from Fender.  I could go on and on.....

[AmericanBuffalo]

That flames beautiful, I’m getting a BC Rich St vibe with the styling on tiger one

That will be a sharp looking guitar!

[NoAngels]

Aww man, the Hamer Californian! Forgot all about those, they looked fantastic 

Your obvious skills are not surprising considering your work history, bravo

What’s your favourite tone wood combination?

I’m partial to alder body and maple board for Strats, and mahogany and rosewood for the LP/PRS route

[AmericanBuffalo]

Aww man, the Hamer Californian! Forgot all about those, they looked fantastic 

Your obvious skills are not surprising considering your work history, bravo

What’s your favourite tone wood combination?

I’m partial to alder body and maple board for Strats, and mahogany and rosewood for the LP/PRS route

I like swamp ash and maple as a combination when it comes to Fender strat and tele's. I think that is a classic tone combo. However I am a huge Honduran mahogany fan. its hard to come by these days. So mahogany capped with maple like PRS and Gibson is my favorite combination. I put a bit of a spin on that by topping walnut with maple. Which has a darker tone than mahogany and walnut is heavy too. I prefer rosewood fretboards myself. I would like a maple neck with a light finish on the fingerboard or no finish at all. I don't like the feel of a finished fretboard.  Maple is bright in tone, mahogany is dense and more shaded in tone, walnut is just dark. Excellent for bass!  Alder is a great tonewood too it has a solid tone and is a stable wood to work with.  Walnut and mahogany have a similar grain to one another. Maple is in its own category. It has a grain kind of like birch and cherry to some extent. Alder is like poplar with a bit more graining and no green wood.
I know a bit about guitars. The rest of the world not so much, especially these days.

[NoAngels]

You know a lot about guitars, thats the main thing

Yeah the world has got weird recently, even shortages of rosewood boards over the last few years and their replacements being ebony, that if I’m right were only on high end models in the past (Jackson USA soloists)

Even PRS doesn’t have the lovely pearl bird inlays they used to have, they look somehow different and cheap

As you have been in the trade for some time, what do you think of the current market for guitars and is it now shrinking with new buyers?

[AmericanBuffalo]

You know a lot about guitars, thats the main thing

Yeah the world has got weird recently, even shortages of rosewood boards over the last few years and their replacements being ebony, that if I’m right were only on high end models in the past (Jackson USA soloists)

Even PRS doesn’t have the lovely pearl bird inlays they used to have, they look somehow different and cheap

As you have been in the trade for some time, what do you think of the current market for guitars and is it now shrinking with new buyers?

There are restrictions on things like rosewood and abalone as well as Honduran mahogany. You cant get Bolivian rosewood anymore as it is a restricted wood. Honduran mahogany is difficult to source because it has restrictions too. Even the ebony now isn't the same grade as it used to be. There are substitutes for example different types of rosewood, you will see African mahogany which isn't really mahogany but it resembles it in most ways. Different wood species are being utilized now due to these circumstances. The traditional electric guitar woods are ash, maple alder, mahogany and rosewood and ebony for fretboards. Today it varies.
Vintage guitars are great assets! They hold their value. You could buy a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom with 3 humbuckers for $375 in 1959. Which was not cheap back then. But the same guitars are worth over $100k today. It certainly depends upon the guitar its year model and manufacturer. I saw a 1962 Fender strat recently which sold for $130k. It was nearly mint kept in its case. But that guitar probably cost $150 in 1962.  The market is great but a guitar is only considered vintage at this point after it is 30 years old. So think about that. Think about guitars you have seen in the past which one day may garner some value. That Parker was something to hold on to. You can start with something simple like a Les Paul Jr. from the 60's which would be around $1500 or so now. only to increase in value. Old Dean guitars are good too if you can find them. you have to know what to look for as the neophytes will gravitate to old Les Paul's, Strats, and Tele's inflating the value.

[AmericanBuffalo]

For those who like figured maple





I wish I had more pictures of this guitar. It was beautiful, played so nice and sounded great. Mahogany body topped by a 3/8" quilted maple bookmatched top. Deep dyed with yellow dye. Thin ebony strip along the seam on the bookmatch. Carvin M22 pickups with coil tapping via push/pull pots. Mahogany set neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is the on which got away!

[Grace]

For those who like figured maple





I wish I had more pictures of this guitar. It was beautiful, played so nice and sounded great. Mahogany body topped by a 3/8" quilted maple bookmatched top. Deep dyed with yellow dye. Thin ebony strip along the seam on the bookmatch. Carvin M22 pickups with coil tapping via push/pull pots. Mahogany set neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is the on which got away!

Oh wow that's gorgeous!

[AmericanBuffalo]

For those who like figured maple





I wish I had more pictures of this guitar. It was beautiful, played so nice and sounded great. Mahogany body topped by a 3/8" quilted maple bookmatched top. Deep dyed with yellow dye. Thin ebony strip along the seam on the bookmatch. Carvin M22 pickups with coil tapping via push/pull pots. Mahogany set neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is the on which got away!

Oh wow that's gorgeous!

Thank you! I think so too!

[727Sky]

I went through several guitars until I found one of the first 5 hand made (non-production) Mosrite guitars painted in a Fusha red color. Under different stage lights the guitar would be red, pink, or even blue.

I was using a roll and tuck red metal flake Custom Amp that had a 15" speaker and what they called a 15" horn...the amp stood over 5 feet tall and could kill a fly at several hundred feet with its' awesome sound waves..?.. Our rhythm guitar guy Dave also bought a Mosrite but his was a production model and was not even in the same class as the hand made guitar. When I got out of playing and was going overseas I sold everything and to this day regret the Mosrite was sold too. The only bad thing I would say about that guitar was the body was soft so you had to be careful to not get dings and dents. It had some of the lightest action of any guitar I have ever played.. those were the days...

I now have a cheap electric Fender knock off and a good standard guitar which I religiously pick up and tune once a year and even sometime play just to see if my fingers are still working ?

The pictures of the guitars you have posted

[Grace]

For those who like figured maple





I wish I had more pictures of this guitar. It was beautiful, played so nice and sounded great. Mahogany body topped by a 3/8" quilted maple bookmatched top. Deep dyed with yellow dye. Thin ebony strip along the seam on the bookmatch. Carvin M22 pickups with coil tapping via push/pull pots. Mahogany set neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is the on which got away!

Oh wow that's gorgeous!

Thank you! I think so too!

 I actually started reading the thread going the wrong direction, and man now that I've been through the whole thread I have to say you are wildly talented! 

Man... Just talent!

[AmericanBuffalo]

I went through several guitars until I found one of the first 5 hand made (non-production) Mosrite guitars painted in a Fusha red color. Under different stage lights the guitar would be red, pink, or even blue.

I was using a roll and tuck red metal flake Custom Amp that had a 15" speaker and what they called a 15" horn...the amp stood over 5 feet tall and could kill a fly at several hundred feet with its' awesome sound waves..?.. Our rhythm guitar guy Dave also bought a Mosrite but his was a production model and was not even in the same class as the hand made guitar. When I got out of playing and was going overseas I sold everything and to this day regret the Mosrite was sold too. The only bad thing I would say about that guitar was the body was soft so you had to be careful to not get dings and dents. It had some of the lightest action of any guitar I have ever played.. those were the days...

I now have a cheap electric Fender knock off and a good standard guitar which I religiously pick up and tune once a year and even sometime play just to see if my fingers are still working ?

The pictures of the guitars you have posted

I just love those old Mosrite guitars. Yours was a special one. Only a handful of those were around. I remember these big roll tuck Kustom amplifiers. Sonic weapons in another incarnation or the wrong hands! Thanks for checking out my thread. I have always enjoyed what you have brought to ATS over the years just thought I would get that out there.

[AmericanBuffalo]

For those who like figured maple





I wish I had more pictures of this guitar. It was beautiful, played so nice and sounded great. Mahogany body topped by a 3/8" quilted maple bookmatched top. Deep dyed with yellow dye. Thin ebony strip along the seam on the bookmatch. Carvin M22 pickups with coil tapping via push/pull pots. Mahogany set neck with rosewood fingerboard. This is the on which got away!

Oh wow that's gorgeous!

Thank you! I think so too!

 I actually started reading the thread going the wrong direction, and man now that I've been through the whole thread I have to say you are wildly talented! 

Man... Just talent!

Thank you! I am blessed to be able to do what I love and bring my dreams to reality.