Workshop
Branding Iron Logo!
Here’s a quick shot of the new branded headstock. I think it really fits with the vibe of the Ranchero. This one happens to be a on a canary neck, but it also looks great on maple. I need to send a big thank-you out to Pete Malinoski (www.petermalinoskiart.com) for explaining the intricacies of harnessing fire and blazing hot metal ….
Beamer Mercury
I get more requests over the years to do wacky/fun customizations to my Mercury model than you can shake a stick at! This is the start of a custom Mercury that’s getting the “Beamer treatment”.
Something new in the pickup department
Here’s a fun twist on my Ranchero model. Instead of P90s, how about some TV Jones Power’Trons with a P90 footprint? It’ll be a while yet before we hear the results of the Power’Tron/Korina pairing, but I suspect it’s going to be killer. Stay tuned.
Workshop: Two korina Ranchero Grandes
A couple of korina Ranchero Grandes on the bench. Nice straight grain, even a little flame! They were lightweight to start with, but with the chamber under the pickguard they clock in at 4lbs/3.4lbs.
Adam’s Pelham blue ’58 model
Adam over at Satellite Amplifiers and I have been threatening to work on a project for each other for a while, but it’s finally coming together. Adam was part of the Les Paul Junior aficionados brain-trust that helped finalize the neck shape on my ’58 model. He had an idea for a ’58 in Pelham blue, and when ….
Project ’58 – TV Yellow, Korina… and Gold!
If you’ve read through the previous Project ’58 blog posts, you know I set aside two of them that were destined to be TV yellow because I wasn’t happy with them. My process for TV yellow is kind of a one shot thing because I apply pigment to the raw wood, and there’s no way to sand it out effectively ….
Project ’58 – Out the door!
The first two ’58s are ready to ship to Mountain Cat Guitars! Doug at Mountain Cat has a great setup guy who will do the final assembly and setup.
Project ’58 – when life gives you lemons…
Well folks, a small change in plans has come up. I just wasn’t happy with the two TV yellow 58s I had in progress (I’m really anal about stuff like applying finishes). Since I apply colour to the raw wood for TV yellow, it’s really difficult to correct a paint job I’m not happy with. So, when life ….
Project ’58 – TV Yellow
So the plan calls for the first batch of four ’58s to consist of 2 cherry red and 2 TV yellow. It’s time to start on the yellow ones. For my version of an old school TV finish, I wipe white pigment right onto the raw wood.
Project ’58 – Headstock logos
I just got the headstock logos for this project and they look great! I’m catching up on build photos, so here are a few more quick snaps of necks being glued in and a quick intonation check before final sanding and paint.