Recent builds

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Recent Builds and some "one-offs"

Standard Hollow-body, Curly Bubinga top New!

Here is a new Standard Hollow body with a couple of custom features. Firstly, the 1-piece Bubinga top, and secondly, the 24 fret, 25 1/2 inch scale neck, which is the reason the pickups are closer together than on other Standards.

The body and neck on this guitar are Honduras Mahogany with Maple laminates in the neck. The fingerboard and head face are Indian Rosewood, and the guitar is bound throughout with cream celluloid.

The tuning keys are Grover Roto-Lock, the bridge is a TonePros AVT2, and the pickups are Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers.

The guitar is finished in natural oil & wax.

(private custom order)

Standard Hollow-body, 1-piece Bubinga top

Standard Extra-Hollow-body, 1-piece Curly Maple top

This latest extra-hollow-body has some unusual features worth mentioning. The top is a one-piece curly Maple instead of a two-piece book-match. The body is Honduras Mahogany, and the neck is Honduras Mahogany with Maple laminates. The fingerboard and head veneer are Ziricote. The pickups are made in Australia by Mick Brierley, the bridge pickup is a Vintage Firebird style, and the neck is a Firebird sized P90. This pickup sits further forward than usual so that the pole-screws sit directly under the harmonic point where the 24th fret would have been.

I've used a Bigsby B5 Vibrola with the front roller cut off. This reduces the string angle over the bridge and makes for a very free-acting tremolo. The bridge is all Ebony with the saddle compensated for the customers specific string gauge. The tuning keys are Gotoh 510's. The finish on the guitar is Nitro-cellulose with a dark wine-red sunburst on the front, and a honey-tinted clear on the back.

(Private custom order)

Standard Extra-Hollow-body, All Walnut

This new extra-hollow-body Standard. (As stated further down the page the guitar is "extra" hollow in that it has thinner side walls than my regular hollow-bodies along with minimal bridge support posts inside, and obviously it has a trapeze style tail-piece and a wooden bridge.)

This standard is made with all Walnut (exept for the Ziricote fingerboard). There is no binding on this guitar - instead of binding I've used a Maple laminate between the body and the top, between the fingerboard and the neck and between head and head veneer. The body and neck are Claro Walnut, and the face of the body is an amazingly curly one-piece Bastogne Walnut. The wooden bridge is made of Ziricote with Woolly Mammoth ivory inserts, and the fingerboard is also Ziricote with Woolly Mammoth fingertip inlays. I hand-cut the Aluminum trapeze tailpiece, I thought it would be fun to include the Giffin "G" in the center of it.

The pickups on the guitar are a set of Cream-T 59 PAF humbuckers which are mounted in Bastogne Walnut rings, and the tuning keys are Gotoh 510 series. Finish is natural oil & wax.

(Willcutt Guitar Shoppe)

Standard Extra-Hollow-body, Koa top

Here is a new Standard EX Hollow-body with a very nice curly Koa top. It has a Honduras Mahogany body, and a one-piece curly Maple neck. The fingerboard on this guitar is a rather wild piece of Cocobolo with round-ended pearl block inlays.
I used off cuts from the Koa top wood for the head face and also the pickup rings and truss-rod cover.

The pickups on the guitar are a set made up of a Staple-top single coil in the neck position, and a high gain humbucker at the bridge. These pickups are made by a British company :) Mojo UK. The contols on this guitar are two volumes, one tone with a push/pull coil tap for the humbucker, a three-way pickup selector and a bypass switch ("blower switch") which shunts the bridge pickup straight to the output jack.

The guitar has a set of Hipshot Classic Open tuners, a TonePros locking tune-o-matic bridge and a custom Aluminum trapeze tail piece. The finish is natural oil&wax.

(Private custom order)

Short-scale high-strung 12-string

This guitar was an experimental prototype. The idea was to have a hollow-body short-scale 12-string that was partly acoustic and partly electric. Using a modified Valiant body shape, I made this body out of Swamp Ash, and hollowed it out leaving a solid block where the bridge sits. I then made up a Spruce top with traditional acoustic bracing. The Rosewood bridge is glued to the Spruce top, and is mounted over the solid block left in the ash body. The guitar is strung from the back of the body with the strings running through a metal block.

The curly Maple neck has a 19 inch scale Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard which is 1 3/4 inches wide at the nut, so the strings are not too cramped. The strings are tuned in unison pairs (like a mandolin) and the guitar is tuned up to a "G".

The bone bridge saddle sits on top of a L.R. Baggs piezo pickup which runs through a preamp inside the guitar. The sound that this guitar produces is hard to describe but imagine an electrified 12-string mandolin and you get the idea!

(private sale)

Standard Hollow-body with P90s

Here is a really nice looking Standard Hollow-body with some great wood. The top is a very "bubbly" quilted Maple with a translucent ocean turquoise stain. The body is a two-piece curly Honduras Mahogany which has been stained trans-black. The neck on this guitar is curly Maple with Mahogany and Rosewood laminates, and this has been given a light amber stain. The fingerboard is the last piece of my old-stock jet-black Gabon Ebony...gorgeous wood! I've used Abalone line inlays, and the whole guitar is bound with cream celluloid.

The tuning keys are Grover Rotomatics with Ebony buttons, and the bridge is a TonePros AVT2. All hardware is gold.

The P90 pickups are Lindy Fralin Silent Soapbars with are a rather interesting version of the P90s with two coils in each unit mounted vertically but still using traditional P90 magnet structure. The result of this is a pickup that sounds very much like a vintage P90 but with absolutely no noise - a very good solution to a common problem.

(private custom order)

Standard Hollow-body, Curly Black Limba top

It's not very often that Black Limba ends up on top of the guitar, but I think it's fair to say that it's pretty stunning. Also, on the unusual side, is the one-piece Claro Walnut body which has some unusual coloration running through it. I've also used Claro Walnut for the neck with hard Maple laminates. The fingerboard and head veneer are Ziricote, and the fingerboard has MOP diamond inlays.

I hand made a custom Ebony bridge with brass saddles, as well as a brass trapeze tailpiece.

The tuning keys on this guitar are a set of Grover Imperials which look very regal! The pickups are a set of Lindy Fralin Sunbucker Blues humbuckers which are mounted in Black Limba pickup rings. The guitar is finished in natural oil & wax which brings out the wood grain beautifully and feels amazing to play on.

(private custom order)

Custom Micro, Quilt top

This is a slightly unusual Micro. Instead of the usual 24 fret, 24 3/4 inch scale, this one has 22 frets on a 23 1/2 inch scale like a Gibson Byrdland. The construction on this guitar is otherwise the same as my regular Micro - neck-thru body design, all made from figured Mahogany. The top is quilted Maple, and the fingerboard and head veneer are Brazilian Rosewood.

    The pickups are Klein "Radiator Top" Firebird mini humbuckers, the tuners are Hipshot Classic Open, and the bridge is a TonePros AVT2.

The finish is natural on the back and a Lemon Drop burst on the front, all in high gloss Urethane.

(Private order)

Standard Extra hollow body, hand-rubbed yellow to black burst

Here is the latest Extra-Hollow-body Standard. It's got a one-piece curly Walnut body and a very wild curly/quilted Maple top. The neck is also Walnut with hard Maple laminates. The fingerboard is Gabon Ebony with Abalone line inlays, and I've used the same Ebony for the tail piece and the bridge. The guitar is bound throughout with vintage Ivoroid, and just for good measure, I made the nut from wooly mammoth Ivory. The head-stock veneer and the tops on the pickups are made from the same Maple as the front of the body.

The pickups are a set of Porter Wide-Range Humbuckers, both of which have 12 Alnico magnet pole pieces. These sound great as humbuckers, and are equally good when split down to single coils.

The finish is naural oil and wax, and the hand-rubbed yellow to black burst is continued on the pickup tops and the head veneer. I'm very happy with how this one turned out.

(Willcutt Guitar Shoppe)

Stand Extra-Hollow body, yellow to black burst

(Private order)

T- Deluxe, Emerald green quilt - body view1

T-Deluxe, Emerald Green Quilt top

Here is a new T-Deluxe that is different from the other T-Deluxes in that it has no binding at all. Rounded body edges, unbound fingerboard and head stock, it all looks very clean - I might have to do another one like this. It has a very pretty quilt top that really comes to life under the emerald green stain.

The guitar has Grover tuners, a TonePros bridge and Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers. These pickups are wired through my regular volume and tone setup but with the addition of two mini switches that can independently put each pickup in either series, parallel or split coil mode.

The Mahogany body and neck are finished in clear gloss urethane which brings out the natural wood color on the back contrasting nicely with the emerald green front.

Standard 6-string, Pencil flame top

This Standard has an amazingly vivid flame Maple top, which was double stained with a golden orange water stain. The body is a one-piece Honduras Mahogany, and the neck is very nice curly Maple with Mahogany laminates. The 25 1/2 inch scale fingerboard is Brazilian Rosewood, and I used Brazilian rosewood from the same plank for the head face and the heel cap. The guitar is bound with cream celluloid.

The pickups are Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers, the bridge is a Schroeder wrap-around, and the tuners are Kluson Wafflebacks. All hardware is nickel.

(private custom order)

(private custom order)

Vikta Custom

Here is a new custom ordered Vikta which is a cross between the original Vikta and a T2. It has a one-piece Honduras Mahogany body and a Mahogany and Maple neck with a Ebony fingerboard.

The pickups are Thro-back Vintage Soapbar P-90s which run through two volume and two tones and a pickup selector on the upper bout. The bridge is a Rezomatic Wraparound, and the tuners are Sperzel Solid Pro.

The guitar is finished in Cherry red Nitro lacquer.

"Extra-Hollow body" Standard, Spalted Maple top

This is another version of my Extra-hollow body Standard. The body on this one is light-weight one-piece Mahogany with an outrageous Spalted Maple top. The body has no binding, but instead there is a flamed Maple laminate between the Mahogany and the Spalted Maple. You can see this in the "edge" photo. The neck is curly Maple with Mahogany laminates and has a Ziricote fingerboard with rounded pearl-block inlay. The fingerboard and head stock are bound with antique Ivoroid, and for the nut I've used woolly Mammoth Ivory, and you can't get more antique than that!

As with the previous hollow-body (see below), I've used a trapeze tail-piece made of aluminum and Macassar Ebony, and a Macassar Ebony bridge with brass saddle inserts. The pickups on this guitar are a set of Klein 12-pole humbuckers which are individually wired for series/split/parallel on the two mini switches. The other wiring on the guitar is a master volume and tone and a blend control instead of a three-way switch. The finish is natural oil and wax which is always great to use on highly figured wood. A very striking guitar!

(private custom order)

Standard "Extra" HB, Walnut top - pickup rings

Standard "Extra Hollow-body", Curly Walnut top

Here is a slightly unusual Hollow-body Standard. It is "extra" hollow in that it has thinner side walls than my regular hollow-bodies along with minimal bridge support posts inside, and obviously it has a trapeze style tail-piece and a wooden bridge.

The body is a one-piece figured Honduras Mahogany, and the top is a rather wild, curly piece of Claro Walnut. The neck on this guitar is curly Maple with Mahogany laminates, and this is topped with a Macassar Ebony fingerboard with Abalone line inlays. I've used Macassar Ebony from the same board to make the pickup rings, the bridge and the tail piece decoration.

The pickups on this guitar are Porter Anthem Plus humbuckers which are again unusual as they use 12 individual Alnico 5 slug magnets. This type of pickup gives a brighter and more sparkly sound than a regular humbucker, and they also sound extremely good as single coils when tapped. The finish on the guitar is oil&wax which is natural color on the front and a light Walnut tint on the back.

(Willcutt Guitar Shoppe - sold)

T-Deluxe, Curly Koa top

This new T-Deluxe shows off one of the nicest Koa tops I've seen for a very long time. This top is mounted on a roasted Swamp Ash body, which is ultra light-weight. The neck is a three-piece Curly Maple with Black Limba laminates and I used a Ziricote fingerboard and Abalone line inlays. All the binding on the body and neck is Italian celluloid Tortoiseshell with a white inner line.

The pickups on this guitar are Wolfetone Marshallhead humbuckers which are coil tapped on the push/pull tone control. I've used a TonePros bridge and Hipshot Classic Open Tuners with Grover Tortoiseshell buttons. All the hardware is nickel. The finish on the front is clear gloss Urethane, and the Urethane on the back is clear over a light brown stain.

(private custom order)

Standard Hollow body, Quilt top

I rather like how this guitar turned out. The copper burst finish on the Quilted Maple top compliments the tortoise shell binding very well. The body on the guitar is one piece Honduras Mahogany, and the neck is Mahogany with Maple laminates. I used Brazilian Rosewood for the fingerboard and head veneer, and I also made pickup rings and knobs from Brazilian Rosewood.

The pickups are Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers, the bridge is a Schroeder Classic Wraparound, and the tuners are Hipshot Griplocks.

(Private order)

Quilt top Standard, Lemon drop

This Standard has one of those perfect pieces of Quilted Maple on the top which you have to rub your finger over to make sure it's sanded smooth and not bumpy! This is attached to a one-piece Mahogany body. The neck is Mahogany and Maple laminate with an E. Indian Rosewood fingerboard. All the binding is cream celluloid.

The guitar has a set of Wolfetone Marshallhead pickups, a TonePros AVT2 bridge, and a set of Grover Rotomatic tuners. All the hardware is nickel.

The finish is clear Urethane over a Lemon-drop burst on the front and a dark Walnut stain on the back. Looks lovely and sounds equally good!

(Guitar Addict)

(Willcutt Guitar Shoppe)

Standard, Edge-cut Maple burl top

Here's a really wild piece of wood! It's Maple burl, but instead of being cut flat across the grain, it's cut on its edge grain. It looks completely different from what one expects from Maple burl, but one has to admit, it looks pretty spectacular. I applied a hand rubbed dark burst finish to this which makes everything pop out in 3D. The guitar body is one piece Honduras Mahogany, and the neck is Honduras Mahogany with hard Maple laminates. The fingerboard and head veneer on this guitar are very old salvaged Brazilian Rosewood which I acquired from a broken-up 1930's acoustic guitar which had been laying around the work shop for years.

    Hardware is all in gold. Tuners are Hipshot Classic Open, the bridge is a Tonepros AVT2, and the pickups are Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers which are coil tapped on the tone control.

   The finish is high-gloss Urethane with a vintage tint on the back of the guitar and, as I said previously, a hand rubbed dark burst on the front. It's all rather nice if I may say so!

Standard Hollow body, all Koa

This is a slightly unusual new hollow body Standard. Everything on the guitar is made of Koa, body, top, neck, pickup rings and knobs. The fingerboard, bridge and tailpiece detail are all Gabon Ebony. The body is more hollow than my regular hollow body, it has no block under the bridge and much thinner body side walls. These factors along with the trapeze tail piece and wooden bridge give this guitar a more acoustic tone than I normally achieve with a hollow body.

The pickups are Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers with a coil tap on the tone control. The hand-made Ebony bridge has intonated bone inserts and I've used Hipshot Classic Open tuners on the straight string pull Valiant style headstock. The aluminum trapeze tail piece was hand cut from a piece of heavy-duty aluminum with an added Ebony decoration cut from the same piece as the bridge.

The guitar is finished with natural colored oil & wax which sure looks good on Koa!

(Private custom order)