{"id":1488,"date":"2016-05-31T16:16:06","date_gmt":"2016-05-31T23:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koentoppguitars.com\/blog\/?p=1488"},"modified":"2016-05-31T16:49:11","modified_gmt":"2016-05-31T23:49:11","slug":"three-little-electrics-went-to-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koentoppguitars.com\/blog\/three-little-electrics-went-to-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Little Electrics, Went to the Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three electrics recently came off the bench and, like all of my guitars, they were tailored closely around my\u00a0clients. Their input guided the builds and determined specifications and wood choices. These three instruments feature new construction techniques\u00a0that\u00a0deliver more precision, tighter joinery, and new innovations\u00a0that transfer directly into the\u00a0overall sound. Each instrument, still unique in their own voice, sound insanely clear and balanced. To top it off, I had the opportunity to work with Ron Ellis who delivered\u00a0custom pickups that matched the qualities of these guitars in ways that I can’t put into words.<\/p>\n

In prior electrics, the necks were fit to the bodies with a long straight tenon, from the heel to the bridge. I removed most of the material with a router and then hand fit the neck by removing thin shavings with a deadly sharp hand plane. The joint was just as tight as I’m doing now but the transition from the tapered fingerboard to the straight tenon was an area that made it challenging to fit the top (The tops of these guitars are glued after the neck). Now, the\u00a0electrics feature a long tenon that is tapered to the same taper as the fingerboard. This allows a beautiful transition between the fingerboard, the top, and to the body. The long dovetail joint also provides an extremely tight joint between the neck and the body.<\/p>\n

The bodies are hollowed out by about 65% in a shape that I call the “lung cavity”. The neck is glued to the solid part of the body at the heel and floats through the lung\u00a0cavity where it is glued again under the bridge. In both locations the neck is wedged into the joint. This design is the culprit of the sound and vibe these guitars produce. The neck almost becomes a backbone so it remains stable and transmits so much string energy to the body and the pickups, while the hollow body creates a resonance and flexibility.<\/p>\n

This first guitar was special right from the conception and it continued to manifest and grow as it was built. My client wanted to use woods that were close to his hometown, Chicago. This guitar was going to represent him in every way and be a reflection of who he is\u00a0and where his roots are. We searched\u00a0together and located some special woods that were reclaimed from the City of Chicago. A well quartered Ash log from the North side of the city and a beautiful curly maple board that was also salvaged from a fallen tree on the North side. We worked closely with\u00a0Horigan Urban Forest Products, Inc<\/a>\u00a0who specialize in reclaiming fallen trees in and around Chicago. I was not able to be present when my client visited their facility\u00a0but through communication with both my client and the owners, they came up with wood that was truly meant to be. They sent me the already seasoned\u00a0wood to my shop here in LA and I put it away to\u00a0air dry for over two years.<\/p>\n

There is a lot more I’d like to\u00a0tell you about this guitar but I’ll save that for another post. In brief, I molded the neck from his 1953 Tele and made a couple of modifications to the neck including enlarging the nut a wee bit. Here are the specs:<\/p>\n

Electric #048<\/strong><\/p>\n