TC Ellis Guitars Blog

Gary Moore / Amen Corner Fender Strat

2012-01-12T16:03:00.000Z

A very nice Strat just came into the shop - it was previously owned and played by Neil Jones of Amen Corner - I have documentation stating Neil got it from his brother-in-law Andy Fairweather Low. Andy bought the guitar from a Fender dealer in London and it was originally owned by Gary Moore!

The guitar is a c.1987 Japanese Strat (all original) in fiesta red, rosewood fretboard, vintage 1950's single ply white pickguard (8 hole), gotoh tuners, 2 graphite black string trees.

Just serviced and set up the guitar and its a great instrument.

STOLEN GUITAR - STOLEN BY DAN HALEN ex. Motorhead Employee

2011-10-15T14:04:00.001+01:00

Just to let people know about a TC Ellis Guitar that has been stolen from me by ex Motorhead employee Mr. Dan Hawcroft (?) (aka. Dan Halen) see below:

Its one of my Lemmy inspired guitars (see pic)

If anyone knows the location of the guitar please let me know.

White Flame Les Paul Style with Bare Knuckle Emeralds

2011-10-02T12:13:00.000+01:00

Just finished this guitar for a good customer of mine - its a Les Paul style in white - all mahogany construction with a fantastic ebony fretboard with mother of pearl and abalone flames inlay.

Bare Knuckle Emeralds, CTS Pots, Orange drop Caps, and a push pull to coil tap. NIce chrome surrounds, bone nut,

All the binding on the bosy and neck was done in Abalone for a really custom look.

A really sweet guitar, and a very happy customer.

Guitar for Dave Grohl and online article about my workshop

2011-09-21T15:06:00.000+01:00

Just finishing up building a guitar for Dave Grohl. Motorhead recently did a tour supporting the Foo Fighters in the U.S.A. and as a way of saying thank you we built him an exact replica of Phil Campbells TC Ellis Les Paul style guitar (he is a big Motorhead fan). The guitar should ship to him next week so I will post any pics I may get of him with the guitar. The guitar is one of my Series 2 Les Paul style loaded with Bare Knuckle Warpigs. Thanks very much to Tim Butcher and Lemmy for all the help with this one.

The Wales on Sunday newspaper just ran an article about my workshop - you can check it out online at this link: TC Ellis Guitars

Lemmy's Bass's in for a Service - check out the pictures

2011-08-15T14:35:00.001+01:00

Here is our resident shredder Tom with Lemmys two main guitars: Will be working on them for the next few weeks - click here for more information.

TC Ellis Guitars Mantis Hollowbody Review

2011-07-26T11:25:00.000+01:00

Just got this from a happy customer:

Review:

I used to play a PRS Custom 24 that cost me £2,400. It actually took me a fair while to find that one, a guitar that really suited me, via trial and error, you know... I was in a shop one day, picked the thing up and it felt really comfortable, nice size etc. I gave it a go and sure it sounded better than anything I had at the time.

Then, years later, I happened upon Tim via the net and his shop was only a few miles down the road so I popped in. The guitar that grabbed me straight away was his Mantis hollow body, the same shape as my PRS so playing it felt natural. It's a good size, nice balance, I know it's a personal preference thing but they sure are easy to play.

Cut a long story short, I bought one for an incredibly reasonable price and took it home to use as a spare. Anyhow, and this is kind of odd if not a major point when it comes to choosing a guitar these days.

It actually took me about six to eight months to realise the obvious truth; My cheap spare was way better than my expensive guitar. And it's funny because it should have been obvious from the get go, it's just that my stupid preset brain kept getting in the way.

Yeah, it's funny how you look at something that cost a lot and tend to see what may or may not even be there. The plain fact of the matter is that for what ever reason, and I know guitar anoraks love to talk about the wood and the build, and this and that, but the plain fact is that this guitar can sing! The tone is so warm and ...err....organic... it's hard to describe.

Okay the two guitars are not like for like, one solid one hollow, but I have played hundreds of guitars and this one is the best yet. It rocks out with that cool Brit overtone but then when you slow it all down it's full of surprises as you play around with the volume and tone. It's fun and inspires you to find new progressions, but then some of the cool licks I have come up with played back on the PRS sound, well.... okay I guess.....

I got the 'Tree of Life' fret inlay and again, I have to say, I never want to go back to dots, or birds whatever. If you write your own stuff it's great because the pattern is like map, it helps you to remember what you played when you're jamming, and yet it's really clever how the pattern also easily highlights what is usually marked so you always know where you are.

And it all leaves me feeling pretty ripped off for paying so much for something that is now going to gather dust.

So, if you are thinking of buying one just plug one in, remove your logical capitalistic brain and listen, really listen......

On the QT, d'yer know what I think? No one really knows how to build a 'good' guitar, they just go at it and sometimes magic happens. Then they try to improve them via loads of money and endless brain farting, but they end up making them sound worse.

If it ain't broke don't fix it, and Tim's guitars sound great, and they are cheap.....what the....

Black Strat Heavy Relic

2011-07-26T10:59:00.000+01:00

This started as a nearly new Mexican Strat - full relic to all hardware, neck, pickup covers, plastics etc

Just had to do the cigarette burn

R.I.P. Wurzel

2011-07-11T10:22:00.000+01:00

Sad news this weekend - ex-Motorhead Guitarist Wurzel has died. I only met him a few times - what a nice bloke.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Esquire / Telecaster Relic

2011-05-03T16:32:00.002+01:00

I just finished this build for a customer - Its a Bruce Springsteen Esquire / Telecaster relic. Fitted with "The Boss" Bare Knuckle Pickups. Reliced like Bruce's Esquire. CTS Pots - a vintage 1960's nos oil capacitor and treble bleed. I put a light tint on the neck to get an authentic vintage vibe. Nice setup and its a great player with perfect tone as always from the Bare Knuckles.

David Gilmour Strat Conversion

2011-01-31T13:14:00.000Z

Coversion from a regular Fender Strat to a replica of David Gilmours Black Strat. The sound from the pickup combo and switching is amazing - pure Gilmour tone as well as Hendrix / Stevie Ray.

Converted to the same specs as David Gilmours Black Strat. Reliced as per the original guitar - including the filled trem route, Callaham Vintage S bridge with 4" trem arm, Fender Custom Fat 50's in the neck, Fender Custom '69 in the middle, and a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 in the bridge - custom wiring as per Dave Gilmour (note the 2 way micro switch to give neck and bridge combo in position 1) 1 ply pickguard and vintage white covers and knobs. I made use of the excellent book 'The Black Strat' written by Phil Taylor - Dave Gilmours guitar tech.

These are pics of David Gilmours actual Black Strat:

Mention on Motorheads new Album

2011-01-17T16:07:00.000Z

Many thanks to Motorhead and Tim Butcher for getting a mention on the new Motorhead album:

Headless Guitar with raised flames for Mikkey Dee of Motorhead

2010-12-18T09:57:00.000Z

Just finished this guitar for Motorheads Drummer - Perfect job again by Ace at "Ace of Sprays" (http://aceofsprays.co.uk/) - he did raised flames in fiberglass, then a really nice candy apple flame in yellow to red.

EVH Style Strat.

2010-08-26T14:32:00.000+01:00

Just finished this build - nice guitar.

New Bass

2010-08-21T16:58:00.000+01:00

Now taking orders on this Bass - can you guess who its for?

Wall of Lemmy Guitars

2010-08-14T11:35:00.000+01:00

Just finishing of a batch of Lemmy Guitars - also check out the Bass.

We are still taking orders for the guitar - check out this link for more information: Lemmy Guitar

Building an Uli Jon Roth Sky Guitar with 36 frets

2010-07-02T10:41:00.000+01:00

Been wanting to do one of these for a while now - its an Uli Jon Roth Sky style Guitar.
36 frets on a Maple cap neck, 6 strings for now - will do a 7 or 8 string version when I am happy with the build. I am not scalloping the fretboard as I am not a fan of that style - the electronics will be an issue as these is a humbucker placed under the fretboard on the upper register (I am thinking of 3 Bare Knuckle Warpigs to much derision by my colleagues!). I am also going to include a Strat style bridge with piezo's in the saddles. Sails of Charon anyone...

Motorhead and Slash at Download 2010

2010-06-28T10:44:00.000+01:00

Check out the video of Phil playing his TC Ellis Guitars Series 2 with Slash:

Taking a week off: June 10th - June 18th

2010-06-09T09:58:00.000+01:00

Just a quick message to all - I am taking a week off from Thursday June 10th to return Friday June 18th. The workshop will still be open for basic setups - anything more complicated will have to wait until I return. Contact the shop on 02920 515 656 - I will be checking my emails but if I am slow to reply I apologise in advance.

Motorhead in Portugal using a TC Ellis Guitar

2010-06-07T10:37:00.001+01:00

Lemmy Inspired Guitar

2010-06-05T10:39:00.002+01:00

Lemmy of Motorhead inspired guitar - we just finished this guitar for a customer - we are very proud of this truly unique guitar.

Specifications:

Individually Serial Numbered for the production of 50

Premium Mahogany Body with 5 Piece Maple Neck

Width at Nut: 42mm

Width at 12th Fret: 52mm

Scale Length: Strat

Premium Hand Made Binding

Premium Ebony Fretboards

Star Inlays in Mother of Pearl

Bare Knuckle War Pig Pickups (1V + 1T)

CTS Pots, Sprague Orange drop Capacitors, hand wired

Premium Hardware

Bone Nut

Certificate of Authenticity

Hard Case

Pro Setup by both myself and Tim Butcher (Lemmys tech for the past 30 years)

More pix and info at this link: http://www.tcellisguitars.com/lemmy.html

Custom Relic Service

2010-06-02T13:12:00.002+01:00

We are now offering custom relic services from £75. If you are looking to give your guitar that vintage vibe you can always have it Relic'd. Most people agree that the sound, the look, the feel, the history is what attract us to vintage guitars. How many people have the £5,000 to £50,000+ to buy an original vintage guitar?

We have developed many different techniques to transform your standard guitar into a piece of history - or at least make it look like one.

Click on this link for more info:

http://www.tcellisguitars.com/relicservice.html

Custom Les Paul Style Guitar

2010-05-25T14:05:00.000+01:00

Just finishing up this custom build for a Customer in Greece:

Left Handed Series 2 Les Paul style
Mahogany Body & slim Set Neck
Custom Greek motif fretboard inlays
Custom Greek God "Athena" inlay in Abalone on headstock
Flame Maple top in translucent green
Bare Knuckle Riff Raffs in Zebra Style
Coil tap and out-of-phase via 2 push pull pots
Orange drop caps, Fully Shielded

Lemmy Inspired Guitar March Update

2010-03-16T14:01:00.003Z

We have just finished another production prototype of the Lemmy inspired guitar. This one is built to the same scale length as a traditional Fender Strat (The first prototype was based on a Les Paul scale length). We are also hand profiling the necks in accordance to each new owners desired specs.

Custom Paint by Ace of Sprays

2010-03-03T16:24:00.004Z

We just got this back from Ace at Ace of Sprays http://aceofsprays.co.uk/ - it started life as a PRS style guitar which has flame maple top that was just laying around the workshop. Ace did a great paint job on it utilising the existing flame in the maple going under a faux granite finish. Here are a few pictures showing his great work on this guitar:

Horton Heat Guitar

2010-02-08T11:36:00.005Z

Just finished this 335 style guitar for the Rev. Horton Heat - check out this link for more info:

http://www.reverendhortonheat.com/

We have done this guitar as a gift to the Rev - we dont have any endorsement deals etc. Horton Heat supported Motorhead in the USA last year and this was a way of saying thank you for the hospitality.

The guitar itself is a 335 style mahogany body / neck with a maple top - finished in black - ebony fretboard with no inlays, Les Paul style hardware with the 3 way switch on the upper horn. We fitted a nice set of Bare Knuckle Mississippi Queen Humbucker sized P-90's - CTS Pots and Orange drop caps.

Phil Campbell of Motorhead playing a Lemmy Inspired Guitar

2010-01-26T12:58:00.002Z

We are working on a limited run of Lemmy Inspired Guitars - Phil Campbell of Motorhead picked up a new guitar from us last week and tried out the design prototype for the guitar:

Specifications:

Individually Serial Numbered for the production of 50
Premium Mahogany Body with 5 Piece Maple Neck
Width at Nut: 42
Width at 12th Fret: 52mm
Scale Length: 626mm
Exclusive body shape with hand carved "Oak leaf" relief
Premium Hand Made Binding
Premium Ebony Fretboards
Star Inlays in Mother of Pearl
Bare Knuckle War Pig Pickups (1V + 1T)
CTS Pots, Sprague Orange drop Capacitors, hand wired
Premium Hardware
Bone Nut
Certificate of Authenticity
Hard Case
Pro Setup

Price: £850 + V.A.T. If the guitar is going to any non-European Union Country then its £850 and you will be responsible for your own import taxes etc.

Phil Campbell playing his new Strat built by TC Ellis Guitars

2010-01-26T12:47:00.004Z

Phil Campbell of Motorhead finally got to the shop to pick up the Strat we just built for him:

The guitar is as follows:

Mahogany Body finished in translucent white
1 Piece Flame Maple Neck with Spade inlays and "Wanker" at the 12th fret
Callham Vintage S Bridge - blocked off (no trem)
EMG H/S/S pickup configuration modded to 18 volts
Custom made Gold Mirror Pickguard and back plate
Custom plated gold / nickel vintage split post tuners

If you are interested in a similar build we can produce this instrument for approx. £750

Mantis 2 with EMG's and Schaller Hannes

2010-01-26T12:40:00.003Z

Just finished this build:

TC Ellis Guitars Mantis 2 in Mahogany with 1" Flame Maple Cap - faux Binding
Tree of Life in Mother of Pearl
Schaller Hannes Bridge
Schaller Tuners
EMG Zakk Wylde Set

Lemmy inspired Guitar

2010-01-16T15:43:00.003Z

Just finished this prototype for a Lemmy inspired guitar.

Click here for more information

This is a limited run of 50 instruments priced at £850 + V.A.T. The first 15 have sold out - I am now taking deposits of £250 each for the remaining 35.

Triumph Motorbike Strat

2010-01-05T12:12:00.003Z

Tim Butcher just finished his custom painted Strat - Its based on the same paint job he has on his Motorhead Triumph - all paintwork was done by http://www.aceofsprays.co.uk/

Here are a few pictures:

Finished Phil Campbells New Guitar

2009-12-19T12:11:00.005Z

I have finally finished Phil's new Strat:

The guitar is built as a twin to the Series 2 Les Paul Style that we built for him earlier this year - its translucent white over Flame Maple with Gold Hardware.

Here are the specs:

Body: 1 Piece Ash with Flame Maple top. Routed for H/S/S

Neck: High Quality Flame Maple with Premium Rosewood Fretboard 22 Frets (medium Jumbo), 16" radius - "Spade" symbol fret markers in Abalone with "Wanker" at the 12th fret. Hand carved bone nut (0.023" to 0.018" E to E) 42.6mm at the nut / 52mm at the 12th fret. Very slim neck profile (20mm at 12th fret) - soft shoulders with a fairly "flat" back - think FAST. Vintage Pin-up decal on the headstock, finished in high gloss Nitro with Danish Oil finish on the back of the neck.

Hardware: EMG 81/S/S with 1 volume and 1 tone (ceramic) Callaham Vintage S bridge and trem block (blocked off) - no trem claw or springs - the trem cavity has 2 9v batteries for 18v mod to the EMG circuitry) Hardware has been selectivly 24 carat gold plated for a Gold / Nickel look. Hand made Gold Mirror pickguard and matching back plate - Vintage split post tuners again selectivly plated in gold. And finally a nice Welsh Flag button.

The guitars neck is set with a very very small amount of relief, Earnie Ball Super Slinky 10's with the action at 0.055 at the 12th fret on the Bass E going to 0.045 on the trebel E.

This had turned out to be yet another sweet guitar - I actually took a break yesterday and just played it for the sheer enjoyment it sounded and played that good. Phil is in Moscow today for the last gig of the 2009 Motorizer tour - we will hook up over Xmas and the New Year - I will try and get some pics and video of him with the guitar.

I can build this same guitar for around £850 - Fender Custom Shop quality at a fraction of the price.

Click on the pictures for bigger versions:

Phil Campbells new Strat Build

2009-12-15T15:14:00.002Z

I have been working on the neck again for the new Stratocaster I am building for Phil Campbell of Motorhead - here are a few pics (click on them for a bigger version):

Headstock with decal & Logo - Lots of Nitro Clear - hand flatted between coats etc:

Back of the neck - high quality Flame Maple

12th Fret Inlay:

"Ace" Fret Markers

Guitar for Horton Heat

2009-12-12T10:56:00.003Z

Working on a Guitar for the Rev. Horton Heat - check out this website for more info if you are not familiar with them: http://www.reverendhortonheat.com/ - more info will be up shortly.

Phil Campbells Strat Build

2009-12-08T14:47:00.003Z

I have been building Phil Campbell of Motorhead a Strat for the past few weeks - its just about done. Today I applied the headstock decals and took a quick picture (click on it to see it bigger)

I will post some pictures and more information later this week once it's complete. I can build this same Strat for £750 - set up exactly as this one.

Yamaha, Kawasaki & Ducati Stratocasters

2009-12-01T14:25:00.004Z

Just finishing up on a few Motorbike themed Strats.

Made up from various off the shelf Fender and non-Fender parts - generic Strat pickups. Fender USA necks with serial numbers. £475 each - upgrade the pickups etc at your option - call or email for upgrade pricing. Premium Paintwork by "Ace of Sprays"

New Guitar for Phil Campbell

2009-11-30T16:38:00.005Z

Phil Campbell of Motorhead just got another guitar from me - they just finished up the UK part of the Motorizer 2009 tour and are now in Europe. I managed to get the guitar completed last Saturday morning (Thanks very much to Tim Mills at Bare Knuckle Pickups for getting the War Pig's to me on time). A mad dash to the London Hammersmith Apollo for sound check to deliver the guitar as well as a nice Green Flame Maple Series 2 for Mikkey Dee (Motorheads Drummer), a TC Ellis SG style and the last of my TC Ellis Hollowbody Les Paul style guitars for Dan and the crew - sorry Lemmy, that was the last one.

During the concert Paul, Lemmys Son made a guest appearance during "Killed by Death" and actually used Phils new guitar. I also met with the Guitar tech for the Damned - I am building him a Flying V.

The guitar for Phillip is one of my new "Debbie" style Les Pauls - solid mahogany body, Quilted Maple front, double binding, flame maple neck left natural, tree of life inlay, fully shielded with CTS Pots, Sprague Orange drops, Bare Knuckle "War Pig" pickups and the hardware in gold.

This is a very limited run of 12 instruments - available in black flame and tobacco sunburst flame. I did have another Cherry Sunburst that matched Phils guitar but Martin, a good customer of mine just grabbed it yesterday for his Xmas present to himself.

The guitars are available in 2 configurations - with standard hardware, pickups etc for £549 and a "Pro" version with upgraded electronics, CTS Pots, Sprague orange drop's, Bare Knuckle Pickups, fully shielded for £775.

New Strat Build with EMG's

2009-11-17T15:04:00.004Z

I finished a pair of Strats a few weeks ago - here are some pictures and info:

Specifications:

Solid Mahogany Body with Spalted / Flamed Maple top
AAA Flame Maple Neck with Maple Fretboard - Abalone Inlays
EMG-DG 20 Pickup's - http://www.emginc.com/products/index/56/11/1
Callaham USA Vintage S Tremolo and Hardware in Nickle: http://www.callahamguitars.com/partsstr.htm
Callaham Vintage Split Post Tuners
Bone Nut
Pro Setup
£750 (Cheaper than an off the wall USA Strat)

This Strat has the perfect "Strat" sound - I am very pleased with the finished guitar.

Review of a TC Ellis Guitars Series 2

2009-11-14T10:47:00.002Z

I just read this review of one of my guitars - click here for the ultimate-guitars review

The guitar started as a basic Series 2 and was upgraded with Bare Knuckle Pickups and premium electronics.

Lemmy Bass - Update & Pictures

2009-11-11T12:35:00.004Z

Here are a few pictures of the Bass we are building for Lemmy - Once Lemmy approves we will begin production:

Brushed Steel / Copper Rust Acoustic

2009-11-03T10:12:00.004Z

Faux Brushed Steel and Copper effect Acoustic Guitar - I will have 2 Les Paul Style (My Series 2's) available soon with this same finish.

Vincent Motorbike Guitar

2009-11-03T10:05:00.003Z

Working on this PRS Style Guitar - it is themed around the classic Vincent Motorbike's of the 50's. We are working on a few Stratocasters based around classic Triumph, BSA, Ducatti, Yahaha, etc. motorbike colour schemes.

Lemmy Bass & Phil Campbell Strat Update Nov. 2 2009

2009-11-02T10:08:00.005Z

Here are a few new pictures of Lemmys Bass (Notice the intricate body binding is now on) This Bass is subject to Lemmy's approval:

Here are a few pictures of a Strat build we are doing for Phillip Campbell of Motorhead - he likes his Series 2 so much he wants a matching Strat style guitar - Ash body in translucnt white, S/S/H, Flame Maple neck with premium rosewood fretboard (check out the upside down "Spade" symbols for the fret markers in Abalone and "Wanker" in Abalone at the 12th fret)

Lemmy Bass Update Oct 31 2009

2009-10-31T09:30:00.005Z

Here are a few more pictures showing the construction of Lemmys new Bass:

Once the initial prototype has been approved by Lemmy, we will begin a very limited production run.

New Video's of Steph

2009-10-26T13:44:00.003Z

Tim Butchers ESP

2009-10-24T09:59:00.005+01:00

Tim Butcher's coveted ESP got slightly damaged the other night... here are a few pictures:

Notice the 2 cracks in the body - they open up if you flex the body:

If I repair it I will post some pics. Also, Steph was in yesterday so I will post up some videos once I have processed the 3 hours of footage.

Lemmy Bass

2009-10-21T08:54:00.003+01:00

I have been working on this one for a while now - building a Bass for Lemmy from Motorhead and its coming along really well -its styled after Lemmy's "Mother-Fuc*** One" which we did some restoration work on a few months back - I will post more pics and info as it develops:

Mantis II

2009-10-17T13:10:00.001+01:00

I have just added a page with information on my Mantis II's -

http://www.tcellisguitars.com/mantis.html

Custom Built Les Paul

2009-10-13T15:11:00.004+01:00

I have just finished building this guitar for a customer - here are the specifications:

Solid Mahogany Body
Flame Maple Cap on the Front
Flame Maple Neck in Natural High Gloss Finish
Strengthened Neck to Headstock Area
Tree of Life Inlay on Rosewood Fretboard (Mother of Pearl, Green Abalone, Red Abalone)
Bare Knuckle Pickups (Abraxxas) with Master Push Pull
CTS Pots, Sprague Orange Drop Cap's, Fully Shielded
"Debbie" inlay on the headstock

The guitar came out really nice - I am very happy with the guitar, as is its new owner. I just got a £2,500 Gibson Les Paul Supreme in for a repair, I would not hesitate put mine up against it for looks, playability, sound etc.

The Finished Guitar:

With Zebras installed:

Headstock Inlay:

Flame Maple Neck:

Nice Flame:

Very Rough back of Headstock (Note the joint)

Raw front of the guitar after black stain:

Raw Neck - no frets as yet:

I am so happy with this guitar I am going to do a small run of 12 instruments - please contact me if you are interested in one as further customisation and personalisation is available. Looking at completion prior to Xmas.

Mantis 2 Protoype Demo

2009-08-22T15:00:00.003+01:00

This is Steph playing my Mantis 2 Prototype - 30 instruments ready for hardware configuration 1st week of September 2009. Priced with Bare Knuckle Pickups, Premium Hardware and electronics, pro setup etc from £599

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTf3OZKGhC8

Series 2 Guitar Video

2009-08-22T12:15:00.003+01:00

This is Steph, a local guitarist playing one of my Series 2 set up with Bare Knuckle War Pigs (Same as Phil Campbell of Motorhead)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmJYUCBw3BI

We can build this guitar for less than £500 - includes VAT & Hard Case

Custom Paint Work

2009-08-21T10:10:00.003+01:00

I have just had a few guitar bodys painted by Ace of "Ace of Sprays" be sure to check out his website at this link: http://www.aceofsprays.co.uk/ He does some really nice work on Motorbikes as you will see from his website.

Prices from £200

He painted 2 bodies for me recently - here are some pictures:

Yamaha Pacifica:

Twin Neck Stratocaster:

Les Paul - R.I.P.

2009-08-14T10:13:00.000+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8200528.stm

Series 2 Relic's

2009-08-14T09:22:00.003+01:00

Just finished this pair of Series 2 Cherry Sunburst "Relic's" Tim Butcher did a great job - they feel & play really nice and smooth, just like an old guitar. Same price as usuall £299 out the door includes hard case & VAT.

Bare Knuckle Pickups

2009-08-04T10:38:00.002+01:00

I am currently offering special pricing on Bare Knuckle Pickups and Installation:

Any set of Uncovered Bare Knuckle Humbuckers with 4 conductor wiring installed with CTS Pots, a Master Push Pull to coil tap, Sprague Orange Drop Capacitors, High quality wire - Installed for £200

Any set of Bare Knuckle Single Coils, Installed with CTS Pots, Sprage Orange Drop Capacitors, High quality wire -

Installed for £185

Please contact me for HSS, P90's, Telecaster etc pricing.

Mantis II Update

2009-07-21T16:35:00.003+01:00

Looking at the end of August for the initial completion of the Mantis II's - at that point they will be ready for hardware - note that some are H/H while others are S/S/H with a trem. The fretboards are either tree of life or plain ebony. This is a limited first run of 30 instruments - pricing is difficult due to the various hardware combinations, but I am looking at around £750 for one equipped with PREMIUM name brand hardware (Fender, Gibson, Schaller, Tonepros, Bare Knuckles, EMG, Seymour Duncans, DiMarzios) and select electronics such as coil splitting, out of phase etc.

Guitar Setups - Special Pricing:

2009-07-21T16:06:00.002+01:00

Lemmy's Bass and Guilfest 2009

2009-07-16T10:44:00.003+01:00

It has been a very busy couple of weeks here - last week Tim Butcher brought in Lemmys Bass for a quick "tune up" - We stripped the hardware and re-plated it in 24 Carat gold, rebuilt the tuners, installed a 3 way micro switch for the electronics, fret dress and cleaned her up.

Last Friday I was invited up to Guilfest 2009 with Motorhead to see my Series 2 guitar in action - Phil used it for the opening and for Power during the gig - great time meeting all the crew and spending some time with Lemmy. Thanks to Phillip for keeping me company for the trip up - took me a few days to get over it....

Here are a few pictures of the bass before we did the work:

Here is Daniel my son playing the Bass when we had it finished:

Iron Fist Live with TC Ellis Guitars Series II

2009-07-06T15:39:00.001+01:00

Click on this link to the You Tube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0PrcRF8Yc8

Phil Campbell of Motorhead playing his Series 2

2009-07-02T09:42:00.004+01:00

Just did this video of Phil Campbell playing his Series 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKabTWdWfmg

More videos to come

Mantis II Production Pictures

2009-06-23T14:54:00.005+01:00

Jazz Guitars 6 & 7 Strings

2009-06-17T13:08:00.004+01:00

I have a few Jazz Guitars available - looking at £199 each:

6 String, Spruce Top, Maple Back & Sides, Maple Neck. Double Bound Body, 2 x Humbuckers, 2 Volume, 2 x Tone, Gold Hardware, Ebony Fretboard. £199

7 String - Spruce Top, Maple Back-Sides and Neck. Double Bound Body, 2 x Humbuckers, 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware. New set of Ribbon Wound strings -£199

1989 MIJ Strat

2009-06-16T14:11:00.003+01:00

MIJ Strat - Set up with 10's - Roller Nut - £299 Shipped in the UK. Nice playing Strat, lots of fret life.

Phillip Campbells Series 2

2009-06-15T15:42:00.004+01:00

Got Phil's guitar completed today - the Bare Knuckle Warpigs sound & look great - I am sure Phil is going to love it. Set up with Ernie Ball 10's, roller saddles on the bridge, bone nut, fully shielded - Action at the 12th fret is a nice low 0.050 (1.27mm) - note the Gold "Tele" style knobs - this has turned out to be a great guitar -I am certainly very happy with it.

Phillip Campbells WarPig's Installed

2009-06-15T11:41:00.003+01:00

Just got the Bare Knuckle War Pig's from DHL (Sent overnight last Wednesday - arrived the following Monday morning....) I have installed them (see picture) but I will let Tim Butcher do the final soldering etc. This is turing into a seriously sexy guitar.

Customised Series 2 for Phillip Campbell of Motorhead

2009-06-10T14:25:00.002+01:00

We have been busy customising another Series 2 for Phil Campbell - it began life as a White Translucent Flame Maple Series 2 with a 1 piece mahogany body. We have removed the Jimmy Page wiring and replaced it with tradional Les Paul wiring, Sprague Orange Drop capacitors and some CTS Pots. Bare Knuckle Pickups are winding some "War Pig" pickups for it which will be slightly different from the regular War Pig's as they are going to be uncovered - looking forward to getting them installed. The guitar has been heavily shielded with Aluminium foil shielding tape.

Mantis Hollowbodys

2009-06-10T14:11:00.003+01:00

A few more pictures of the Mantis Hollowbodys - this is a very limited production run of only 15 instruments:

Mahogany / Maple
Headstock matched top wood / colour with mother of pearl logo inlay
Single Binding
2 x Humbuckers or Fat P90's with traditional LP style bridge
Rosewood Fretboard with tree of life inlay
Bone Nut
Gold Hardware

Coming Soon

2009-06-06T13:17:00.004+01:00

I am hoping to have the following available in approx. 6 weeks:

Mantis Hollowbodys:

Hollowbody Necks with Matching Headstocks and Tree of Life Inlay:

Quilted Maple Hollowbody's:

Spalted Maple:

"Explorer" Style - Mahogany Body's with Maple tops:

RR Flying V's:

Spalted Strat:

Flame Spalted Strat:

Production Pictures - note the Custom Explorer in Black Flame, Oil Finish - (This Mettalica inspired guitar is a special one off production for a customer)

Phil Campbell of Motorhead gets a Series 2

2009-05-28T07:09:00.010+01:00

Its been quite a while since my last post - I hve been really busy setting up the new workshop and finishing the Series 2 Guitars. I have been very fortunate to be intorduced to Tim Butcher who has been a Guitar Tech for Motorhead for the last 30 years (Lemmys personal Tech). Tim is helping out in the Workshop, setting up Guitars and teaching me a few tricks he has learned over the years, along with some great tales of life on the road with Motorhead!

Yesterday we had a visit from Phil Campbell, Motorheads Guitarist - he loved the guitars and took a nice red quilted Series 2 for himself - great experience to watch him play one of my guitars!

The Series 2 are now ready so please contact me if you are interested - I have many colours to choose from etc - for more information please click here

New Workshop and Series 2 Update

2009-04-29T16:55:00.003+01:00

Hello to everyone following this blog. I just need to do a quick post as I am somewhat unavailable at present. I have taken a lease on a new workshop location and am in the process of kitting it out with my tools etc. The workshop also serves as a small retail outlet so you can come and try out my guitars, amps, and pickups as well.

I am sorry if I have been a bit unreachable lately - its taking up all my time. I have the Series 2 guitars in stock, but I am not 100% happy about the fretboard inlay markers. The inlay material is real Mother-of-Pearl which is very detailed and colourfull, but a few of the markers are not perfect so I am still working on them. Everything else about the guitars is excellent - the top & back woods are really breathtaking - the pickups are excellent with the enhanced electronics package giving a wide range of tones from the guitar & as always they play really great.

Red Quilted Strat Build - Part 6

2009-04-05T08:09:00.002+01:00

This blog post did not transfer from my old blog at akaguitars.com so here it is:

Finished the Strat today - my customer Elliot just collected it and he was very happy. Here are the final steps in the build:Setting the bridge saddles to the same radius as the fretboard and pre set the saddles for intonation (just a guess at this point):

Pickups arrived - really impressed with the quality and service from Bare Knuckles - Tim Mills hand wound these pickups specifically for this guitar. On his advice I went with just a zinc base plate on the bridge pickup. The base plate gives the pickup more high frequency response and because it is grounded, it helps to shield the pickup from unwanted signals. On a side note - when CBS Musical Instruments owned Fender, the reflector plates were omitted. Bridge pickups from this period without the base plates tend not to cut through a mixture of instruments well, but they still sound the part i.e. Hendrix etc.

Here are the pickups installed into the pick guard - nice cloth wire on the Bare Knuckles.

Installed the Pickguard - now its time to do the final setup & adjustments. Here I am taking a reading of the action at the 12th fret - looks a bit high..

Tweak the truss rod to allow very slight relief - in this case 0.006" that's 0.15mm - it seemed to be the ideal setting (after much testing and adjustment):

After setting the action at 0.065" (1.65mm) for the Bass E and around 0.050 (1.27mm) at the treble E I was happy. Here I am setting the final intonation:

Tested the guitar and it plays great - I am really happy with the build. It went quite smoothly and the guitar is a real pleasure to play and hear. I find the Bare Knuckle pickups to be of excellent quality, superb sound and excellent value - better than any other big name pickup I have used. If you are interested in a Strat build, please give me a call - the price is less than a USA Standard Strat. Here is a close up of the finished guitar - click on the picture for a bigger version:

Thanks for Elliot & his Family for allowing me to use his build on my blog - take care of the Guitar and if you have any questions or concerns just give me a call.

Series 3 Prototype

2009-03-25T11:49:00.004Z

I have been working on my Series 3 Prototype - its a double cutaway hollowbody similar in body shape to my series 1. The construction is neck through so its a really solid guitar for a hollowbody.

The electronics are currently zebra style humbuckers, but I am leaving this aspect fairly open right now - I am thinking fat P90's or 4 conductor pups with coil tapping out of phase via a small switch or push pull pots. Optional speed style or witches hat knobs.

The neck is quite fat, much fatter and wider than my Series 1 production, but the radius is still quite flat.

I am also thinking that a traditional Les Paul Style 2 piece bridge may be a better style.

Red Quilted Strat Build - Part 5

2009-03-12T11:47:00.000Z

Long post today - I have completed the nut & run the guitar through my neck jig. Here is the process step by step:

Here I am about to cut the slot for the bass E string - I have put my nut slot gauge on the string over the 1st fret and set the dial to zero. This gauge is going to measure the distance between the bottom of the string & the top of the fret:

With the gauge set at zero I press down the string on both sides of the fret - the dial moves backwards and gives me a reading of the gap - here its showing around 0.07" (1.78mm) - I like the gap to be around 0.03" (0.76mm) for the wound strings and 0.02 (0.5mm) for the plain strings. Too high and the guitar will not be comfortable to play and you will get intonation issues - too low and the strings will buzz. So, after taking this reading I can see that I need to cut this slot 0.04" (approx 1mm) deeper.

Here is the nut with the string slots cut and excess nut material removed. I believe that for best tone and sustain you want the most string pressure on the front edge of the nut. To make this happen the slots are cut to gently fall away on the back of the nut. This can take lots of practise as too much and the string will buzz like a sitar, too little and you don't get the maximum tone from the string (and it may not slide too smoothly). If the guitar has a shallow peg head angle I leave a bit more material on the unwound strings to stop them popping out when bending strings. Each slot is fine polished, the the entire nut is polished. At this point I do not glue in the nut as I will need to remove it on the next step.

I am now going to work on the frets - to start I set the relief in the neck to as close to zero as possible by adjusting the truss rod.

Here the guitar has been put into my neck jig - note the dial indicator has been set to zero with the strings tuned to pitch.

Here the strings have been removed - notice how the neck has moved as indicated on the dial. Strings can exert a huge pressure - around 200lbs.

The neck jig is now set to exert the exact same pressure onto the neck as when the strings were on it - see how the dial has moved back to the original zero point. Now the neck is under simulated tension, recheck the relief is zero and I am ready to mill the frets.

Taped off the fingerboard with low tack masking tape, protected the body & the sides of the neck (note that the neck jig has 2 dials taking 2 readings from the neck)

A quick test of the frets using a fret rocker - if it rocks then the middle fret is high etc.

Here is an 18" fretboard sanding beam that has the same radius as the neck (12")

After sanding the frets to an acceptable level you can see how the tops of some are now flat:

Using a diamond coated fret file sized for the frets I re-crown each fret. The pro-cut lube is great stuff - it makes for a faster, cleaner job.

800 grit sanding stick to take out the file marks - the stick is notched to the same crown as the frets

Using a small file to dress the fret ends - this makes for a nice comfortable neck.

Here I am polishing the frets with some micromesh 3200 grit - micromesh was developed for removing scratches from fighter jet windshields to maintain their optical clarity. (Thanks to Tim - guitar and equipment tech for Lemmy & Phil in Motorhead for the micromesh)

Almost done - a quick polish with the dremel, buff with 0000 steel wool:

Finished - looking good and a great foundation for a perfectly set up guitar:

Red Quilted Strat Build - Part 4

2009-03-11T12:30:00.000Z

Got some parts in for the Strat over the weekend. Tim at Bare Knuckle Pickups is winding the Mothers Milk set this week - hopefully ready by the end of the week. That's what I love about this type of build for my customers - the pickups are being hand wound just for this guitar, not just off the shelf - each step of the build is shown to my customer so he knows he is getting a truly custom guitar made just for him:

Soldered the pots, capacitor, switch and jack socket. Always making good mechanical connection between the tinned ends and the terminals. I have twisted the wires together from output jack to minimise noise pickup. I plan to solder the ground wire from the output jack to the grounded lug on the volume pot – this enables more room on the back of the pot for just the ground wires from the pickups – it is more likely that the pickups will be changed than the output jack at a later date.

Started work on the Nut - this can be really time consuming to do a proper job. I have taken a measurement from the necks nut slot and filed the nut to the appropriate width for a snug fit.

Snug fit:

Marking the string slots. This is a really important step - making sure the strings are correctly spaced makes for a better playing guitar. Here I am using my String Spacing ruler. If you space the strings equally, they don't feel equally spaced. The thicker bass strings seem crowded together. Each gap between strings has to be slightly different to feel right to the player. The String Spacing Rule is slotted so I can quickly mark the string positions onto the nut. I have marked the two outer string positions onto the nut, sliding the rule over the nut to find a set of slots that matches the two marks. Mark the nut with the corresponding positions on the rule.

Time for my trusty nut files - note how they are all gauged for each slot. For example the bass E string on a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings is 0.042" - The file is exactly gauged to that measurement and also cuts the bottom of the slot rounded to match the string:

Here I have marked the slots and slightly cut them (filled with pencil lead so you can see the slots):

Installing a set of strings to aid in the nut filing process - note I have cut the string 2.5 times the distance between the posts. This allows for the proper 3-4 string wraps around the post for correct string to nut angle.

Red Quilted Strat Build - Part 3

2009-03-08T17:19:00.000Z

Todays task - Tuners, Trem and Shielding.

Installed the tuner bushings – no problems

Using a fret file as a straight edge to align the tuners

Checking the trem block:

I like to check the trem block and top plate prior to installation. I lightly file the edges of the string pilot holes in the trem block to be sure there are no rough edges which may cause string breakage.

Also check the finish in the top plate pilot holes (where the bridge pivots).
Measuring and marking the position of the trem bridge prior to drilling the 6 holes.

Installing the trem claw:

Trem springs – note the really handy trem spring tool – a must for Strat owners.

Installed copper shielding to the cavitys and checked for electrical continuity

Guitar with the pickguard taped on:

Red Quilted Strat Build - Part 2

2009-03-07T10:02:00.000Z

Started work on Elliots Strat this week.

I believe this involves the most critical step in building a Strat – the neck to body joint. This brings us into the debate regarding “bolt on / set neck” advantages and disadvantages. I think a nice tight fit for a bolt on is key – you have direct “wood-on-wood” contact as opposed to “wood-glue-wood” construction of a set neck. Less sustain arguments are mute as I believe the guitar’s resonance comes from many many other considerations, not just the neck joint. Basically quality construction and materials are key.

Here are a few pictures and explanations of the process:

Checking the body for correct dimensions and cleaning up any excess lacquer in the cavities – this will allow the hardware to install without any issues (in theory)

Drilling the neck holes in the body:

I try to make these holes snug, but not too snug on the screws – friction caused by an undersized hole can snap the screw heads. I apply wax to all the screws as I install them to lessen the chance of them breaking off. This neck is going to be bolted on and off many many times during the build. I clean off the wax periodically as dust, shavings etc can adhere and get into the neck holes.

Checking the neck position prior to drilling the neck itself:

I always check clearances while I am doing a build – I like to check that the neck is in the precise position in relation to the body and bridge saddles. Here I am checking the scale length is 25.5” / 650mm.

Here is the guitar with the neck attached – looking good:

New Strat Build - Step by Step - Part 1

2009-03-05T17:48:00.000Z

I am building a custom Strat for one of my customers Elliot Ash. I am going to post pictures and details of the build process as it progresses - here are Elliot's specifications:

Ash Body - Quilted Maple top - red stain, high gloss

Birdseye Maple Neck - birdseye maple cap fretboard with Abalone dot markers

Bare Knuckle "Mothers Milk" Calibrated Pickups, Vintage Stagger with Zinc baseplates

Fender USA Vintage Trem
CTS Pots, Sprague Orange Drop Capacitor

White Pearloid Pickguard / Backplate

Wilkinson Deluxe Split shaft tuners

Here is the body & neck:

As the build progresses there may be a few changes but I am going to post each step of the build as I complete it - end of part 1.

Mantis Mark II Pototype

2009-02-28T17:11:00.000Z

The prototype is coming along well - I am installing a Schaller Hannes bridge on this one. The quality of the top wood was not addressed on this guitar as it is a shape & function prototype - it may be modified some more before final production. I have also been in touch with Bare Knuckle Pickups - I can now offer them on all my guitars - contact me for pricing. I am hoping to use them exclusively for the Mantis 2 production.

Sorry about the poor picture quality:

Build Specs:

Mahogany Body & Neck with a really comfortable neck joint (see pic below)

Choice of neck scale and profile

Choice of top woods subject to availability (Maple variants etc)
Rosewood or Ebony Fretboard
Choice of any design markers (tree of life 24 frets on the prototype)

ANY bridge - your choice (hard tail, trem, floyd rose etc)
ANY pickup configuration (H/H, S/S/S, S/S/H etc)

Coil Tap, Out of Phase etc will be standard on all Mantis 2

Traditional machine heads or locking - your choice

At this point I am totally open to any design suggestions you may have - production will begin at the end of April.

Back of the Guitar showing the neck joint:

Zemaitis "Ron Wood" Disk Front For Sale £4,500

2009-02-24T13:26:00.000Z

Zemaitis Custom Shop Disc Front™ Guitar – this is a new, unplayed guitar that is very rare in the U.K. marketplace. This guitar has a RRP of $13,000 USD - That’s almost £9,300 and retails for approximately $8,500 USD - just over £6,000. I am offering this extremely collectible guitar for sale at £4,500. This is a world class guitar – I believe you can not buy a better built guitar than this.

Specifications:

Body: 3-Piece Honduras Mahogany

Body Shape: Disc Front Original

Neck: 3-Piece Honduras Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony 12 1/32" (=305mm)

Frets: 24

Frets Scale: 25"(=635mm)

Tuners: Schaller M6

Pickups: DiMarzio Custom PAF (DP103) x 3

Controls: 5 Way Selector Switch, Master Volume, 3-Tone

Bridge: Hand-crafted solid duralumin

Tailpiece: Hand-crafted solid duralumin

The original Zemaitis Disc Front™ was made for Ronnie Wood to his specification.
Ronnie Wood had a 3-humbucker pickup arrangement and a 'treasure map' engraved on the Disc Front™ which was designed by Danny O'Brien.

Tony made only a small number of these guitars – each a little different as no two Zemaitis guitars were ever identical. Here's your chance to have a piece of rock 'n' roll history.
Elaborate engraving, breathtaking pearl or exquisite inlays, the creations of Tony Zemaitis attracted more famous players than any other UK maker. You could say that Zemaitis Guitars are England’s Glory.

Tony Zemaitis the British Luther became a legend in his own lifetime. The favored guitar maker for such stars as Ronnie Wood, George Harrison, Eric Clapton… the list goes on. He pioneered hand-crafted guitars - producing beautifully decorated acoustics with phenomenal sustain and tone; stunning electrics with engraved metal or intricate pearl inlayed fronts; and all such great guitars to play. These instruments are truly “Art with Strings”. Tony Zemaitis was the Luther who virtually created the ‘boutique guitar’.

About the Zemaitis Custom Shop:

“In true Zemaitis tradition, we only use the very best materials and components.”

Celebrating Zemaitis’ 50th year, the Metal Front™, Disc Front™, Pearl Front™ and all other Zemaitis guitars are now being built by the highly experienced team of Luther's and technicians at the Zemaitis Quality Custom Shop in Japan - reproducing the high level of Zemaitis quality, sound and playability of the original Zemaitis guitars.

The highly experienced team of luthiers and technicians at the Zemaitis Custom Shop are proud to be reproducing the original high level of quality, sound and playability of Zemaitis.
They don't compromise on the cost of materials or time needed to 'get it right' - they just want to give you the best guitars in the world.

Engraved Metalwork
All metalwork including the badge, truss rod cover, pickup mount rings, tailpiece, jack plate and the rear plate are designed by Danny O'Brien and produced by hand by our master engravers.

Bridge / Tailpiece
The bridge and tailpiece was designed by Tony Zemaitis, for perfect intonation, ultimate sustain and tonality. Made of Duralumin and with the Zemaitis name beautifully engraved to match all of the metalwork.

Pickups
The majority of Zemaitis guitars feature DiMarzio DP103 pickups, which have a 'brushed-chrome' finish. The pickup mount rings are also made of Duralumin to complement the bridge.

Zemaitis Method Set-in Neck
The neck joint is a critical part of a top-quality guitar. Tony Zemaitis only ever used glued-in joints. He experimented with various types of set-in neck joints with the aim of achieving the best possible results and designed a special technique where the neck was set further into the body than mainstream construction methods. The Zemaitis neck joint enables the neck and body to have more surface area in contact. This increases the durability of the whole guitar as well as enhancing string vibration, tone and sustain.

Neck / Scale
25" scale with a 3-piece Honduras mahogany construction as used by Tony Zemaitis for strength and stability. It has an ebony fingerboard with binding, precision frets and the perfect shaped neck for playability - all undertaken by our experienced craftsman in the Zemaitis custom shop.

Electronics
Without compromise we use the best high quality low-noise components and wiring components available. All of this ensures smooth control and durability for your Zemaitis guitars.

Hand-Polishing
The finish of Zemaitis guitars is another key quality of the instrument. Tony had a special hand-finishing technique involving multiple coats of hand-applied lacquer and rubbing-down by hand in-between each coat.

This process takes 4-5 times longer than a typical 'spray finished' factory-guitar but it gives you the wonderful look and feel of a hand-built vintage guitar. We continue this art of hand-finishing at our small custom shop where our master craftsmen hand-polish each individual guitar.

Hand-polishing gives the guitar a silky touch which is unlike anything else - when played. Tony also chose this method because you get a very strong but thin coating. This enables the natural acoustic qualities of the wood to come through - so get a better sound too.

Finest Quality & Materials
In true Zemaitis tradition, we hand-craft using only the very best materials and components: Honduras mahogany bodies and necks; ebony fingerboards; DiMarzio pickups; hand crafted bridges and tail-pieces; hand engraving; hand-polishing - Zemaitis guitars are the best quality that money can buy.

Aluminium Stratocaster & Telecaster Resonator

2009-02-24T12:22:00.000Z

I have been working on this one for almost 4 years now - finally got the body. Its made from Aluminium by the same luthier who made the bodys for the 109 Harley Davidson 90th Anniversary Edition Stratocasters in 1993 (a very collectable Strat that goes upwards of $25,000 USD).

I have the neck for the Strat ready to go, its a 1 piece heavy Flame AAAA Maple neck with a AAAA quality maple cap that is almost like marble.

The neck on the pictures is just a temporary neck:

This will be a beast when its done - Aluminium body Telecaster with a Resonator cone - I have not decided which direction to go with this one as yet, but its certainly a unique guitar:

More Series 2 Pictures

2009-02-24T11:39:00.000Z

Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar - £379

2009-02-18T14:48:00.000Z

Got this SG for sale - its a 2005 model that is unplayed. It still has the plastic on the pick guard.

The guitar was hit on the headstock and it cracked either side of the neck (see pics). The crack has been repaired by injecting Luther's wood glue with a very fine bore hypodermic needle into the area and filling the surface with clear lacquer.

This crack is not the traditional crack that Gibson's tend to suffer from due to the weak point created by the truss rod nut cavity - if so, splines of mahogany would be added under the neck / headstock joint area.

Guitar Info
The guitar was made at the Nashville Plant, TN, USA February 4th, 2005 - Production Number: 346. Gibson’s Nashville plant was opened in Tennessee 1974. All electric models and some acoustic models currently made at this factory. This facility has an average production rate of 220 guitars a day. Each guitar is built by hand and takes about 4 to 6 weeks to complete.

These SG's go for about £650+ new - grab yourself a bargain at £379 ! The guitar also includes a soft padded gig-bag which is not pictured. Local pickup in Cardiff South Wales or I can post it for £15.

Series 2 Pictures

2009-02-18T14:38:00.000Z

Tobacco Sunburst on Quilted Maple Front & Back. Mahogany Body & Neck. Wilkinson 4 conductor Zebra Pickups, Vintage Cream plastics. Ebony Fingerboard. Modified electronics (4 x Push / Pull Pots, 22+ Sounds / Coil Tap, Out of Phase etc)

£599 Spalted Maple Strat

2009-02-16T12:56:00.000Z

Finally got it finished:

Mahogany Body with Spalted Maple Top

Birdseye Maple Neck with Birdseye Maple cap fretboard

Abalone Dot Markers

Fender Custom Shop 1969 Pickups (A. Ybarra)
Fender USA Vintage Trem
Fender USA Switch

Fender USA 3 ply Pickguard and matching backplate
Fender USA Knobs, Pickup Covers and tips - Aged White
CTS Pots (Vintage Cloth Wiring)
Sprague Orange Drop 0.047mf

Wilkinson Deluxe Tuners (Split Post Vintage Style)

Hand carved unbleached bone nut

The sound of the guitar is spectacular - it has really defined separation of highs, mids and lows. I am obviously biased as its my guitar and I love Strats, but this will blow away any USA off the shelf production line Strat. This is a Custom Shop specification Strat that is totally unique - there is no other like it. No compromise was made on the parts, everything on it is top quality brand name. I am offering it for sale for the price of £599.

Early 1960's Style Decal:

Insane Birdseye Maple Neck:

Small run of Jazz Guitars for this April

2009-02-14T08:39:00.000Z

I am doing a very small run of Jazz Guitars which should be ready by the begining of April. Each guitar will be set up on my neck jig, bone nut, tweaked electronics, etc. If you are interested in pre-ordering, just drop me an email, or call 02920 515971. (Sorry no hard cases this time)

Four SEVEN STRING - £299
Three Traditional Six String - £279
One Resonator - £179

(Click on the pictures for bigger images):

7 String Front Close Up:

7 String Front:

7 String Back:

Traditional 6 String Front:

6 String Back:

And finally, not really a Jazz guitar - a resonator:

Series 2 Production Pictures - Flame, Quilt and Spalted

2009-02-11T11:18:00.000Z

Spalted Maple Strat, Mahogany Body,Birdseye Neck

2009-02-04T15:36:00.000Z

Finally building this Strat - its got a Mahogany Body with Spalted Maple top wood. The neck is an insane piece of birdseye maple with a birdseye maple cap fretboard and abalone dot markers. The pickups are Fender Custom Shop '69's - wound by and signed by Abigail Ybarra (She has been working at Fender since 1956 - she has wound pickups for Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton & Jimi Hendrix!!)

The Trem is a Fender USA "Vintage" unit and the rest of the hardware is Fender USA - apart from the tuners which are Wilkinson Deluxe Vintage Kluson Style with split posts. It's a Custom Shop Specification Strat that I am able to build for less than the price as a basic "off the shelf" USA Strat - As always the guitar will be set-up on my neck jig etc.

Series 2 Pictures and Wiring Info.

2009-01-23T10:20:00.000Z

Series 2 Pictures:

Thought I would put up a more detailed explaination of the wiring that is standard on the Series 2 - click on the picture for a bigger version - be sure to scroll down the page for more info.

Bridge Volume Pot:
Pulling out the bridge volume pot control puts both pickups in serial mode and bypasses the selector switch. Thus both pickups will be in series with the selector switch in any position. In this position the bridge volume and tone control work regularly as master controls, while the neck tone control works like a trebel booster, brightening up the sound in a broadbucker configuration.

Neck Volume Pot:
The neck volume pot switch puts the neck pickup out of phase. The effect is audible when both pickups are selected, that is in a serial mode or, when the guitar is in parallel mode, with the pickup selector in the middle position. Moreover, whe the neck pickup is in single coil mode, this switch selects which coil will be on.

Bridge Tone Pot:
Pulling the bridge tone pot switches the bridge pickup from the serial humbucker to parallel (dual sound) or, when the neck tone control is pulled too, to single coil.

Neck Tone Pot:
The neck tone pot switches the neck pickup to single coil and, when the bridge tone control is pulled, it also switches the bridge pickup to single coil.

Mantis Mark II Pototype

2009-01-17T13:18:00.000Z

Here are some production pictures of my Mantis Mark II Prototype - This is going to be my premium guitar line. It will have a very limited production and will have options like trem's etc:

Series 2 Production Pictures

2009-01-17T13:10:00.000Z

Some more production pictures of my Series 2:

New Guitars, £75 Setups, Strats and more...

2009-01-13T12:52:00.000Z

Happy New Year to everyone - thank you to all who have purchased one of my guitars. They have been very well received in the guitar community. I have some available still if you are interested, please email me your colour choice & I can get some pictures out to you.

I will have my Series 2 "Les Paul" styled guitars available in about a month - here is a pic of my prototype & some production images:

Ebony Fingerboards routed out for inlays:
Mahogany Body in Flame Maple:

Specifications:

Select Mahogany Body & Neck
Ebony Fingerboard with D"Angelico New Yorker style split block inlays
Double bound body (like a Les Paul Custom)
Hand Shaped Bone Nut
Matching woods for top & back - Flame Maple, Quilted Maple, Spalted Maple, Birdseye Maple
Uncovered "Zebra Style" pickup option

...and now for the cool bit...

PREMIUM Electronics Package Installed: 4 x Push Pull Pots with specialised wiring to give over 22 different sounds -Each volume is also a push pull coil cut, coil/tap control for its pickup. These work all the time and switch the humbucker into single coil mode for a clean, crisp tone. Having one for each pickup allows the widest range of tones possible.Another push pull pot is a phase switch, switching one pickup out of phase with the other. A funky, “trick” tone with a lot of uses for rhythm playing, funky leads, and a real cutting tone. The last push pull pot places the two pickups in series - this is a huge, big fat tone - both humbuckers become one giant humbucker for a monster tone. This is a really exclusive wiring setup and will give the guitar many voices other than the traditional "Les Paul / Humbucker" sound.

As always, this guitar will come with a complete and comprehensive setup, and a Hard Case.

I have a few nice Mahogany Strat bodys and necks looking for new owners- I can build you a custom Strat in Spalted / Flame or Quilted Maple with Mahogany body, flame maple neck, birdseye maple fretboard and your choice of DiMarzio or EMG's for around £650 (about the same as an off the shelf USA production line Strat) - please contact me for more details if interested.

I am now offering a setup service for customers own guitars for £75 - This includes a full fret dress (mill, crown & polish) under simulated string tension, hand shaped bone nut, action setup, truss rod adjustment, graphite lube, clean & polish and electronics checkup PLUS shipping back to you (deduct £11 if you are local) If you have a guitar that you love, but have never had it properly set up you have to get this done - it will improve your playing ability overnight!

Finally, here is a picture of a Jazz / Blues Semi Acoustic I have for sale @ £175:

Mahogany front & back, rosewood fretboard, bone nut, set up & plays like a dream (no case sorry)

Thanks again to everyone and please feel free to call or email if you have any questions.

Contact me if you have Pre Ordered

2008-12-02T07:57:00.000Z

If you have pre-ordered a guitar, please contact me with your address for shipping. If for some reason you no longer want to buy one, please let me know as there is a long waiting list for various colours.

I have my series 2 prototype complete - I will post some pictures soon, along with some pictures of a T.C. Ellis Guitars Jazz Guitar prototype - its got a mahogany top and bottom and is very early Jazz / Blues influenced.

Again, please contact me if you have pre-ordered a guitar - I am anxious to get them shipped.

Shipping First Orders

2008-11-29T09:30:00.000Z

I am now shipping some of the first pre-orders - here are a few quick pictures:

Neck Jig

2008-11-24T17:01:00.000Z

Here is a picture of my neck Jig - it simulates string tension on a neck when you are working on the frets. It is absolutely essential to setting up a guitar properly - The Neck Jig's dial indicators, peg head tensioner and peg head jack let me precisely simulate string tension, including the effect of the truss rod adjustment inside the neck. When I mill the frets, it is as if the strings are still on the guitar! To everyone who has pre-ordered, expect an email shortly. Thanks

Spalted Maple Stratocaster & Telecaster

2008-11-13T16:48:00.000Z

Been working on a few Stratocasters & Tele - all with a 1 piece mahogany body and spalted maple tops - here are some pics:

They both have matching mahogany necks in the traditional pre-CBS headstock shape with ebony fingerboards & abalone dot markers. The telecaster has no stain on it yet - thats why it still looks "natural". I am hoping the mahogany adds some of its tonal characteristics (it's certainly added it's weight) I have not decided on pickups as yet - possibly a Seymour Duncan Everything Axe Pickup Set for the Strat or something by Lindy Fralin. Any idea's on the pickguard style would be appreciated!

Mitch Mitchell has died

2008-11-13T06:36:00.000Z

Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell was found dead in a Portland hotel -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7726024.stm

R.I.P.

Gold Plating

2008-11-12T20:32:00.000Z

Here is a picture of a couple of pickups I just plated with 24 carat gold / cobalt mix. They look really good, also the added cobalt significantly reduces the plating wearing off over time.

I also have some pictures of my prototype for the Series 2 guitar - its come out really nice - the prototype is in a cross between Cherry & Tobacco sunburst - its got a really vintage vibe, but a great modern look with the neck & headstock. Also just finishing the body's for a matched pair of guitars - a Strat and a Tele. Both have 1 piece mahogany body's and capped with spalted maple with a slight vintage tint. I will also post some pictures of them over the next few days. Thanks to everyone who has taken the survey - it is proving to be very useful for my future design considerations.

Finally, the next few weeks are going to really busy so if you email me & I dont get back to you right away, please bear with me, I will answer all emails when I have a chance. Everyone who has pre-ordered a guitar will be contacted shortly before each guitar is ready to ship. Thanks for all the support & check back soon for the new pictures.

SOLD OUT OF BLACK & PURPLE

2008-11-06T12:31:00.000Z

Sorry to say I have now sold out of Black and Purple as well as the Amber & Tobacco Sunburst.

I still have very a very limited quantity of Blue, Cherry Sunburst, Red & Green.

Also very excited about the hardware - the gold plating is really good quality. I am using an excellent quality plating mix that is 24 carat gold with added cobalt for durability. Tests are showing the gold plating is really hard wearing while retaining a deep gold lustre. I will post some pictures in the next few days. Thanks for all the support.

James L. D'Aquisto Tear Drop

2008-11-05T13:14:00.000Z

Just pulled this one out of the collection - this is another really intersting guitar.

One of the greatest guitar luthiers in history, James L. D'Aquisto, started his career in arch-top guitar building at the age of 17 at John D'Angelico's studio. He founded his own D'Aquisto brand after the passing of John D'Angelico and is known to have created some of the best-sounding, most sought after arch-top guitars available until his untimely death at the age of 59 in 1995.

The instruments he created in his later years are especially desired and are highly regarded as the “Holy Grail” of arch-top guitars. They are still the inspiration for many arch-top guitar builders.

I purchased this guitar from Ed Roman in Las Vegas - its serial number 003 and its NOT FOR SALE! Check out Ed Romans website - lots of guitars and I love his rants. Go to : http://www.edroman.com/index.htm

Pickups etc.

2008-10-31T16:27:00.000Z

A lot of people are asking for named brand pickups on the pre-ordered guitars. I do not currently have a stock of pickups from Seymore Duncan, EMG etc. so if anyone who has pre-ordered a guitar would like any particular humbuckers installed, please let me know.

I will do my best to source some at a reasonable price, or feel free to mail me your choice of pickups & I will install them onto your guitar at no extra charge.

Also, the survey is going good. Thank you to everyone who has taken it - it seems that you like your Les Paul / PRS style guitar in Mahogany, Flame Maple, with named brand pickups and bridge.

I am still looking at a late November completion on the guitars - I will be in touch with everyone as they near completion.

Bird Fish Guitar

2008-10-29T16:47:00.000Z

I have been going through my collection & I thought I would share this amazing guitar with you. The guitar is called a "Bird Fish" and is made by Ulrich Teuffel of Teuffel Guitars - http://www.teuffel.com/index.htm

This is the most unique guitar I have ever seen or played - it was made for me in 2005 and I have cherished it ever since. Click on the pictures for a bigger version.

From the website:
"The body consists of the two tonebars which are screwed on both central elements "bird" and "fish". The neck is bolted onto the upper element "bird" while the lower "fish" carries the control box in which you find the guitar electronics. A rail between "bird" and "fish" holds the slideable pickups. All three pickups can be exchanged with each other within seconds."

The guitar itself plays like a dream - it it the most professionally set up guitar I own. As for sound - it will do what ever you want. I can make it sound more like a 1957 Stratocaster than my actual 1957 Strat!

Bridge:

Back:

Front:

Nut: