This guitar has a 18-inch soundbox, with 86 mm (3 3/8″) depth at the sides, so it is not exactly for small players. It was the idea of a client that had in mind something similar to a very particular guitar owned by Roy Orbison, which had a Gibson L5 neck in a Gretsch soundbox. The result is spectacular, and this is definitely one of the most stunning guitars that I have ever made.
As all the guitars here, this one is just an example. If you want something similar but it is not exactly what you see, please take into account that you can change a lot of things, many without additional cost. Email me and we’ll talk!
Maple carved back and bent sides.
European Spruce carved top.
European maple neck. The scale length is short (625 mm). The bone nut has a width of 1 11/16″ (43 mm). The fingerboard is Ebony with a volute at its end, and stainless steel frets (Jescar FW47104SS). The inlays are yellow mother-of-pearl, similar to those in a Gibson Super 400.
The bindings are plastic (cream and black). They are all around the instrument, including the f-holes.
Ebony peghead face. The design is larger and more classic than what I usually make:
The tailpiece is a Bigsby B6. My client specified the breakover angle (the angle of the strings at both sides of the bridge) by measuring a guitar with a Bigsby that he considered particularly good:
The bridge has a saddle that I machined myself from a block of solid brass. At both sides of the foot I made two white mother-of-pearl and abalone inlays, where the abalone part repeats the scheme of blue flames that you can see on the top:
The jack is here, at the side.
The volume and tone controls are located below the pickguard. The usual pickup switch has been replaced by a blend potentiometer, with a chicken head knob:
P90-style floating pickups:
Grover Rotomatics machines, with staircase design.
Black nitrocellulose finish (Votteler), with blue flake "flames".
