Gotta Have A Cool Guitar Stand

I saw a guitar stand in Acoustic Guitar magazine a while back that I thought would be really cool for a couple reasons -- to keep the guitar off the floor, and to also serve as a perfect place to hang one for photos.  But the price of the advertised stand scared me off.  So, off I went to the wood shop to create my own version of the 'perfect' stand.  What do you think?

It's made from pieces of poplar wood with the legs stained walnut, the main shaft golden oak, and the hanger itself is walnut stained.  Pretty simple build and a helluva a lot less than the price in the magazine.

'Curley'

I've gotten away from creating guitars from cigar boxes the past couple months, but I haven't abandoned that side of my hobby, just got a little distracted.

After 'Bigfoot', I had the urge to do something a little different, but still in the carving realm.  So, here is 'Curley' the latest effort.  Let me know what you think.

It started out as a chunk of bass wood 1.75" x 14" x 22" (again supplied by Art Richey at Carousel Works).

I drew the outline of the body I intended to create, and transferred it to the wood block.  Once that was done, I was on my way.  All the openings and cavities were accomplished with Forstner bits, then roughed out with a small hand saw, rasps, and files.  Final work was done by hand with carving tools, small files, sandpaper, and a lot of elbow grease.

The scratch plate is a piece of really cool looking maple sheeting cut to accentuate the design, while covering the electronics cavity and abutting the through-body bridge and bridge pickup.  Pickup surrounds were made from pieces of scrap Spanish cedar.  Very thin walnut veneer was glued to the tops of the pickups to help them blend into the overall look, I think it looks better than a couple black objects in the middle of the design.  You'll note the shape of the surrounds are angular, while the overall body design is softer and more flowing -- which was by design.  I wanted the contrast in shapes to bring the overall design to life.

I selected a really straight and nice Harmony neck from my inventory, modified the headstock to eliminate the sharpness of the original, and laminated a small piece of walnut veneer on it to carry on the body designs on front and back, tying it all together.

To bring the wood to life, I chose a base stain of golden oak, then washed the non-recessed areas with diluted walnut, and highlighted that with red mahogany to create a little depth in the finish.  Then came six coats of poly, each sanded with 500 sandpaper.

I chose to use neck screws with bushings instead of a large chrome plate to attach the neck to the body so as to not distract from the flame-like carving on the back.  For the same reason, I chose to use small string bushings opposite the bridge.

After 27 hours, not continuous of course, 'Curley' came to life, and she sure does play nice.

My wife caught me last night carving on the newest six-string creation.  Since the 'Big Foot' build, an idea has been floating around my head about a full-on carving of a traditionally shaped solid body, but with unique character.  Hopefully, I'll have photos of the finished guitar posted in a week or so.  Until then, you'll just have to wait to see what a honey this thing is turning out to be.

The OP Nascar Hot Seat!

A couple years ago, my buddy Bruce talked me into joining the OP Nascar Fantasy League.  It's a collection of more than a hundred die hard Nascar fans, who pick teams and meet regularly at a Great Falls, Montana watering hole called the 'Other Place', thus the OP moniker in the name.

They have some unusual events to gather around, like a 'corn dog' race, where participants build small Pinewood Derby-like cars to race down a ramp at the bar.  The unusual part is that the car must have a 'corn dog' as it's central theme.  Yes! They use real corn dogs shaped and painted in the most gawd awful themes imaginable.  Bruce really gets excited about this event.

So, a month or so ago, Bruce called with a special request.  He wanted me to design and create a 'really cool' toilet seat to be used as a golf hole surround in a tournament they are having at the end of the Nascar league season.  "It has to be funny, but also difficult for the guys to putt through to get to the hole", he wrote.

I put on my weird thinking hat -- not difficult for me -- and came up with an idea I think he'll like.  And the best part -- I'm going to personally deliver it to him in a couple weeks.  But, in the meantime, what do you think of this?

The seat is wood, which I painted black.  To work properly, I cut an opening in the front of the seat portion, which is just a bit larger than a golf ball, so putting through the opening will be a challenge, but that's what the boss wanted.  Pinstriping and graphics are all hand done with 1-Shot sign painters enamel, and then clear coated to protect the fancy stuff.  The flames are sprayed and hand outlined and accentuated.  And, the lettering on the inside of the top is all hand done, as well.

To be functional as a real toilet seat, I left all the attachment parts and spacers in place.  But, to work adequately for the hole surround and to keep it in place in the grass surface of the green, I created threaded pins to screw into the bottom of the seat, which then will be pushed into the playing surface . . . the seat can be arranged in any position over the cup without moving around.  Bruce wanted the seat top to stand upright when on the green, so I fabricated a brass plated plant hanger for support.  It is easily removed, as are the pins, which allows the seat to be used for the 'real deal'.

I think the plan is to raffle the thing off at the event, so some lucky person will have a pretty cool conversation piece for their crapper.

If you just cannot live without a custom toilet seat to adorn your privy, give me a shout and perhaps we can come to an agreement that will give you something really cool to sit on, while you're reading the Wall Street Journal, or something more suitable to the occasion.

New Old Tools

I've been looking for several months for a 'good' wood rasp (the big box stores have tools, but for the most part they are overpriced junk made off shore), and while cruising around the monthly swap meet last weekend, I spotted this beauty lying among a host of other tools. It's old but like new except for a coloring of surface rust, and the really cool thing about this guy is that it has very small teeth on the edges, which can be used for fine work.  Also, there in the pile was a nearly new edge cutters, which I use for fret work.  And the best part about all of this is both items were made in the USA . . . for $5 each, I think I got a deal.

So, off I went feelin' good to look for more goodies.

A fella just cannot pass up a good tool, and you cannot have too many.

A couple stops later revealed a very cool scratch awl, a really nice adjustable block plane, and a like-new adjustable wrench, again all were made in the good ol' USA.



On my way home from the treasure hunt, I stopped at Menard's for a couple sanding discs, and while looking around, I damn near fainted . . . I spotted a brad point bit set (I wanted to replace the Asian items with better quality) made in Montana of all places.  I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't pass it up, since it's like buying hometown hardware.

Check out the label, it made me all teary-eyed thinking about home.

Old guys get a pass for this kinda stuff, right?

My friend Jasper Rubenstein created this really cool four-string slide guitar from a couple of Jaguar hubcaps. If you want to get a closeup look at the details of the build, click on this link . . . 

http://jrubenstein42.blogspot.com/

Some guys are so damn creative!

Cigar Box Guitars -- Custom Creations For Sale

TotalRojo Cigar Box Guitars is a small one-man operation specializing in one-of-a-kind creations.  

My name is Jess Allred and I specialize in creating unique three-, four-, and six-string electro/acoustic guitars and mini amplifiers.   Most of my guitars are created from modern as well as vintage out-of-production cigar boxes with hand formed necks of oak, maple, cherry and walnut, and no two instruments are alike.

However, I do stray away from the roots of my little shop from time to time to create special guitars made from some interesting items like bed pans, silver serving bowls, toilet seats, and a few other items that can make a great guitar body.

And, I've been known to take my creations to a whole 'nother level, too.  I found an old cathedral-style radio at a swap meet that conjured up the idea in my head that a guitar body shaped to look like the radio would be real cool -- the result was the 'Chief', which, like all of my creations, can be seen on my web site -- http://totalrojoguitars.blogspot.com, if you're interested in having a good time.

There is no mass production assembly line in my shed.  Just me, my tools, and a little blues music.

I don't consider myself much of an artist and I'm not a luthier in the truest sense. I'm a regular guy with a passion for music, art, and woodworking, and I use a lot of hand tools and a couple power tools to bring my passion to life.

I give a lot of attention to detail, while incorporating within my builds the items that make them realistic and playable, while ensuring unique and individual character in each.

Frets are hand-seated stainless; nuts and bridges are hand formed from a variety of materials; high quality tuning machines, pickups and strings are purchased from a supplier; cigar boxes come from a variety of sources; and neck and fretboard stock is via a friend who owns a cabinet shop.

In addition to the wood shed side of my hobby, I enhance some of my creations with the other passion I've been nurturing for more than fifty years -- I hand pinstripe and flame creations to satisfy a customer's fantasy for individualism, and I even get carried away with graphic applications when the need arises.

My goal is to design and create unique and interesting instruments that sound great, look as good as they sound, and play easily, whether it be finger style or with a slide.

TotalRojo guitars are being played and enjoyed by individuals all over the U.S., and many areas of the world, from the beaches of California to the sand of Afghanistan, and as far away as Ireland and Japan.

I also create custom-ordered cigar box guitars and battery-powered mini amplifiers, which can be personalized to satisfy the owner's wishes.

They make really cool and unusual gifts to play or to hang on the wall.

"I'm sure I have the perfect guitar for you"

Don't be shy!  Think how long it took you to get this far, so don't stop now.   

Give me a call at 406-370-4090

Or, jot me a note at jallred489@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!

'Bigfoot' -- The Build

For several months, my sons have been saying, "Dad, you should make a guitar of your own design, you can do it!"

After kicking the thought around in my head, I decided to try it, thus 'Bigfoot' came to be.

I've been building three-, four-, and six-string guitars (sixty five in two years, so I guess it's time to venture into the unknown) out of cigar boxes and silver bowls, so why not something more conventional?  If a guitar in the shape of a foot is conventional.

Where to start?  An idea of course.  I didn't want to go the route of the Strat or Tele design, which, by the way, I really like.  And, the dreadnaught or concert style acoustic seemed a bit boring, and also beyond what I am comfortable attacking (but, I love my Martin and Ibanez guitars), and the tools are not in my shop.

So, I settled on a plank (a solid body).

After returning from a brisk morning walk, I removed my shoes, and staring back at me were my gnarly feet, and that's when the light went on and the body of my guitar was envisioned.  Ya, ya, I know, I got an unusual imagination.  I searched the web for possible ideas, and saw a photo that I liked of a similar build, so I gave it a go.

I like the Strat style neck, so off to the web to search for the perfect item, and I managed to find it, but it hurt my wallet a bit.  And, then there is the other necessary stuff, magnetic pickups, bridge, output jack, tone and volume controls, and string ferrules to hide those nasty looking metal anchors attached to the ends of the strings.  Oh, well, it's just the kids inheritance, right?

The body blank was a 1-3/4" thick piece of bass wood cut to 14" x 22" dimensions, which was supplied by my friend Art at Carrousel Works, the greatest carrousel producing company on the planet.  Why bass wood?  Because it is easy to carve, doesn't splinter, and has a nice even grain to it.  The perfect basis for an novice carver.

So, now came the drawing of a 'big' foot to fit the plank.  I didn't want just a foot, I wanted something that is a little different, which wasn't tough to pencil out -- it took me only about five minutes for the basic design, and another ten to pencil in the toenails and top relief design.

Now, to the technical stuff for the drawing.  Determine the desired neck position and shape.  Mark the center line on the body, so the bridge can be properly placed.  Then the pickup locations fall into place, because I used only the neck and bridge positions.  Once that was done, the pots and jack was easy.

Thanks to a well equipped shop, I was able to easily cut the necessary openings and recesses with Forstner bits in my drill press, and finish off the openings with a chisel.

Of course, the cavities had to be covered, so it was time to draw a scratch plate design, which was simple -- I had the other drawing to use as a reference.  The design was transferred to a 1/8" sheet of maple and cut on the trusty band saw, along with the body.  Voila, I got the preliminary makin's for a guitar body.

It's time to start carving.  I found the little Millers Falls carving tools I purchased at a swap meet years ago, sharpened them, and went to work. Little did I know that long ago that I would use them first for a guitar, truthfully, I don't even know why I bought them.  Tools acquisition is a guy thing, just like collecting guitars -- ask my friend Ty who owns GuitarFuel, who coined the phrase G.A.S. (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome).

Carving the front and the back of the body took me about 15 hours.  I think if I do another, it will be a smoother go, because I learned a few things and I feel a lot more comfortable with the whole process.  And, there will be another, probably not a foot (unless someone has enough long lean green), but certainly something interesting.

The carving and sanding is finally done, and the fitting of pieces is complete, so it's now time for the finishing. I chose golden oak stain for the body, leaving the toenails to be a bit lighter in tone (mineral spirits with oak stain added to reach just the right color).  Mahogany stain provided the desired contrast for the flame-like relief on the top.  And, the maple scratch plate got a diluted mixture of the oak stain.  The logo and hand painted name were added to the headstock, to complete things. Once I was satisfied with this, it was on to six coats of poly sanded with 1000 grit paper between each coat.

Parts were assembled and polish applied, and it's now time to fire it up on the amp.

Wow, it sounded great and played as smooth as butter.  I got lucky, I guess.  But, maybe my boys were right.

If you're interested in seeing shots of the finished guitar, click on the link below.

http://totalrojoguitars.blogspot.com/2012/06/bigfoot-has-been-found.html

Check This Out!

My friend Jasper shared a couple shots of a Telecaster he reworked to give it a aging relic look.  I don't know how it plays, but it sure looks cool.  I want one!



He also included pics of an old bike he pinstriped, which I happen to want to steal from him.   q;-)

I Gotta Learn Me Sumpin!

I've been having a great time for the past couple years creating very playable guitars from cigar boxes and other found objects -- wood planks, cookie tins, and silver bowls, just to mention a few.

It's not difficult to find something that can be used for the body of an instrument, but the tough part is in determining how it can be put to creative use.  Once the idea comes from noodling it around in my mind for a while, things just seem to fall into place.  But, this whole process can take from a few minutes to a few days, especially for me, because I don't ever want to mass produce something that can be thrown together in  a short time.  Where's the fun, adventure, and skill in that?

Recently, I've been reading where a couple builders have been turning out buku numbers of guitars, at near supersonic speed, to sell at swap meets and country fairs.  One fella claims he built a six-string in three hours.  Another guy claims to have turned out more than thirty guitars over a weekend. And, these guys claim to be selling these 'Macgits' as fast as they can flip them off the bench, and for big bucks, too.

When I read these stories, I scratch my noggin and ask myself, "What in hell am I doing wrong?"  Sure, I've sold some of my creations for a tidy sum, but none of them have been slapped together like I was boiling minute rice.  And, none look the same or have the 'rustic' appeal of being unfinished.

Hold on now pardner, before you get your knickers all twisted in a bunch.  I'm not knocking 'rustic', 'cause I think that is cool.  I just don't get the time frame, that's all.  And, I sure don't understand how these guys get big bucks for a 'rustic' bucket.

Depending on the design and the materials used to build one of my guitars, it can take me from two or three days to as long as a couple of weeks to finish a guitar. Granted, I don't work 24/7, but I doubt others do either.

So, the difference must be in the recipe.

My necks all have scarf joints and are are hand shaped for playing comfort. Headstocks are usually a specific design, which requires gluing and shaping. Fingerboards are glued to each neck, and the neck is glued to a box with custom design elements to include sound holes, bridges, pickups, switches and jacks where required. Frets are seated by hand into the fingerboard. Nuts and saddles are hand formed from various materials. And, all of my guitars receive at least three coats of hand-sanded finish, before they are polished.  And, finally hardware is installed and the instrument is tuned and test driven.

Hell, it takes longer than three hours for the glue to dry for me.  So, I guess I gotta learn me sumpin!

The 'Chippie'

A couple months ago, I found a Chippendale silver plated bowl on eBay, which I thought could be the body of a really cool guitar.

The 'Chippie' has been used, but not abused.  She is a little worn, but her body is as solid as a rock with curves in all the right places.  A bit tarnished, I suppose, but that's OK with me, 'cause she looks great.  She is smooth as silk, and comes alive at the slightest touch and encouragement.  She is not a bit bashful when you stroke her neck, and she purrs like a kitten or growls like a pit bull depending on how you treat her and if she's plugged in or not.

Well, now that I've introduced you to my new plaything, let's get on with what makes her so special.

She's a four-string electro/acoustic 25.5-inch-scale guitar tuned like the d-g-b-e strings on a standard guitar.   The action is very low, less than an eighth of an inch at the twelfth fret, which makes for simple playing.


The cherry headstock with walnut veneer is designed to emulate the design of the bowl, and the tailstock follows that design as well.  The nut and saddle are custom made from Corian, and the saddle sits on a bridge made from Spanish cedar to conform in style to the bowl design.

The neck is a hand contoured cherry extension of the headstock with a three part custom formed fretboard created from a walnut top section transitioning into a shorter cherry mid-section, and then on to an even shorter maple finale.  Hand formed frets are seated into the fretboard with small brass markers on the edge to indicate key fret positions.

The top is a thin sheet of maple laminated to a contoured ring that matches the bowl design .  A stylized sound hole is cut into the top to allow sound to acoustically escape the enclosure, and the resonance and sustain is very good for such a small enclosure.  A walnut veneer pick guard compliments the offsetting sound hole, and extends the fingerboard design onto the top.

Pop rivet grommets are inset into the top of the tailstock to guide the strings and to protect the tailstock from damage.  On the under side, the string ends are recessed for a clean appearance.  Maple strap buttons on either end of the neck underside finish off the exterior design.

Inside the bowl, I chose to install a pair of transducer pickups, which are attached to an output jack located just under the tailstock in a position that makes for comfortable insertion of an amp cord.

Speaking of an amp, this little lady sounds awesome when it's plugged in.

In addition to the custom sound hole in the top, I decided to drill smaller sound holes into the contoured outer rind, which further allows sound to escape the confines of the bowl.

Note how the ring design matches the contour of the bowl.  I thought this was necessary to give a little more life to my little lady.

This guitar is one of the more extended designs, but I am getting bored with simple cigar box creations, so I think I will continue to think outside the box.

The patina is so cool on this bowl that I had to leave it in it's original condition.  I polished it with a little guitar polish, but not enough to effect the tarnished appearance.

Not away from the use of cigar boxes, but on to more complex creations . . . at least that's what I'm thinking today . . . hell, my interest may change by tonight.   That's what makes this hobby so damn much fun . . . there are no rules.  I'm only restricted by my own imagination.

But, one thing is for certain now, I'm out of silver bowls, so I gotta move on to something else, and since I have more than 200 different cigar boxes in my shop, I'll probably create a couple more CBGs.

I hope you like what I've done with the tarnished ol' gal.

Created by my Aussie friend Jef Long

This is the latest from the stable of my Australian friend Jef Long.  I met Jef a couple years ago, while surfing the cigarboxguitarsaustralia web site.  He is one of the most creative guys I know, and he creates guitars from mostly found objects . . . wood pallets; discarded lumber; downed trees; and gawd only knows what else.  You'll note the unusual layout of the fretboard, but please, don't expect me to explain it.  According to Jef it is designed around some myxolodian concept (I think), who in hell knows, perhaps when Jef reads this he'll share the details with us.  One thing I do know is that Jef, and many other Australian builders, are some of the most creative instrument builders on the planet.   I hope you enjoy this little gem as much as I do.

'Canned Heat'

The latest creation in my stable of silver serving dish guitars is a four-string electro/acoustic built around an oval-shaped silver-plated little jewel I pickup at a secondhand store.

The neck is walnut with a fingerboard created from three pieces of wood -- maple, cherry and walnut -- hand formed into the pattern you see here.  This is my first attempt at a custom designed fingerboard, but it will not be my last.  

The scarf joint headstock is oval shaped to follow the body design.  

The body of the guitar is the dish with an oval shaped top to conform to the design.  An oak surround with maple top serves to enclose the sound chamber.  

Sound holes are the result of noodling around with a pencil, while watching my Celtics kick hell out of the Hawks, and the design works well with the oval shape of the dish.  The nut and saddle are once again my favorite material - Corian - hand formed in my handy-dandy StewMac vice . . . a great investment. 

The tailpiece is walnut laminated to the oak surround, and it serves as a trough-body string retainer. 

Located just under the string retainer is the output jack for an amp and a strap button to keep the thing from falling on the ground.

The patina on the dish is so cool that I decided that it should not be polished.  I love the way these old silver babies tarnish.

It's A Gusle

Several weeks ago I traded a guitar for a 'crazy one-string thing' (see previous post).

I didn't know at the time I traded what it was.  I just thought it was cool.  My friend Carlton sent photos, but the only thing he told me was that it need some help.  But, there was really nothing that was too far out of the ordinary.  The skin covering the bowl need to be stretched back to its original position, and the temporary wood pegs holding the skin in place had to be replaced with button-head tacks.  The tuning peg was something from a cello (I think), but I know it wasn't the original.  And the string was a piece of fishing line . . . it worked, but not what I thought should be the real deal.  And, there was no bow with which to play the 'thing'.  It needed a good overhaul and cleaning, so off I went to get my 'thing' in order.

I still think it's cool, and now I know what it is.  A Google search led me around the Internet, and I finally landed on a Wikipedia explanation.  It's a Gusle.

It's a southeastern European, most likely Serbia, primitive single-stringed musical instrument traditionally used in the Dinarides region of the Balkans.

The Gusle consists of a wooden sound box, maple being considered as the best material, covered with an animal skin, and a neck with an intricately carved head.  A wood bow (made of horsetail -- thirty horse hairs) is pulled over the string, creating a dramatic and sharp sound, expressive and difficult to master.  Often, the instruments were constructed by the singers and players themselves, shepherds, or even by specialized Gusle builders from urban areas.

The instrument is always accompanied by singing musical folklore, specifically epic poetry.  The player (Guslar) holds the instrument (Gusle) vertically between his knees, resting the long neck on one thigh, with the left hand fingers on the strings.  The strings are never pressed to the neck, giving a harmonic and unique sound.  Most lyrics center around historical figures who played an important role in history (often folk heroes who died tragic deaths), or significant historical events (mostly battles against invaders or occupying powers).

The finished Gusle   

                                                           I created the bow from a maple board and old violin horsehair.  To add a little distinction, 

I carved a head similar to that on the headstock. 

As you can see in this photo, the button head nails have all been replaced to replicate the original design, and the bridge is a specially created piece following a design I saw in Wikipedia illustrations.  The single string is a 'gut' string from a standup bass . . . a fella cannot just bolt for the corner music store to acquire parts for a Gusle.

Again, following a design from an illustration, I managed to create a tuning peg from a piece of maple and a wood dowel, which replicates the real thing.

This is another view of the nail work that replaced the temporary small wood pegs. 

And the hand carved bowl is really cool.

I doubt like hell that I will ever learn to play this thing, but I couldn't resist the offer to trade.  If for no other reason than to have it for a conversation piece.

And, I made a great new friend in Carlton Gill-Blyth.   Thanks Carl!

Banjolele

I'd never heard of, or laid eyes on, a banjolele until my friend Carlton Gill-Blyth and I traded a couple weeks ago (you probably read about the trade in an earlier post).

Isn't this a beauty?!

After I received it, I Googled it on the web, and got the surprise of my life, and a history lesson to boot.

The banjolele (sometimes called banjo ukulele or banjo uke) is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and fretted ukulele neck.  "Banjolele", sometimes also called 'banjelele' or 'banjulele', is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the 'banjulele-banjo', introduced by Alvin Keech in 1917.  Keech was an American living in Hawaii and later relocated to England.

This is the real deal -- An Alvin Keech Banjolele signature instrument, that's damn near a hundred years old.


The instrument achieved its greatest popularity in the 1920s and '30s, and combines the small scale, tuning, and playing style of a ukulele with the construction and distinctive tone of a banjo, hence the name.

The banjolele parallels banjo construction, on a smaller scale, in terms of overall construction.  They are always fretted.  Most are built of wood with metal accoutrement.  The neck typically has 17 frets and is the same scale length as a soprano ukulele.  They may be open-backed, or may incorporate a resonator.  The heads were traditionally made of calf skin, which some players preferred for the tone.  They were originally outfitted with gut strings, but nylon strings are now typically used.  It is commonly tuned G-C-E-A (C Tuning), or A-D-F#-B (D Tuning).

 Another really cool instrument to add to my collection.   Thanks again Carl.