SubscribeIntroducing “This Year’s Model”, a Jazzmaster guitar from The Creamery
Tag: building guitars
Blackguard 2 – Based on a ‘72 Custom Tele
Pine is such an underrated wood for guitars. Its seen as a poor man’s thing; cheap and without prestige. I like it, and although there are a myriad of types, it can be a great tonewood. There, I’ve said it – and I know there will be guitarists out there whose nostrils flare and eyes [...]
Three Pickup Mahogany Telecaster – v.2
The original cream coloured P90 covers are now black and the middle/neck position now wired in series.
The Blackguard Series pt.1 – The First Three
Quick progress update. Here are the first three guitars from the Blackguard series – 6 guitars crafted from 30yr old pine. A jazzmaster style with custom handwound H-cover humbuckers, a Standard telecaster and a Tele Custom style, both with sets of my handwound pickups.
Three Pickup Mahogany Telecaster
Not the best looking guitar in town due to the three pickup configuration and cream P90 covers (which I’m changing to black) but the sounds you can coax from this guitar are just sweet. The heavier gauge strings, coupled with a one piece heavy mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard and fatter sounding P90 pickups rather than tele/strat types give this guitar a real warmth.
Guitar Headstock Design
Just a quick post – Here’s a closeup pic of the headstock design. After playing around with more a few more sharper versions I finally settled on this curved variation on the traditional format.
Each headstock will have the logo, guitar name, serial number and the date on which each guitar was crafted.
Blackguard One – Custom Humbucker Specs.
Humbucker Tech. Specs.
Magnets: Alnico 5
Coil Wire: 43AWG Plain Enamel
Lead Wire: Vintage Braided
Neck Approx. Winds: Pole 4200 / Screw 4915
Neck Output: 6.7k
Bridge Approx. Winds: Pole 3718 / Screw 3412
Neck Output: 8.0k
Balanced mids, snappy lows and a top-end with room to breath. The Alnico magnet is brighter sounding than the Alnico 3 or 4, giving this pickup [...]
Esquire Style Guitar – ‘Dirty Northern Town’
Named after a comment I overheard whilst climbing off the train at Manchester Piccadilly station, as a group of guys climbed on, eager to get back home south.
A tele take on the Les Paul Junior. Whilst waiting for a batch of parts to arrive so I could wind the single P90 needed, the guitar was wired up with an old Gibson P90 I had lying around. Eager to hear a P90 in the bridge position the old Gibson pickup was only ever meant to be temporary measure, especially as this was a neck pickup, the pole spacing too narrow for the wider telecaster bridge.
The Creamery – April 2010
Just got the promo cards back from the printers. It’s all coming together. Recoded most of the soundfiles for both guitars & pickups. Just got to finish off the final versions of the Fuzz and tremolo pedals, record the tones and get them on the site. Completion of the online store is the priority then its time to roll up my sleeves and get back to work – those pickups don’t wind themselves.
Blackguard Three ‘The Plank’ – Tech. Specs.
Taking inspiration from the phrase, “The Telecaster: The Plank That Made Good” please be upstanding for Guitar 007 – Blackguard Three. The dry pine was such good wood, with such great tonal characteristics I couldn’t let any go to waste – hence ‘The Plank’ , or the nickname that seems to have stuck, ‘The Mutt’. The obvious choice of guitar to build with these offcuts was a Telecaster style. It just seemed the right thing to do. So here it is in all its ragged glory – Blackguard Three: A telecaster style guitar with handwound pickups and the bite & twang you’d expect.
Handcrafted Fenruary 2010.
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- @gribiche Been going through old vinyl for storage - Her & the girl from Curve. I had such cliched indie crushes back then ;-)
- @nottherealrj Did she? Music or non-music?
- @campbellpix Cheers for the #ff - where are you showcasing your photos - I'd love to drop by and see them.
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