The Guitar Designer's Workshop

Take Your Time, Son

There are a lot of things about guitar building that I have yet to learn. One thing I do know is that taking your time building a neck is a worthwhile investment. Wood is not as unpredictable as some folks might like to suggest, but you have to know where to look. Years ago I did some research on how necks in their raw and finished states behaved over time. My tests were conducted ontwo separate occasions and each involved a test group of ten necks along with a control group of an additional ten in a climate-controlled chamber. Every neck was measured daily for three months with electronic equipment capable of a resolution of 1/10th of one percent. Both times I achieved similar results. I’ll spare you the details, but my conclusion confirmed that proceeding slowly over time was the best way to build a stable instrument.

Today I’m taking a neck that has been in progress for several months to the next level—the rough carve. As you can see, the fingerboard has been bonded on, but is still flat. The first step is to make some radial marks on the shaft with a pencil, which allows me so see wherre I’ve been. This process is repeaded several times as the neck is broght closer to final shape and size. I probably could do without this step after all this time, but I still do it out of habit. I’ll use a cabinet scraper to bring the back of the neck to within .020" of its final dimension, then back on the shelf it goes. By this point, most of the movment has taken place, but any last twisting will be taken out when the fingerboard is radiused in four more weeks.

Crow Demo

The Crow was the very first Signature Series guitar. The series will be a group of instruments, every one completely different and each guitar is one of a kind, never to be repeated. For those who haven’t seen the very first Crow video, here it is again. Thanks to “The Visitor” Tommy Williams.

 

Rough Around the Edges

That first cup of coffee in the morning is always the best. I like mine strong, black and very hot. The espresso machine in the Workshop is almost as essential as the shaper or router. Some folks like to cut the brew with milk or cream, and others smooth the edges with sugar—but not me. I like to taste the coffee.

Right now I’m listening to Humble Pie’s live rendition of I Don’t Need No Doctor from their Rockin’ the Fillmore album, and I’m struck by the fact that it is a rough and tumble as it is beautiful. What stands out most to me is the fact that I can eassily distinguish each singer’s voice as they harmonize the chorus. I’m not talking about the notes—but rather the individual character of each singer. There’s bassist Greg Ridley down low and gruff with the unmistakable Peter Frampton in the middle. Above all of that is the legendary wail of Steve Marriott, bobbing and weaving like only he could.

As sloppy as Pie could be, there was a certain cohesion that made it work. Ray Charles’ 1966 version was smooth and soulful, for sure, and it served as the introduction of this song to many artists, but Humble Pie takes it to an altogether different and manic place. I’ve listened to this recording plenty of times since it I first heard it in 1971, and every single time it has me on the edge of my seat admiring how it rocks on the rails threatening to crash, but somehow still stays on the tracks. And that’s what great rock music is all about.

Speaking of  black coffee, have anothe slice of Pie with that.

Standard (Parts) of the Industry

My column in last month’s Premier Guitar about profiling amps seemed to touch a nerve among guitarists even though it was really aimed at manufacturers of amplifiers. The debate raged on for a while, racking up some record website hits and massive pageviews of this blog as readers searched for information and backstory.

This month’s article is off to a similar start. It targets the idea that Fender created a de facto standardization of parts and simple manufacturing steps to make an electric guitar. It’s no secret that the Strat and Tele are the simplest instruments to build. Don’t get me wrong—I love bolt on Fenders. I worked in a factory where we made 900 a day. It’s the instrument equivalent of Lego.

My piece touches upon the shops that build parts (necks and bodies) for a swelling contingent of home-builders. Rather than name names or point fingers, I’ve merely laid out some of the story behind the ever-growing community of parts-guitar assemblers masquerading as “builders.” Also mentioned are the huge offshore factories that churn out instruments for lots of famous and not-so-famous brand names—side by side on the same production line. It seems that I’ve ruffled a few feathers, even among the folks wha actually build guitars from scratch. Go figure. They may be mad, or say it’s sour grapes—but they know I’m not lying.

The Great Clone Debate

Nothing pisses off guitarists like an article about plagarism. My latest column for Premier Guitar touches upon the legal (or not) debate about cloning, profiling, sampling and just pure ripping off. Not melodies, phrases, riffs or lyrics; but sounds. The issue is related to, but not about copyright infringements of songs, or sampling of riffs for songs. It’s about the gray area of sampling a manufacturer’s amp parameters into another device such as the Kemper amp. Personally, I like the idea of cataloging all of my vintage and modern amps into one library, but clearly this is something that makes the manufacturers queasy if not hopping mad. For those of you out there making boutique amps and effects—hurry up so I can borrow one of your creations in order to sample it into mine. That way I won’t have to buy yours.

For those of you who just wanted to hear the nice old Silvertone combo in the photo, scroll down to the sound clip videos below.

Rockin’ Garages visits Jay Leno’s Place

Here’s a nice shout out from photographer Michael Alan Ross and author Ken Gross while visiting Jay Leno’s garage. Michael called me one day and introduced himself, although as a car fan I was already aware of his work. He expalined that he was working on a book about musicians who loved cars and bikes and asked if I would consider being included. I asked him how he had found me and he replied that within the space of one week two different people had suggested he contact me. I was flattered beyond words, one of them was racing driver David Donohue—a fellow Porsche fan.

Michael arrived on a beautiful summer day, and we had a blast talking guitars, amps (he’s a player too) and cars. I was perticularly struck by Michael’s easygoing nature and complete lack of pretension about his project. Here’s a guy who is a rock star among photographers, and he was giving me and my wife Carla a running commentary on how he approaches his subject. As amateur photographers ourselves, we cherished the pointers he gave us as he encouraged Carla to join in with her camera. That day we made a new friend, and we keep in touch often.

If you enjoy cars and music I suggest you pick up this book. Here’s a link to it:
Rockin' Garages: Collecting, Racing & Riding with Rock's Great Gearheads  
The images alone are worth the price of the admission.

The Signature Series: Collection Concept Explained

The signature Series of guitars will be a collection of seven instruments, each built to a specific and separate theme. The first three are Crow, Sakura and Hell’s Half Acre. 

As each guitar is completed, it will be handled and played by musicians on stage, in the studio and in my shop—documented in photos and video. Upon completion of the entire collection, they will be shown in select venues around the country as a group. They are all for sale, but cannot be delivered to buyers until after the collection has toured. And yes, there will be a book and a documentary film (DVD included in the book). This is the concept and although I remain flexible, until further notice I’m sticking to it!

I also continue to fulfill interesting (to me) commissions outside this project as time permits, but I do not feature those builds unless their inclusion in the collection is specifically agreed upon by both me and the client. The focus of my website and this blog is my Signature Series project.

How long will this take to complete? You’ve just got to trust the process! 

True and Lasting Value—Journaling the Build

The requests come in daily. Can I make a Telecaster? Would I build a bass using a Fender style as a starting point? Will I ever make a guitar that the average musician can afford? My answer is yes, and no. I can make a Telecaster, anyone can make a Telecaster. I can make a great one, but that doesn’t interest me. I politely suggest that they invest their money in a collectible vintage 1950s Fender. If they are bound and determined to spend money on a replica I send those folks to a fellow builders who is known for knocking the T-style out of the park. Tom Anderson or Creston Lea come to mind. If I didn’t mention you, please don’t take it personally. It’s not that it is beneath me, it’s just not what I do. I love Telecasters, I just don’t make them to sell. The P-bass thing falls into the same category. I have a lovely 1964 3-tone sunburst Precision which is my go-to bass. Why would I want a copy, when I already have a rubber stamp version from ‘64?

And that’s what most guitars are—rubber stamp instruments. I don’t condescend, it’s just fact. My bass and my beloved ’56 Stratocaster were just churned out of a factory that CBS saw fit to buy for $100 million in today’s money. Not exactly a boutique shop. Even brands like PRS build hundreds of instruments every day. The chances of your guitar being one of a kind are extremely limited. This is not to say that these guitars aren’t great tools—they are. They may be genuine, but they’re not an original. In the art world this is known as a serigraph (or its poorer cousin lithograph). Merely a reproduction of an original. Unless you have the very first pre-production protoype, you own a copy.

So when someone asks where they might try one of my guitars, the answer is simple—in my shop. OK, here’s the short story to save you the effort required to read my blog or website. There is and will only be one Sakura. Only one Crow. Only one Hell’s Half Acre, one Copperhead, one Wardenclyffe, so on and so forth. I build true one-of-a-kind instruments for people who understand the value of something original.

Here’s a video episode that explains a bit of my building process.

 

Episode 2: Inlays for Hell’s Half Acre

In this episode, Jol gets to work on inlays for the Hell’s Half Acre guitar.

Son Volt’s Mark Spencer on Sakura

During his visit to the Workshop Mark Spencer spent some time playing Sakura through his Milkman 40 1x12 combo. Here he explores some semi-clean tones. 
Be sure to click the Audio Off button at the top of the right hand column to stop the background music before watching the video. Try the full screen option!

Enjoy more Designer’s Workshop videos and photos on the Facebook Page

Mark Spencer and The Crow

My friend Mark Spencer droped in for a visit, so I put some guitars in his hands and rolled the camera. In this clip Mark found that the Crow can get twangy.

In Good Hands: Crow Video No.4

Putting my Signature Series guitars into the hands of great musicians builds the character of each instrument. In this episode, Jim Chapdelaine encounters The Crow for the first time.

Crow Boogie Soundclip

I enjoy having visitors to the workshop play my instruments. I feel as though each musician leaves a little bit of themselves with the guitar. The process is to roll the camera and then put the guitar in their hands and see what develops. Here’s my friend Mike getting greasy on the Crow.

Sweet Neck Tones from Jol Dantzig on Vimeo.

Steve Kimock and Sakura

Visitors to the Workshop are always a welcome diversion especially when they entertain the camera with their prowess on my guitars. But recently I’ve been prone to taking guitars on the road. Regular readers of this blog and corresponding Facebook page will already be familliar with my build process. I put a massive amount of forethought into what I call the “pre-story” of each instrument. I employ 1930s wire, 1950s switchgear, old-growth wood and old world craftsmanship to build a soul into each guitar. Still, the most important part of any instrument’s life is the experience it gains by being played. In this connection, I have ventured out into the world and allowed my creations the luxury of being stroked and spanked publicly. These instruments are not vintage, nor are they new. They are not used, as in second-hand. They are becoming experienced. Every player who caresses my instruments imbeds a bit of their being into the guitar.

With that in mind, I met up with Steve Kimock for a little soul searching. Every scratch on these guitars is a badge of honor.

 

History of Hell: Video

For our newest readers, here’s a video recap of some of the thought behind my current build—Hell’s Half Acre.
You can watch in full screen mode.
Turn off the blog audio first by clicking the Audio Off button in the upper right hand column of this page.