Salvaged yellow poplar barnwood center block, cypress wings with salvaged elm barnwood tops. Quartersawn cherry neck with persimmon fretboard. 25” scale, 22 frets. Homespun mini humbuckers; 7.2k/6.5k dcr. Kluson USA tuneomatic bridge, Hipshot Classic tuners. Weighs 6.9 pounds.
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Salvaged American Chestnut barnwood center block and wing tops, with Sassafras wing backs. Hard maple neck with Osage orange fretboard. 25” scale, 22 frets. Homespun mini humbuckers; 7.5k/6.4k dcr. Kluson USA tuneomatic bridge, Hipshot Classic tuners. Weighs 7.3 pounds.
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Butternut body with green milk paint finish
Cherry neck with persimmon fretboard
Salvaged textured aluminum sheet pickguard
Homespun single coil pickups, 6.8k/5.7k dcr
Weights 6.5 pounds.
This was a custom commission for Swan Real, who really liked Undine #2105, which had already sold. Fortunately I still had some of the same color milk paint, so I was able to make another, with different bridge and pickups as requested.
Body is basswood. Neck is maple, with persimmon fretboard and turquoise recon stone markers.
Aqua Boomerang Formica pickguard.
Aluminum compensated bridge/tailpiece combo, Hipshot classic tuners.
Homespun P90ish pickups; 8.4K/7k DCR
Weighs 6.7 pounds.
I took this photo just before Swan contacted me about the guitar.
This is Messier 17, the Swan Nebula, in Sagittarius.
It’s classified as an H II region, which is characterized by large clouds of ionized hydrogen; a place where stars are born.
This was pretty amazing.
My first time seeing Mercury, and it was perfect!
That’s it above the others there, about as far as it ever gets from the Sun; having been at its greatest eastern elongation on the 21st.
Here’s a closer view of them all:
Venus heading for the trees:
Moon and Mercury following:
Goodnight Moon…
The view from where I set up. It was really cold up there!
Little sliver of a moon:
Caught first glimpse of Venus while snapping pics of airplanes out towards Nashville:
New year, new look, new content
Changing things around a bit… I’ve added pages for my photography; one for celestial, and one for terrestrial subjects.
I’m also going to start including my photos and associated ruminations in the blog, along with other projects and things I’m doing.
Enjoy….
(Sold)
Butternut body with moderately distressed milk paint finish. Walnut neck with Osage orange fretboard. 25” scale, 22 frets. Homespun single coil pickups, brass hardtail bridge, Hipshot classic tuners. Weighs 6.8 pounds.
In mythology, undines are elemental beings associated with water, and include naiads, mermaids, and many other such creatures. I settled on this name as a suitable companion to my salamander model, and because of the watery vibe they have so far taken on.
This one has a cucumbertree body with a walnut neck and persimmon fretboard. Pickups are a p-90ish version of my homespun single coils. Aluminum compensated bridge/tailpiece combo and Hipshot classic tuners. 25” scale, 22 frets. Weighs 6.6 pounds
Basswood body with moderately distressed milk paint finish.
Maple neck with black locust fretboard.
25” scale, 22 frets.
Homespun single coil pickups.
Brass hardtail bridge, Hipshot classic tuners.
Weighs 6.8 pounds.
This was a custom commission for a friend. It’s the first banjo I have built both the neck and rim for, and really the first fully acoustic instrument I have successfully built. The rim is composed of alternating segmented layers of red mulberry and walnut, with an integral flange, instead of the more common array of metal brackets; with the tension nuts recessed in the back. The neck features the same woods, in a complimentary arrangement, with a persimmon fretboard. The headstock inlay and position markers are turquoise recon stone, and I recessed the area around the tension hooks, and painted it a similar color milk paint.
1/4” round brass tone ring and grooved tension hoop by Balsam Banjo Works; Pisgah Hawktail brass tailpiece; Rickard brass coordinator rod set; Waverly planetary tuners.
Dismal Ax 