Gosh Darn Homemade Guitars!!!

[decay-o-caster]

I DISTINCTLY asked for Dunlop 6105s - I'm sure I did! But look at what showed up instead -
http://photo.articulateimages.com/PublicGearPics/FretlessFrets.jpg

And look at how F'ed up the placement of the skunk stripe is -
http://photo.articulateimages.com/PublicGearPics/FretlessSkunkStripe.jpg

I'm tellin' ya, you can't trust these luthiers as far as you can throw them - they'll take you for a ride and then tell you it's "limba" and it's "fretless" and stuff. Yeesh... ;)

May I introduce the new Chapin fretless flattop Hawk - the Mesquite-o-caster? :)
http://photo.articulateimages.com/PublicGearPics/FretlessFF.jpg

Mesquite top on chatoyant mahogany back, limba neck, blackwood board with maple "frets", mojo wiring, Humbucker from Hell in the neck, um, I think one of Bill's in the bridge, mojo wiring, weighs 6 pounds, big hard solid sound in all positions, mojo wiring, I kinda like it and I have no idea even how to play a fretless. But it bellows on slide, and the fretless fretting I've done sounds real promising! Yayyyy!!!

I love the figuring on the limba - you can see some of it on the headstock -
http://photo.articulateimages.com/PublicGearPics/FretlessHead.jpg

http://photo.articulateimages.com/PublicGearPics/FretlessPF.jpg

Life doesn't suck, y'know? :AOK

[ToneGurus]

Fretless now? Hmmmm, maybe frets are overrated....
I love the campfire look of that axe.


Mike

[Da5Id]

That is awesome! I would have no idea how to play it, but I'd like to try!!

[decay-o-caster]

That is awesome! I would have no idea how to play it, but I'd like to try!!

You and me both - fretless is a whole new world for me!

[2leod]

Wow - I like it!

And speaking of home made, my buddy just finished making himself a fretless bass and now I've got a serious jones to make myself a fretless guitar. Not that I'd know what to do with it, but we'll see...

[Blunder]

:eek:

I have no words....



...Ok, maybe a few,

DAMN!

That's beautiful! Bet it sounds and plays amazing.

[paintguy]

Sweet! Very cool!

Congrats!

[decay-o-caster]

Fretless now? Hmmmm, maybe frets are overrated....
I love the campfire look of that axe.


Mike

And best of all, you can use the strings to hold your marshmallows for the s'mores! :)

[trisonic]

That's insane, David - I have enough problems using frets.................
I wuz going to ask the Maestro for a Guitar Hero axe........

Best, Pete.

[decay-o-caster]

You'd be in luck, Pete - I have it on good authority that he's got a stash of tone-polycarbonate that survived the explosion. You being a good customer, he might shake some loose for you!

The guitar is just a blast - the sustain is immense, and the attack is punch-city!

[Guitarpentry]

What kind of strings did ya'll put on there? Just curious...

[decay-o-caster]

I believe they're Nickel Rockers, 10s, but with a wound G that's really a D from a set of 8s. I'll probably swap them out for some Snake Oil 10s (with a wound G) in the fullness of time. Or maybe some Pyramids I have lying around. The action is necessarily high, so the looser Pyramids might be more in line to get a more normal feel.

Lots of work to do to figure out how to control this beast, but it does seem that the wound strings have the best tone - the plain strings can be a bit plinky. This is with fingers - for slide, it's all good. Can't believe how cool this guitar is - but it is still the wedding night, we haven't even gotten to the honeymoon yet! :p

[Shades]

I had a blast with this one. The concept was a Fretless designed for slide use giving you the ability to drop notes underneath the slide and slide those too..using your fingers...(really just an extension of the Landreth thing of fretting notes behind the slide..but making them slide-able) I'm really pleased with the result. Now getting to where you can actually do it is another thing altogether..... Luckily, you can always revert to just using it for slide while you figure it out.

[gregory70]

That is a really cool idea. I already do that on my Slide Strat (a MIM Powerhouse Strat), but I like the idea of having a guitar that was made to do that.

[dc_jcm800]

What a rip!
Look at the huge knot in the pine neck, and the dots fell off the fretboard!
Is that black magic marker on the top?

Enjoy!

[stucker]

Heck, I thought this was going to be a "Don Grosh" post, not a "Gosh Darn" post!

[Joshh]

I'm confused, what makes the guitar fretless?

[atquinn]

I'm confused, what makes the guitar fretless?

Umm, the fact that it has no frets (although it does have fretlines).

-Austin

[hangten]

mojo wiring? please explain.

nice axe!:dude:banana:BEER

:drink

[decay-o-caster]

What you see as frets are actually maple inlays in the fingerboard to give me a sporting chance at finding the right pitch. Though I'm discovering that if I'm in one position on the neck (not moving around) my ears work better than my eyes do. But shifting, I need the reference.

Those "magic marker" accidents on the top are knots in the mesquite - you can see the top is bookmatched by the way they line up. I should get some extreme closeups of the grain in the mesquite - it's really a rorschach test with the amount of swirlyness i there. Kind of like some of the fractal diagrams that were so big about 10 years ago. :)

[decay-o-caster]

mojo wiring? please explain.

nice axe!:dude:banana:BEER

:drink

Bill's invention about which I am sworn to secrecy, other than to say that the volume knob isn't for volume when you switch it in - it's for fatness! If I told you, I'd have to kill you... ;)

[flyingvees]

Dave, snipers are trained on you now:nono...The secret shall be revealed...When you buy a Chapin !!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[jcground]

What a shame it didn't turn out the way you expected. ;) I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

But seriously, congrats. I've never played a Chapin I didn't like, and this one is cool in all sorts of ways.

[flyingvees]

Im thinking a floyd and a red crackle paint job would make that look like less of a garage made starter guitar....;)

[big mike]

Badass.

But BOY are you brave.

[decay-o-caster]

Badass.

But BOY are you brave.

To paraphrase Nigel, "It's a foin loin between braive and stewpit, innit?" Still enjoying it!

[big mike]

To paraphrase Nigel, "It's a foin loin between braive and stewpit, innit?" Still enjoying it!



True

Why is it I find myself on the wrong side of that line so often.
Bwahhhaaaaa


Man the mesquite looks fantastic.

[decay-o-caster]

We gotta arrange a get together so we can do some show'n'tell (or as my old 4th grade teacher used to call it, "bring'n'brag") - you'd really dig this one, I think!

[big mike]

No kidding. Been like 20 guitars ago between us.

LOL

[decay-o-caster]

Where's Peter when we need him????

Jeff and I have been thinking of renting a rehearsal space down here for a day, putting something together. Long as we can find parking, electricity, and no problems with volume, we're good to go. We'll keep you and "the others" apprised as this moves forward.

[big mike]

Lemme know how I can help.

Peter's been busy as hell.

[decay-o-caster]

Give him my best regards if you happen to talk/email him any time soon - he's one of the good guys, and not just because of his dad's garage!

[reentune]

Nice guitar.
I never seen one without the "Shades" inlay (which I'm not into).
Never played a Chapin, but I hear they're top of the heap.
Just never could get behind that inlay.
Good to know he's flexible.

[cnardone]

Nice guitar.
I never seen one without the "Shades" inlay (which I'm not into).
Never played a Chapin, but I hear they're top of the heap.
Just never could get behind that inlay.
Good to know he's flexible.

I've got a Chapin without the shades inlay. I work in NYC a couple of days a week. If you are interested we can probably work something out. I also live about 30 miles north of the GW if you can make the trek.

[ToneGurus]

Where's Peter when we need him????

Jeff and I have been thinking of renting a rehearsal space down here for a day, putting something together. Long as we can find parking, electricity, and no problems with volume, we're good to go. We'll keep you and "the others" apprised as this moves forward.
"Ooh, Ooh!" (hand up).

Mike

[big mike]

"Ooh, Ooh!" (hand up).

Mike


I dunno. Might be an asshat free zone...


<ducking and running for cover>

:D:D:D

[ToneGurus]

I dunno. Might be an asshat free zone...


<ducking and running for cover>

:D:D:DNah, I'll make sure they let you in. The guys at the door will know you by sight:

http://dontcamp.com/images/asshat.jpg

Mike

[big mike]

I love you too Mike.

:p

[ToneGurus]

I love you too Mike.

:pHey, BTW - nice looking T you just got. I wanna play that one.

Mike

[Boggs]

I just picked up a slab of really dense mesquite to bookmatch for a top to a chambered body guitar... Nice stuff!! Pretty axe you've got there!

[decay-o-caster]

Mike - Mike - do I have to keep you guys separated??? Don't make me stop this car!

Boggs - I have two mesquite fingerboarded guitars and now a mesquite top - I'm a huge fan. And Bill tells me it is the most dimensionally stable wood there is. Whatever that means. But I'm sure it's probably a good thing! ;)

[ToneGurus]

Mike - Mike - do I have to keep you guys separated??? Don't make me stop this car!

Boggs - I have two mesquite fingerboarded guitars and now a mesquite top - I'm a huge fan. And Bill tells me it is the most dimensionally stable wood there is. Whatever that means. But I'm sure it's probably a good thing! ;)Hey man, he started it - I was all about love and inclusion and shit!

How many Chapins do you have now anyway?? And if we do get together, be sure and bring the Koll archtop tooooo....

Mike

[decay-o-caster]

Hey man, he started it - I was all about love and inclusion and shit!

How many Chapins do you have now anyway?? And if we do get together, be sure and bring the Koll archtop tooooo....

Mike

Um, lessee, how many Chapins... Uh, more than um, some number...

And yeah, you NEED to check out that Koll - speaking of homemade guitars! :)