Rick Kelly Guitars: PART IV

[Maggie_O]

I'm in love with the "splatterburst" in the foreground!

Haha. Might be the "just don't get" thing and a bit much for you, but entirely a personal preference.
Try one sometime and decide... best way.
Some are torched slightly, but some are from buildings which had fires waaaay back and only now are the beams being excavated.

I, however, am 100% biased -

 

[Kmaz]

I'm taking my comment back. The wood is old and dry and if it makes a great-sounding guitar, then that is what matters most.

 

[vanguard]

Am I in the minority here who thinks that Rick's charred bodies are a bit much? It's probably some art form that I just don't get.

I feel you. I had one of the burn-top bodies for a while and my sleeves were always snagging on little sharp protrusions in the char.

I think you're right, too, that though not all of us dig it, many others do and it totally fits with Rick's overall aesthetic. My current Kelly Tele has a black body with virtually no "character," and a fir neck with nary a knot or scar. He's got something for most tastes.

 

[Jahn]

All this fir and pine neck talk gets me jealous. My maple neck is just fine, but I can see the appeal.

 

[paulbearer]

I feel you. I had one of the burn-top bodies for a while and my sleeves were always snagging on little sharp protrusions in the char.

And there lies the problem...
you're one of those guys who still wears shirts when you play?

no. more. snags.

 

[paulbearer]

Great post by Jaya about Carmine St on his blog:

http://www.guitars-electric.com/blog/2016/10/23/bones-heart-and-soul-of-nyc

 

[Jaya]

Great post by Jaya about Carmine St on his blog:

http://www.guitars-electric.com/blog/2016/10/23/bones-heart-and-soul-of-nyc

Thanks paulbearer,
Glad you like it.
Much appreciated!

 

[Carlo]

Jaya,
Beautiful post about Carmine St on your blog! You capture the feel of the store in your words. Well done! I'm honored too by the fact that my Strat is one of the examples of Cindy's work.
Bravo!

 

[duhziner]

I was in the shop today. Cindy's tele with the tooled leather is still there but the Pine one is gone. He has a curly chestnut body with pine neck, now, also with fatback neck and jumbo frets. Cindy's guitar was incredible, but at $3k and not having the Kelly name, I was a little squeamish, but it was a monster...

 

[paulbearer]

^ Don't worry, any squeamishness should subside soon... her following is accelerating, fast... quite a number picking up Cindy's work in the past few months, including one for a fresh Black moto leather strat (below) with a trio of quarter pounders finished Thursday, sold this weekend... It never made it back from the Northeast Guitar show. That one's gonna haunt me. A Cindy@Carmine St. guitar is blue chip, as the this month's new owners of the Paisleys, the Motos, the Cathedral Grave, the Jags will attest. You should see the Catwoman she just made... the stitches and neon effect are genius, and chilling. Need pictures.

 

[Kmaz]

I was in the shop today. Cindy's tele with the tooled leather is still there but the Pine one is gone. He has a curly chestnut body with pine neck, now, also with fatback neck and jumbo frets. Cindy's guitar was incredible, but at $3k and not having the Kelly name, I was a little squeamish, but it was a monster...

Is Cindy actually making guitars now too?

 

[Jahn]

Yep!

 

[V. Siren]

I have had my Kelly for a few months now. It's great in many ways. Funny thing is, it isn't what I ordered. The neck is fir when I wanted pine. The frets are jumbo when I wanted medium jumbo. The pickup specs are off. There are numerous finishing flaws. That said, it plays and sounds great. I wouldn't order another custom from Rick, as I kinda feel like I waited 2 years to get a shop guitar. Nor would I consider parting with this one. After having it setup by a local luthier, it possesses the most important qualities, tone and playability. Great tele.

 

[unseen hand]

I have had my Kelly for a few months now. It's great in many ways. Funny thing is, it isn't what I ordered. The neck is fir when I wanted pine. The frets are jumbo when I wanted medium jumbo. The pickup specs are off. There are numerous finishing flaws. That said, it plays and sounds great. I wouldn't order another custom from Rick, as I kinda feel like I waited 2 years to get a shop guitar. Nor would I consider parting with this one. After having it setup by a local luthier, it possesses the most important qualities, tone and playability. Great tele.

Dumb question... Isn't Fir pine?

 

[Jerrod]

Dumb question... Isn't Fir pine?

No.

 

[unseen hand]

No.

Learn something new everyday.. My Kelly neck has an orange/brownish tint to it so I'm assuming it's Fir?

 

[paulbearer]

assume it's orange shellac....

but the grain will tell you the story: (neither are mine, just web reference, but beauties

Fir:

Pine:

 

[unseen hand]

Fir it is!... Thanks for the info

 

[otherone]

got a picture?

 

[aram]

I have had my Kelly for a few months now. It's great in many ways. Funny thing is, it isn't what I ordered. The neck is fir when I wanted pine. The frets are jumbo when I wanted medium jumbo. The pickup specs are off. There are numerous finishing flaws. That said, it plays and sounds great. I wouldn't order another custom from Rick, as I kinda feel like I waited 2 years to get a shop guitar. Nor would I consider parting with this one. After having it setup by a local luthier, it possesses the most important qualities, tone and playability. Great tele.

Same exact thing happened when I got my first tele. It was this weird orange shellac color that I wasn't so into. I forgot what I wanted. And I also really wanted a double D neck, but it had a slightly less fat Maple neck. But when I played it the sound was just so gorgeous, that it quickly became my baby.

I eventually switched necks to a fir one, like the one you have. I believe the wood comes from beams of the Chelsea Hotel.

And my old maple neck I had Rick put on an another body.

The pickups too I switched out to Don Mares. Originally Rick had put some pups in that were waxed and used by the great Robert Quine, who played guitar for Lou for a number of years. I wonder if Rick knew something.....

Anyway, good to see you're hearing and enjoying what is most important and beautiful about it: the sound!