I recently finished a goldtop Lesquire guitar for Tristen Smith of Big Machine Records. Normally last-minute changes aren’t good, but his late request for a Bigsby tremelo led me to a new product that raises the bar of the lowly Bigsby to a precision instrument. Continue reading
Author Archives: Bill Crook
Adjust Your Pickups in 3 Steps
Many of my customers who love the sound of their new guitars will buy the same pickups for another guitar and wonder why it doesn’t sound the same. I tell them pickup height adjustment is a big part of getting the sound you want. For every guitar that I build, I spend a lot of time adjusting pickups. Here’s the simple method that I use. Continue reading
New Hot Rod Pattern – Engine Turned Aluminum Guitar
If you love show cars and hot rods, you’ve seen engine turned aluminum used on everything from truck beds to tailgates. I found a paper that looks just like the swirled pattern so that you can get the engine turned look on your guitar while preserving the traditional wooden guitar tone. For my first experiment, I took the finish a step further by spraying a transparent candy apple red over the pattern to get a holographic look that really jumps. It ended up being my top attention-getter at the Nashville guitar show. Continue reading
Play the New Crook Guitar at the Nashville Guitar Show
Stop by my booth and say hello this weekend (March 9-10) at the 4 Amigos Nashville Guitar Show. I am looking forward to meeting everyone, talking guitars and answering questions you may have. Continue reading
Custom Short Scale Bass with Long Scale Bass Sound
Having been a mechanic for 25 years, Don was troubled with hand flexibility issues that made it hard to continue playing his 34” 4-string bass. He was looking for a short scale bass that would still sound like a long scale and would be comfortable and lightweight enough to play from his favorite chair. We talked about how to customize a bass that would fit his needs. Continue reading
Guitar Tuning Problems? Quick Nut Fixes
Have you ever tuned your guitar and checked its intonation, but when you play an open chord it sounds out of tune? You reach up and re-tune and now the chord sounds fine. When you play a different chord, it’s out of tune again. It’s like a cat chasing its tail. Before spending money on a new set of tuners, you may find that most of the time, the problem is with the nut. Continue reading
Four New Crook Custom Guitar Colors
Here’s four new Crook Custom Guitar colors. Continue reading
CNC vs. Handmade Guitars
Having spent hours bent over jigs, routers and drill presses, I pray I never have to go back to doing body construction in-house. There’s nothing wrong with using templates and hand routing, but it is hard to maintain tight tolerances. Continue reading
Crook Guitars for Sale and Orders as Christmas Gifts
Order a Crook Guitar for Christmas 2013
It’s that time of year, and folks are calling to order a guitar for Christmas. With a 10–12 month turnaround on all custom guitars, it’s a good time to contact me to get your order in for Christmas 2013. Get the low-down on ordering a custom guitar.
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How to Clean and Polish Your Guitar
I am amazed constantly when I see beautiful guitars smeared with dirt and gunk. My guess is players fear they’ll damage the finish, so they use conventional guitar polishes that do not clean anything really. Those polishes tend to attract more dirt than they repel, and you end up with a hazy coating that looks like your aunt’s end table layered with lemon Pledge. Continue reading