So what did a brand new Fender pink paisley look like in 1968? Without a time machine, we may never know for sure. But after having spent years researching and looking at various original paisley guitars, I’ve made some observations. Continue reading
Win a Crook Double Cutaway Lesquire
Support the TDPRI forum for a chance to win a Crook Black and Gold Paisley Double Cutaway Lesquire. Continue reading
Single Coil Noise / Noisy Guitars
Have you ever played at one of “those” places where no matter what you do, you can’t get rid of the single coil buzz? Or you are too close to your computer monitor at home and the noise drives you crazy? As much as we love the tone and response of a great single coil pickup, the bottom line is it can be noisy. This leaves you with three options to resolve it.
New Crook Guitar Finishes: Paisley on Butterscotch and Hot Rod Diamond Plate
After many customer requests for new finishes, I came up with two that I think turned out pretty cool. I started experimenting with my paisley finish and took it in a new direction. The other finish is brand new and speaks to my interest in hot rod patterns. Let me know if you want either of these new finishes on your custom build. Continue reading
Goldtop Lescaster with Bigsby Upgrade
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
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