scrapbook

The original garage - like so many businesses in the US it all started in a garage.

A '76 tele neck I came across provided me with the opportunity to make a nice body of chambered Goncalo with a Zebrawood top. I always found the neck pickup on the stock Teles a bit wanting, so I installed a 70's Gibson humbucker wiring it to be splittable.

64 Gretsch Tenessean

I bought the guitar used in the mid-70's and for a long time it remained in its chopped-up state. It had been modified to fit 3 humbuckers and the wiring was a mess. The original Hi-Lo Tron pickups were gone. The finish was the worse for wear.

Eventually I stripped the brown finish with the faux f-holes, relacquered it, refretted it and then decided I had always wanted a 6120 anyway - so I restored the top, laminated a flame Maple veneer to cover the repairs, installed bound f-holes and finished the guitar with nitrocellulose lacquer. I found some Filtertrons and an original pickguard and pickup rings.

A mid-70's Les Paul which lost its head during the '86 quake in Los Angels was my first ambitious repair project. It had also been modified - fitted with a Floyd Rose nut and tremolo and three pickups. I plugged the holes, repaired the broken-off headstock and refinished the guitar with a light stain under clear lacquer, to bring out the figure.

Andre La Fosse

This set-neck hollow body was one of the precursors of the S&S line. A Basswood body with a Cedar top and a Maple neck combined for a percussive clear tone. Fitted with 3 Godin pickups wired to miniswitches for on-off-split options. I gave the guitar to Andre La Fosse, since his playing style meshed well with the instrument's characteristics.

My first commission, a solidbody bolt-on with a Jazzmaster style tremolo. The body shape was taken from a 60's weird guitar - Mahogany with flame Maple top and a translucent black finish.

http://www.myspace.com/keithgattis

I worked with guitarist Keith Gattis (Dwight Yokam etc.) to make a faux bottom for his Tele which would house two string benders. Keith had made these himself. After thinning the body slightly I sandwiched a rim onto the body, with binding, matching finish and a back plate. Then we installed the benders.

The B-bender is activated by pulling on the front strap knob, the high-E-bender is a small lever set in front of the control plate, placed so it can be pulled with the pinkie finger while playing.