Premier Guitar visits the booth at NAMM 2016

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One of the highlights of the NAMM show for me was when Premier Guitar came by the booth on day 2; Perry and I were interviewed and it was a lot of fun. Later that night, the blue '71 Limited was featured in their online recap of the show!

Check out the video here:

And for those who want a "Behind the scenes" look, here's a video that Perry took while the interview was happening:

Need a '71 of your own? Yes. Yes you do. What're you waiting for? Let's get one started for you!

NAMM 2016 recap

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NAMM. Wow. What a fun trip! It was really great to share a spot with my dear friend Perry Ormsby and get our guitars into the hands of as many players as we could over a 4 day stretch. It was a fantastic experience attending as an exhibitor, and I look forward to making it out there again for 2017. 

The trip started with a stop to visit Grover Jackson; I shipped my guitars to his shop so Perry, Mrs. Ormsby, and I met there before heading over to the Anaheim Convention Center (where NAMM is hosted). It was an absolute thrill to show my guitars to someone who has had such a huge impact on me as a guitar builder. Little did I know that this would become a bit of a common thread throughout the show. It was great to get Mister J's thoughts about my guitars, to say the least. 

We got the booth setup and ready to go, and we had non stop visitors, players, friends, and distributors all 4 days of the show. Premier Guitar came by the booth on day 2 to interview Perry and I, and I was stoked to learn that they featured the '71 in their highlights of day 2 coverage! It was just great meeting new people and seeing friends and fellow builders again. 

As expected, it was a blast. Perry and I made some great contacts, sold guitars, and had a great time. Of course, if you'd like to hear more about the whole NAMM thing, check out the most recent episode of The Luthierist Podcast! Paul Rhoney, Doug Kauer, and I chat about the whole thing. 

If you were there and came by, thanks! NAMM 2016 was equal parts exciting, rewarding, and exhausting. Cannot wait to do it again!

Announcing the '71 Trella

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I want to share something with you that will be with me at NAMM. Yeah, of course, it's a guitar, but it's a lot more to me. When I drew the first draft of the '71 in 2009, I intended for it to have a carved top, but I wanted to just get some prototypes built and refine as I went. At this time, there are twelve '71s in existence, and I've shared pictures of them with you over the past few years. I've purposely kept this one somewhat under wraps until now.

At this moment, there are three different '71 lines; the '71 Student, the '71 Limited, and finally, the '71 Trella. The '71 Trella is named in honor of my Mother in law, who passed away in November 2014. I could write a whole other post about how wonderful she was, but I'll just say that we had a shorthand between us. Maybe it was that we were both musicians/creative types with similar senses of humor, I don't know, but she called me son and meant it. It seems fitting to me that the flagship '71 be named in tribute to her.

There will be a lot more about the '71 Trella to come this year, but for now, I'm happy to share these photos with you. I hope that you like them, and I look forward to building one for you. 

Limited edition Elita T-shirts!- SOLD OUT!!!!!

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Hey everyone, 

The Elita was quite a hit, so I decided to do a small run of t-shirts to go with it. You can pre-order yours now (sizes S-3XL) until 1/10/2016! Elita shirts are $26 shipped in the US via Priority Mail. International shipping is available, but the cost will vary by location. They will likely arrive around NAMM time, so I'll get them shipped out to you no later than 1/31/2016. 

Elita design is printed on Gildan cotton pre-shrunk T-shirts. The ink is embedded into the fabric, so they'll feel as great as they look. 

This is a one-time only thing, so get yours now! The pre-order window closes 1/10/2016!

Let the madness begin!

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It's time!

In life, there have been those moments that are so impactful that they change our direction. As we look back, we can point to them and say "this helped me get to where I am now" and when we look back on those times, we're brought back to that moment and we're there all over again; that feeling hits, the hair on your arm stands up, all of it. 

The Tribute Series is intended to honor those that set me on my path - not just the players and their guitars, but their life-altering impact as well. 

The 2016 Tribute Series is a five piece limited batch of guitars that honor a kid from Burbank, California who Sailed Across The Ocean (see what I did there?) and revolutionized lead guitar playing in 1980. 

This run is very near and dear to me, and I think I've put together a fantastic tribute to a very special guitar player one of his very iconic guitars. Check out the Tribute Series page for more info and to get yours while you can! 

Sully

 

Holy crap, I've been slacking on updates....!

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First off, sorry 'bout that! I'm glad that most of you are keeping tabs on the facebook page, instagram, and twitter! So, let's get on with the updates, shall we? 

Kickstarter

The Kickstarter campaign was a smashing success, and THANK YOU to all who contributed! Soon after the campaign ended, I got to work on sprucing the shop up; new tools, better lighting, new furniture/storage, and a general cleanup never hurts, either! I was planning on a video documenting the process, and I've got some of it shot, but I think it kinda fell by the wayside. I'll have to go through the footage and see what's there. 

Oh! I was asked to guest on a crowdfunding based podcast called The Crowdfunding Way. Here's a link to the interview: 

Thanks to everyone who contributed and got the word out; your support means everything to me. 

More podcastery!

Flashing somewhat forward to April, I was invited to appear on a fun podcast called Amps and Axes. The hosts Jeff Bober and Mick Marcellino were great, and I had a blast. Check it out, won't you? 

Videos 

For those that are fans of Sully's Guitar Garage and have been wanting new content, boy are you in luck! Many Kickstarter supporters chose to sponsor an episode; that means you get more videos! There have been quite a few new ones, along with new opening credits. Here's a teaser for a build series dedicated to building a neck through Raven:

The first few episodes have been released, as you can see here:

I've also started uploading videos where I answer building related questions, so subscribe to the channel, won't you?

Elita

Some may remember back in the summer of 2014 I announced my plan to make a small batch of guitars inspired by Lita Ford's black Hamer Standard. The small batch sold out quickly, and the first two are completed and with their respective owners. Here are a few shots:

Once the five are built, that's it! While there is a small chance that I'll revisit the shape in the future (most likely a reworked version), I'd say it's highly unlikely. I tried getting some pix to Lita via Instagram, but I don't know if she ever saw them. 

'71

Let's face it; there's no Sully guitar that I'm more excited about than the '71. I'm happy to say that there will be many more of these built throughout the year (the carved top model, too). Here are some shots of four '71s that are moments away from the finish process.

...what's the last pic of the white one with stripes, you ask? Well, you'll need to get on the mailing list to find out about a VERY special, VERY limited run that will be coming soon......! Click here and get on the mailing list now!

Even more podcastery?!?!? You madman!

Yep. The most recent update I've got for you is that I'm the new co-host of The Luthierist Podcast with Paul Rhoney of Rhoney Guitars. Great dude, and I think that we're gonna have a good time with these. Check it out here, subscribe, and then join the group on Facebook, won't you? 

I THINK that's it for now, I've gotta get back to work!