When I first put together this pine bodied Tele, I told myself that I wasn’t going to modify it. That lasted about three years. I stuck a Bigsby B-16 on it a few months ago. Last week I went all out and cut down the B-16 and stuck two of my new pickups on it. I couldn’t be happier with the results. (for now) I just can’t seem to leave well enough alone! It almost makes me feel like playing some gigs.
I was recently talking to a friend about guitar playing and motivation to practice (it seemed like he had a hard time staying motivated). I’ve always liked to practice, and have been easily motivated to play my guitar for hours. I told him that when I heard a solo that really moved me, I had a hard time not picking up my guitar. He asked which solos ‘’moved me’’? Then I started thinking about all the solos that I’ve found over the years that I have been really influenced by, that really got into my head and then can’t stop thinking about for days.
So once a month I’m going to post a song with a solo that makes me want to run for my guitar and practice for hours. Hopefully they’ll have the same effect on you.
The first one that comes to mind for me is Chester B. Atkins 1953 solo on Sweet Georgia Brown. I usually prefer solos that sound ‘’spur of the moment’’, as if they could possibly fall apart at any time, but don’t. Chet’s solo on this song sounds composed, but it’s composed perfectly from beginning to end. I can’t remember who turned me on to the ‘’Jazz from the Hills’’ by the Country All Stars, but even after years of listening to this, I still have to fight the urge to run for my guitar.
After many months of testing, I finally have a limited quantity, small batch of Pickups available for sale. The Blade Pickup is $340. USD plus shipping, and the adjustable Pole Piece Pickup is $325. USD plus shipping. I’m really happy with the way they sound. The Blade Pickup sounds very similar to a Charlie Christian and is excellent for jazz chords and single note playing. The Adjustable Pole Piece Pickup also sounds like a Charlie Christian but has a slightly brighter sound.
I’m positive that if you play swing, bop or country jazz, you’ll be happy with either one of these pickups. We guarantee it!
If interested, Contact us.
I am finally taking the time to share the story of how I found my grandfather’s 53 Buick Riviera at a swap meet. Even twelve years later, it’s still hard for me to believe. The Buick is not just a car to me, its part of my family history, so I’ll begin by sharing a bit of background about my grandfather.
Denny Sermersheim was part of “the greatest generation”. He was given the nickname “Summertime” by his C.O. during World War II. His love of engines started at an early age. Denny attended Carter Carburetor School in St. Louis, MO, and was working at Allison Engineering in Indianapolis, IN when he enlisted in the Navy. After attending Packard Marine Engine School, he was the engineering officer of the Ron 9 PT Boat Squadron. Based in the South Pacific, Denny’s squadron was the team that rescued John F. Kennedy when he was stranded on an island behind enemy lines. That story was depicted in the 1963 film “PT 109” staring Cliff Robertson and Robert Blake. I’ve shared a great photo that I have of Denny, with a smile on his face, making a still out of scraps in the jungle to make the time at war a bit more bearable.
After the war, not wanting to live with humidity ever again, Denny moved his family from Indiana to Inglewood, CA. He never lost his enthusiasm for perfecting the performance of an engine so he went to work for Harry Mann Chevrolet and then on to Simpson Buick. In 1953, wanting to own his own business, Denny bought a piece of land in Twentynine Palms, CA, about two hours outside of L.A. He went back to Jasper, Indiana, where he had grown up, to enlist the help of his father, Heamer, to build a home, and Denny’s new business, “Summertime’s Carburetor and Electric Service”. The Business slogan from day one was: “Engines Tuned Like A Fine Violin”. Like myself, my great-grandfather Heamer was a cabinet maker and musician.
While back in Indiana to pick up Heamer, Denny purchased a brand new 1953 Buick 2 Door Riviera 56R for $3500. Before he left the lot, Read more…
I recently picked up a copy of Ashley Kingman‘s new EP, Guitar Blasters Vol. 1. It had a great photo of a well used amp cabinet that I built 20+ years ago. I originally made two cabinets, one for myself and the other for Lee Jeffriess. Lee didn’t end up using it so it landed in Ashley’s hands. He put a Vox AC30 in it and it’s been his main amp ever since. I like the way his looks now, after being on the road for twenty years!
In mine I used a modified Showman head. For detail, I used my late grandfathers belt. He had a carburetor business called “Summertimes” which was hand tooled on his belt. We have a great story about my grandfather Denny and his “53″ Buick that we’ll share soon.
Its nice to see that both cabinets have withstood the test of time!
It’s always a surprise to me when I mention guitarist/arranger George Barnes and people don’t know who he is, especially if it’s a guitar player! Mr. Barnes was playing an electric guitar even before the great Charlie Christian. He is by far my favorite player of all time.
I remember the first time I heard the George Barnes Octet recordings. It made me feel like I needed to spend allot more time practicing. Twenty years later, I still feel the same.
I can’t imagine any well-known-so-called-guitar-hero today trying to follow George Barnes on stage or in a recording studio. It would be a joke! If you’re serious about becoming a better guitarist, do yourself a favor and get the full Octet recordings here.
For the past three plus years, TK has been custom fabricating various projects for artist Andrea Zittel at A-Z West. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the work that we don’t take the time to get good photos. AZ recently gave us some great photos taken by photographer Jessica Eckert for the Andrea Rosen Gallery. All furniture designed by Andrea Zittel, built by TK Smith.
Electronic Guitar pickups coming soon
The Winder
Even though we’ve posted allot of info about guitars and guitar equipment recently, we still make our living from design and fabrication. TK and I never loose interest in architecture, design and the builders/craftspeople who make it happen. We had the opportunity last week to tour The Elrod House by architect John Lautner. Privately owned, the house has never been open to the public. In conjunction with the Los Angeles Conservancy and MAK Center for Art and Architecture, the current owner opened it up for the public to tour. Built in 1969, we jumped at the chance to get inside this iconic house that we had only seen in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds are Forever.
Many people know the Southridge area of Palm Springs from looking up at the home of Bob Hope, another project that Lautner was hired to design, but according to a local Broker who spoke at the beginning of the tour, walked away from mid way through the project. Story has it that Lautner and the Hope’s just couldn’t see eye to eye. Arthur Elrod, who was a prominent interior designer, purchased the first two lots in the development. He said to Lautner, “Give me what you think I should have on this lot.” Elrod gave up complete creative control and before construction began, then entire site was excavated eight feet to expose the bedrock that forms the ridge. You would never be allowed to do that in today’s world. As you can see in the video from the film, and the photos, the rock formations are integrated into the house, coming in through the windows and up through the floors. At 8901 square feet, even with the soaring concrete ceiling of the main living area and the amazing views of Palm Springs below, the house still feels really grounded.
The current owner was at the house when the tour began and had great stories to tell about the history. My favorite was about the complete simpatico between client, architect and builder. That probably rarely happens. The builder had worked with Frank Lloyd Write and came out of retirement in his 80′s to work on The Elrod House. The house being made mostly of formed concrete, when one of the roofs was being poured, the angle was too steep and they lost the entire load of concrete down the hill. Oops! I would imagine that if you hike in the hills around the house today, that the layer of concrete still lives on that hillside?
There are so many interesting facts about everything involved with the history and building of this amazing property. If in the Palm Springs area, there is an exhibit of Leland Lee photographs at the Michael H. Lord Gallery through March 12, that were the first taken of The Elrod House. Lee, who was an apprentice with Julius Shulman, became another great architectural photographer. He is in his 90′s and still living. The photographs were displayed around the house the day of the tour and are definitely worth seeing.
