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It has been more than seven years since my new chapter in my life began and it was started here. Shishkov guitars was created. I could not have wished for a better, more informed and dedicated group of followers that share same appreciation for good old craftsmanship and uniqueness that I’m trying to bring to life in every instrument that I create. I feel that I need to let the rest of you guys in on what just only a very few people know already. For the last three and a half years, or so, I’ve had a shadow of a potentially very serious health issue following me. “Potentially”, because till this day doctors with all the numerous tests and scans cannot find the cause. With the right medication it’s somewhat under control but resulted in falling behind on my custom orders and having to temporarily put on hold my new projects. So, In concentrating on getting caught up with my orders I haven’t been able to regularly post updates here. But there are a few cool things on the way and just around the corner! I would like to thank all of my current and future customers for being so patient and understanding. Would also like to thank Chris Matthes for all of his help. And, of course, ALL OF YOU!!! In a virtual world this is my home

Sent this one out last week....

From FB this morning. "This is Michèle (Vic’s wife) posting on his behalf. The surgery went really well and he’s doing really well in recovery (quicker and better than expected). He says he will update you later when he can type."

I spent close to 16 hours in the car this weekend, am sick as a dog and wiped out, but it was TOTALLY worth it. I stopped by Mike's place and was just blown away. I'll just show pics of the one that followed me home to stay, but I did deliver two others. These are crappy cell phone pics - I'll take some REAL pics later.

The owner of Guitar Pickers in Wilmington NC hit me up to see if I could turn this one around, there were no bolts through the headstock but it was pretty bad... I don't keep my opinion on relics secret and while I did appreciate the Evel Knievel-esque design I agreed to take this one in hoping I wouldn't regret it-sometimes going behind someone that doesn't know how to properly sand is a fucking nightmare. Anyway, before. After. There's a few more rehabs in the queue that I will post when completed, a couple will be for sale too.

I sent an email to @JGravelin with pickup questions and found out he is in town (Lexington, KY) with Erik Koskinen playing Woodsongs at the Lyric Theater tonight 6/9). He got my friend and I in the door, getting ready for the show to start. Proof attached. The man, the myth, the legend. And great guy.

“I hope I can make it to then,” he said to me. He was referring to his birthday. Not to be an alarmist or anything, but that’s only 4 days from now. James “Jay” Toland, AKA: Ed Rechts is dying of Stage 4 cancer, but his thoughts are with his virtual family. A family from which he has been expelled. Don’t get me wrong – he earned it. He earned it several times as a matter of fact, during his tenure on the HFC, but we’ve come to accept that as part of his charm. “If I go, write a good tribute to me on the HFC, will you? I would love the guys to laugh again.” I’ve been asked to do similar tributes before. When my friend, Dave, one of my closest friends since high school, attended my brother’s memorial service and was touched by my eulogy, he took me aside afterwards and asked me, “When I die, will you give my eulogy?” At first, I thought it was one of his typical expressions of dark humor, but when I half chuckled, I noticed that he wasn't. Dave is a Firefighter, so this eulogy could come at any time. As luck would have it, that was 13 years ago. Hopefully, I won’t have to put any (more) thought to it for another 20 or 30 years, but suffice it to say it is something that I take very seriously. Probably more so than anything in my life. So, when Rechts asked that of me, he may have been just expecting I post a few of our old Photoshopped images that we traded back and forth, playfully busting each other’s virtual balls. But this is a lot more personal to me. This is literally a dying man’s last wishes. That this would be entrusted to me is nothing to treat lightly. JeffR broke the news to me several weeks ago of Rechts’ terminal disease, but in the periodic chats I had with Rechts since then, I didn’t let on that I knew. It’s his story to tell and he would tell me when he was ready. Yesterday was the day. He told me that he’s in a great deal of pain, but he’s keeping himself “semi-jacked on opiates.” “I sure would be,” I said, “And not ‘semi’.” “I'm doing all I can to manage this body pain,” he said. “My guts feel like they are eating itself. I can feel it.” We’ve all read tributes. Threads about someone we all knew having passed away, and all of the outpouring of affection that follows. We feel terrible and we say what we feel in our hearts, especially if we knew them well or for a long time. What I would have really loved back in June of 2012 was for my brother to hear that eulogy and all of the love that everyone in attendance relayed to me about him. This is why I’m writing Rechts’ tribute Now. Now, when he can still read it. (Rest assured, he still visits the HFC daily). I have a lot to say about Jay, but I will attempt to edit myself (somewhat) out of consideration for the reader. Otherwise, I could go on for hours. In one of our earliest conversations, Jay and I were talking about our screen names and, as a big Top Gun fan, he knew exactly from where mine came. “GET ON IT, KIZANSKI!’ he texted in CAPS. But where did “Ed Rechts” come from? I had to know. Jay is a brilliant, well-read man, so he offered, “Do you know your Sophocles?” “Huh?” I responded, (the obvious reply of someone not well-read). “Oedipus Rex!” he shouted. “The original motherfucker!” If there was ever a perfect screen name; brilliant, funny, clever, and, well, accurate. Over the years, Jay and I would talk on the phone, email, text, etc., but I never met him in person. Funny how you can feel close to someone you’ve never technically met. But in the closeness, there was a distance as well. Months would go by without a word from him, but then you’ll hear from him and it’s as if you spoke yesterday, and you’re back to poking fun of this or that situation. No time had passed after all. Back in the glory days of the HFC, often likened to the wild west, Rechts reigned supreme. That’s not hyperbole. His posts were that of legend, ranging from biting wit to elegant prose, always making his point, be it sophomoric or a genuine response to someone requesting information. He once even wrote a lengthy post (about what I can’t remember) in the voice of a character from the Victorian era. It was both brilliant and twisted. He could obviously trade barbs with anyone, but the last thing you wanted to do was get in his crosshairs. There was no worse fate for someone that had motivated him to fire up his Adobe Photoshop. In fact I happen to know that there were times when he found himself without a working install of Photoshop, so he would slay someone with Microsoft Paint. When you’ve been parodied by someone with MS Paint, you really got on their bad side. Right now, many of you HFC OGs like myself are thinking of an unfortunate former HFC-er who went by “AnDy” (and who Rechts dubbed “pAnZy”). And you’d be right. When epic battles (and eventual beatdowns) are discussed, this was the blueprint. This was example to which all other would be compared. To this day, he’s still proud of it, and I don’t blame him. So, there are tons of Photoshopped images of and by Rechts in my archives. Some of them are of me in compromising situations, and I did my best to retaliate – all in good fun – but I knew going in that I was overmatched and outgunned. The whole while I was laughing at him and at myself. At the heart of it he was an inspiration to me learning, not only how to create some silly memes and images with someone’s likeness, but how to laugh at myself. It would be a crime if he left us without knowing that. I’ll post a few of these images and I’ll provide some context where I can when it’s not obvious. Many of you have some, too. Please post them. He should laugh too. Jay's not Photoshopped favorite picture of himself from BITD. After we chatted for a while, he said that he was tired and he needed to lie down. "I'm kinda resigned to this. Unless there's a miracle." I guess we have this to look forward to come Christmas time. He made that one - not me! Humor never dies.

Saw this last week whilst I was idly scrolling through the used guitars on the GC website. It was listed by a Guitar Center in KY as a "Hamer USA STUDIO SUNBURST;" Looks to me like whoever took it in priced it as a mid-90s Studio, when the pictures clearly showed a 2005 Studio Custom. Was really not in the market for another guitar, but you know how that goes. It came in today and looks great! I was a little worried about it being shipped during the current cold snap, but it made it through in one piece. Ridiculously clean with a Hamer HSC. The action is a touch higher than I prefer ATM, but it plays and sound great. The only issue I can see is that the jack is starting to go, but that's easy enough to sort out. Here's a quick shot I took when I brought it in.

So after borrowing another HFC member’s Talladega, I knew I had to get one. I found this mint almost NOS 2007 model from a collector who rarely played it. It has a much softer V than the other one I borrowed, but I can fly on it and it feels like a vintage carve but with a soft V. And it is in jazzburst!!! Just like my Artist Korina! This is the finest and fastest Hamer I have ever owned. Impeccably built. I love the Double Ds and of course the Sustainblock and Fender scale. It is very light and I believe it has the extra chambering as it sounds that way when doing the tap test. I need to get it x-rayed to be sure. Simpply an outstanding playing and sounding guitar.

So I have been here 20 years and have been playing Hamers since '78. It's been a minute since I had an NHD. Picked this up from Don yesterday on my drive down to Portland. Won't be home to plug it in till tomorrow night, but have been playing it in my hotel room, and this guitar is AWESOME! Not too bad on the eyes either. Thanks Don!

So last thursday... I posted the GC PSA about their sale... (10% off, plsu 10% GC bucks if you use the credit card, sale ends tonight BTW) friday afternoon, no one jumped on the FM Special and I said, f it, I'll grab that thing as I have a thing for Aztec Gold FM's pretty solid... some fretwear, but very playable. light dings but finish fully intact, no hameritis along the fretboard and I suspect it's a late '93 as the profile is closer to the slightly fuller 94/95's Top nicer than the terrible GC pics and I love that the finish has darkened to a vintage amber. I got a nice surprise when I opened it up... nicely packed with OHSC. so nice I almost wanted to keep the box and the fixins but I left it. good deal.

We are pleased to announce that Mike Shishkov, one of the insanely talented builders from Hamer, is officially launching Shishkov Guitars, USA. Mike started a quarter of a century ago in the Arlington Heights shop, and made his way East to New Hartford in the late '90s with the company. With Hamer now a thing of the past, Mike will be hanging out his own shingle and taking on orders for what will simply be the finest custom electric guitars out there. Some of you may have noticed the first ever banner ad here at the HFC. We totally believe in this guy - he is the real deal, and he has been a long time friend and inspiration to us all. Please take some time to check out his site, ask questions, and revel in the knowledge that he'll be building them just as good, if not better, than before! This has been a long time coming, and things are still ramping up, but this could very well be the best news of the year! www.shishkovguitars.com

So a friend of mine is seling a Hamer Special in red. Someone gets in touch who has a couple of 80s Specials himself. Turns out he's someone I sold a b&w Hamer Special to a couple of years ago. And then I find out he recenlty bought a 1980 Hamer Special in opaque blue with a MATCHING HEADSTOCK from the first owner. I tell him to get get in touch should he ever consider selling it. Guess what, now it's mine. It wasn't cheap but it is in great condition, has had a fret dressing, has a nice medium neck, plays and sounds great. I believe the paint is all original, no undercoat, no other paint in the control cavity or under the trussrod cover). The body contour is slightly different to my 1981 Hamer Special, the lower cutaway less pronounced, so cool, I love it!

I found my 1992 Sunburst in a pawnshop 31 years ago. They were asking $1200 and accepted my low-ball offer of $500 cash. This old thing sat disassembled and unplayed while I waffled on selling it or not for longer than I care to admit. I finally decided that I should own at least one guitar with factory paint and decided to keep it. Since it was staying I decided to do a few things. 1) Resanded and buffed so it's as close to new looking as it can be, there's a couple dents and the clear topcoat has taken on that nicotine stained look that some folks seem to like. I'm not a fan personally but fuck it. 2) Señor Gravelin posted this awhile back and I went with a Slammer V2/PAF set, as expected they sound great. 3) The Switchcraft barrel jack got 86'd and replaced with an Electrosocket, yeah I drilled it... 4) Tonepros bridge and tailpiece. And 5) took it to former Arlington Heights and New Hartford Hamer employee Clay Conner who's just a few miles down the road from me for a little fret level and dress. Still great after all these years. Oh yeah-zoom in, it goes to 11 now.

My buddy is out walking his dog and comes upon a yard sale. Amongst the ruins is this old POS....with a $20 tag on it. Realizing he has no cash on him, he sprints back to his apartment, grabs his wallet that contains his card so he can get to the ATM and back to the sale before it disappears. Apparently it was a slow sales day... He says everything in it dates to '67. I'm no expert on any of that, but the thing is disgustingly clean. He brought it over and - because he lives in an apartment - says "Turn it up". I did. OMFG. I instantly understood the Princeton magic. Absolutely glorious. For $20.

How about some blue....

... at least at my home: Recently I discovered this beautiful neon sign (not LED!). I suspect that it is from the 80s or 90s. I even had to buy a step-down transformer to be able to use it. Amazing that it survived all these years unharmed. With more than 40 Hamer guitars in my collection, it seemed to me to be the cherry on top. I hope you like it too.

Looks like the humidity in Central CT came back down to more reasonable levels this weekend, so Mike got busy in the spray booth. Here are a few teasers:

Got a couple of cool packages in today. The new custom fit cases finally arrived, and they fit like a glove. Decided to stick with the burgundy interior, but went with a more vintage tweed look for the exterior.

I havent plugged it in yet but I can say this is the best guitar I have ever owned! The WHOLE guitar resonates even when just hitting a single string. It almost like its alive but it really isn't which is good because that would be freaky. The ebony board feels great and notice the truss rod cover. Nice touch. I am more than happy with non bound headstock. I didn't know if my conversation with mike about the neck profile translated but he nailed it. I wanted one similar to a vintage Hamer and I got it. I agree it may be wider like chris mentioned but it feels good. This short post will have to do for now as I need to spend some time with this.

I've been using a Player Tele almost exclusively for gigs the past few years. Covers all the styles from country to pop to rock and you don't have to worry about dings and wear. Don't have to hassle switching guitars in the middle of a set. Last night I took my 2002 Studio Custom and played it the last set. Maybe not as good for country tones but still very good. There were several highlights that will make me take it out more often. The appearance is fantastic. The vintage natural flame top looked great under the light, much more dynamic than at home. Last song was a rock inspired House of the Rising Sun jam. The woody tone from the neck pickup was great for the first lead, not available on a standard Tele. Second lead was on the bridge pickup with a wah, that tone really stood out. Pickups are @JGravelin Ultimates with UOA5 magnets and slight tweaks, most excellent. I'm at the point where I feel guilty having nice guitars and not playing them. Not worried about honest light wear from playing. The more you play them the better they sound and play, I'll still use the Tele most due to the song mix of the band. The Hamer and Les Paul will be getting more playing time.

I'm in. First photo by Mike, second by me. Awesome guitar!

I don’t think the soon to be owner of this beauty is on the HFC, and it’s too cool looking not to share -it’s an amazing chunk of maple and man, the flame really popped on it. I can’t wait to get a couple of clear coats on and get it buffed -it’s gonna be one killer looking axe 😎

I honestly can't remember my last "new" guitar as most everything I have is some kind of mutt or project but after many years I finally pulled a guitar out of a shipping box that I didn't have to take apart and refinish. I've been very familiar with Sully Guitars for at least a decade now but never actually played one. The gamble paid off as I really like it. Anywho how about some pics? I had these silly knobs custom engraved... Sully ran with the basic white lady, Hobby Lobby decor schtick. I did not know he was going to do it but I laughed really hard. The model is called the Raven but with all this nonsense I'm spelling it "Reighvynn". And just to balance it out...

Did, I just become a loothier? YUP!! lol pics of my precision guitar parts kit... got it for a good deal used. I did some light sculpting of the heel.. My training was watching Mike Shishkov do it for 15 minutes at the 2003 Hamer Open house... glued it... (clamps from harbour freight $4 each) and resting peacefully. Will get to grain filling soon. My plan is to shoot it with aged clear nitro... and then hit it with Oxford Vintage formula nitro and lightly relic and check it... I think the grain looks pretty good. More pics to come. edit... out of clamps and I cleaned up the heel a little more, not as elegant as a Hamer or Gibson Custom Shop but I was happy with it... done by eye with a rasp and a file (more harbour freight) I could have rounded it more but I didn't want to take away extra material. Seems like a very resonant neck and body. Weight is 4 lbs 15 oz as is, guessing high 7, low 8 f;;lly loaded.

I've been on the lookout for a black Newport of any variety for many years. In Kaki's listing of her natural Newport Pro (https://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/104071-psa-hamer-newport-pro-and-check-out-the-seller/), she mentioned that her black one got more use. I couldn't help myself and PMed her saying that if she ever thought about selling that one to please let me know. One thing led to another, and: I love how it's clearly gotten a ton of playing time but still looks beautiful. You can probably see in the 1st pic how Kaki's fierce nails impacted the top. Interestingly it's the lightest of my three and has the most top and bottom end. My Pro Custom has a very mid-focused sound, and the N90 is somewhere in between. What can I say, I'm a lucky guy!

0063, 0092. When I ordered Ultimate 0063 in 2015, the serial numbers were in the 60s. I requested 0063 in honor of my wife’s birth year, 1963 (she passed away in 2014). Two years later, my daughter and I went on an epic Texas-Connecticut road trip to Shishkov HQ and picked it up in person on Monday, July 10, 2017. While we were there, I was able to select the wood for the top of DC 0092, which was delivered by FedEx on Sunday, July 5, 2020, at 9:07 AM.

#0001 and #0066:

Required viewing for anybody considering a Shishkov, or just anybody who wants to see a killer guitar put through its paces by a killer player: ENJOY!

Have been preping the tops for the next group and man, these are some crazy tops! Crazy in a very good way. It always amazes me how different the figure is from tree to tree.

Had to do a quick solo beach trip today, so took a Shishkov along for the ride...

Update from the Shishkov Shop: Been a busy week. Paperwork and more paperwork. Mahogany blanks coming out of the kiln next week. Maple tops on order. Supplier of the maple has stuff that blows my mind. Thank you for all of your support!

I got to hang with Mike and Trish last week for a long-overdue visit. I did manage to get a peek at #0093 (now residing with a happy new owner in the Greater Chicago area), and was -as always - blown away. Here's a bit of her story so far...in pictures:

Three, all in the last month. The Monaco is inbound. Okay, I couldn’t resist the deal in the Eclipse XII. So four in the last month.

SOLD $5500- I bought this about a year ago. I believe it's chambered because it's light. Excellent condition, near mint- I can't find any marks of any kind or fret wear. The neck is fairly thick, thicker than any 2000s Hamer that I've played. Private message me for questions. We can work out shipping if necessary for the actual cost.

Final reduction to £3200 and will ship if any interest. Reduced to £3400. Finally managed to talk myself into putting this up for sale. Ultimate flame top, virtually no fret wear, some very light worming on back but that's about it. Fitted with Bare Knuckle Mules which suit it perfectly. With original case and custom order certificate. Haven't seen another one like this but from what I can remember, it was about the same price as the korina Vectors. Looking for £3800. Would prefer not to ship due to size/packing.

Honduran mahogany Ebony board Maple top tortoiseshell binding sustainblock Gravelin custom Charlotte wind in a Dimarzio/Hamer style base Awesome.

stumbled upon this a couple of hours ago, I think it's a '08 (6 digits, starts with 8), - I've never owned a Hamer newer than the late 90s until now. Pretty much mint other than looking like it has sat untouched for a long time, needs a fret polish pretty badly. Of course I couldn't resist, it wasn't stupid cheap, but attractively priced. I didn't have enough cash on me, so it's on layaway, and I can pick it up tomorrow

It didn't work when I got it, but with the help of fellow HFC'rs everything is working great now. I alway's wanted a 3 Hole DuoTone! Now I have one!! And it's beautiful!!

Hey All, You may have noticed that the HFC has been experiencing some performance issues lately. I did make a change today to move attachment storage to amazon s3 to help take some of the load and hopefully that's a good first step. As with many things these days, the hosting provider we’ve used for the past decade was sold, and the new owners are placing more restrictive limits on resources. The goal seems to be pushing customers into higher‑tier, and significantly more expensive, plans to maintain performance. On top of that, the cost of our existing service has increased to the point that I briefly considered returning to the 1990s, when I ran the HFC from a server in my basement on a dedicated line. Invision does offer a hosted option, but it comes with a significant annual cost and doesn’t include the base site. Determining the best path forward has been a challenge. Before jumping to any conclusions, this is simply a plea for understanding as I work through the options, not a request for donations to cover the cost increase. I’m trying to keep expenses low to ensure the long‑term future of the HFC. Many members have generously donated in the past and continue to help, and I’m grateful for that support, but right now I’m focused on exploring alternatives. It may even be that, after nearly 30 years, it’s time to move on, or let one of the existing private Facebook groups take over the discussion. That said, I know many of you are knowledgeable and full of great ideas. I’m an IT manager by day, but my teams do most of the magic now. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how we might move forward. The HFC is important to me, and I know it is to many of you as well. I’ve known many of you for nearly 30 years, and I’m not giving up, just wanting to be transparent. Let’s work through this together. your friend, Ted Martin

Surgery went really well. Triple bypass done and in/out in 3 hours…

Two in 2025, to my surprise...wasn't palnned at all. A 1978 Sunburst and a 1980 Special, both in very good condition (the Sunburst had changed tuners at some point). They are the oldest guitars I have now. Everything Fender form the 1960s long gone and I don't think I will ever be able to afford one buying again (love the 1960s Jaguars with matching headstocks).

I, patiently, waited for #0004 for years. After about seven or eight offers, the original owner decided to sell it. Played it at practice tonight after tuning it up with some lemon oil and DR Blues .010 to .046. This is just a fantastic guitar. One of the best I've ever owned.

Here's my '73 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I got it as a gift from my dad in 1973. I still have it! Yeah, It's definitely not the same now - haha. Been through a million changes. Here's the story... It went through some crazy mods. First, I swapped out the pickups for 2 DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups. My dad drove me to Staten Island, NY and I went to Larry Dimarzio's house where he was selling them out of his basement!! I later added a middle PU a'la Peter Frampton. I then added an MXR Phase 90 inside the control cavity (Yeah, it actually fit) Added Grovers too (still on there) I stripped it down to natural like Mick Ronson and filled in the maple top and took out the middle PU. Kept it like that for a long time. It was a pretty nice sounding guitar! Under 10lbs too. I then decided to fix her up. I sent it to a luthier to completely grind off the maple top and 're-top' it with a Spalted Maple top. Recently, I added some custom-wound Gravelin pickups and 3rd refret by RS Guitarworks to Medium Jumbos. The only part still original is the tailpiece. Weird, but it's Super lightweight and actually makes a big difference in tone. I tried two other gold tailpieces and they didn't sound nearly as good, lightweight really made a difference. Here's a current pic I used for my CD insert on my album. Lastly, I made a nice truss cover to remind me of my dad.

All three of us in my blues band, SUIT, work for the same company – High End Systems – which is owned by ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls). Every year ETC has a company picnic at their headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin (about 1,200 miles from where we live in Austin, Texas), and this year they invited us to play. 2025 is ETC's 50th anniversary year, so they really went all out this time. It was an all-day event, with about 1,000 people in attendance. Lots of food and drink (including alcohol for those of-age), activities for kids, door-prize drawings, etc. Throughout the day there were solo and duo performers on stage (all ETC employees), including a guy that did a tuba-based comedy set. We played from 6:00 - 7:15, followed by the headliner, The Grass Roots*. The whole thing culminated in a fifteen-minute fireworks show. *There are NO original members in the 2025 version of the Grass Roots, but this incarnation has been together since 2008 and they sounded great. Due to space constraints of making the trip, we brought a somewhat reduced setup. I used my Mesa Nomad 55 combo and my "B" pedalboard rather than my usual Mesa Mark V/Magnatone and "A" pedalboard rig; bass player Sean brought a small bass amp instead of his 1971 Kustom tuck-n-roll cab. I also limited myself (😆) to five guitars and one lap steel. Our drummer couldn’t make it, so we tapped another co-worker to fill in on drums. He’s a good drummer and used to play a lot but hadn’t picked up a pair of sticks in about a decade – so he was a little rusty. Through a whirlwind series of rehearsals we got him up to speed and he did a great job, although – full disclosure – his tempos tended to rush a bit. Here’s the setlist and what guitars I used: 08/02/25 – ETC Company Picnic – Setlist #S200 1-1 – Give Me Back My Wig (Hound Dog Taylor) – Tele 1-2 – Diggin’ My Potatoes (Washboard Sam) – Tele 1-3 – Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood) – Lappie 1-4 – License Plate Stomp (SUIT) – LPG-5 1-5 – Shake Your Money Maker (Elmore James) – Smokey 1-6 – She Put the Whammy on Me (Freddie King) – Smokey 1-7 – When the Levee Breaks (Kansas Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie/Led Zeppelin) – Dan-O 1-8 – Down the Road a Piece (Will Bradley Trio) / Jesus Just Left Chicago (ZZ Top) – Smokey 1-9 – Money Collection (SUIT) – Smokey 1-10 – Let’s Work Together (Canned Heat) – Lappie 1-11 – Night Train (Tab Benoit) – Blackie Tele – 2009 Fender American Vintage 1952 Telecaster Reissue LPG-5 – 2013 Texas Box Guitars LPG-5 (open-G tuning) Lappie – 1955 Supro Student DeLuxe lap steel (open-G tuning) Smokey – 2020 Shishkov DC Custom Dan-O – 2000 Danelectro DC-12 (open-G tuning) Blackie – 1981 Hamer Special Nice big stage, great PA. The lighting was awesome, too (hey, it IS a lighting company), although most of our set was in bright daylight. The covered gear, tweed guitar amps and SWR cabs belong to The Grass Roots. During Freddie King's "She Put the Whammy on Me." Texas Box Guitars LPG-5, custom made for me using an old license plate from my 1986 Mustang. Another gratuitous shot of Shishkov 0092. 1955 Supro lap steel. On a walkabout with Blackie during Tab Benoit's "Night Train." The Grass Roots. No original members, but they sounded great. Fireworks.

Had a 50th Anniversary American Strat Neck and a Jerry Donahue pickup lying around. Bought some more parts and went with a tele body. Only way to use the neck and the pickups. Pitbull Audio had a Classic Series alder body on sale for $225, so away I went. Pretty happy with how it all came together. I am going to have to cut the pickguard back a little around the control panel to account for the offset from the round neck heel. Would have been easier to do that under the fretboard overhang, but I already drilled the holes when I thought about that. Otherwise, was fun to finally build a guitar.

Been too quiet here. Let's see 'em!

These 2 look very cool together