Jeff R

I have yet to put a trem cover on a Carondelet guitar and no one ordering a guitar has asked for a plate nor complained when their guitar didn't have one. I've been told, however, that potbelly dudes with hairy torsos who play on stage shirtless, the exposed trem springs can unknowingly catch protruding belly hair. It can and will be pulled out very painfully if the guitar is yanked away from the player's torso as he executes whammy bar tricks while flailing about. I have an interesting mix of clients.

I remember playing the much more affordable neck-thru MIJ Jacksons head to head with their USA counterparts at the Texas guitar shows in the 1990s and being stunned at how little they differed from a five-sense stimulation standpoint. At one show in particular, I recall a MIJ Rhoads in a banana taxicab yellow that was probably to this day the best RR I've ever played in my life. I should have bought it, especially considering how the secret is no longer in the bag and the prices shot up accordingly over time. Geoff's guitar appears to be just a refin away from making someone really happy without breaking their wallet. Cool piece.

Recap photos and familiar faces ... My surrogate son and Carondelet artist Corban Barnes. Already one of Louisiana's first-call studio/stage utility players (guitar, steel and keys), it's only a matter of time before he ascends to the national stage. Remember his name, kiddos. Greg needs no introduction here. Between his fretted workshop traffic and his own axes' needs, Greg is the highest quantity consumer of Carondelet guitar and bass pickups in our ledgers. Makes me very proud. Wouldn't be a top-tier vintage show if this familiar face didn't surface ... Good pal and Carondelet user Spence Peppard, guitarist for Scotty McCreery. Nashville first-call bassist extraordinaire Jaymi "Pinkbassman" Millard; and Carondelet artist Andrew Gaultier, touring guitarist for Maddie and Tae. Brian Forsythe of Kix and Rhino Bucket Funny story ... the Carondelet "Contour T" Vince Gill and Brad Paisley fawned over on Friday, I jokingly put a sign on it that said "Brad Paisley Approved." This guy inquired about it specifically on Sunday. Turns out it's Gary Hooker, Brad's second guitarist for over two decades! Carondelet artist Eddie Heinzelman, guitarist for Radney Foster. Eddie also owns One Louder Guitar Service in Nashville and he's Carondelet's mini-me in the TN market from a tech standpoint. I don't know what I'd do without Eddie, talk about a MVP. Michael "MBritt" Britt, the king of Kemper profiles and guitarist for Lonestar. Greg Martin of the Kentucky Headhunters. Finally got to meet my longtime phone friend Wolfe "Wolfetone" Macleod. He introduced me to his good pal Jared Brandon (formerly the patriarch of Brandonwound pickups, now a Nashville-based product manager over pickups with Gibson). Wolfe and Jared spent considerable time in the Carondelet booth sampling our pickups and talking pickup- and pickup-maker topics and specifics. Super nice guys and I'm honored to be their peer. Noted Nashville collaborator Billy Henderson, who has penned lyrics for Randy Travis, Jerry Reed, Gretchen Wilson, T. Graham Brown, David Allan Coe, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mindy McCready and Sonny Landreth; and Carondelet artist Brad "The Shredder" Davis, longtime sideman to Marty Stuart and Billy Bob Thornton. Good friend and mentor and Carondelet guitars collaborator Grover Jackson I'm just the brawn, she's the brains ... my darling dear Vonnie. This was by far the biggest and best Amigo Nashville in ANY veteran attendee's recent memory, including the Amigos themselves. They were turning away prospective vendors in the final weeks due to no more room on the exhibition floor. The Amigos are already planning to creatively annex space within the same arena's upper level for more booths next year. We already bought our booth for next year to make sure we get the same square footage in the same prime spot on the main floor. Amigo Nashville 2025 will likely be the biggest guitar event east of the Mississippi River. Plan NOW to attend it.

This is two straight years I've put a cool Tele in Vince's hands. Brad Paisley liked that same one too ... here's Brad in our booth with my good pal and Carondelet artist Corban Barnes.

Both days are heavily trafficked. You can't pick wrong.

Yes, it's definitely worth attending ... vendor booth space is sold out, and the exhibition floor is the fullest I've ever seen it. We are booths 307-308, with 23 custom guitars and basses for hands-on test drives. The show begins at 10am Sat and Sunday at the AgExpo Center. Come make noise with us!

This crossed my FB feed this morning and I immediately sent it to Rechts. Never have I seen a more fitting photo for his social media profile. Reminds me of the sh!t we did on the HFC days of old ... love you guys.

Grover's current in-house brand is OG (Original Grover) and he does do one-off customs. https://www.groverjackson.com/Build-your-own-Guitar_c_11.html He also has his in-house Habanero pickup line that a few small-scale builders use. He and I talk pickup theory and recipes as much as we talk guitar build theory and recipe. In order to not divulge possible NDAs with other notable builders, let's just say I personally saw a few familiar headstock shapes on the "freshly cut" racks in my time at the factory, brands I had no clue were collaborating with G. I didn't ask about them, he didn't divulge details. Fine by me. As for his Carondelet collaboration, I was just the opposite - I told Grover I was going to absolutely scream from every mountaintop every op I got that I am making guitars with Grover F'ing Jackson. He chuckled and smiled, I could tell he was genuinely appreciative. On a related note, for anyone going to the Amigo Nashville Guitar Show later this month ... Grover will be in the Carondelet booth on Saturday, March 23, at a time TBA.

From the wall outside Grover's office ... B-roll outtake from the famous group shot session ...

Here's some modern Grover palate cleanse for you, Jim ... no fake wear ha.

I know from personal experience both WD and Chandler will make the guard you describe. You just have to supply a tracing of the original guard, its mounting holes, and where you specifically want all the pickups/drivers, pots, switches and any other holes located. Be sure to include hole diameters. Then instruct the selected fabricator to drop-ship the completed guard to whoever you commission to populate it. That will save you a week of extra turn time and a second shipping expense.

Along with WD, Pickguard Planet (Chandler) has been doing great custom guards for decades. I got my first custom guard from them in the 1980s. More recently they did the guard for my time capsule resto '55 Junior. https://www.pickguardplanet.com/ I don't know of anyone who actually cuts/fabs custom pickguards AND populates them under the same one-stop-shop roof. What specifically are you trying to get done?

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated. And glad to be of help!

If you like what you hear on this vid, there are a lot of options from which you and I could pick. Outside of bobbin colors and/or metal cover alloys, you can spec ABS or butyrate, 2C or 4C (I designed these to split beautifully), long or short plate legs, different steel alloys for screws and slugs ... or even built around an A3 (sounds a touch woodier but still articulate and sparkly IMHO.

A Decade was my first amp too, I'd guess '84ish too. I'd love to have one out of nostalgia, but there are other dumb things I'd spend dumb money on first. I also can't get by the idea that I passed on dirty, dusty, crusty $25-45 examples at pawn shops for ... decades.

I was going to recommend the gun I've used around the workshop and the pickup bench that's perfect for every need I have, but Google says the Kobalt HG2000 has been discontinued. But it has features you may seek out on a comp. You see the trigger has "1" and 2" ... those are variable settings I can flip between with a little digital counter on the butt of the barrel. I can also assign fan speeds. I also have three of four attachments that affect the focus of the hot air. Considering you don't need a high-dollar industrial strength name brand that you will use daily as part of your livelihood, this Harbor Freight piece has a lot in common with my gun at about half what I paid for mine eight years ago. The HF has many good reviews, and they have a great return/exchange policy should you need or want it. https://www.harborfreight.com/1600-watt-12-amp-14-temperature-dual-speed-heat-gun-64112.html

The recent Indonesian set neck SEs I see cross the bench are problem-free for the most part. Just setups and pickup upgrades. That being said, does the import DGS come with the American pickups? That's the best part of the USA version ... PRS's best pickups for my tastes. I've had two MII b/o Silver Sky SEs come thru for setups that would have benefitted greatly from fret leveling, or better leveling if they are actually doing it. Resulted in higher action compared to what most folks like to have.

Check this link out ... https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/online-resources/neck-building-and-repair-and-setup/how-the-stars-set-up-their-guitars/ Mix and match to taste!

Chile green with envy, Von and I have been trekking to Las Cruces annually since we discovered it a few years ago. We get an air B&B in those same foothills of the Organs and I paint guitars while I'm there - nice to not worry about humidity blushing nitro. We too have talked about buying a small tract for a retirement home. Next time we go, I'll teach you how to spray headstocks, then the four of us can hit La Posta in old Mesilla.

Before you remove and soak frozen saddle height screws, clean the loose sludge and rust out of the hex head with an ice pick tip so you can get the allen wrench completely deep inside the hex head. Then apply a pointy-tipped soldering iron to the screw head for 10-20 seconds before you try to remove it. It usually frees up. The soldering iron heat trick also helps when removing rusty pickguard, jackplate, strap pin, control cover, pickup mounting ring and tuner screws that have stripped or wallowed out heads.

Another MVP repair bench tool that's used daily: I have this 3mm for Floyd nuts, saddle clamp screws and modern bushing'ed fulcrum posts. I also have the 2.5mm hexdriver for saddle lock screws and for the screws that attach Floyd nuts thru the neck from behind the shelf. Both readily available and cheap from Allparts.com. I've had mine so long they are about an inch shorter than they should be ... from me removing dulled tips with a bench grinder to return to a snug fit inside hex caps. Using hexdrivers assists with torque control as well, in that there is not as much leverage to be had as a right-angle wrench. It's hard to severely overtorque because the wrench itself will twist under excessive force. That's also a clear visual warning that you're locked in.

$1500 for a 7-watt 1x10? $1800 for a 12-watt 1x12? For that money, I'd personally prefer to buy a Mesa/Boogie designed and built ... Mesa/Boogie. At least I'd get a couple channels and one will breathe some fire.