Guys (and Ana),
I drove for a couple hours to do something important, and picked up #29 today. TSB, Ebony board, bound and crowned. Tara was with me.
I'll try to keep it short, but want to emphasize how impressed Tara and I are about the friendliness, humility, and extraordinary artistry of Mike Shishkov.
He and Trish welcomed us (people they had never met, and really, had no reason to trust) into their house, offered us something to drink, and did their best to put us at ease.
After a couple of minutes' chitchat Mike opened the case. You can see what was inside (below). WOW!! HOLY MACKEREL!!
All I could do was grin, like I haven't for YEARS and YEARS. I smiled so much my jaw muscles ached. I was a kid again, imagining what it would be like to have a guitar like I saw in guitar magazines, or in album gatefolds.
I'm a living room guitarist, a hack really, but even I can tell I was holding in my hands something special, something extraordinary, something refined and beautiful, but at the same time I can tell this thing can unleash something damn-near primitive, raw, and primal, just like it should.
28 or so of you know what I'm talking about, and nearly as many more are looking forward to seeing for themselves how fantastic a guitar can be.
Another incredibly cool thing: I got to hold the Hello Kitty guitar!!! I also saw the workshop (and snapped a photo of Mike in it, which should be in this posting.)
Folks, We've got something special. Mike and Trish are wonderful people, just as you suspected, and Mike's guitars are something beyond our everyday experiences.
Thank you Mike, and thank you Trish for a very special day, and a treasured piece of art.
Best,
a.bandini
PS. Both Mike and Trish mentioned how special the HFC is, and how much all of you mean to them and (I infer) their company and family. I agree.
PPS. I did not see today, but am very much looking forward to seeing the prototypes, and am saving my change to make sure I can buy one once they enter production. You should, too.
I drove for a couple hours to do something important, and picked up #29 today. TSB, Ebony board, bound and crowned. Tara was with me.
I'll try to keep it short, but want to emphasize how impressed Tara and I are about the friendliness, humility, and extraordinary artistry of Mike Shishkov.
He and Trish welcomed us (people they had never met, and really, had no reason to trust) into their house, offered us something to drink, and did their best to put us at ease.
After a couple of minutes' chitchat Mike opened the case. You can see what was inside (below). WOW!! HOLY MACKEREL!!
All I could do was grin, like I haven't for YEARS and YEARS. I smiled so much my jaw muscles ached. I was a kid again, imagining what it would be like to have a guitar like I saw in guitar magazines, or in album gatefolds.
I'm a living room guitarist, a hack really, but even I can tell I was holding in my hands something special, something extraordinary, something refined and beautiful, but at the same time I can tell this thing can unleash something damn-near primitive, raw, and primal, just like it should.
28 or so of you know what I'm talking about, and nearly as many more are looking forward to seeing for themselves how fantastic a guitar can be.
Another incredibly cool thing: I got to hold the Hello Kitty guitar!!! I also saw the workshop (and snapped a photo of Mike in it, which should be in this posting.)
Folks, We've got something special. Mike and Trish are wonderful people, just as you suspected, and Mike's guitars are something beyond our everyday experiences.
Thank you Mike, and thank you Trish for a very special day, and a treasured piece of art.
Best,
a.bandini
PS. Both Mike and Trish mentioned how special the HFC is, and how much all of you mean to them and (I infer) their company and family. I agree.
PPS. I did not see today, but am very much looking forward to seeing the prototypes, and am saving my change to make sure I can buy one once they enter production. You should, too.
