New Guitar

[Gordon Bellerose]

Finished this one last fall, and just got around to taking pics.

Here's the run down:
Swamp Ash body
Maple/Padauk neck
White MOP inlay with Paua inserts
Locking tuners
Golden Age humbuckers with coil split using push/push controls
Roller TOM bridge
Blue burst finish.

Plays and sounds really really nice.

[Freeman Keller]

Very nice, Gordon. I've used the Golden Age humbuckers on a couple of guitars and was very impressed with them.

[Gordon Bellerose]

Yes, I have now used them in a couple of guitars, and like you am impressed.
They have a beautiful voice. Clear and yet hot enough to growl when used with overdrive.
And very nicely priced to boot!

[Bob Francis]

Very nice!

[Chris Richards]

Very nice, love the colour, for some reason it looks a bit Mosrite'ish?

[Gordon Bellerose]

Bob: Thanks!

Chris: I suppose it could resemble any number of guitars. It's difficult to draw and build a double cut, or any other shape for that matter, that doesn't resemble something. People have been doing this for a while now.

[Steve Sawyer]

Nice job, Gordon. Beautiful sunburst, and I love the FB inlay!!

Who's the manufacturer on that bridge?

[Gordon Bellerose]

That is the locking roller bridge from our friends at stewmac.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Bridges_and_Tailpieces/Bridges_and_Tailpieces_for_Electric_Guitar/Locking_Roller_Bridge.html

[Steve Sawyer]

That is the locking roller bridge from our friends at stewmac.

Thanks, Gordon!

Also, which Golden Age pickups do you (and Freeman) use (alnico 2/5, overwound)? I'm considering using them for my current build...

[Gordon Bellerose]

I have used these for two builds so far. A really nice pickup for most music styles. Great clarity and separation.
"Very articulate" is how one of my customers described them.
I also like the fact that they have 4 wire leads.

http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Pickups/Golden_Age_Humbuckers.html

I have a build underway that is going to get some of the overwound. A bit hotter.

http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Pickups/Golden_Age_Overwound_Humbuckers.html

[Freeman Keller]

That is the locking roller bridge from our friends at stewmac.

Thanks, Gordon!

Also, which Golden Age pickups do you (and Freeman) use (alnico 2/5, overwound)? I'm considering using them for my current build...

Gordon, I've used the SM locking roller bridge on a guitar with a Bigsby but why would you use one with a stop bar?

Steve, I've used the Golden Age Parson Street pups on three guitars - my personal LP clone, the chambered LP clone and a 335 clone. I play bluesy stuff and trying to learn more jazz chords, the other two are used for more classic rock. I'll admit I don't know squat about pickups but I figured these were a good place to start and you (or my customers) could always change. So far no one has, everyone raves about the tone. I use Alnico 2 in the neck, 5 at the bridge and mostly play on the bridge or blended. I haven't bothered to split them.

My archtop and another 335 got SD Bennedetos in the neck and some generic SD PAF (maybe a Seth Lovers) at the bridge. Again, I mostly play the neck, the owner of the 335 is a jazz master.

[Gordon Bellerose]

This guitar was originally going to get a Bigsby. Thus the roller bridge.
I had the post holes drilled for the bridge, and decided to put a stop bar on it instead.
If in the future someone wants to put a Bigsby on it, it will be easy.

[Chris Richards]

Hi Gordon...

What products did you use to finish the guitar? I'm so stuck on cellulose and always seem to have unforeseen problems when I try other products (like never setting properly or cracking at a later stage) although most of my work is restorations and cellulose is the product to use for that but I really would like to have another option under my belt so to speak something that's a bit easier to get a "glassy" finish.

Thanks in advance!

[Gordon Bellerose]

Chris,

I use water base products. Here in Canada because of our V.O.C. laws, it is very hard to get solvent based products.
I use epoxy for grain filling.
The stain/dye/color would be Stewmac's Colortone. Both the solid, and the transparent.
I use Britetone water base lacquer as top coat.

After grain filling I usually wipe on (transparent) stain/dye/color, whatever you want to call it, for the first color coat. In this case the lighter blue color.
I used an airbrush to do the headstock.
Then I spray on a couple of coats of clear, to seal it. Sand back lightly the next day.
After that I spray the darker (solid) color around the edge and in this case, the back.
After that it is strictly clear coats to get the gloss.

[Chris Richards]

Thank you Gordon....We can still get cellulose here in the UK but it is getting harder to get and very expensive so I want to start using something else when I'm not working on a vintage instrument, I've also never used an epoxy grain filler, it's quite hard work grain filling with the stuff I use and more often than not requires a couple of coats and then an age of sanding..Thanks again for the description, I shall start investigating water based products over here.

[Beate Ritzert]

Plays and sounds really really nice.

And looks really nice as well. A beauty!

[Dan Smith]

Slick!
Nicely done!