New model alert: The Stardust

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2016 has been a year of new models for Sully Guitars; the Raven has been redesigned, the Revolution will be revealed soon, and today's topic, the release of the Stardust.

The idea was to take the silhouette of the '71 and see what else could be done with it. I wanted to incorporate some retro-futuristic style, but I didn't want to lose the "pointy" aesthetic; for it to be a success, it would have to fit in with the other models, yet stand on its own. 

Oh, and I wanted it to look like something that Bowie would have played. 

The Stardust is 25.5 scale, features bolt on construction, your choice of the Aero or Raven headstocks (in regular or reversed orientation), slash or block outline inlays, stainless steel frets, with or without a pickguard, and your choice of Hipshot hardtail, two point tremelo, or Floyd Rose locking tremolo. It's available as a 7 string or baritone, and as with all Sully Guitars, no Bigsbys.

Pricing for the Stardust begins at $2350, but to celebrate its launch, I'm offering an early adopter discount; the introductory base price is $2150 for orders placed through the end of 2016!

 

 

 

Stardust with rosewood fretboard, hollow block inlays, dual humbuckers, and a hipshot hardtail bridge.

Updates of the Sully/Grover Jackson collaboration

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On Sunday, July 17th, I arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, and after having lunch with friends, I made my way down to Grover's shop in Laguna Hills. This was going to be an incredibly busy and rewarding week. We begun each day at the shop at 6am, finish around 8pm, go get dinner, chat, and do it all over again. Of course while I was there, there were many other guitars being built and Grover had to make sure that everything was moving along as scheduled. I have to say that I've yet to meet anyone who works harder than Grover Jackson. 

These are the first Sully guitars to incorporate CNC technology, and while I had a fair amount of the geometry already completed, there was still some work to do before we could begin the test guitars. The drafting brought up interesting conversations and philosophies that I hadn't really thought a whole ton about; because I've done the work by hand, I've relied more on what Grover refers to as organic geometry. The issue with that is I can't just look at the HAAS CNC and say "here's how I do it." The neck shape that we worked out is very comfortable (yet still very Sully), the back contour designs have been refined, and I'm really happy with the overall look and feel. 

Another thing was just how wonderful it was to finally work with others. Since I've been building guitars, I've never had anyone right next to me to say "do it like this", and while learning some of their methods, it was so great to be able to show what I was working on to someone else and ask "like this?" Hearing a response of "yeah, that's perfect" from Luis or Grover's analogy of inlay fitment to that of grilled asparagus "some resistance at first, but then you get a satisfying snap" are just a few things that come to mind. 

There were all kinds of bits and pieces that I'll always remember, and it was such a wonderful experience to be there. 

Okay great, you had a fun time at camp. We get it. So when are we gonna see these things and how can we get them?

Currently, the guitars are working their way through the paint process and we should start seeing them available in stores in late October/early November. If you're in the US, you'll be able to purchase them from The Guitar Sanctuary, Red Dragon Guitars, and Boxcar Guitars. If you're in Australia, you can purchase them from Tone Town Music in Queensland, and from Hawkes Customs in Perth. Each dealer will have three guitars, and while there may be some similar finishes (blue fades are popular!), each dealer will have at least one guitar that has a unique finish. 

I'm very pleased with how the guitars are turning out, and I can't wait to get them out to you!

Sully Guitars collaboration with legendary Grover Jackson

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It's with massive amounts of excitement that I announce a collaboration with the one and only Grover Jackson. This summer, Grover and I will be building a batch of the Sully Guitars flagship model, the '71 Trella, which will be available to select dealers in the US and Australia. There will be some figured tops, some solid colors, and some pretty unique finishes that I'm sure you'll dig. 

The guitars are expected to be complete in mid/late September and will be available via Red Dragon Guitars, Boxcar Guitars, and The Guitar Sanctuary in the US, and at Tone Town Music and Hawkes Customs (link coming soon) in Australia. 

Here's a photo of Grover and I with the first '71 Trella prototype as well as a very early '71 Limited that we'll be using as a reference for the backshape of the neck. The last image is a basic rendering of the guitar with the updated specs (hollow block inlays and an added tone knob)

I'll be visiting Grover's shop in southern California in a few days and we'll get the ball rolling! Stay tuned for more updates about this rather exciting time!

 

 

'71 Limited Demo by Ryan Reedy of String Theory

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Thanks to Ryan Reedy for the demo of not one, but two '71 Limited models! These were two of the guitars on display at the NAMM show this past January, and Ryan loved the blue one so much that he had to own it. The trans black '71 Limited is still available through Red Dragon Guitars, as is a '71 Limited in Deep Ocean fade. Visit Red Dragon Guitars here.

If you've got a video of you with your Sully, send it on!

 

Premier Guitar visits the booth at NAMM 2016

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One of the highlights of the NAMM show for me was when Premier Guitar came by the booth on day 2; Perry and I were interviewed and it was a lot of fun. Later that night, the blue '71 Limited was featured in their online recap of the show!

Check out the video here:

And for those who want a "Behind the scenes" look, here's a video that Perry took while the interview was happening:

Need a '71 of your own? Yes. Yes you do. What're you waiting for? Let's get one started for you!

NAMM 2016 recap

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NAMM. Wow. What a fun trip! It was really great to share a spot with my dear friend Perry Ormsby and get our guitars into the hands of as many players as we could over a 4 day stretch. It was a fantastic experience attending as an exhibitor, and I look forward to making it out there again for 2017. 

The trip started with a stop to visit Grover Jackson; I shipped my guitars to his shop so Perry, Mrs. Ormsby, and I met there before heading over to the Anaheim Convention Center (where NAMM is hosted). It was an absolute thrill to show my guitars to someone who has had such a huge impact on me as a guitar builder. Little did I know that this would become a bit of a common thread throughout the show. It was great to get Mister J's thoughts about my guitars, to say the least. 

We got the booth setup and ready to go, and we had non stop visitors, players, friends, and distributors all 4 days of the show. Premier Guitar came by the booth on day 2 to interview Perry and I, and I was stoked to learn that they featured the '71 in their highlights of day 2 coverage! It was just great meeting new people and seeing friends and fellow builders again. 

As expected, it was a blast. Perry and I made some great contacts, sold guitars, and had a great time. Of course, if you'd like to hear more about the whole NAMM thing, check out the most recent episode of The Luthierist Podcast! Paul Rhoney, Doug Kauer, and I chat about the whole thing. 

If you were there and came by, thanks! NAMM 2016 was equal parts exciting, rewarding, and exhausting. Cannot wait to do it again!

Announcing the '71 Trella

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I want to share something with you that will be with me at NAMM. Yeah, of course, it's a guitar, but it's a lot more to me. When I drew the first draft of the '71 in 2009, I intended for it to have a carved top, but I wanted to just get some prototypes built and refine as I went. At this time, there are twelve '71s in existence, and I've shared pictures of them with you over the past few years. I've purposely kept this one somewhat under wraps until now.

At this moment, there are three different '71 lines; the '71 Student, the '71 Limited, and finally, the '71 Trella. The '71 Trella is named in honor of my Mother in law, who passed away in November 2014. I could write a whole other post about how wonderful she was, but I'll just say that we had a shorthand between us. Maybe it was that we were both musicians/creative types with similar senses of humor, I don't know, but she called me son and meant it. It seems fitting to me that the flagship '71 be named in tribute to her.

There will be a lot more about the '71 Trella to come this year, but for now, I'm happy to share these photos with you. I hope that you like them, and I look forward to building one for you. 

Limited edition Elita T-shirts!- SOLD OUT!!!!!

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Hey everyone, 

The Elita was quite a hit, so I decided to do a small run of t-shirts to go with it. You can pre-order yours now (sizes S-3XL) until 1/10/2016! Elita shirts are $26 shipped in the US via Priority Mail. International shipping is available, but the cost will vary by location. They will likely arrive around NAMM time, so I'll get them shipped out to you no later than 1/31/2016. 

Elita design is printed on Gildan cotton pre-shrunk T-shirts. The ink is embedded into the fabric, so they'll feel as great as they look. 

This is a one-time only thing, so get yours now! The pre-order window closes 1/10/2016!

Let the madness begin!

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It's time!

In life, there have been those moments that are so impactful that they change our direction. As we look back, we can point to them and say "this helped me get to where I am now" and when we look back on those times, we're brought back to that moment and we're there all over again; that feeling hits, the hair on your arm stands up, all of it. 

The Tribute Series is intended to honor those that set me on my path - not just the players and their guitars, but their life-altering impact as well. 

The 2016 Tribute Series is a five piece limited batch of guitars that honor a kid from Burbank, California who Sailed Across The Ocean (see what I did there?) and revolutionized lead guitar playing in 1980. 

This run is very near and dear to me, and I think I've put together a fantastic tribute to a very special guitar player one of his very iconic guitars. Check out the Tribute Series page for more info and to get yours while you can! 

Sully