You know we love you right? Well, that's why we're bringing you this week's Luthierist podcast featuring the amazing Meredith Coloma! Your hosts Chip and Dale got on the ol' Skypsaphone and chatted with Maredith about her career and other experiences in the business.
Check out her work here
Mid-week fun with Stephen and Jane! We got on the mic and dropped wise about how we met and the new model we developed.
Crashing into the walls of your brain sphere like a late 60's muscle car, Brad and Angelina answer some listener questions! Sorry about the echo, we figured out how to fix it for the next episode.
End music from Bad Pig - check 'em out here
The Luthierist Podcast is back?! Huh, wha?! Yep! It's a little different now, but your hosts Siskel and Ebert are gonna bring you the primo content. Whatever the heck that means!
First off, sorry 'bout that! I'm glad that most of you are keeping tabs on the facebook page, instagram, and twitter! So, let's get on with the updates, shall we?
The Kickstarter campaign was a smashing success, and THANK YOU to all who contributed! Soon after the campaign ended, I got to work on sprucing the shop up; new tools, better lighting, new furniture/storage, and a general cleanup never hurts, either! I was planning on a video documenting the process, and I've got some of it shot, but I think it kinda fell by the wayside. I'll have to go through the footage and see what's there.
Oh! I was asked to guest on a crowdfunding based podcast called The Crowdfunding Way. Here's a link to the interview:
Thanks to everyone who contributed and got the word out; your support means everything to me.
Flashing somewhat forward to April, I was invited to appear on a fun podcast called Amps and Axes. The hosts Jeff Bober and Mick Marcellino were great, and I had a blast. Check it out, won't you?
For those that are fans of Sully's Guitar Garage and have been wanting new content, boy are you in luck! Many Kickstarter supporters chose to sponsor an episode; that means you get more videos! There have been quite a few new ones, along with new opening credits. Here's a teaser for a build series dedicated to building a neck through Raven:
The first few episodes have been released, as you can see here:
I've also started uploading videos where I answer building related questions, so subscribe to the channel, won't you?
Some may remember back in the summer of 2014 I announced my plan to make a small batch of guitars inspired by Lita Ford's black Hamer Standard. The small batch sold out quickly, and the first two are completed and with their respective owners. Here are a few shots:
Once the five are built, that's it! While there is a small chance that I'll revisit the shape in the future (most likely a reworked version), I'd say it's highly unlikely. I tried getting some pix to Lita via Instagram, but I don't know if she ever saw them.
Let's face it; there's no Sully guitar that I'm more excited about than the '71. I'm happy to say that there will be many more of these built throughout the year (the carved top model, too). Here are some shots of four '71s that are moments away from the finish process.
...what's the last pic of the white one with stripes, you ask? Well, you'll need to get on the mailing list to find out about a VERY special, VERY limited run that will be coming soon......! Click here and get on the mailing list now!
Yep. The most recent update I've got for you is that I'm the new co-host of The Luthierist Podcast with Paul Rhoney of Rhoney Guitars. Great dude, and I think that we're gonna have a good time with these. Check it out here, subscribe, and then join the group on Facebook, won't you?
I THINK that's it for now, I've gotta get back to work!
SULLY GUITARS IS ON KICKSTARTER!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/968033833/sully-guitars-workshop-upgrade
Over the years, I've invested thousands of dollars into tools and materials, and I've been able to build some fantastic instruments with basic entry level tools.
If you've been a fan for long, you've no doubt watched Sully Guitars grow, and it's been incredibly validating to have many of you along with me; from simply watching a video, to taking a class, to ordering a guitar of your own, I could never be building guitars full time without your support.
Please check out my Kickstarter and become a backer; 2015 is going to have a LOT of great things, and I cannot WAIT to share what's on the horizon with you!
Wow, a lot has happened since our last update. Lots of fun stuff, and some sad stuff, but if you're ready to read, I'm ready to drag you through it.
In dire need of a re-org, I spun the shop counterclockwise 90 degrees, made some mobile tool stands, bought a cool old drill press, a new planer, and I made a sweet 3 piece neck-blank-smasher-togetherer kinda thing. Oh. I also added the ever important beer bottle opener to the bench. I like it; it has a nice message. Who knows, maybe I'll hire him for some PR work in the future.
Yep. It's done (okay, I gotta make a truss rod cover, but close enough). Mahogany body and neck, maple cap, kickass honeyburst in an even cooler burst pattern (thanks to Stike at Rowyco Kustoms in NC) Tone Pros wraparound bridge (LOVE IT!), and some KILLER pickups from Habanero Guitar Parts (a subsidiary of Grover Jackson's GJ2 company). There's a Habanero Classic in the neck position, and a yet-to-be-named model in the bridge position that I'm testing out. It's wound a little hotter than the Habanero Classic (which is generally around 8-9k) and not as hot as a Habanero Spicy (generally around 16-17k). I wonder if I can get them to call it the Habanero "That Sully Really Loves." I'm guessing not, but I'll ask. Anyway, this one is a screamer like it's sibling. And yes...numero trois is underway. It'll have a mix of what I like most about each of the first two. Makes sense, eh?
Mrs. Sully and I caught John Corabi's show at Trees in Dallas; what a great show. Along with material from The Scream, Motley Crue, and Union, he did his killer cover of Aerosmith's "Seasons of Wither" which happens to be the greatest song ever written. By anyone. We got to chat a bit after the show and geeked out about how much we love Aerosmith. Super nice guy, super great show.
Andee Blacksugar is currently touring the world as Peter Murphy's guitarist, and when the tour landed in Chicago, he and Dee J Nelson got to hang out and have a blast. I got to chat with them a bit via Face Time, and it was a lot of fun. I really hope that they'll get to record something again in the near future. Andee got to check out Dee J's Sullys (a Galaxy V and his newer 624T), and he really loved the 624T. There's a '92 in the works for Andee, so I'll have to remember the awesomeness that I put into the 624T!
The Peter Murphy LION tour came through Dallas on the 30th, so Mrs. Sully and went, had a great time, and got to hang out with Andee after the show. A ton of fun, for sure.
And the sad stuff. We recently had to help end the suffering of one of my greyhounds, Aslan. He was just short of his 14th birthday (most greys live to about 12), and his arthritis was finally getting the better of him. He was the happiest guy ever, and never met a stranger. He was at his best when we had a house full of people; he'd go see everyone and work the room so well that sometimes we'd call him The Mayor. He's definitely missed, not just by me, but by his other greyhound companion, Nico. She's having a hard time without him, and I guess that means we'll find her a pal soon.
There will be some stuff finished up and outta here in the very near future. There's a white 624 that was just buffed out as of this writing, a mahogany 624 that just got a really killer red dye applied to it (it looks like red velvet cake in person), a neck thru Galaxy V that's about to get it's finish applied, a CRAZY topped purple catfish that's about to be buffed out, and oh man...soooo many many more. There are a bunch of guitars in the build channel, so you'll be seeing a lot of new stuff soon!
Come take a class with your ol' pal Sully! You've seen the videos and pictures from the classes, and let's face it, you want to come to Sullyville, build a guitar, and have some tacos. Come gain some experience, and have a great time! It's like guitar fantasy camp, but you don't have to pay five grand to say hi to Paul Stanley.
So without further yammering on, I'm happy to announce the next batch of dates.
Spend some quality time with ol' raspy!
September:
Neck building class - September 5-7 ONE SPOT LEFT!
Body building class - September 13-14 ONE SPOT LEFT!
Complete build class - September 22-27
October:
Body building class - October 4-5
Neck building class - October 10-12
Complete build class - October 20-25
November: TBD
Classes are small and sell out quickly, so get in touch to reserve your spot!
Yep, ol' Sully's been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. Let's start with some headstock logoing, shall we? Yep.
Five headstocks, two with binding (the white one has ivoroid binding and hard to see in the pic), one gold logo, one black, three silver. Oh, and I had to clear coat the plum crazy painted truss rod cover, too. I also figured that it'd be a good time to test out the GoPro camera and you can watch it all happen.
Since you no doubt enjoyed the music (a collaboration between Dee J Nelson and Andee Blacksugar), get it here!
To those who signed up for the pre-order of the Guitar Building Academy/Taco Appreciation Society t-shirts, thank you for your patience! The first batch of shirts had some printing issues, and the replacement batch should be arriving this week. Thanks again for hanging in there.
Yep, this little dude is done and will be going to its owner very soon!
Want one like it? Well, send me a quote request and treat yo self!
That's it for now, time to get the shop ready for a neck building class this weekend!
Hey kids!
Getting a little paint work done before the next building class starts; this time, I'm shootin' headstocks. One of the cool things about using masks for logos is that you can paint them whatever color you want. In this case, I went gold. We have one headstock painted Plum Crazy, while the other is just clearcoat over ebony. MMMMMMMMMM ebony goodness. I love ebony.
After I applied the stencil and mummified the necks, I got shooting. Truth be told, the gold logo on the purple wasn't my favorite, so I sanded it back and reshot the purple. I followed it up with a black logo, which looked wayyyy better. Once the headstock was cleared and buffed, I decided to paint the truss rod cover to match; why not? It's already got a painted switch tip, so there's some consistency, which is cool. Really happy with how that turned out, and that one should be going to its owner shortly. The gold logo over ebony was one of those that came together effortlessly; gotta love when that happens!
As you can see, there are five more necks whose headstocks have been primered; lather, rinse, repeat!
Sometimes reminders can be very helpful!
Killer guitars built by Rock & Roll
“When Morgan Freeman retires I vote that you should be the person to narrate everything.”
Sully Guitars®, ‘71®, Stardust®, Astro™, 622™, 624™, 624T™, 625™, 92™, Revolution™, Elita®, Supernova™, Built By Rock and Roll™ are trademarks of Sully Guitars. All rights reserved.
Some of our partners:
“Yes. Yes, I did it. I killed Yvette. I hated her SO much...it-it- the f - it -flam - flames. Flames, on the side of my face, breathing-breathl- heaving breaths. Heaving breaths... Heathing...”
— Mrs. White
