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News & Notes
This is my
space for general ramblings and current events – You’re also welcome to
check out My Blog…
August 9th, 2010 - Warm, it's WARM,
no... It's HOT! Day 10 of a projected 18 day 100+ stretch;
welcome to north Texas in the summer! Delivered another '32 L-0 up to
Washington State; she's happy, healthy and in very good hands. Another
going down to Austin before the end of the month, (Actually, the second
going down there, but that's another story...), after that comes a
MandoCaster for Harris here in Fort Worth, and then a Tele Thinline for
Amber here in Fort Worth, then another Thinline going up north and then...
Get the picture? It feels GREAT to be doing some electrics again, I've
missed 'em!
April 23rd, 2010 - Holy... I
have nothing to say, other than I am incredibly busy, and several of you who
might well be reading this truly are about to get fantastic guitars, and...
Well, that's about it for now!
December 9th - Months AGAIN! Well, the new real job has allowed me to lose
three, count ‘em THREE belt notches, but…
The down side is I’m so beat after work I don’t hit the shop –
That’s my excuse and I’m stickin’ to it.
Got LOTS of stuff in the works, more soon, no, really… In the meantime
I wish all y’all holidays filled with peace and joy.
September 10th -
Argghh, again...
Well, new job taking lots of time, which is WONDERFUL. Working on
several guitars, getting very close to finish on a couple, one of which will
be a true joy to deliver, more on that later - Fall is coming, we've been
canning, and life is GOOD! Check out the repair page, now with jobs
and prices listed for your reading pleasure!
July 16th - OK, worse
yet - Months! Well, after
loosing a job and a band, maybe that could stand for an excuse,
right? Hello? OK... Anyway, been in the shop, many things
brewing, just not properly updating here! Am off early tomorrow to
northern Minnesota to the Annual Gathering from The Luthier Community, for a
few days of playing and talkin' guitar building with some good friends; and
I imagine there will be some food and booze thrown in there somewhere
too. Lots of catching up to do upon my return!
April 8th - Yipe! Another month slides by... Been busy,
took da band into th studio to record a soundtrack for a friend's
documentary and made some wonderful music - Samples
and pics are here if you're of a mind. Have had a nasty
case of double pneumonia, so have not been in the shop at all - Dust is not
good for pneumonia... But feeling much better and will be getting
back after it here real soon - Lotsa guitars in the chute, including a
great take on the venerable Tele Thinline - Stay tuned! It's National
Poetry Month, so hug a poet or read a poem, or take a swing at writing some
yourselves!
March 9th - Wow!
Let me say it again, WOW! This
weekend, my church band played the spring session of the annual Harris Methodist Bluebonnet
Cancer Retreat. We play every year, twice a year, and it
is wonderful indeed. This year, the Saturday night entertainment
headliner stayed over to play the Sunday morning service that we always
play; turns out that headliner was none other than Tommy Emmanuel,
C.G.P.! Yeah, that Tommy Emmanuel! And yes, friends and
neighbors, Tommy sat in with the band for our set, and we with him on a
couple of tunes. I have now had the pleasure of turning around and
saying, "Take one, Tommy" I'm still on cloud nine, big
time... And yes, I did put an Aerie in his hands and yes, he played
it: He tried a Madrone '32 L-0 and said and I quote,
"Fantastic!" I said, "No smoke, Tommy, I can take it, how
is it really?" He replied, "This is a beautiful guitar, Mate; you
got the magic in this one..." And yeah, I got the cheese shot to
prove it! As we said our good byes, he gave me a very intense look
and said, "Keep doing what you're doing with the guitars; you're doing
the right thing." Now I'd call that a direction worth heeding,
wouldn't you? What a wonderful, kind, and unbelievably talented
man; Tommy, it was truly a pleasure I'll never forget, thank you!
February 25th - We spent a wonderful week in Puerto Vallarta; the
local musicians are probably still wondering what was up with the bald
gringo who wanted to look at everyone's guitars... Check out my blog
for more thoughts on that. Also go there to find the link for our
daughter in law Miranda's video application to be the caretaker of an
island in the Great Barrier Reef - The short list on that comes out soon,
so GO and VOTE for our girl!!
February 11th - Well, as Kenny Hill noted, “Just when you think
you’ve seen it all…” kenny is a very well established, high end
American guitar maker. He was contacted by a potential client who
seemed knowledgeable and legitimate, and he ended up selling one of his
guitars to the guy COD/Cash/Certified payment upon receipt, which as Kenny
noted, isn’t that unusual in the guitar business. The guy had said
the axe was for his kid, and called back a couple days later wanting
another one; the last BRW model he had, in fact, and Kenny sold him that
too.
See it coming? The guy’s
Certified Cashier’s Checks were forgeries.
Not only that, he got two
with the same scam off Howard Klepper, another fairly legendary American
Luthier.
So this asshole has tens
of thousands of dollars of stolen guitars.
He gave his name as:
Jonathan Silk
1915 San Francisco Ave
Long Beach CA 90806.
Kenny found the real Jonathan Silk, a former UCLA Professor living in the
Netherlands who had nothing to do with this.
If you’re a builder,
collector, or player, be on the lookout.
Go here
for Kenny’s info, and here
for Howard’s.
I realize there are lots
worse things that happen in the world, but stealing guitars from folks who
have put so much heart and soul into a beautiful art for so long is like
stealing purses from invalids; it’s wrong on a whole bunch of counts.
Dude, whoever you are,
we’re looking for you, the word is out – We will find you, and then you’re
gonna learn a thing or two…
December 21st - Jeesh, has it been that long since I wrote
something? Ah well, better late than never. Well it's always
bittersweet when another guitar leaves the shop, but this last one was
fun! Lisa Alexander took possession of her Claro and Lutz '32 L-0
last night; fact is, she didn't have a clue why her husband James drove up
to a nondescript neighborhood in west Fort Worth and rang the bell, or why
the guy inside knew her name and music, and offered a celebratory glass of
champagne - But she does now! Both Lisa and James seemed really
pleased, and we spent some great time just chatting and looking through
wood in the shop - My kinda customers! Anyway, here is wishing all
y'all holidays and a New Year filled with peace and prosperity!
October
30th – More great news! I’ve become a Dealer for the whole line of Access
Cases & Bags and the Access Stage 3 case will now be the standard case
for Aerie Guitars, (And the truly swanky Stage 5 will be the designated
upgrade case)! If you’ve never checked out their
stuff, do! Several
factors weighed into this decision, those being quality, feature, company,
and price. Cases really ruin the gamut
from crap to platinum and everything in between. The biggest issue I’ve found over the
years is that reasonably priced cases just didn’t have the quality a
handmade guitar deserves, and on the other side of the equation, even for a
handmade guitar a lot of folks balked at $300+ for a case, no matter how
good it is! The Stage 3 case is what
I put my own guitars into. I am a
working musician, and anyone who knows me well also knows that I don't
travel without one: I’ve flown,
trucked, trained, and shipped my guitars all over the world and I’ve never
had a problem when they're in the Access case. My eldest case is something like 15 years
old, and it looks like a working musician’s case, but it’s as good as new when
it comes to keeping my go-to axe safe.
I am proud to offer that same quality to you. Access Stage 3’s have heavy duty
coverings, very high quality fittings, ample quality padding, and arched,
multi-ply shells that stand up to hard use and abuse; those are the
features I expect, so that’s what I’ll get for you. Access Products Group is based on
Bainbridge Island Washington, where my mom and sister live. It’s a great community and a great
company. Access stuff is only
available through independent music stores and builders; you won’t find an
Access product at MeguitarMart or any other big box retailer, only us
little guys. To me, that’s huge, and
with products as high quality as these, that’s a no brainer as far as who I
sell and endorse – I’m a huge believer in buying and supporting small local
businesses, and Access makes that possible for me. Finally comes price; the only thing
remarkable about Access products is how little they cost for how much you
get. The prices are commensurate
with products far more expensive than these cases are, believe me! Usually what you’d find for what I am
able to pass these on to you for would be nothing but inferior quality junk; instead, you get high
quality, full featured, very durable cases worthy of my guitars: Can you say win win? I now have the full range of Access
cases, gig bags and musician’s stuff bags available for you at very good
prices, so if you need anything, just ask!
October
27th – Thank God that we’re almost through with this election
craziness! I don’t care who y’all are for, you gotta be ready to be done with this
interminable monstrosity of a campaign!
Well, enough about that.
NEWS! Some new builds coming,
including my first ever resophonic, which I am really excited about. Also gonna be trying a new thing, called
FlexiAb, which is a new purfling and binding product that Kevin Ryan
developed and I am very excited about, so look for that in the near
future! Also have opened a Needless
Schwag Division of Aerie Guitars – You can now get T-Shirts, cups, and
other stuff you absolutely do not need – check it out at http://www.zazzle.com/aerieguitars
October
20th – Wow, wiped out
from a long day yesterday, but
great rehearsal for SceneShop show coming up Saturday; get to play with some
of my favorite folks, (And especially the magical Harris Kirby) and flash
some electric chops on a few tunes; always a good time, so if you’re in the
area of Arts 5th Avenue, 7:30 pm Saturday night! Some exciting news coming for you
tonewood fans as well. I am hooking
up with a great friend and will be bringing some fantastic wood to the
market very soon; we’re talkin’ African Blackwood, Ebony Mun, 3
species of Macassar Ebony, 4 sub species of Madagascar Rosewood, Yellow
Sandalwood, Pommele Bubinga, Waterfall Bubinga, Flamed soft maple, figured
Makore, Shedua (Ovangkol), flamed Cambodian Cherry, flamed Cambodian Teak,
Merbau, Madagascar Black Ebony, Pommele Sapeli, Ribbon Sapeli, Black
Walnut, Chinese Grapefruit, and some pretty amazing Carpathian Spruce
soundboards – Sound good? Wait ‘till you see it!
October
8th – October 8th?!??! Where does the time go, somebody tell
me! Great things happening at the
Luthier Community, check it out if you’ve not! Building's been steady though not as much
shop time as I’d like, but what else is new? Checked out a very cool 60’s Gibson
classic from a friend and I think this is going to make a very cool small
body shape, pretty much parlour turf, I’d say. Keep your eyes peeled for a prototype in
the next few months.
September
15th – Well, Ike
skated right by us up here, but not so down south – Please keep those folks
in your thoughts and prayers. Lots
of cool new stuff up at the Luthier Community, including great tutorials by
Hesh Breakstone on everything from A to Z – Check it out!
Sept. 3rd – Off shortly to see
the Rangers play the M’s for the last time this season… A very cool official logo for The Luthier
Community has been chosen, and will soon grace the site and cool Schwag
like T shirts and hats – Check it out!
http://www.luthiercom.org. And, just had a commission accepted for
my first electric in several years – This one is near and dear to my heart
– A faithful yet very sleek and updated Strat copy – Gonna be hot!
August 28th – Well, friends
and neighbors, it is done – let me welcome you to my brand new site, The
Luthier Community, http://www.luthiercom.org
– This site was created by me, Randy Baker, Bill Bertolino, Grant Goltz and
Dennis Leahy. It is already a
vibrant site, with 60+ active members and hundreds of posts in under 3 days
existence! It will be, hands down,
the most unique and comprehensive site dedicated to the building of
stringed instruments. Come and see,
come and see!!
August 20 – Biiig doin’s, big doin’s –
Look for yours truly to launch a new dynamic website dedicated to the
building community – It’s chugging forward as we speak – And yes, I am
still building!
August 1st - Well, big thanks to Mr. Paul
Carroll of www.jedistar.com!
Paul was kind enough to include me in his incredible website of guitar and
guitar maker links - I am honored and humbled, Sir! make sure you
check out his excellent site, and bookmark it; it's a wealth of info about
many, many guitars and builders, especially the harder-to-find stuff!
July 18th - Arggghhhh! All my
guitar making friends are up in northern Minnesota at the Annual Luthier
Gathering - I soooo want to be there! Sigh.... Ah well, guess
I'll drown my sorrows in guitar making - A guy could have worse options!
Hey, check out my newly revamped links
section - I finally got the brains to put all my builder friends on there,
and I've written some little vignettes about them and their work - Check it
and check ALL of them out - Remember: I may not be the right guy to
build your next custom axe, but I'll bet you dimes to dollars that someone
I know is - And rest assured, I will hook you up! It ain't about me
'capturing business;' it's about you getting the right guitar from the
right maker!
July 7th - Back from a wonderful vacation
and visit with ever'body up in Washington State - Muchas Thanksas to Terry,
Suze and Dog-Dog and our families - And Happy 85th Birthday to Ma!
Hand continues to heal slowly but surely
- Can only work for about a half hour, then gotta let it rest for a
commensurate amount of time - Hopefully, and expect, that this ratio will
shrink over time - I'm only two weeks post-op, so maybe I'm too pushy?
Nah!
June 18th - Well, another one leaves the
nest... Oh, a guitar, not a kid! Ryan Brankin took possession
of a custom SJ cutaway in glorious Maple and Spruce, with a Bird's Eye
Maple, Walnut, and Purpleheart neck and fretboard - She's raw at first, but
is gonna be a cannon when she settles in. Off to Washington State for
mom's 85th Birthday and a family reunion, so more when I get back - Lots of
new guitars coming very soon!
June 9th, 2008: Well good news and
other news... The good news is that I'm re-doing this website with
help from my wonderful good friend Elinor Normand, the finest Webmeister I
know and a truly patient teacher! So, I'm learning a little but of
HTML and trying rebuilding page by page, with an aim of making it
less... wordy, shall we say, and easier to navigate through.
Feel free to let me know what you think!
The other news is that by this time
tomorrow, I'll have had carpal tunnel release microsurgery done on my
ailing right wrist - So keep those prayers and good thoughts coming!
More soon!
May 24th, 2008 - Whoa my gosh, I've been
away from this site in an active sense for a while! Well, I'm back and will
be making concerted efforts to stay current; so long as it doesn't
interfere with guitar building, that is...
© Copyright Aerie Guitars, 2010 -
Fort
Worth, Texas
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