Inspiration for Junkyard No. 9 was a less than spectacular Cigar Box, my daughter Simonne, Elvis Presley, and about 15.000 Stamps waiting for a collector! I've used perhaps 30 stamps on this guitar, well darn only 4,999 guitars to go!Here are the stats for you Guitar Junkies out there: 3-string tuned Ebe, cheap used tuners, hack-saw blade nut, 18 (polished) finishing nail frets, bolt (and glued) on neck, 3.800 ohm hand wound pickup (no Alnico) P-90 style, Lincoln Head volume knob, and a new (different) bridge/ tail piece construction. All lacquered and waxed with a lot of tender loving care......
Now here's a cute little story: about 5 years ago I had a Guitar Player issue about Slide playing. The right techniques, equipment, and the different Slides that have been used - glass, steel bars, ceramic, copper, etc. Also Bone! Everybody knows about Ham-bones, right? Do you know anyone who has a bone slide? I know why! No one makes them to sell, so you have to make your own. Don't do it! I did and I won't (maybe for money) do it again! Why?
1. Go to your butcher and ask for bones, hold up your slide so he'll know what your looking for. A hand full is free and you wave goodbye, hurrying home with a bag full of Ham bones.
2. If no one is home, you're lucky - put them in a pot of water to boil. Hours later, when your wife comes home the very minute she walks in you're finished! It's one of those, "who killed the cat," or "where did the dog crap this time" things, and you know right then, throw does bones away, but (mistake no. 2) you don't!
3. You leave them someplace far away to dry and wait for your wife to go shopping again. Now the bones are dry, scrape, file, drill the rest of the marrow out of the bone (you can use every tool you have now because they'll all wind up messy and kinda gooey) and since maybe only 1 out of every 1.000.000 bones is as round and smooth as that cheap glass, copper, brass, or steel slide in your pocket you start to form that bone slide to your liking! File, sand, sand, file, polish until it's just right! Looks good, works fine, didn't cost a dime (is that DIY rhyme?)
Now here's some advice from american George: it wasn't the work or the time it's the smell (of burnt or rotten flesh and bone) that just isn't worth the effort. I've done it once, in fact I have 4 bone slides now to prove it, but never, ever again! And my wife says, "Amen!"
I hope you've enjoyed reading and seeing my CBGs and I hope to be hearing from you soon as well,
best regards,
american George
If you like what you see, you can buy to own - make an offer!
