Chucker Guitars

Spent a little time in the shop this weekend. Slowly piecing together this new build made entirely out of scrap wood leftover from previous builds. If I have made you a guitar in the past five years, a piece of it is probably going to be in this guitar!

Placing the first pieces. As with most of my work, I rarely never know where I am truly going with it until after I start. Today that theory held true. With these three pieces in place, I now have a direction… but always subject to change.

The frame of the puzzle is nearly complete… Then it’s on to the journey of finding all the right pieces to fill it.

A new puzzle begins.

We have a shape! This started as five pieces of scrap from other builds. It won’t stay looking like this… I have plans! 😎

What kind of guitar can I make from all this? With no customer builds on the horizon right now, it’s time to dive back into the magical scraps box and make something.

Chucker #22 - “Amberlight” 22.75” scale · Body: Okoume · Top & Back: Engelmann Spruce with a Mosaic of Wenge, Canary, Cherry, Padauk & Mahogony · Covers: Wenge · Neck: Curly Maple with Granadillo fingerboard and bone nut · Grover Mini Locking Rotomatic Tuners · Osmo oil and wax finish · Pickup: Hand-wound Quilted Maple top with Wenge base Split HumChucker · Single volume control and Tune-O-Matic floating bridge.

Boo. 😕 Sometimes stuff happens. Plate that goes under the bridge… New part already in progress. 👍🏻

The assembly and setup of #22 has begun.

Frets dressed and pressed.

Cutting and shaping fretwire.

Assembly has begun on the body.

First coat of oil on the body… Finally!

Some final cover work on the back before I finally begin the finishing process.

Test fitting some parts today. Totally in love with this pickup… A true evolution over the past eight years.

First coat of oil on the neck

Neck carving and sanding complete. Tried a new technique on this one… Happy with the results! The V shape kind of reminds me of the old Chevrolet Bel Aire logo.

New HumChucker pickup is done! Flamed maple tops, Wenge base and cover. Two coils wound separately, then connected.

I spend so many of my days creating in digital, that it takes a full day in the shop to appreciate the joy and beauty of working with my hands. Being connected with the art, through all of the senses. And, I’m always on the hunt for more stickers.

Working on a new HumChucker pickup. Flame maple top, Wenge bottom and will be mounted to Canary wood base. Slowly depleting my scrapwood pile!

Finally working on the backside… Roughing the pieces out and making them fit. Mahogany, Walnut and Wenge.

The back has been glued in creating the secret world inside… Here’s looking down the soundhole!

More interior design work. Today I sanded all the shapes that I glued in this week and then applied oil.

Interior design. A little secret world on the inside of the guitar when you look through the sound hole. Also serves as bracing for the backplate. Just rough cuts today… more to come.

Working on some covers made of Wenge wood.

New headstock design idea.

I’ve been making this guitar for myself for quite a while now, in-between builds for customers. Just taking my time, exploring new design ideas and experimenting. It’s truly been evolving over the past year. I’m excited to see where it goes next.

Finally, nice weather to be out in the shop. Cut the sound hole, made the other X brace and cut the control cavity.

Working on bracing for the top on this strange semi-acoustic experiment. It occurred to me recently that I need to close the guitar up in order to finish the backside. So, first X brace under the bridge is in.

Plan A went really wrong. So I skipped to Plan C, then combined that with Plan B. When things don’t go as planned, it’s always an opportunity to find something even cooler. I’m pretty happy with this and a little obsessed with inlay now… Look out!