Conner Guitart

By way of some good friends and fellow musicians, my “Rainbow Rain” Guitart is now available at Fanny’s House of Music in Nashville, TN. If you’re ever in the area, you should visit this wonderful music shop: https://www.fannyshouseofmusic.com/
Photos by Brian West and Andrea Guess.

My Mondrian Guitar body turned out well. So now I'm bringing the hardware together for this build. It will all be gold and brass. I built a custom neck pickup plate for this and custom brass control and output jack plates. The bridge is a Wilkinson sideless, string-through Tele bridge. Still trying to figure out the best pickups for this effort.

What a great year in guitar building! I’ve learned so much, and had so much fun - thanks to all my friends and the great people in the online luthier/builder groups and forums so willing to share their thoughts and expertise. Hopefully, I was able to fairly reciprocate with some helpful suggestions and information as well.

In an effort to stay busy, I overlap 3-4 projects simultaneously. This way, I’m never without something to do. That said, here are a few drawings of my upcoming projects for 2024. My drawings are 95% doodles. But if even less than 5% of the effort ends up in a cool build, then it’s more than worth it.

• Jekyll & Hyde Double Neck Build:
Pretty self explanatory. Ambitious to be sure. Two disparate personalities contained within one build (Loosely based on a Gibson EDS-1275). Just trying to add a bit more function and story to a double-neck guitar. This build represents an immense amount of fun/work and some challenges I haven’t faced before.

• Amy’s Wish With Wings Build:
Building this piece for a charitable cause. It’s all about helping children facing various challenges by employing equine-assisted services (horses) to help them. My thought is to include wood carving, wood burning and some accent gilding. Hopefully, through auction, it garners a great contribution to the overall efforts for this worthy cause.

• The Mondrian Guitar Build:
Based on a Piet Mondrian painting “Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow” 1930. A Tele-style configuration, the body will be totally custom made with a unique headstock that will reflect Mondrian’s abstract geometric style as well. I know it looks a little “8-bit”, “Minecrafty” right now. But it won’t when it’s all completed.

• The Guitart Nouveau Build:
To me, most guitar bodies are already an expression of the liquid curves and organic lines of many forms of Art Nouveau. But it’s a wonderful direction and I love it. It’s as organic, natural, and fluid as music itself. So I’ll just see where it goes.

Here’s to great New Year building guitars. And thanks again to all for your helpful insights and information. I hope y’all have a fantastic NEW YEAR!

Had a fantastic pre-Christmas party tonight. Guitar, banjo, lap steel, harmonica, percussions, original songs, and some absolutely stellar voices. Great food, good friends, and we met some very cool people. All of them. As far as the music, I would have paid to hear this this stuff. And Andi Donaho Conner and I got in for free. :) Thanks to Mark Clark and Karen Clark for having us. What a fun experience. We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season.

When you’re not building guitars, why not design a cool guitar hat? It comes in handy when you’re partyin’ & pickin’ under the hot Texas (or any) sun. This project is all fun and comprised of a collection of miniature guitars, guitar picks, and enamel pins from places and events I’ve been to over the years - and it ain’t finished yet.

Making some solid headway on the body of my "Mondrian Caster" guitar. I never buy parts for a new concept until the body begins to turn out well. This one is lookin' good. FYI: The art on this is all masking tape and rattle-can paint, automotive pinstriping tape and 6-8 layers of CrystaLac Brite Tone poly. I want to make sure that the top of this guitar is the smoothest, glossiest thing possible.
On a fun note: In one section of this year's Thanksgiving Day Parade, all the performers were wearing "Mondrian" style outfits. Just thought it was interesting. So, perhaps, this direction isn't too obscure or passé. :) Either way, I love where it's headed.

With help from some wonderful people, I recently installed 7 pieces of my “Guitart" at the Flower Mound Texas Senior Center. This work will be showing from now thru Dec. 31st. I will also be speaking there about this work on Nov. 7th at 6:00 PM.

I installed some new guitar work at Guitars & Growlers Flower Mound. Please check 'em out - craft beer, great food, and live music. The new G&G pieces include: The ’56 Indiana Tele, The Fishing Guitar, The LIFE Guitar, and a painting, “…But I Like It.” The pieces I took down will be combined with my other work in a show at the Flower Mound Senior Center from Oct. 23rd thru Jan. 1.

Few of my designs have pre-existing specs to follow. And after many mistakes, I realized I needed a tool to keep me true in my measurements, alignment, and squareness when transferring a drawing (digital or not) to a guitar body blank or a pre-shaped and routed body. So I built this 24 X 24” drawing table. The elevated T-square guide on the left is adjustable to accommodate the height/thickness of a guitar body or blank. Yes, it’s an old-school tool but still pretty cool, functional, easy to build, and affordable. Plus, I’m finding new uses for it every build. Of course there are other solutions.

QUESTION: How do YOU builders “accurately” translate your full-scale computer designs, or hand drawings, to a physical piece of wood before milling, shaping, carving, routing, etc.?

I love the guitar as an instrument. So, in this post, I'm just sharing the lyrics of a song I wrote a few years ago about the guitar. It's very simple. But I like it. And it remains relevant to me..........................................................................................................

"She’s The Guitar"

You ask why I play when my fingers are bleeding -
Bent on exceeding the limits of man.
All I can say is that she gives when I’m needing.
She’s not about cheating. I know where I stand.

Rosewood, mahogany and Mother of Pearl,
Six keys on her head have unlocked my world.
Silver and nickel, copper and steel.
Transform my thoughts into all you may feel.

When I’m with friends she’s an indifferent party -
Her songs light and hearty. I haven’t a care.
But when I’m alone at the end of commotion,
She spills real emotion into the air.

Rosewood and ivory and Mother of Pearl.
Six keys on her head surely unlock the world.
Silver and nickel, copper and steel.
Transform my thoughts into all you may feel.

She sat on my lap on the dawn of creation,
Promoting elation – the music she wrote.
And she’ll sit on my lap on the eve of destruction
Awaiting instruction to play the last note.

Rosewood and Maple and Mother of Pearl.
Six keys on her head have unlocked my world.
Silver and nickel, copper and steel.
Transform my thoughts into all you may feel.

I ask for no credit. I am no star.
She’s the composer. She’s the guitar.

So I’ll continue to play
when my fingers are bleeding…

Finally completed my “TriBanez” piece – guitar & canvas. The background consists of images of gold, silver and copper nuggets. The body is finished with gold, silver, and copper leaf with 8 layers of clear coat and buffed to a high gloss. I also added all new electronics, redressed the frets and installed new hardware. It turned out to be a very sweet-playing guitar. What fun! As always, I strive to create and combine unique, functional guitars with art so you can play it or display it. If it’s on your wall, at the very least, it’ll remind you to pick it up and create something new - everyday.

Just finished bringing this little 70s Bradley Mini-Stratocaster back to life.

HERE”S WHAT I DID TO IT:

- BODY: Stripped the finish down to the wood, reshaped, sanded, applied 8 layers of clear coat, level sanded, buffed, and shielded control cavity with copper tape.
- NECK: Straightened, set relief, refinished headstock, leveled, dressed and polished frets.
- PICK GUARD: Applied gold and silver leaf, clear coated and buffed. Applied copper shielding on the underside over control cavity.
- ELECTRONICS: Complete rewire, cleaned and reinstalled original single-coil pickups and pots, and added a Puretone output jack. NOTE: I was going to replace the pickups but the original pickups sounded so good, I left them in.
- HARDWARE: All new screws, custom neck plate, tuning machines, rolling string tree, k***s, strap buttons, and refinished string-through ferrules.
- SETUP: New strings, adjusted nut-slot heights, set string action, adjusted pickup height, and set intonation.

All that said, I feel this little guitar was built during a period before manufacturers (knocking off Fender) learned to dumb things down too much. Because this was built very well! The neck is absolutely killer! And the guitar functions extremely well. I think it will be a great gift for one of my musically-inspired grandchildren – if I ever have any.

It’s too damn hot to build guitars outside. So I stayed inside and painted one. The finished piece is 24 X 48” on canvas. I put my cat, “Ginzo”, in the photo for scale – ‘cause that’s really the only work I can get out of her. BTW: Ginzo gets paid scale. Stay cool my friends.

Well, my '71 Texas Farm Truck Strat found a new home this past weekend at the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival. I can only hope that she provides just a small portion of the enjoyment I experienced in creating her.

My PicassoCaster guitar found a new home today. And while I love to see it sell, part of me hates to see it go. Oh well, shake it off cry-baby and get on with the next build. :)

Had a fantastic day Friday at the Dallas International Guitar Festival. I was honored to display 2 of my guitars at a booth with the Guys Building Guitars Club (GBGC). What an amazing group and forum for shared knowledge on the topic.
If you’re into building guitars at all, you should check it out at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GuysBuildingGuitarsClub
Here are some pics of the GBGC booth and the festival.
Guitar overload? I don’t believe this is even possible.

Just finished my ’71 Texas Farm Truck Strat II. I built this for the Art Guitar Auction that will take place at the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival in Richardson, TX - May 19-21. This, and many other guitars, will be displayed over the festival weekend and sold in a silent auction open to all attendees. All proceeds from the auction go to charity. So, don’t miss the festival or the Art Guitar Auction. It’ll be a LOT of fun and all for some very worthwhile causes.

Currently working on a variation of my ’71 Texas Farm Truck Strat to be auctioned for charity at the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival in Richardson, TX - May 19-21. This guitar is all about art and music combined with a nostalgic and rustic spirit of Texas. I can only hope that it attracts an amazingly-high bid 😉 that will help some very worthy causes. I’ll post the finished guitar upon completion.

Had an extremely fun get-together Sunday afternoon at Guitars & Growlers FM (G&G) with members of Guys Building Guitars Club (GBGC) and other good friends. I shared some work and got to meet some amazing people sharing their work as well. That’s what it’s all about and how we collectively get better at we’re trying to do. Just sayin’ thanks to all who were there and those who helped me carry all my stuff to my truck. Without you, I’d probably still be there sampling beers. :) Ahhh!, anyway, y’all get it. A lot of fun!

P.S. Thanks to Rob Baker and Sharif of G&G for offering the perfectly relevant space and to Wayne Rampey of GBGC for helping to make it all happen.

GUYS BUILDING GUITARS CLUB:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GuysBuildingGuitarsClub

GUITARS & GROWLERS/Flower Mound, TX
https://www.guitarsandgrowlers.com/flower-mound/

CONNER GUITART:
https://www.connerguitart.com/

I’ll be presenting some of my guitar/art work at Guitars & Growlers (G&G) this Sunday. I’ll have 6 pieces of work there and will be sharing images and talking about how and why I build them. I was referred by Rob Baker of G&G and invited to present by Wayne Rampey of Guys Building Guitars Club. What a sincere honor!

That said, this is absolutely OPEN TO ANYONE interested in guitars and/or art.
The more the merrier. I have attached images of the pieces I will have there. AND, if I’m a boring presenter, they have an amazing choice of beers and wonderful food. So you really can’t go wrong.

LOCATION: Guitars & Growlers, 400 Flower Mound, suite 160 – 469-464-4869
TIME: Sunday, March 19th, 4:00 PM – Who knows? ( There’s amazing food, beer, and music there.)

Hope to see you. Should be fun.

Kurt

GUYS BUILDING GUITARS CLUB:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GuysBuildingGuitarsClub

GUITARS & GROWLERS/Flower Mound, TX
https://www.guitarsandgrowlers.com/flower-mound/

CONNER GUITART:
https://www.connerguitart.com/

I’m starting a new build: “The Mondrian Caster”.
PREMISE: What if artist, Piet Mondrian, had designed an electric guitar in 1930 with his abstract/geometric spin on it? What might it look like?

STAGE #1: The Drawings.
All my builds begin this way - from bar napkins to CAD.
The more up-front planning, the greater potential of success.
Here are some initial thoughts. I’ll keep you posted as to its subsequent stages.

BTW: I’m looking for vertical rolling string trees/guides (See drawing). Not much luck yet. I would greatly appreciate any sources or thoughts you may have.

To Guys Building Guitars Club members, and any local person who's interested, I will be sharing my work at Guitars & Growlers/Flower Mound, March 19th , 4 PM. Guitars & Beer? Can it get any better? Well maybe, if we add garlic, cheese & bacon. But I'll bet G&G has some of these things handy in their kitchen. Just sayin'.

Here’s Stage #9 of my “PicassoCaster” build: The Wall-Mount Painting:

PREMISE: What if Pablo Picasso had applied his cubist spin to a Tele? Like your music, this may be pushing some boundaries. But I felt it was worthwhile to try.

The background painting and wall-mount structure for my PicassoCaster Guitar is well underway. It’s a bit more challenging than I originally thought because of the reflective nature of metallic paint. You never know what directional light source to use while painting it because the values shift so greatly. But, these are very fun problems to solve. Can’t wait to finish it.

You can find all the previous stages of this build at: www.facebook.com/connerguitart/

There’s absolutely nothing better than having a friend stop by your garage for no other reasons than to say hello, have a beer, and play a little guitar.
Thanks Cecil Drewry. You made my day.

’22 was a fantastic year! We got to show work at new venues, place work in an art gallery, got work published and participated in an artist’s studio tour. We introduced the Pollockaster, and the PicassoCaster guitars. We sold a few guitars, created new ones for some friends and found new homes for rescue guitars. And, best of all through the year, I got to meet, form new friendships, talk to and share ideas with amazing new people from, literally, all over the world. Hard to top? Maybe. But I think this year will be even better.
Here’s wishing y’all the best new year ever and that your 2023 ROCKS! - Kurt Conner

I just installed some of my guitar art at the PERFECT venue: Guitars & Growlers Flower Mound Texas. Of course I had a lot of help from owner, musician, luthier, Rob Baker.

G&G has Guitars, Craft Beer, Live Music, Great Food, and hundreds of people who love the same things WHAT? I’m no Norm Peterson, but if they offered me a cot in their storage room, I’d change my address in a heartbeat. If you are in the area, please check the place out.

Here’s Stage #8 of my “PicassoCaster” build: The Finished Guitar. PREMISE: What If Pablo Picasso had designed an electric guitar during his early cubism period? (Please see previous posts on this page).

It’s been a rewarding project and all the upfront planning (research, drawings, etc.) really paid off. I base the degree of success of my builds on how close I get to the initial concept and how well the instrument functions. I’m happy with this one on both counts.

FUN NOTE: I didn’t plan this, but I found that the entire surface of the gold leafed body is conductive and grounded by the pickup, bridge, and control plates - enhanced Faraday shield effect? I don’t know. But for Fender ’64 vintage single-coil pickups, this guitar has very little hum.

Sincere thanks to y’all who’ve followed the PicassoCaster build from the beginning AND for all the helpful comments and suggestions/ideas along the way. Now on to the wall-mount painting for this project.

I am honored to display some of my “Guitart” at the Lewisville Texas Grand Theater gallery this month. One of my driving initiatives for Conner Guitart is to blend Guitars & Art in unique, personal and interesting ways. To me, it's difficult to call something art unless others see it and appreciate it. So this is another exciting step forward.