Artisan Master  # 137

Octopus' Garden

Body: Black Limba
Top: 5A Quilt Maple
Neck: Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood - talk about tight/quartersawn grain...oooof!
Fretboard: African Blackwood
Bridge: Thorn 1-pc. Tremolo w/ LR Baggs saddles
Pickups: Thorn Pasadenas w/ Silver Vine bobbins
Appointments: Assorted woods, such as African Blackwood, Birdseye Maple, Silver Vine, etc.
Color: Deep Blue w/ slight burst
Inlays: Tropical Fish inlay fretboard, Shell inlay headcap, Seahorse inlay heel, Hammerhead inlay back plate.

Wooweee.
Where do I start with this beauty?
I'm going to break tradition and start with the owner - Bill. 4 years is a long time. That's 10% of my life. During that time, I never heard a single word that was anything less than positive from Bill. Not a single complaint. Not a single gripe. Nothing negative. It was all positive. Even now that the guitar is done I'm betting Bill could wait another 4 years for it to arrive.... ok, that might be stretching things a bit, but the point is that I am extremely fortunate to have guys like Bill as my customer - as cool as they come with his head on straight and a chuckle in his voice. Thank you my friend!!!

I believe this is the first rosewood neck with Pasadenas in it. I was looking forward to hearing how they handle the added midrange from the neck. The result, lots of body and low-mid tight thump. This one sounds like a wall of tone ready knock you down. Very authoritive and solid with a bit of dirt. Turn up the overdrive and the harmonics scream. The rosewood neck feels like a car battery is hooked up to it, vibrating from the current....fun!

A little piezo for sweet cleans blend nicely with the neck and the Tele setting of position #4, I like that - almost a beefy rock-a-billy tone.

On to the "look".
Yeah, there's a lot going on. Pops absolutely out-did himself on this inlay. Stellar craftsmanship, material selection, and overall composition - this is one of my personal all time favorite pieces. I still stare at it for long lengths of time admiring the end result. A very special fretboard to me.

The quilt sure holds it's own, I absolutely love the manta-ray below the bridge! Appropriate, eh? The neck...what a chunk of BRW. Tight, quartered, beautifully colored....wow!!! The whole package is very attractive with details to be inspected at every glance.

It was a long time in the making, but I feel it was worth it. I hope you do too Bill...enjoy!!!

Thank you for everything,
Ron, Pops and Tony!