Lean, Mean, Texas Machine
Hey Shawn,
You asked in your column “It’s a Mod,
Mod, Mod, Mod World” [Tuning Up, March 2013] to share some of our
guitar makeover stories and I wanted to
send you my first.
Attached is a before and after picture
of what I used to call my “Lean,
Mean, Texas Machine.” It started out
as a Mexi ’60s reissue from the mid
’90s that I got secondhand at AMR
Music in Georgia. I’d been wanting a
Telecaster for a long time but I wanted
it done my way. When I started I
was really inspired by some of Billy
Gibbons’ Big Tex guitars that he was
playing at the time, but as the build
went on it became its own kind of
beast. I worked on it slowly, trading and swapping piece after
piece while I was in the last quarter of my undergraduate
degree, working late nights and weekends when I had the time.
First, I took off the neck and re-shaped it by hand and finished
it in satin. I swapped the bridge for a modern six-saddle
(no idea what brand). I bought the bridge secondhand off of a
TDPRI forum member for $12, and replaced the volume pot
with a potentiometer I got cheap from RadioShack. The pickguard
was designed by me, and after several failed attempts at
making one by hand I had a friend cut it on a laser cutter in
one of the school buildings after hours (had to get professor
permission). The pickguard is actually clear acrylic that was
spray-painted on the backside to make it awesome.
I replaced the vintage tuners with modern tuners that I took
off of my Parker P-38, and the bridge pickup was replaced
with a stacked humbucker made by Pete Biltoft at Vintage
Vibe Guitars. The bridge still sounds like a Tele, but when
you crank it, it has some bite. The pinstriping was designed
by my good friend Matthew Perusi but was eventually painted
by Kipp Jarden for me in exchange for rent—my hands were
not steady enough. Last but not least, I searched for a few
weeks to find the perfect lady to adorn the Telecaster, when
finally we found the decal that is on the back … affectionately
named Suzie-EQ.
The Telecaster is still my favorite axe, and even with all of its
quirks, I will never give it up. I am just happy to share the short
version of my Telecaster story with you since you were so gracious
to share your adventure with us [“Squier Tele Makeover: Surf-Twang Tweak-a-Rama,” March 2013]. I really dug the
article man and I hope you enjoy my tale!
Thank you for reading,
—Clayton de Wet, via e-mail
Leggo My Lessons
Hey Guys,
Been a subscriber for the last couple
of years and just dug into the
March 2013 issue when it dawned
on me that this was the third issue
with no “Lessons” section. That’s
one of the sections I really enjoyed
(and learning how to mod the hell
out of my Esquire lately)! So now
I gotta go online to get all that
stuff? Why subscribe then? What
separates you guys from the other
lame-ass publications out there?
If I wanted asinine pandering to
guitarists and musicians in general
in my guitar magazine, I’d still be
reading Guitar Player and Guitar
World! I’ve noticed a shift over the
last year or so—you’re beginning
that slide toward the two mags
above. Don’t do it.
Thanks,
—Robb Byrd, via e-mail
PG editor in chief Shawn Hammond
responds: Thanks for your letter,
Robb. It seems a little harsh, but
I get it—you’re bummed and you’re
hoping an impassioned plea will
make a difference. I’ve done it myself
plenty of times, so I respect that.
We moved our lessons online
for two reasons: First, between our
weekly web-exclusive articles and our
monthly print articles, we have so
much cool stuff to serve up that sometimes
we run out of space. Second,
because our lessons feature video and/
or audio files that need to be taken
in at the same time as the text and
notation in order for the concept to
be properly communicated, it seemed
logical to put them in a single place
where they can be used side-by-side
without having to switch between the
magazine and your computer.
I do hear your frustrations,
though. I just hope you step back and
reconsider the breadth of stuff we do:
Our incredibly diverse monthly columns
give voice to some of the most
respected and experienced luthiers,
designers, tweakers, and gigging professionals in the business. Our artist
features cover a huge variety of styles
and players who aren’t flavors of the
month or completely overexposed
already. Our Rig Rundowns bring
you behind-the-scenes gear info that
is pretty much unavailable anywhere
else. And our gear reviews are the
most diverse, the most timely, and
the most honest in the business.
Anyway, thanks for writing,
Robb. I hope you stick around to see
what’s coming next from PG—we
have a lot surprises in store that I
think you’ll enjoy.
Bring on the Bass
Dear Premier Guitar,
As a guitar player looking to buy
his first bass, I very much appreciated
the mid-priced bass roundup
in your January 2013 issue. I
would love to see another similar
roundup in the future ... It would
also be interesting to write an
article on what individuals who are
used to buying guitars should look
out for when buying a bass instead.
—Mike Kolber, via e-mail
PG associate editor Rich Osweiler
responds: Hi Mike. Thanks for the
email. We’re psyched to hear that you
liked the roundup—hopefully it will
be helpful in deciding on your new
bass. And there is plenty more bass
coverage planned for 2013!
Correction
In the March 2013 article “Bonded by Rhythm,” we incorrectly
stated in the caption on p. 86 that
Habib Koité was playing a custom
Fylde acoustic guitar. The model
pictured is a Taylor T5. The model
was also mistakenly omitted from
Koité’s gear list on the same page.
We regret the error.
Keep those
comments coming!
Please send your suggestions,
gripes, comments, and
good words directly to
info@premierguitar.com.