Michael Kelly Guitars announces four new electric guitar models for 2022.
Hybrid 55T (MAP $999.99)
The Hybrid 55T is a unique instrument that does it all with the flip of a switch. On the electric side are two custom voiced Rockfield SWC humbucker pickups with coil splitting for a wealth of classic and modern sounds. Additionally, a Fishman Powerbridge pickup system captures rich acoustic tones and is paired with its own volume control. Using the three-way pickup selector switch, players can quickly switch from electric to acoustic tones or a blend of both. The electric and acoustic signals are combined when using a standard guitar cable, or separated via a Y-cable to deliver isolated signals to electric or acoustic amplifiers for maximum sonic impact. The Hybrid 55T makes a bold statement. It features a mahogany body with a black satin finish, black binding, black pick guard, and an ebony fretboard for a distinctive look. The Hybrid 55T is fitted with a rock maple neck with modern “C” shape delivering balance, comfort, and sustain.
Hyrbrid 60 Port (MAP $499.99)
The Hybrid 60 Port is a truly versatile guitar that sounds as good as it looks. Delivering big electric sounds and authentic acoustic tones or a combination of the two, this guitar is perfect for any musical style. The semi-hollow mahogany body and spalted maple top make a striking visual impact. The Hybrid 60 Port feels natural and easy-to-play thanks to the double- cutaway design and modern “C” shaped roasted flame maple neck. Two single-coil pickups allow for dynamic leads or tight rhythm playing, while an under-saddle piezo pickup produces a clear acoustic tone. A 5- position switch allows players to select electric or acoustic sounds or a blend of both the acoustic pickup and bridge pickup, accommodating a variety of playing styles with traditional and innovative tones. Models are available in transparent blue and transparent red finishes.
59 Port Thinline (MAP $379.99)
The 1959 Port Thinline combines modern styling with classic lines. These eye-catching instruments boast highly-figured spalted maple tops, striking finishes and cream binding around the body and sound holes. The semi-hollow mahogany body provides a warm, round tone while still offering the rich sustain of a solid body guitar. The signature offset sound hole and side port enhances the resonance and acoustic properties of the instrument. From chunky rhythm chords to blistering leads, the 59 Port Thinline can dial up a wealth of sought-after sounds. Two Rockfield P90 pickups offer warm tones with a bite that screams when pushed into overdrive. Both the fingerboard and neck are constructed of roasted flame maple. The neck’s modern “C” profile allows for both comfortable chording and lightning-fast licks. Models are available in transparent blue and transparent red finishes.
1962 (MAP $449.99) and 1962 Flame (MAP $449.99)
To connect with Michael Kelly Guitars, visit www.michaelkellyguitars.com, Facebook, Twi6er, Instagram or Pinterest.
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Tom Bedell in the Relic Music acoustic room, holding a custom Seed to Song Parlor with a stunning ocean sinker redwood top and milagro Brazilian rosewood back and sides.
A born storyteller, Bedell doesn’t keep his passion to himself. On Friday, May 12, at New Jersey boutique guitar outpost Relic Music, Bedell shared some of the stories he’s collected during his life and travels as part of a three-city clinic trip. At Relic—and stops at Crossroads Guitar and Art in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, and Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center in Wheaton, Maryland—he discussed his guitars and what makes them so special, why sustainability is such an important cause, and how he’s putting it into practice.
Before his talk, we sat in Relic’s cozy, plush acoustic room, surrounded by a host of high-end instruments. We took a look at a few of the store’s house-spec’d Bedell parlors while we chatted.
“The story of this guitar is the story of the world,” Bedell explained to me, holding a Seed to Song Parlor. He painted a picture of a milagro tree growing on a hillside in northeastern Brazil some 500 years ago, deprived of water and growing in stressful conditions during its early life. That tree was eventually harvested, and in the 1950s, it was shipped to Spain by a company that specialized in church ornaments. They recognized this unique specimen and set it aside until it was imported to the U.S. and reached Oregon. Now, it makes the back and sides of this unique guitar.
A Bedell Fireside Parlor with a buckskin redwood top and cocobolo back and sides.
As for the ocean sinker redwood top, “I’m gonna make up the story,” Bedell said, as he approximated the life cycle of the tree, which floated in the ocean, soaking up minerals for years and years, and washed ashore on northern Oregon’s Manzanita Beach. The two woods were paired and built into a small run of exquisitely outfitted guitars using the Bedell/Breedlove Sound Optimization process—in which the building team fine-tunes each instrument’s voice by hand-shaping individual braces to target resonant frequencies using acoustic analysis—and Bedell and his team fell in love.
Playing it while we spoke, I was smitten by this guitar’s warm, responsive tone and even articulation and attack across the fretboard; it strikes a perfect tonal balance between a tight low-end and bright top, with a wide dynamic range that made it sympathetic to anything I offered. And as I swapped guitars, whether picking up a Fireside Parlor with a buckskin redwood top and cocobolo back and sides or one with an Adirondack spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides, the character and the elements of each instrument changed, but that perfect balance remained. Each of these acoustics—and of any Bedell I’ve had the pleasure to play—delivers their own experiential thumbprint.
Rosette and inlay detail on an Adirondack spruce top.
Ultimately, that’s what brought Bedell out to the East Coast on this short tour. “We have a totally different philosophy about how we approach guitar-building,” Bedell effused. “There are a lot of individuals who build maybe 12 guitars a year, who do some of the things that we do, but there’s nobody on a production level.” And he wants to spread that gospel.
“We want to reach people who really want something special,” he continued, pointing out that for the Bedell line, the company specifically wants to work with shops like Relic and the other stores he’s visited, “who have a clientele that says I want the best guitar I can possibly have, and they carry enough variety that we can give them that.”
A Fireside Parlor with a Western red cedar top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides.
