More Boat Paddle Guitars...

Good things and bad things. First the good. The boat paddle guitars are sellers. I have sold at least 4 this month. The bad things, it's hot in the work shop and only a little bit less so in the airier garage area where I have set up for now. 

Here's three and there are a couple of more on sale at Sound Techs and The Museum of East Texas. Coraline assisted with the building of two guitars this week and I had a nice photo of her holding them but I can't seem to find it.    

The one on the right is on it's way to Nashville and hopefully we will have more on that later. The one in the middle, the long diving minnow  job had an unexpected feature. While playing and tuning up that guitar I was palm muting (if you don't know what that is go read some other blog) I discovered that you could get whammy bar type sounds. The other two guitars, made with good old Cordell Hotspots, a rattling bait, and a much loved, fished and depended on lure of my youth can be shaken for percussion sounds. 

Tip for the wise, electric sounds are awesome with a contact type pick up like you might stick on a uke or fiddle. I'm not selling those but I saw a $500 triangle beater for sale on facebook so the pickups I personally own can be had.  

Tried some various nut materials but the best thing I have found so far is a lead sinker from the good old local Army Navy Store. I know, I know, this guitar will cause cancer if played in California and with hooks and lead might hurt a kids. You probably would not let your kid play your Gibson guitar so even thought this is a low fi machine don't let him play this one either.  

Sometimes the strings get close at the nut but by the time they travel to the lure bridge they stay spaced well and I don't see a problem with that myself. It's ok, does not cost as much as a Gibson.