Remaking History
When you think of a guitar’s history you immediately think of who has owned it. A guitar has its own history, when and where was it made, who made it, what wood is it made of and what modifications has it gone through.
The guitar body illustrated here is an example of the history of materials? The wood used in this one is a collection of salvaged wood, parts are from a fence post, an offcut from a new roof, a piece of a shed and the most interesting bit is the carved centre section which comes from a handbuilt guitar. This original guitar section is in fact a salvaged part of a guitar that had been attacked by woodworm…
The body blank has been treated with woodworm solution and cut out into a retro 1960s / 70s shape which based on a Teisco / Kay guitar body, shapewise it is a little out of the ordinary and has old-world charm.
The bridge humbucker is from a 1980s guitar and manufactured by Sam Sung, these are great little pickups. The neck single pole pickup is a generic ceramic one from the early 2000s. The rough layout of the body shows a standard Telecaster control panel.
The finished guitar will look similar to the one below, fitted with a retro chrome clam shell tailpiece and bridge. This guitar’s history has now been added to and will continue to give service for several years to come, it has also been saved, preventing useful materials from ending up in landfills or incinerators.
Salvaged guitars are an eco-friendly option for musicians who want to play music while reducing their environmental impact. They are also unique, affordable, and often have a distinctive sound and character.
Rat Bait Guitars Made in Devon.
The guitars we sell are made using a combination of new and reclaimed parts. Our guitars are never
perfect, but they are great value – each guitar is a custom-built instrument. The guitar salvaged parts we sell are all tested to make sure they are fit for purpose.
We have a selection of new and used guitar bodies in stock, prices starting from £25.00 upwards. We
have Telecaster and Stratocaster type bodies, some already painted and some in raw wood.
Occasionally we have 1960s / 1970s Japanese bodies in store, for example: a 1960s Teisco ET-200 Tulip Guitar Body.
The bodies we make are made from recycled wood gathered from various sources – old furniture, fence
posts, salvaged timber from roof constructions, flooring etc. All constructed and shaped in our rat-infested shed in North Devon.
Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. The timber we
use is upcycled, repurposed and recycled. Each guitar we make is custom built, each one is unique and one of a kind.
We use parts from the 1970s right up to the 2020s, mixed together to give
the experience of ‘heritage’, our aim is to produce guitars that are very playable and sound better than the average homogenised guitars that are out there.
They won’t be shiny and shimmering – they will look rugged, with a few battle scars but they will compliment any serious guitar collection.
