This is what happens when I stay in one place for several months

I try not to clutter my life. And I try not to clutter the Rolling Steel Tent with unnecessary things. I’m not 100% successful. The problem is I’ve always liked to make things.

Lou is also a maker of things, but on a much grander, more complex scale. Boats, airplanes, travel trailers, houses… That’s why he has a workshop.

Lou plays guitar rather well. He used to make them and even had a guitar shop for a while. I play guitar rather poorly, and a couple of decades ago I tried my hand at making them.

So, after months of hanging at Lou’s place, my desire to build something finally overwhelmed my desire for an uncluttered life. I’ve taken on a project.

I bought a used beginner’s electric guitar at a pawn shop for $75. I’m going to reshape it and probably upgrade a few things. I see it primarily as a design and woodworking experiment. I’ll be doing some luthier stuff, like fixing the nut and fretwork, but that’s not the main thrust.

I could go sort of Jet Age, Googie (not Google) inspired

Or maybe Art Deco

The iconoclast in me toyed with the idea of hacking up a guitar with almost sacred status, like a Les Paul. It’s always fun to piss of the purists (in any fanatical subculture). But even cheap versions of revered guitars are beyond my budget.

So now the challenge is to turn a crappy guitar into something lustworthy. And different. At least I’ll satisfy my urge to make something.