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Colt W. Knight · January 5th, 2011, 11:56 PM

I was able to squeeze in a few projects before I packed up shop moved to Texas to start Graduate school.

This guitar means a lot to me because I built it for my oldest and best Friend, Travis Fisher. Travis and I have been buddies since we were 5-6 years old. Our birthday is only two days apart, and we grew up in the same hollow (pronounced "holler") in West Virginia.

Fat Black Walnut Neck
Body - Aromatic Cedar, Black Walnut top/back with Aromatic Cedar and Figured Maple accents
Bakelite Guard
Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer
SD Lead Stack Bridge Pup
GFS Hot Nashville Neck Pup
Push/pull on the tone to split the bridge pup
Gotoh split shaft tuners
Dan Erlwine fret wire
MOP posistion dots and side dots
12" radius rosewood board
Double action Truss Rod
Bone Nut
Aside from the Fretboard, all the wood was locally grown, sawn, and dried here in West 'by God" Virginia

This Guitar will sustain into next week, but it broke my 8 lbs build rule, as it weighs in at 9 lbs even. The guitar sounds great though, I like how these pickups will rock out or clean up depending on the amp settings.

Colt W. Knight · January 6th, 2011, 12:18 AM

The other project I had going was really cool for me. I was recently introduced to the boys from the Kentucky Headhunters, and I've become good friends with a couple of them. One being Richard Young, the guy who plays those killer riffs on Dumas Walker and Walk Softly.

Richard has two amazing teles, a '63 and a '52 Fender Telecaster. The '52 was actually setup and modded by Danny Gatton himself. Both Guitars are just worn and beat to death. Richard has been wanting to find a replacement for his '52, so he can keep it put up and just use it for recording. But his guitar has pretty uniquely shaped neck, and has never found one that he likes as much. So I measured it with my digital calipers and moulding copy tool, and wrote everything down on a piece of notebook paper. Making an exact copy of an existing neck is a PITA. I can carve a neck in about 10 minutes, but this took me over an hour.

Here is a picture of Richard and I with his original '52 tele.

Here is the cool part. Back in 1946, Richard's grand daddy cut some Ash, and stacked it in their tobacco barn. The wood has set there unmolested for 64 years. My buddy Patrick and I took a trip down to Richard's Farm, and I got to sort through a lot of that Ash, and pick out some of the lightest boards. Unfortunately, Richard's grandad died that year in a horrible accident. Richard though it would be cool if we could build a guitar from it! So I did!

I wanted Richard to have this guitar so he could use it on their new album, so I really had to work fast, I started building at the beginning of December, and had it ready by Christmas. I have to thank:

Eryque - KoKoTele for ordering the electronics and tuners for me
Marc Rutters for supplying me some simply Amazing hardware and saddles,
and O.C. Duff for hand winding me a set of 52 spec pickups in a week. These guys really came through for me, and I'd highly recommend their products and services to everyone on the forum.

When Richard hit the first chord on that guitar, it just sparkled, twanged, and growled all at the same time.

Of Course the amp he was playing helps too!

Chud · January 6th, 2011, 12:28 AM

Both stories behind the guitars are really cool man. And of course the guitars themselves are awesome! Really nice work bro. If there was a thumbs up smiley here I'd give you two of them.

Axis29 · January 6th, 2011, 06:10 AM

Awesome stories. Both of them. And they look like killer axes brother!

I know one thing, I've learned quite a bit from you Colt and I appreciate all the time and effort you put into supporting this website!

jkingma · January 6th, 2011, 06:19 AM

Great work Colt. They both look very nice.

Good luck at school.

wannessmet · January 6th, 2011, 06:19 AM

Like the stories man, cool guitars you have there!

Sharp5 · January 6th, 2011, 06:34 AM

Really cool man. I also have learned a lot from your posts. You have a gift. What are you going to Grad school for?

guitarbuilder · January 6th, 2011, 06:35 AM

Cool guitars and stories.... Which school are you going to in Texas?

adirondak5 · January 6th, 2011, 06:37 AM

Both those guits are cool , good work Colt !

melomanarock · January 6th, 2011, 07:38 AM

Man that looks sweet..
Have u ever done a relic thread? would be cool..

paulskirocks · January 6th, 2011, 07:46 AM

You have a lot of talent at 26 years old... Good job!

Jupiter · January 6th, 2011, 08:06 AM

Beautiful work. Good luck in grad school--and keep checking in here; I still got questions! :-)

kddean66 · January 6th, 2011, 08:14 AM

What can you say about those beauties? I'm not sure the usual adjectives are sufficient. I'll just say that any professional player would be proud to make either of those his number one.

Best of luck in grad school. What field are you studying?

Colt W. Knight · January 6th, 2011, 09:09 AM

Thanks everyone.

I am going to Angelo State University, its part of Texas Tech, to study Animal Science. I am interested in Genetics and Ruminant Nutrition.

Colt W. Knight · January 6th, 2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melomanarock

Man that looks sweet..
Have u ever done a relic thread? would be cool..

I don't feel comfortable getting my camera around the acid/etchant solutions. I would really suck if the fumes etched my camera lens.

Plus, relic threads don't get much respect on this forum. You always get the guys who say they don't get, or they guys who are admantly against relicing getting all snarky, or there are those guys who say, " that doesn't look natural" or "I've never seen a guitar with that wear pattern naturally".

Then the other guys get defensive, and the thread goes to hell, eventually getting locked up!

CptRyg · January 6th, 2011, 10:26 AM

Colt - I am so not worthy!! The Headhunters are my band and always will be. Luckily the Army has placed me 2 hours from their Stompin' Grounds. I would have killed for the opportunity to build Richard Young a new old telecaster! You should check out Richard's son's band Black Stone Cherry. In particular this song:

John Fred is the drummer and nephew of the Headhunter's drummer, Fred Young.

JBennett · January 6th, 2011, 10:56 AM

Great projects! Love the rosewood build.

Bolide · January 6th, 2011, 10:59 AM

Both are beautiful, the one for Travis is nothing short of breathtaking.

Heck of a difference in geology between West Virginia and west Texas. I reckon from San Angelo you can literally see the "Friday Night Lights" of Odessa, the land is so flat.

Good Luck in grad school.

turmite · January 6th, 2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colt W. Knight

Thanks everyone.

I am going to Angelo State University, its part of Texas Tech, to study Animal Science. I am interested in Genetics and Ruminant Nutrition.

You are gonna learn how to grow big and bigger bucks.....aint ye?

Mike

acalan · January 6th, 2011, 02:32 PM

Good Luck My friend ,I'm sure you have a computer at school Keep in touch with everyone here when you can. You always brought a lot of advise to the forum

January 5th, 2011, 11:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
Colt W. Knight Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Age: 29 Posts: 18,923	My last two projects before I go back to school! I was able to squeeze in a few projects before I packed up shop moved to Texas to start Graduate school. This guitar means a lot to me because I built it for my oldest and best Friend, Travis Fisher. Travis and I have been buddies since we were 5-6 years old. Our birthday is only two days apart, and we grew up in the same hollow (pronounced "holler") in West Virginia. Fat Black Walnut Neck Body - Aromatic Cedar, Black Walnut top/back with Aromatic Cedar and Figured Maple accents Bakelite Guard Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer SD Lead Stack Bridge Pup GFS Hot Nashville Neck Pup Push/pull on the tone to split the bridge pup Gotoh split shaft tuners Dan Erlwine fret wire MOP posistion dots and side dots 12" radius rosewood board Double action Truss Rod Bone Nut Aside from the Fretboard, all the wood was locally grown, sawn, and dried here in West 'by God" Virginia This Guitar will sustain into next week, but it broke my 8 lbs build rule, as it weighs in at 9 lbs even. The guitar sounds great though, I like how these pickups will rock out or clean up depending on the amp settings. __________________ the now mandatory =====> Last edited by Colt W. Knight; January 6th, 2011 at 12:37 AM.

January 6th, 2011, 12:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
Colt W. Knight Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Age: 29 Posts: 18,923	Second Project The other project I had going was really cool for me. I was recently introduced to the boys from the Kentucky Headhunters, and I've become good friends with a couple of them. One being Richard Young, the guy who plays those killer riffs on Dumas Walker and Walk Softly. Richard has two amazing teles, a '63 and a '52 Fender Telecaster. The '52 was actually setup and modded by Danny Gatton himself. Both Guitars are just worn and beat to death. Richard has been wanting to find a replacement for his '52, so he can keep it put up and just use it for recording. But his guitar has pretty uniquely shaped neck, and has never found one that he likes as much. So I measured it with my digital calipers and moulding copy tool, and wrote everything down on a piece of notebook paper. Making an exact copy of an existing neck is a PITA. I can carve a neck in about 10 minutes, but this took me over an hour. Here is a picture of Richard and I with his original '52 tele. Here is the cool part. Back in 1946, Richard's grand daddy cut some Ash, and stacked it in their tobacco barn. The wood has set there unmolested for 64 years. My buddy Patrick and I took a trip down to Richard's Farm, and I got to sort through a lot of that Ash, and pick out some of the lightest boards. Unfortunately, Richard's grandad died that year in a horrible accident. Richard though it would be cool if we could build a guitar from it! So I did! I wanted Richard to have this guitar so he could use it on their new album, so I really had to work fast, I started building at the beginning of December, and had it ready by Christmas. I have to thank: Eryque - KoKoTele for ordering the electronics and tuners for me Marc Rutters for supplying me some simply Amazing hardware and saddles, and O.C. Duff for hand winding me a set of 52 spec pickups in a week. These guys really came through for me, and I'd highly recommend their products and services to everyone on the forum. When Richard hit the first chord on that guitar, it just sparkled, twanged, and growled all at the same time. Of Course the amp he was playing helps too! __________________ the now mandatory =====> Last edited by Colt W. Knight; January 6th, 2011 at 02:32 AM.

January 6th, 2011, 06:10 AM	#4 (permalink)
Axis29 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia, USA Age: 45 Posts: 3,324 1 Photos	Awesome stories. Both of them. And they look like killer axes brother! I know one thing, I've learned quite a bit from you Colt and I appreciate all the time and effort you put into supporting this website! __________________ John F. TDPRI # 1764 Please check out the Fredericksburg Blues Society or, if you're really bored, A year in Guitar

January 6th, 2011, 06:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
jkingma Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: N 44° 59.564 ~ W 079° 35.317 Posts: 10,073 18 Photos	Great work Colt. They both look very nice. Good luck at school. __________________ -Creator of Fine Sawdust and Expensive Kindling.

January 6th, 2011, 06:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
adirondak5 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Long Island NY Age: 57 Posts: 5,592	Both those guits are cool , good work Colt ! __________________ *Herb* *I don't always play guitars , but when I do , I prefer tele's , stay twangy my friends*

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January 6th, 2011, 12:28 AM	#3 (permalink)
Chud Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New York City Posts: 2,389 10 Photos	Both stories behind the guitars are really cool man. And of course the guitars themselves are awesome! Really nice work bro. If there was a thumbs up smiley here I'd give you two of them.

January 6th, 2011, 06:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
wannessmet Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Heist-op-den-Berg Posts: 156	Like the stories man, cool guitars you have there!

January 6th, 2011, 06:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
Sharp5 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NC Posts: 801	Really cool man. I also have learned a lot from your posts. You have a gift. What are you going to Grad school for?

January 6th, 2011, 06:35 AM	#8 (permalink)
guitarbuilder Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hemlock, NY Age: 59 Posts: 6,301	Cool guitars and stories.... Which school are you going to in Texas?

January 6th, 2011, 07:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
melomanarock Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Argentina Age: 31 Posts: 464	Man that looks sweet.. Have u ever done a relic thread? would be cool..

January 6th, 2011, 07:46 AM	#11 (permalink)
paulskirocks Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Norcal Age: 48 Posts: 606	You have a lot of talent at 26 years old... Good job!

January 6th, 2011, 08:06 AM	#12 (permalink)
Jupiter Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Osaka, Japan Age: 50 Posts: 6,439 6 Photos	Beautiful work. Good luck in grad school--and keep checking in here; I still got questions! :-)

January 6th, 2011, 08:14 AM	#13 (permalink)
kddean66 Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Edmond, OK Age: 47 Posts: 887 10 Photos	What can you say about those beauties? I'm not sure the usual adjectives are sufficient. I'll just say that any professional player would be proud to make either of those his number one. Best of luck in grad school. What field are you studying?

January 6th, 2011, 09:09 AM	#14 (permalink)
Colt W. Knight Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Age: 29 Posts: 18,923	Thanks everyone. I am going to Angelo State University, its part of Texas Tech, to study Animal Science. I am interested in Genetics and Ruminant Nutrition. __________________ the now mandatory =====>

January 6th, 2011, 10:26 AM	#16 (permalink)
CptRyg Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Quad Cities, Illinois Age: 35 Posts: 553	Colt - I am so not worthy!! The Headhunters are my band and always will be. Luckily the Army has placed me 2 hours from their Stompin' Grounds. I would have killed for the opportunity to build Richard Young a new old telecaster! You should check out Richard's son's band Black Stone Cherry. In particular this song: John Fred is the drummer and nephew of the Headhunter's drummer, Fred Young. __________________ If only my taste for guitars equaled my ability to play them!!

January 6th, 2011, 10:56 AM	#17 (permalink)
JBennett Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Age: 35 Posts: 1,561	Great projects! Love the rosewood build.

January 6th, 2011, 10:59 AM	#18 (permalink)
Bolide Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Rocky Hill, CT Posts: 4,951	Both are beautiful, the one for Travis is nothing short of breathtaking. Heck of a difference in geology between West Virginia and west Texas. I reckon from San Angelo you can literally see the "Friday Night Lights" of Odessa, the land is so flat. Good Luck in grad school.

January 6th, 2011, 02:32 PM	#20 (permalink)
acalan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ormond Beach Fl. Age: 60 Posts: 2,410	Good Luck My friend ,I'm sure you have a computer at school Keep in touch with everyone here when you can. You always brought a lot of advise to the forum

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