Rick Kelly Guitars.. 100 Year Old Wood???

[jackdc100]

I was checking out Rick Kelly's site and admiring the Kellicaster. Now i realize that I am a very cynical person (I am from DC after all), but where the hell does he get his 100 year old wood from? Is this guy legit? Anyone have any experiences with these guitars?

[Pete Galati]

Does he mean that the trees are 100 years old, or that the wood was milled 100 years ago?

[Vince a]

Um, Simon and Patrick guitars, a subsidiary of Godin, uses 900 year-old wood to make their guitars. So, I imagine 100 year-old wood is good . . . and old!

[Twin Reiver]

Oh yeah, Rick Kelly is great. I used to live in NYC and go by his shop in the West Village. He builds beautiful Teles, some of the best I have ever played. I had a chance to get a used one once and still kick myself for not grabbing it. And yeah, he gets the wood from down here in the South and it really is a hundred years old. He is a total straight shooter, and a really nice guy. He was good friends with Robert Quine, who played his guitars, and when Quine died, Kelly was a big help in selling Robert's guitars for the family. He's not some Internet BS guy. Quine, Lou Reed, and a bunch of other people play his Teles. If you are in NYC, stop by his shop, Carmine St. Guitars, and make sure to grab a slice across the street at John's. Just regular John's though, not John's No Slices down the block.

[jackdc100]

Yes. I guess he means that the tree is 100 years old even though most of the wood wasn't physically there for a full hundred years. In the past I have heard of guitar manufacturers referring to the age of the wood used to their instruments they refer to the time since with wood was milled. Washburn made a limited run or guitars a few years that was made out of logs that were submerged under water for several hundreds of years I believe. Violin Luthiers also make instruments out of wood that was milled several hundreds of years before they were constructed and sometimes they make a big deal about it. I thought this guy might have some secret stash or something. My mistake.

[furrfurrfurr]

i just moved from NYC last month and who gave me a bunch of free guitar boxes to fedex my guitars? Rick Kelly, that's who. He's a great guy. That glittery tele that Lou Reed's been playing for at least the last 5-6 years is made by Rick. Rick made his Butterscotch one from before that, and it's currently in his shop's window.

Anyhow, he's awesome, he legit and he makes a great guitar.

[jackdc100]

Wait a minute...900 years old where do they get that?

[Jerrod]

I have one of his blackguard Teles... it rocks. Two thumbs up to Rick.

[dr_twangenstein]

Originally Posted by Vince a

Um, Simon and Patrick guitars, a subsidiary of Godin, uses 900 year-old wood to make their guitars. So, I imagine 100 year-old wood is good . . . and old!

I played a Simon and Patrick dreadnought the other day (cherry back/sides/neck, cedar top, rosewood board) beautiful, beautiful guitar. Inexpensive too. I didn't count the rings on the cedar, but it sure sounded pretty.

[ChurchPlayer]

There are places that specialize in harvesting old wood, literally, from old buildings, barns, homes, etc., that are ready to be torn down. This stuff was harvested over 100 years ago and has been drying in place ever since. Whether this is where he's getting his stuff I don't know, but a 100 year old tree that was cut down yesterday won't sound much different than a 50 year old one. Old wood means it was harvested a long time ago.

As for 900 year old wood, not sure what they're talking about there other than some pretty huge cedar trees.

[slack]

Originally Posted by ChurchPlayer

As for 900 year old wood, not sure what they're talking about there other than some pretty huge cedar trees.

You can find 4000+ yr old living trees in California that aren't large, but is a conifer. As for giant trees, there are sequoias in California 2000+ yrs old. Converse to long-time beliefs, research in the 90s determined the largest of the sequoias aren't necessarily the oldest.

When craftspersons talk of using very old wood it almost always refers to when it was cut. There's a lot of 200 yr old wood available in the US. Such as from old structures, like was mentioned.

[Durtdog]

Since I was born in 1957, my wife lays claim to "vintage, 50-year old wood".

[The Amazing Phil]

900 year old wood I suppose would probably come from some old building here, although finding cuts big enough to make a guitar body out of would be intresting. Although I suppose there were a lot of ships made of wood back in 1306. Are you sure it's not 90? 900 years is a long old time...

[Fuzzyhead]

For my knowledge, the oldest known tree in the world is a 5000 years old olive tree on Crete. I've seen it.

[telel6s]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

Since I was born in 1957, my wife lays claim to "vintage, 50-year old wood".

I don't think I want to know about the other seven years.

[tdu]

Originally Posted by jackdc100

Wait a minute...900 years old where do they get that?

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread there are a lot of companies that specialize in retrieving old trees from the bottom of lakes and stuff. I know a guy who did this and made a TON of money doing it.

[Fatmanstratman]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

Since I was born in 1957, my wife lays claim to "vintage, 50-year old wood".

Is that a hard wood or a soft wood?

[Wild Rice Chris]

ewwwwwww.

[0le FUZZY]

Originally Posted by Fuzzyhead

For my knowledge, the oldest known tree in the world is a 5000 years old olive tree on Crete. I've seen it.

<li> I wunner --- did it look li kiss?

<li> Iss here won iss about a mile from the TELE-Shack and I could never magazine makin a TELECASTER outta it but the grain wood be inner-restin.










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[patrickcpchen]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

Since I was born in 1957, my wife lays claim to "vintage, 50-year old wood".

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

[slack]

Originally Posted by Fuzzyhead

For my knowledge, the oldest known tree in the world is a 5000 years old olive tree on Crete. I've seen it.

That's folklore. According to the Forestry Dept in Cypress the oldest living tree there is acutally a Apesia pistacia at around 1500 yrs old.
http://grhomeboy.wordpress.com/2006/...9-oldest-tree/

The oldest living thing known on Earth remains the Bristlecone Pine. Methuselah, at around 5000 yrs, is one of the oldest known. It is in the White Mtns in California.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/explore.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/long.html

I'd link to Wikipedia, but they're down right now.
http://aboutnature.webgardenguide.co...962_589_2.html

A few years back there were claims that the Huon pines in Tasmania dated to over 10,000 yrs old. None have dated to more than 4000 yrs.

[Paul V]

Rick is a master luthier, a Tele fanatic, and a wood freak. I should know - I live near his shop and own a bunch of his Teles.

He collects wood from all over. Among his other stashes of wood is a bunch of pine from old buildings in the city - floor joists from the mid-nineteenth century - white pine from old growth trees that were chopped down around the Civil War.

He also collects old ash, maple and other woods. I think he's more into the idea of old cut and cured wood than wood from 100 year old trees, but that's beside the point.

He's a genuine #1 Tele fan and a great guitar builder who happens to worship Leo and all of his accomplishments.

If you're ever in the city, hit his shop. He'll talk Tele all day and is a righteous guy.

I have no affiliation with Rick aside from being a customer, but I am biased. He makes the best necks in the world, in my opinion.

[edwardjeffrey]

Seeing an ole fuzzy post again makes me long for the old daze!

[jkingma]

I've built guitars from Ancient Kauri which is between 30000 and 50000 years old... so 100 year old wood is NEW.

[BigDaddyLH]

Originally Posted by jkingma

I've built guitars from Ancient Kauri which is between 30000 and 50000 years old... so 100 year old wood is NEW.

That must have caveman mojo going for it!

[jkingma]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLH

That must have caveman mojo going for it!

You have no idea...

[athief]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

Since I was born in 1957, my wife lays claim to "vintage, 50-year old wood".

[Sea Devil]

Supposedly much of the pine that Rick is currently using came from Jim Jarmusch's loft.

[jazztele]

y'all know what else is old?

[44deluxe]

Originally Posted by Fatmanstratman

Is that a hard wood or a soft wood?

lmao!

[otterhound]

I have a considerable amount of Hemlock that came from a barn that was built in the mid 1800's . I will not venture to say how old it is , but it is old .

[RunGuy17]

Curious...I see a lot of threads/messages about really old wood for the bodies...but has anyone done the same for the neck? I haven't really read much about that...maybe because really old maple is harder to find in the right shape?

[nadzab]

Originally Posted by dr_twangenstein

I played a Simon and Patrick dreadnought the other day (cherry back/sides/neck, cedar top, rosewood board) beautiful, beautiful guitar. Inexpensive too. I didn't count the rings on the cedar, but it sure sounded pretty.

Anything from the Godin organization tends to be high-quality, reasonably priced, and in some cases, quite innovative. I'm surprised they're not more widely recognized.

[Smoky Booroo]

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a book store and looked at a vintage guitar magazine and they had an article on Kelly guitars. Apparently he scavanges wood from old places around his shop. Like lower east side? Anyway, the article was really great and made me go to his website too.

I can't tell you the exact magazine, but if you see it take a look. They also give you a tour of Wilco's rehearsal space and all those beautiful guitars!

[Ramblin Ray]

The magazine is the "Fretboard Journal". Great article and pictures. I always enjoy going into Carmine Street Guitars when I have a chance. Rick is a good guy.

[pfflam]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

Since I was born in 1957, my wife lays claim to "vintage, 50-year old wood".

Well . . . . what are ya waiting for, hack it, cut it, shape it and play it . . . . don't let her have all the fun.

[Danno]

Rick was featured in Premier Guitar back in January I believe - same issue that Ron Kirn and Bill Crooks were featured.

As I recall, like Ron, Rick collects old lumber and purchases reclaimed lumber and has done so for many years. He believes in the superiority of reclaimed lumber and I believe stated that there is no reason to use new lumber for guitar construction.

His take on the Tele is really unique.

[keithcc]

Originally Posted by Danno

Rick was featured in Premier Guitar back in January I believe - same issue that Ron Kirn and Bill Crooks were featured.

As I recall, like Ron, Rick collects old lumber and purchases reclaimed lumber and has done so for many years. He believes in the superiority of reclaimed lumber and I believe stated that there is no reason to use new lumber for guitar construction.

For one off guitar construction he's absolutely right. For a manufacturer it's a little tough to get a consistent supply.

Finding the old wood that is the species you want in the length and thickness needed without holes, voids, cracks, etc is tough. Old buildings are pretty expensive to pull down in a manner that doesn't wreck the wood. New York is an old city, most of us live in more recently built areas.

Architectural salvage companies are worth talking to as are boatyards. There is also the old pianos and organs but the wood is usually too thin, but you might get a nice neck out of the legs on some of the old ones. Piano shops scrap old pianos all the time.

Old barns have solid timbers that can be sawn down, but the trend is to dismantle them and move them for yuppie house or office projects.

[TeleTim911]

The salvaging of old wood is not new, been going on for years. There are literally dozens of places that "reclaim" or "recycle" old wood from barns, mills, factories, and even trees that were sunk in lakes, and then turn them into flooring - the biggest use for reclaimed lumber IMO. I think making musical instruments out of them is fairly new? I don't know, never heard of it until recently, but again, that's just me.

[Ronkirn]

Does he mean that the trees are 100 years old, or that the wood was milled 100 years ago?

Good point.... for instance, I have some Black Ash that was cut to be used around 1600, the growth rings from the massive beams showed the trees began growing somewhere around 700 AD so would ya say the wood is 400 or 1100 years old.... I'll go with the 400, and let the owners tell the story....

http://www.ronkirn.com/gallery2/inde...Four+Centuries

very expensive for those wondering....

Ron Kirn