Shovelhead 001 ... A New Pettingill

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 8 Feb 2016 6:05 pm

Here is another fun one I thought some might enjoy ... Shovelhead 001.

The body is black limba, leopardwood fretboard and plates, white and gold mother of pearl fret and position markers, and a pair of Lollars in the classic Coodercaster configuration.

.

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 8 Feb 2016 7:25 pm

Beautiful!

Patrick Ickes · Post by **Patrick Ickes** » 8 Feb 2016 8:41 pm

Love the shape Tom.
The Shovelheads are my favorite race boat design/look.
Patrick

Mark Kocon · Post by **Mark Kocon** » 9 Feb 2016 3:09 am

Wowwee! What would the price be on this beauty?

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 9 Feb 2016 5:17 am

Beautiful work, from the slotted keyhead to the sleek bridge block design. The ferrule plate on the bottom is such a good looking & funtional feature.

I've commissioned two guitars from Tom...his work is flawless. Sure, they cost more than a Rondo... but you won't believe your eyes and ears once you get your hands on one.

Joe Elk · Post by **Joe Elk** » 9 Feb 2016 7:28 am

Beautiful work Love the Shape.

Joe Elk

Stephen Abruzzo · Post by **Stephen Abruzzo** » 9 Feb 2016 8:24 am

Stunning steel to say the least; with a potent pup combination too.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 9 Feb 2016 8:36 am

Really good looker. I'd love to fool around with that for an afternoon (or longer).

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 9 Feb 2016 8:47 am

Beautiful work. And I'm with you, Tom, I love the badge. Class!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 9 Feb 2016 8:49 am

Amazing! I'm curious to know how it sounds with the vintage style pickups... one gold foil and the other a Valco style.

Larry Carlson · Post by **Larry Carlson** » 9 Feb 2016 9:34 am

Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous. Great craftsmanship.
I hate looking at all these beautiful guitars that are shown in here.
I want one so bad but they all cost more than my car.
Hmmm.
I wonder if I could string up my car somehow.......

Will Houston · Post by **Will Houston** » 9 Feb 2016 9:41 am

I would love to hear that one!!

Keith Glendinning · Post by **Keith Glendinning** » 9 Feb 2016 9:46 am

I can't think of sufficient superlatives to describe this instrument Tom. Would an 8 string version be an option?
They seem to get better and better with each build, and there have been some fantastic products so far.
PLEASE, PLEASE post a sound clip for all of us to enjoy.
Keith.

GeneRector · Post by **GeneRector** » 9 Feb 2016 12:10 pm

Howdy! A great looking steel guitar! Sure would like to hear Waltz Across Texas played on this one!
Always, Gene

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 9 Feb 2016 1:12 pm

Thanks everyone!

... There was some head scratching and a couple design do-overs along the way, but I'm pretty tickled with how it all came out. Unfortunately no clips and she is boxed up and waiting for FedEx pickup.

Mark ... I don't want this thread to be all spammy or such, but PM or mail me and I'd be happy to chat in more detail.

Keith ... I was actually working on a set of templates for an 8 string version this morning. The first 8 string Shovelhead is going to be mahogany body, zebrawood trim, and one of Lollars Console Grand reproductions.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 9 Feb 2016 5:09 pm

wow! great name. i don't know what you sell these
things for, but it looks like
a million bucks!

Todd Goad · Post by **Todd Goad** » 9 Feb 2016 5:22 pm

Very beautiful build Tom...

Gary Rue · Post by **Gary Rue** » 10 Feb 2016 5:09 am

Very nice. Love the pickups along with everything else!

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 10 Feb 2016 10:51 am

Love it. Absolutely smitten.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 10 Feb 2016 9:28 pm

We are getting amazed every time you build something !

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 10 Feb 2016 9:34 pm

Thanks again all! It was a fun build for sure

I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do what I do. Its a great creative outlet for me and I get to play with some pretty cool hardware and some of Mother Nature's best. It is my sincere hope that some of my instruments will survive the test of time and be bringing smiles for many years to come.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 10 Feb 2016 11:53 pm

Beautifully thought out and made real, Tom. Elegance is the word that always comes to mind when I see your instruments. What is the key tonal characteristic of the Gold Foil pickup?

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 11 Feb 2016 8:41 pm

Thanks Andy!

... Gold Foils are a single coil type pickup with a nice and rich, clear and articulate tone. They do wonderful sweet cleans and can handle some dirt without becoming undefined, muddy, or oversaturated.

An interesting factoid ... the "gold foil" used in the originals is said to have been just candy wrapper paper. It serves no functional purpose, just eye candy. In that spirit, thats why I decided to do the inlay in white and gold mother of pearl.

.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 11 Feb 2016 10:45 pm

The original Gold Foil pickups were Teisco (Japan) cheapos with a quirky tone. The originals have become popular and collectable in recent years. From what I've read, Lollar has recreated some of the original tone but has made vast improvements in the pickup.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 12 Feb 2016 4:11 am

My first double neck was a Gibson made of African Limba. It's similar to mahogany, I'd say. Gibson called it Korina and (I think) made the Flying V from that wood.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Shovelhead 001 ... A New Pettingill

Shovelhead 001 ... A New Pettingill

beautiful work