| Author |
Topic: The Teardrop 6 & The Teardrop 8 - A Fouke Tale |
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 26 Apr 2023 6:41 pm |
|
My vice (well, one of them) is bringing concept guitars, both electric and acoustic to life.....I don't build them, I just annoy builders until they acquiesce.....
So, I got a hold of Chris Fouke of Fouke Industrial Guitars.....I'm sure that you've all seen his fantastic work with regard to aluminum body lap steels, and pitched my idea to him......I've always loved the famous D'Angelico Teardrop jazz guitar and years ago the wonderful Carroll Benoit built a 7 string resonator based on that guitar for me......
I explained my idea to Chris and sent him a sketch.....I wanted to have both a 6 and an 8 string lap steel made....I also wanted two Certano benders and two pickups on each with split coils.....because of the design & shape of the guitars, I wanted to add a design element to the left side bouts....I work in copper and made patina copper pattern shapes that would add a unique touch these unique guitars.....I enjoyed working with Chris who is a creative problem solver and a great builder & engineer.....and, he's not a bad guy either..... 
I'm sure that Chris will chime in to this thread with the technical specs......
 |
|
|
|
Gil James
From:
Louisiana, USA
|
Posted 26 Apr 2023 7:35 pm
|
|
| Absolutely stunning! I"ll wager that they sound as good as they look. |
|
|
|
Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
|
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 3:26 am
|
|
Really cool! Great collaboration, Howard. You are the Lorenzo de Medici (Leonardo’s patron) of the steel guitar. What a collection you’ve birthed!
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 27 Apr 2023 6:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 5:38 am
|
|
I'm blessed in that Howard and I talk on the phone just about every day so I've been a first hand witness to the creation of these beautiful works of art as they develop. Amazing work my friend.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
|
|
|
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 5:38 am
|
|
I'm blessed in that Howard and I talk on the phone just about every day so I've been a first hand witness to the creation of these beautiful works of art as they develop. Amazing work my friend.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 5:58 am
|
|
| Oh man. Beautiful, Howard. That 6 string really talks to me. |
|
|
|
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 6:25 am
|
|
I'm very happy with the sound & tones from both guitars and at some point I'd like to make some sound samples......but they roar and they give me so many options for tone with regard to pick up combination options......it's actually pretty overwhelming......then there are the levers.....
1. D++E
2. B+C
3. G
4. D
5. B
6. G
1. D
2. B
3. G++A
4. E+F
5. D
6. B
7. G
8. E |
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 6:57 am
|
|
What about a full copper-with-patina top?
back when I was in art school in the Precambrian age, a guy in the dorm put his copper sculpture in the urinal with a note asking everyone to pee on it to give a special patina. I'm guessing you're not using this method. 
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 28 Apr 2023 11:15 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 7:22 am
|
|
Ha!.......that's called a....peetina......I may experiment with that......
A copper guitar?.....that's out of my wheelhouse....I work with 24 gauge copper sheet......a pattern would need to be made and that would have to be affixed to wood since it's too thin to stand on it's own.....if somebody out there in steel guitar land wants to collaborate with me......I'm open......some of my work.....
 |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 27 Apr 2023 8:18 am
|
|
I'm a big fan of patina'd copper. I treated the entire door (inside) of my Brooklyn pad. I painted it with metallic paint and then painted on....whatever the chemical is that gives you the instant reaction. I had no reason to expect good results but it was so good that when I sold the place I offered to restore the door to factory white and the buyer said "oh no no no....I love it!"
I am waiting for the build of my new steel and I was toying with these ideas. I will probably chicken out. |
|
|
|
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
|
|
|
|
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 28 Apr 2023 10:49 am
|
|
Here are the tech specs.......
8 string:
- 23.75" scale custom one-off body design aluminum hollow body
- Certano benders & roller bridge
- 2 Kent Armstrong "Claymore" humbucker pickups
- 1 volume, 1 tone, master 3-way switch, and series/split/parallel mini switches for each p/up
- Locking Hipshot tuners
- Powder coated with "Rose Chrome" color
- Strung with 16-56 strings
6 string:
- 23.75" scale custom one-off body design aluminum hollow body
- Certano benders and roller bridge
- 1alnico chrome vintage humbucker and 1 "Mean 90" humbucker sized P90 pickup
- 1 volume, 1 tone, master 3-way switch, and series/split/parallel mini switch for humbucker pickup
- Locking Grover Rotomatic tuners
- Powder coated "Monaco copper" color
- Strung with 16-48 strings |
|
|
|
Steven Meyrich
From:
Colorado, USA
|
Posted 28 Apr 2023 2:54 pm
|
|
stunning!
still hoping you'll post pix of your new 8 string Williams with the wider string spacing too |
|
|
|
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 28 Apr 2023 3:51 pm
|
|
| it's coming....... |
|
|
|
Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
|
Posted 30 Apr 2023 5:27 am Funny About D'Angelico Style
|
|
A couple of funny things about the D'Angelico style...
I've always been a fan of the D'Angelico and D'Aquisto guitars since I'd first seen them about the same time as I started building.
I think that the D'Angelico teardrop was sold in the late 80's or early 90's for the highest price ever for a guitar at that time. Think it was about a half million dollars?
It ended up in the Cheany collection though I don't know who has it now that he has also passes away. He was the fellow who started the Blue Archtop craze. 
I'm a semi-retired luthier. Built mainly guitars as well as a few other instruments since 1969.
Now days just piddling around in the garage with making a few instruments that I always wanted to do.
Just for my own pleasure now and not with any intention of selling them, though I might?
Way back in 1976 I woke up in the middle of the night after dreaming of this fiddle.
Quickly got up and drew it out so I wouldn't forget my dream. This was long before I'd ever heard about or seen the D'Angelico Teardrop guitar.
WoW, I smoked about a pack a day then and weighed in at 175lb with 32"pants.
Now I'm 235lb with size 40" pants. Thats what I get for quitting the cigs 19 years ago. Maybe I should start sucking on the smoke again?... For my health... 
As mentioned this came to me in a dream. A friend saw the sketch and asked me to build it for her. I did and she still has it to this day.
My fiddle had the teardrop on the other side to fit nice under the chin.
Later I went to work at Zeta Instruments building their electric Stratos violins for a couple of years until I moved to Oregon in 1992.
During that time and after I made about 10 electric fiddles of this design in the 90's.
I don't have photos of all I made or even decent quality photos for the most part.
The first photo was done by Jerry Gleason, a professional photographer and forum member. He has built some really nice non-pedal steels and is a great player. 
I started my first arch top guitars about 1978 and at first made just a couple.
During the 90's I made several more getting to my best build with this one about 1995.
I didn't try to copy their guitars exactly, but sure did love and copy the style.
I do consider this one to be my best ever that I built and it's kind of been down hill ever since then.
Here is a photo of two others. The blond one was made in 1992 and the black faced experimental one started in 1998, put aside and finished in 2011.
The blond one was ordered for a guitarist who gave me 10% down.
During the time of the build he broke up with his girl, and yes then he didn't have enough to buy the finished guitar.
My dad had come to visit and he wanted it to brag about so it went home with him.
After he passed it came back to me and I was offered a good price for it. However, one of my sons, Sam wanted it so I added the inlaid pickguard and pickup and it's still his now.
The experimental black 7 string archtop I consider to be the best sounding archtop I ever heard and I kept it for myself.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
|
|
|
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 1 May 2023 5:20 pm
|
|
| I love your teardrop violins...... |
|
|
|
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
|
|
|
|
