Tattooing Josh's Guitar

I have this friend named Josh.  Josh is a great guy, but he's a little rough on his guitars.  In fact, I've written three blog posts previously about how rough he is on his guitars.  Here they are in order.

Repairing Josh's Guitar, Part 1.

Repairing Josh's Guitar, Part 2 

Repairing Josh's Guitar.... Yet Again 

So after roughing up his Dean acoustic Josh decided to buy one of the newer Martin Guitars that are made in Mexico.  The interesting thing about these guitars, is that, they have a thin, almost hand rubbed finish on them.  It helps in projecting sound, but it so makes them vulnerable to be dinged up.

As I was setting up the Martin, Josh told me how he had all his students sign his guitar.  He wanted me to do so as well.  As I looked over the back and sides there must have been fifty signatures all over it.  So I added my signature as well.

I told Josh if he was writing all over his guitar I could do some wood-burning on the top of it.  I showed him the different tips I had for wood-burning, and what designs I could do.  He agreed to it, but only wanted a few designs.  So this is what we came up with.

I kept trying to add more to the designs, but Josh wanted to keep it minimalist.  A few weeks later I sent him a photo.  It's test piece to show Josh what I could wood-burn into his guitar.  This is the photo I sent him.

He then changed his mind, and said I could burn whatever I wanted into the guitar.  So yesterday I came up with this.

And here it is after being strung up.

The writing underneath the fretboard says, "Linda's Voice."  Linda is Josh's Grandmother.  He named this guitar after his Grandmother, so I suggested we wood-burn her name into the guitar.  I also thought that maybe we should add either "Song" or "Voice" after her name.  Josh thought that was a great idea, and chose "Voice."

So there's still room to add more "tattoos" later on.  I was thinking about something like the tree of life designs that some Ibanez Guitars have on their fretboards.  Except I would have it start at the bottom end of the guitar, and come around past the bridge, and underneath the soundhole.  It's something to think about down the road.  But for now I think it's perfect.

Cajon! I'm A Drum Guy Now

It was while I was playing music at coffee shops that I discovered a percussion instrument that I didn't know about.  It's called a Cajon (pronounced Caw-Hone.)  What made it neat was that you could achieve the sounds of a drum, but at a lower volume.  This is very important for coffee houses where a lot musicians play acoustically, and don't want to be blown out by a complete drum set.  It's also hand held so it can be carried quickly and easily.    

What surprised me was just how versatile they are.  Depending up technique, strength, and spot, striking the Cajon can give you a number of different sounds.  So I finally decided to buy one.  I can't purchase a full sized drum set, but I can make space for a Cajon.  

I had checked out a few models at Guitar Center.  There was one in particular that I liked.  However, I happened to be across the street from Sam Ash Music, so I thought I would stop in and see their selection.  I tried out nine different models of Cajons, but kept coming back to one in particular.  That one happened to be the last of that model, and was on closeout.  

After inspecting it I found out why.  It had: 1.  A chip in it.  2.  Was a bit scratched up.  3.  Missing a screw.  4.  Missing a rubber foot.  Now, this may have bothered some people, but it didn't bother me.  I can always insert a screw.  I can always replace the rubber foot.  I was always going to bang it up.  It's a drum after all.  So those things didn't bother me. 

The MSRP was $240, but we all know that means nothing.  They normally sold for $140, but this one was on closeout for $99.  So I bought it.  They had Cajons priced higher and lower than this model, but this one just had "my sound."  

And here she is:

However, I didn't want a Cajon that looked just like everyone else's.  I wanted something that stood out.  So I took my wood-burning tools to it, and now she looks like this:

Not bad, eh?  I'm really proud of that.  This from a guy who couldn't draw worth a crap his whole life.  Admittedly, I did use measuring sticks and straight-edges to make sure everything was even.  

So when I showed my Cajon to my family they were like, "What's with the box?"  That's when I hit it a few times and their hands went over their ears, and they started screaming.  Okay, I don't actually play that bad, I'm just loud.  That's when they discovered the power of the Cajon.  

My sister told me if I bought another Cajon I would have two of them.  I could then refer to them as "my Cojones."  That's a Spanish joke if you don't get the reference.  I'll admit, that was pretty funny.  

So I'm going to continue to "tattoo" my Cajon.  Little by little, as I am inspired with new ideas I will wood-burn into it.  Luckily, it has six sides so I have plenty of room to wood-burn.  But now I have to actually spend more time playing it than I do wood-burning into it.  I'm not sure how that's going to go down around here?  But you know me.  I'm going to have fun playing it.  That's what music is all about.