Thomas Rodriguez T-Style Abbey

Usually, this is where I'd give you my POV on the guitar. But this guitar has such a fascinating back story that I thought it would be more fitting for Tommy Rodriguez to tell it himself. The only thing I'd add is to say that this is one incredible instrument deserving of my absolute highest praise. I just love this guitar! We've included some build process photos below since it is always interesting to see when salvaged wood is utilized in a great guitar.

Description, from Thomas Rodriguez:
"One of my kid's teachers gave me an 1850s walnut bed. She said it had been in her family since before the civil war. My goal with the bed was to make a Tele like George Harrison's rosewood Tele. I love the look but not the weight or tone of an all rosewood Tele, so I decided to use that walnut and stain it. The result would be a much lighter weight guitar and a more traditional sound. The bed worked out perfectly. Like the George Harrison Tele, it's made with a stack laminated body with a maple center sandwiched between that wonderful centries old tonewood.

"In keeping with the old wood theme, the fingerboard is 100-year-old Brazilian rosewood purchased from an antique dealer in Brazil. The position dots and nut are ancient mastodon ivory, probably 15,000 or more years old. The guitar has Lindy Fralin pickups that are based on a 1950s era design featuring alnico 3 magnets and 43 gauge wire. The bridge is by Bill Callaham, while the rest of the hardware is Gotoh. Other specs on the guitar are more in the style of early Esquires and Broadcasters. It has a slightly thinner body than a regular Tele, 10" fingerboard radius, and Broadcaster routes. The result is a versatile guitar that sounds like a great Tele, either clean or overdriven. At just shy of 7 pounds, it's a pleasure to play."

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.

ABOUT THOMAS RODRIGUEZ GUITARS
Thomas Rodriguez has been building custom guitars for 35 years. Tom is a self-taught luthier with ideas based on experiences from repairing old instruments and determining what worked and what didn't. He builds both electric and classical acoustic guitars, and over the past two decades Tom has made some of the best concert quality classical guitars using his own unique bracing and designs. Rodriguez Guitars is a true custom shop where everything is done by hand in his Staunton, Virginia workshop, from design and wood milling to finished guitar. Rodriguez guitars are built using traditional hand tools and woodworking machinery, and Tom never uses CNC or CAD designs. Tom likes to sit down at the drafting table, draw out the design and build the same way many classic guitars of the past were done.