| Building an Electric Guitar for the Los Lonely Boys |
| A master luthier handcrafts an electric guitar for the Los Lonely Boys. |
From "Special Presentation"
episode DLLB-S |
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Meet the Los Lonely Boys The multi-platinum selling, sibling-trio Los Lonely Boys are hitting the road this summer to showcase their new album, Sacred, which is set to be released on July 18. Since their worldwide breakout two years ago, Henry (lead guitar), JoJo (bass) and Ringo (drums) Garza have garnered a Grammy® for their monster hit "Heaven"--Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group in 2005. Critics, fans and other musicians agree that the acclaim is well deserved. The Garza brothers' unyielding dedication and exploration of music guides their search for perfect instruments. For Henry Garza "off the shelf" guitars just won't do the trick. That's where DIY's Handmade Music and custom builder First Act Guitars come in. It doesn't matter if you're an expert woodworker, avid music fan or a guitar enthusiast, DIY's Handmade Music: Los Lonely Boys special is for you. Enjoy the challenge master luthier Kelly Butler tackles as he creates the perfect guitar that combines the elements of both a Bajo Sexto guitar and a Fender Stratocaster for this popular three-brother band!
Master luthier Kelly Butler creates this...
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unique electric guitar for Henry Garza.
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Kelly with Henry (left) and JoJo Garza
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What Is a Luthier?A luthier is someone who is skilled in making string instruments, such as guitars and violins, from scratch. Kelly works for First Act, a premiere musical products company based in Boston, Mass. The company has crafted one-of-a-kind guitars for Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, Paul Westerberg and Franz Ferdinand's Nick McCarthy, as well as a wide range of superior musical instruments for start-up players available in stores nationwide. "One of the things we do here at First Act is that we will do a 'full-on' custom piece," Kelly said. "We'll do just about anything. As opposed to most companies who make a version of something they already make, we like to say there is a difference between custom-made and customized. So that is our signature; the fact that we will do custom-made full-on-from-the-ground-up instruments."
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Ish with the Bajo Sexto acoustic guitar
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The ChallengeKelly begins every custom job with a thorough consultation to find out what the artist wants. Right away, Henry throws down the gauntlet! He wants the look of a large body, 10-string acoustic Bajo Sexto guitar normally associated with Tejano music. But he also wants the sound of a vintage rock 'n' roll Stratocaster. Part of Kelly's mission will be to include decorative scratch guards around the body, decorative binding normally not part of a solid body electric and a headstock that looks like a classical guitar. The Los Lonely Boys' guitar tech, Ish, show their collection of guitars to Kelly and indicate the highs and lows of each model, with particular attention being paid to the style of Henry's Bajo Sexto acoustic guitar and the sound of his Fender Stratocaster. It's a tall order, but with Henry's wish list in hand, Kelly heads back to his shop in Boston to begin building Henry's custom electric guitar.
Brad Whitford's guitar
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Paul Westerberg's guitar
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Nick McCarthy's guitar
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| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | Building an Electric Guitar for the Los Lonely Boys |
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