Giffin Custom Guitars 1

Giffin Custom Guitars 1 and some "one-offs"

	**CustomValiant,Semi hollow body,Spruce top New!** Here is a very good looking guitar and a definite one-of-a-kind. The Mahogany body is chambered, very much like my Standard Hollow body with a solid block under the bridge. The Amalfitano P90's mount on blocks which are part of the the body center block, and this allows them to pick up more vibrations from the body. I used a piece of Jet black Gabon Ebony for the fingerboard and head veneer. The pick guard, which is also made from the same Ebony, is hand carved to fit the contour of the body and held in place by the Ebony bracket, so there are no screw holes in the front. I bound the guitar with tortoise shell with a white inner line, and the finish is an Antique dark brown burst. Very classy looking!	(Aug. 2010) Click on Thumbnails !

(Aug. 2010)

Black Limba Model T Special New!

This Black Limba T is pretty much identical to the one lower down on this page (including the hardware) - and it is an example of the many different visual results this wood can have. Some Black Limba is almost white with almost no dark wood, while other Limba can be the complete opposite. Some wood can be evenly colored while other pieces can look pretty wild with orange and black streaks. All good stuff, and never a dull moment!

Click on Thumbnails ! (available at Destroy all Guitars)

	**Standard 6-string, Popcorn quilt top New!** The quilted Maple on top of this guitar has a naturally dark color which gives it a warm, deep glow under the Amber burst. It's a nice piece of wood as well. The body is a one-piece Honduras Mahogany. I used a very stripey piece of Macassar Ebony for the fingerboard, and left off the inlays because the fingerboard is decorative enough without them. The pickups are Kent Armstrong Custom-wound PAFs, and it has my regular TonePros bridge and Grover tuners. A very nice guitar! (available at Willcutt Guitar Shoppe)	(Aug. 2010) Click on Thumbnails !

(July 2010)
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Standard solid body, Kauri top

There is a lot of talk about old-growth timber.... this takes it to a whole new level! This top is New Zealand ancient Kauri. The logs from which this wood is obtained, are dug out of the ground where they fell between 30,000 to 50,000 years ago during the last ice age. Strange to think that there were still Neanderthals walking around when this tree was growing.
The wood has an amazing, silky sheen that comes to life with movement or light. These pictures are taken outdoors - some during cloudy weather and some in indirect sun to try and show that special silky effect.
I made the body and neck for this guitar out of White Limba, and I used a beautiful piece of Brazilian Rosewood for the fingerboard, head veneer, heel cap and switch tip. Just to keep in the spirit of the ancients, I made the nut out of Mammoth Ivory!

The guitar has Amalfitano pickups, Grover tuners and a TonePros bridge, all in gold of course. It's bound in Ivoroid and finished with a golden Amber vintage tint. All together a rather special and unusual guitar!

	Valiant solid body custom The top of this guitar is one of those "Wow" pieces of wood. It's Ziricote, which is sometimes called of "Mexican Rosewood." Amazing looking stuff. The Valiant body is a one-piece Honduras Mahogany with a Mahogany and Maple laminated neck. It has a Gabon Ebony fingerboard and head veneer, and I used more of the same Ebony to make the pickup rings and switch tip. The Grover tuners also have Ebony buttons. I've used Amalfitano Fullbuckers which have a coil tap on the mini switch. The whole guitar is bound in black with a white inner line, and the finish is natural clear gloss. Gorgeous!	(July 2010) Click on Thumbnails !

(June 2010)

Standard Hollow-body, Trans-black
Maple top

This is a good looking guitar with its solid black back and transparent black, one-piece curly Maple top - not something I use very often, but it looks really good here. The guitar has got an Ebony fingerboard and head-face to maintain the all black theme. It is fully bound with multiple black and white celluloid, and all the hardware is gold. I used a pair of Amalfitano pickups, a TonePros bridge and Grover tuners. Very cool!

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Black Limba Model T Special

Another strange and wild piece of Black Limba! - complete with black stripes, orange lines and some very bizarre patterns around the edges. It's nice and light-weight, so the guitar sounds really good, and of course the Amalfitano P90 pickups do a lot to help this. It has a very dark South American fingerboard with Abalone line inlays and white binding. With the risk of sounding repetitive, I've used Grover tuners and a TonePros bridge, but why change something if it works well. A great sounding guitar!

(June 2010)
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(May 2010)

Standard Hollow-body, Lemon drop
Quilt top

Here's a hollow body with no F-holes. This is a piece of quilted Maple with a lot of natural color. The neck on this guitar is laminated with Maple and Purple heart, and it sports Brazilian Rosewood for the fingerboard and head veneer. It has a pair of Amalfitano Fullbucker pickups, a TonePros bridge and Grover tuners, all in gold. You may notice the control cover on the back of the body has been cut out of the body wood and placed back in. It's a great sounding guitar - very lively!

Click on Thumbnails !

Valiant, Iced-Tea burst

Another very pretty Valiant. This particular piece of curly Maple has a lot of movement in the grain which shows very nicely under the Iced Tea finish. The guitar has a Honduras Mahogany body and neck with an Indian Rosewood fingerboard and head veneer. Standard Abalone line inlays and Amalfitano pickups. I made a slight modification to the head stock which allowed me to fit Gotoh 510 tuners which don't normally fit on this guitar. It's a great, powerful sounding guitar! Click on Thumbnails !

(April 2010)

Valiant Custom, Black
This Valiant is very much a custom instrument. The body, including the top wood, is all Mahogany, and the whole guitar is bound with multiple black and white with a white outer strip (see detail thumbnail to the right below.) It has a multiple bound Gabon Ebony fingerboard with Abalone line inlays and Ebony head stock.

As you can see, the control layout is different from my regular style. The pickups on this guitar are Seymour Duncan Custom 480 series, which are exact replicas of the pickups used on a 1956 Les Paul Black Beauty. I've used a TonePros bridge and gold Sperzel Solid Pro tuners. I think this is a very classy guitar.

Click on Thumbnails !

	*Standard Hollow body, Redwood burl top* Here is another of those wild pieces of Redwood burl. It sure is fascinating stuff. The guitar has a Mahogany body and neck and a very pretty piece of Macassar Ebony for the fingerboard and headstock. There are no inlays on the fingerboard, it's figured enough that it really didn't need anything else. I've used Amalfitano Fullbucker pickups, a Tonepros bridge and Grover tuners - all in gold. With cream binding and a light Caramel burst, this is a very classy looking guitar if I may say so.... Click on Thumbnails!	(Febr. 2010)

(Febr. 2010)

Model T Deluxe, Curly burl Maple front

I used another piece of the same Maple on an earlier guitar, It's a most unusual piece. The body on this guitar is Black Limba with a Caramel finish, and the front is finished in clear gloss. The Black Limba neck is finished with oil and wax as per customers request - it gives it a lovely "worn-in" feel.
The Rosewood board has no inlays, just side dots. I bound the body and headstock with tortoise shell with a white inside line. The pickups on this guitar are made by an English company called Rock Monkey. I used Gotoh 510 tuners and a TonePros bridge, and as you can see, all the hardware is black. Striking!

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Standard six-string,Ash body,
Curly Maple neck

   This very pretty piece of curly Maple cried out for a traditional Cherry sunburst. However, I wanted a slightly different approach, so I used Ash for the body and a very curly Maple 5-piece neck. This definitely gives a different look on the back of the guitar. I've used a very figured piece of Macassar Ebony for the fingerboard and also for the head veneer. The fingerboard has my standard vertical line Abalone inlays. The whole guitar is bound with Tortoise Shell with a white inside line. A pair of custom wound Kent Armstrong humbuckers really delivers the sound.

(March 2010)

Click on Thumbnails !