Any guitar fan knows just how important wood selection is. Besides being pretty to look at, guitar wood plays a major role in how they sound. Acoustic, electric, bass, banjos, mandolins — they all need good wood to sound, well, good.
That's what makes these instruments so amazing. Father and son Tim and Alex Trimble craft unique, beautiful and good-sounding instruments out of reclaimed barn wood.
The pair operate Rooster Run Workshop in Newark, Del. They first gained notoriety from their "Cigar Box Guitars," which are instruments crafted out of vintage cigar boxes.
It's a cool, crafty idea. The appeal comes not just from the novelty, but the ease in creating something entirely usable out of a seemingly simple design.
Now, making a guitar out of old barn wood — that's a whole different story. But the Trimbles pulled it off with their "Barnacaster." The name is a funny take on the world-famous Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Tim and Alex consider themselves hobbyists and "deltagrass" players. Which is, presumably, a swampy, blues-inspired bluegrass style. Neither are luthiers, by any account. But they do love making their 4-string guitars. So, they figured they'd give it a shot using old wood.
Now, most guitar wood is carefully selected, cut and processed. Barn wood, on the other hand, is not. But, emulating the classic Stratocaster shape, the 4-string "Barnacaster" manages to get some killer tones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm-mCLIKB04
Very cool.
But if you want one of the Trimble's new creations, prepare to wait. It's purportedly a 6-month stretch of time to get your own. Worth it? We think so.
This post was originally published on September 19, 2016.
