Happy New Year

Hi everybody, Well it's been a long time since my last post, but with the holidays behind us I am now ready to resume my news relaying duties. A lot has been happening. I have been working on marketing the company a bit, which is always challenging for me. The process has led to a bit of soul searching. At times the guitar world seems so vast and I often wonder if the world needs another guitarmaker. A recent conversation I had with a fellow guitar-o-phile put some of these fears to rest. He asked me if I would make a Les Paul Jr. double cut-away style guitar. At first I said sure, but as I drove away from the shop I got thinking about his request. I realized that I had no desire to undertake the project. Why would I want to make another version of a guitar which has been, and continues to be, produced by the thousands. Guitar aficionados are a notoriously backward looking bunch. In someways I include myself in this group. I have a deep appreciation for history, and I love old guitars. There is something special about them. It has taken me a while to figure out what that magic is, but at the risk of sounding to new-agey, I think the magic is this: As a guitar is played and loved it begins to take on some of the spirit of it's owners. It grows a soul, a soul which cannot be replicated. I guess this is a very long-winded way of saying that what I find exciting about guitarmaking is not reproducing classic guitars, but exploring my own sense of what a guitar should be. After all, when ever you buy a custom guitar. you are getting that builder's ideas, a little piece of who that builder is. So I guess I realized that there will always be room for another guitarmaker, because guitarmaking (or any creative pursuit) at it's core is about ideas. Ok...enough...I must stop this rant...So from the sublime to the ridiculous (or possibly the other way around depending on your perspective). I finished a 504 solidbody which will be headed out to my friends at Guru Guitars In Raleigh, NC. Look for it there if you are in town. Additionally I am working on a prototype for a steel string acoustic. I hope to push it forward over the next few months. There is a new shop here in Knoxville called Mojo's Rock Shoppe. They have expressed interest in having some of my stuff in their shop. So I plan to focus on a couple guitars for them. Also look for our ad in the May issue of Just Jazz Guitar magazine. That's about all for now. Talk soon.

Clay


The 504


The 504 back


Steel String Prototype Top


Steel String Prototype Body

Things continue to move forward here at the shop. After delivering the custom semi-hollow archtop, I was able to finish up a 510 semi-hollow for Guru Guitars. It is currently for sale at their shop in Raleigh NC, check it out if you are in town! I am very pleased with the way both guitars turned out. They sound and play great! The customer who ordered the archtop couldn't have been happier! I'm currently gearing up for my next project: two fully acoustic guitars, a flattop and an archtop. I'll post photos as they progress. In the mean time here are some pictures of guitars I just delivered.


The Semi-hollow Archtop.


Archtop detail.


The 510 Semi-hollow.


510 detail.

A New Beginning

Hi everybody: Lots has been happening here at Clay Conner Guitars. After nearly two years of construction (mostly by me and friends I could bribe with pizza and beer). I am finally functional in my new shop. It's small, but for the first time I don't have to share a space with other people. I still have to build a couple of benches and I need to get a bit more organized, but so far it's a great space! I am nearly done with my first commission in the new shop (a semi-hollow archtop). I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and I'm looking forward to shipping it out next week.

In the next month I will be trying to get two more guitars done. They are tentatively slated to go to Guru Guitars in Raleigh NC. (www.guruguitarshop.com). I will update as I get closer to completing them. Well, I guess that's all for now. Check out pictures of the shop and new guitars in progress. Until the next post...

Take Care,

Clay


Putting up the first wall.

Nailing off the main beam.

Putting up the ridge board.

The roof.

Sheathing the outside

Siding.

The almost finished product.

Beginning the semi-hollow archtop



Guitars bound for Guru Guitars