Guitars

The Earthcaster is a bare bones telecaster style guitar set on saving the world one guitar at a time. 

With one eye on sustainability and the other on the time honored history of luthiery,  this guitar is built with salvaged and reclaimed wood.

1 piece slab body (wood species may vary occasionally due to availability of wood)

We regularly use Pine, Redwood, Ash or Swamp Ash.

Solid Quarter Sawn Maple Neck honoring the 1950's style Fender guitars (wood species may vary occasionally due to availability of wood. 

Pickups: We love pickups and love experimenting with the options available to us. There are so many exceptional pickup makers out there today that we can't settle on just one. The type of pickups greatly influence the overall sound of the finished guitar.Here are a few of our normal pickup choices:

Lollar

Sheptone

Arcane

T.V. Jones

Seymour Duncan

2 pickup configuration.

1955-56 Soft V Neck Profile  

This guitar comes stock with a our classic Bolt water slide decal on the headstock.

Optional upgrade to Sterling Silver Bezel encasing a classic hardwood lightning bolt logo. (wood bolt may be made from Rosewood, Ebony or other classic hardwoods)

Back of headstock is hand signed, dated and serialized.

Electronics:

We use high quality USA made pots and switches.

We use a variety of new and NOS vintage caps such as Black Beauties, Sprague Bumble Bees, Oil in Paper, Foil, Ceramic,  etc.  

Custom options are available for an additional charge.

Current build time is approximately 2-5 months.

Check with us to see if we have anything in stock.

Use the Shop Pay option to pay over time.

Similar to Les Paul construction this guitar is built with a hardwood wood cap on top of the body.

The Earthcaster is a bare bones telecaster style guitar set on saving the world one guitar at a time. 

With one eye on sustainability and the other on the time honored history of luthiery,  this guitar is built with salvaged and reclaimed wood.

1 piece slab body (wood species may vary occasionally due to availability of wood)

Solid Maple Neck, normally quarter sawn honoring the 1950's style Fender guitars (wood species may vary occasionally due to availability of wood. Also using Oak, Hickory Rosewood and Mahogany)

Pickups: We love pickups and love experimenting with the options available to us. There are so many exceptional pickup makers out there today that we can't decide on just one. The type of pickups greatly influence the overall sound of the finished guitar.

Here are a few of our normal pickup choices:

Lollar

Sheptone

T.V. Jones

Seymour Duncan

2 pickup configuration.

1955-56 Soft V Neck Profile  

Inlay. This guitar comes with a Sterling Silver Bezel encasing a classic hardwood lightning bolt logo. (wood bolt may be made from Rosewood, Ebony or other classic hardwoods)

All custom options are available for an additional charge.

Bare Bones, Rock Solid, Endless Sustain, Vibe For Days, The Mojo Meter is Pegged!

 Current build time is approximately 2-4 months.

Check with us to see if we have anything in stock.

Use the Shop Pay option to pay over time.

Black Volt Guitars, like our amplifiers, are all made from mostly reclaimed wood dating from the last hundred years honoring the tones found in our favorite guitars from the Golden Age of guitar production, the 1940's to the 1960's.

One of the many benefits of old wood is that it has had time to dry and cure naturally resulting in a more settled and mature tone.

Another benefit is that the wood will not move as the guitar begins it's new life.

It is straight and true and ready for many years of dependable service

Maple or Roasted Maple neck

Reclaimed Maple or Ash top / Upgrade to solid Rosewood top for an additional $200.

SEMI HOLLOW BODY - Reclaimed Solid 1 piece body / Hollow on upper bout.

Boutique pickups that recreate the early 1950's T style pickups

Vintage style low output. Very punchy and round clean tones

All aged hardware

Use the Shop Pay option to pay over time.

Black Volt Guitars, like our amplifiers, are all made from mostly reclaimed wood dating from the last one to two hundred years honoring the tones found in our favorite guitars from the Golden Age of guitar production, the 1940's to the 1960's.

One of the many benefits of old wood is that it has had time to dry and cure naturally resulting in a more settled and mature tone.

Another benefit is that the wood will not move as the guitar begins it's new life

It is straight and true and ready for many more years of dependable service

Specifications:

Maple or Roasted Maple neck

Reclaimed Maple or Ash top

Reclaimed Solid 1 piece body

Bigsby Tremolo System that has been optimized for  effortless and sensitive pitch bending

5 position switch / pickup selector

Custom Lollar Mini Humbucker / Single Coil /  Mini Humbucker Pickup Set

All aged hardware

Use the Shop Pay option to pay over time.

 The Kalamazoo T-Style is built in the tradition of all of the great violin and guitar makers dating back to the 1600's in the style of Antonio Stradivarius.

Maple body and Spruce top. Usually Hollow or semi hollow.

We decided to carry on that centuries old tradition in our own voice in the form of a T Style guitar. 

Hollow Maple body except for a center block (think es 335)

Sitka spruce top

Rear mounted controls / no metal control plate

1940s Gibson / Kalamazoo style dark Sunburst

Ebony or Rosewood fretboard

Bone nut

Quarter Sawn Maple or Roasted Maple neck, soft V profile

All finished in nitro lacquer

Vintage PAF Style MINI Humbucker neck pickup / 1952 style Tele Bridge Pickup

All aged hardware

Vintage style ashtray bridge

Kluson Supreme tuners / 18:1 Gear ratio

Tortoise 1/2 pic guard and matching rear control plate cover

We are beyond thrilled to be able offer this very special limited edition of Hollywood Bowl Guitars and Basses including a custom tour poster by BOB DYLAN'S graphic artist, Geoff Gans.

These instruments will all be constructed using the reclaimed wood benches that have seated concert goers and absorbed the magic for 100 years.

The Hollywood Bowl was built in 1910 but the bench seats were installed approximately 100 years ago in 1923. This makes it the 100 year anniversary!

At this point we have not yet defined an exact number of instruments that will be made as we are still calculating the amount of wood we actually have access to.

We are currently building 18 pre sold instruments and will offer approximately 12 more here that will be available until all are sold or have deposits.

The total limited edition will be approximately 30 instruments total.

Corey McCormick with his Bowl Bass #48 sitting in the new seat #48. This picture was taken before the Willie Nelson 90th Birthday celebration. Corey plays bass with Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Lukas Nelson. We finished this bass for Corey just days before this show so that he could play it onstage at this legendary night of celebration and performances.

This wood is in a very limited supply and when it is gone it is gone. We will never be able to offer this instrument in this way again. This is a once in a lifetime chance to be a part of this collection of music history.

PRICE TO BE DETERMINED.

We will send out an email to our mailing list and announce it on our social media when we have all of the details worked out. Sign up for our email list to get updated when this collection goes live. Or feel free to reach out directly for more information.

Included with each instrument will be:

- 1 Telecaster Style Guitar or Bass made from 100 year old Alaskan Yellow Cedar from The Bowl benches as the instrument top, over 100 year old Pine or Redwood body. Maple or Mahogany neck with Maple or Rosewood fretboard.

-Buyer has the option of 2 finishes.

1. As pictured, 2 tone 50's style Sunburst which is modeled after Sting's original 2 tone burst 1950's Telecaster Bass.

or

2. Natural oil finish which will leave the natural patina of the wood completely visible.

Bass pickups will be a custom built Curtis Novak Humbucker with 2 separate coils and 4 way switching that allows 4 unique voices. 1- bridge coil, 2- both coils in Parallel, 3- neck coil, 4- both coils in series for that fat Mudbucker sound (minus the mud;) 

Guitar pickup options are : Standard tele single coils or single coil bridge and Full Humbucker in the neck position. All guitar pickups will be made by Lollar . Jason Lollar is one of the best pickup makers in the business and we are big fans of his work. Neck humbuckers will be Lollar Imperials. All Hardware will be aged and patina'd to match the age of this legendary wood.

Please let us know which options you prefer and we will note that on your build sheet.

- 1 custom tour poster created by the one and only Mr. Geoff Gans. 

Each instrument will come with a special tour poster designed for these instruments and it's design is being inspired by the history and memorabilia surrounding the bowl.

Geoff is a 5 time Grammy award nominee who has done most of the art work for Bob Dylan over the past 25 years. Also designing many album packages for Paul Simon, and most recently working with Kurt Vile and Lukas Nelson on their recent releases. We are very excited to have Geoff working with us to bring one of a kind artwork to this limited edition project.

- One of a kind custom Black Volt / G and G collaboration hardshell case. Details yet TBD.

- Black Volt Certificate of Authenticity with all details of the unique instrument.

50% Deposit due now to secure your instrument on our build list and balance due when complete. Plus possible shipping if applicable.

This collection will sell out so don't miss your chance to own your own special, playable piece of music history!

Estimated build time is 2-4 months.

Instruments will be built and completed in the order that we receive them.

We can’t wait to get your custom guitar or bass started and we thank you soo much!!!

Kind regards,

Gio and the BV Team

Above: #27 with 2 Tone Burst finish and Lollar Imperial HB neck and single coil bridge.

Above: #31 with Natural Oil Finish and custom Lollar set of Mini HB and strat with Bigsby.

OCT 1963