Neal Mabee
Bootleg Buckaroo
Wood,
32in x 12.5in
Sometimes when I see a historic guitar I ask myself how I would build that same guitar in that same time period - How I might reimagine, how I might progress the core concept. I am NOT interested in how I would make the same guitar more modern - but rather, how I would I have approached it in that moment, with the same capabilities and limitations. The Buck Owens Buckaroo telecaster is one of my all time favorite guitars. It's flashy bordering on abnoxious with clear Evel Knievel vibes. It's a true country picker but, when pushed, it can rip with the best of them. This example is a re-exploration of that guitar, it shows how I would have made the Buck Owens guitar if the project had come to me.
Neal Mabee
Yellow Barncaster
Wood,
34in x 13.5in
I like the idea of time compression in artifacts - years of history demonstrated in a single object. I like to imagine each guitar has has been owned. loved and modified buy a series of players of decades of use. each phase of the guitar's historyis visible in the dents, dings, paint, repaint, mismatched hardware, etcetera. This history helps make the guitar feel both more precious and more approachable which are the two things a great guitar should be. In this way every guitar I make is a snapshot along it's path toward perfection, each guitar is a continual work in progress.
Oliver Meinerding
Fiend
Mixed Media - Graphite, Ink, Collage, Acrylic,
12in x 16in