New All Original Shape...

is shaping up. The spec phase is done and the CAD drawing work is underway. We're very exited about the "Tonar" and can't wait for its' debut. The style is sort of retro-modern. That term is coined from descriptions of recent cars that hearken back to the good old days of muscle cars, but offer modern conveniences, too. Like the latest Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, and my ride, the FJ Cruiser. Check out a spec drawing. A few details are already different in the CAD files we've created so far, but basically the shape will remain the same. It'll be a wood/plexi fusion and I would like to see how it looks with the plexi polished on the front and sides, but left frosted on the back. I tried to emulate that effect on the illustration.

Jamey Ice's Touring Rig

Check out Jamey's rig featuring the Bell Jazzblaster...
Play the movie on the right side of the bell guitar page. Here.

New SS models are now available!

And they are nice, too. These feature the wood/plexi fusion, but there are no contours. This cuts down considerably on labor so we can afford to sell them for less than the CTS models. As of now there are the SS-E and SS-V shapes. Check them out on the site right now!

Coming soon we will have SS-T (Tele-shaped) and an original Bell Custom Guitar shape. (Name yet to be determined)

We also plan to make good on that plexi bass promise. The same shape as the Ahu bass, but a full 34" scale length instead of the 32" the Ahu sports. It will be deemed the Moai.

If Murphy and his law stay out of our way, we'll have these protos by spring.

Tell a friend about Bell Guitars, OK? OK!

We Made It!

Man, talk about cutting it close. Don was working on the SS V guitar during the show! My hat's off to D for making it happen. We were able to show three new SS models. Two "E" shapes and one "V". The left handed "V" didn't make it as we were waiting on the left-handed tuners to show and they did not.

Reaction to the new line was good, but we noticed something about the folks who glance at the guitar. They don't see the wood. It seems that unless they had the guitar in their hands inspecting it, they didn't notice the wood. As if the acrylic were painted or something. The beauty of these guitars is that the tone comes from the wood and the low end flub and high end harshness are filtered out by the density of the acrylic. The difference is not just in the materials, but also in the tone. My buddy and key man Maui and I were talking and had the thought that the Bells had piano-like qualities in that regard. Just ask Rocky Athas, Ed Roland or Jamey Ice.

Thanks to everyone who came by and chatted with us and thanks for blowing up our Facebook friend requests!

Now back at the shop it's time to clean, clean, clean, do some repairs, get busy on our first truly original shape, finish my eb0 re-furb, build some cloud clones, and get that Tele model into Brett's hands before Christmas!

Monday' progress and set backs

Don was working extra hard at the shop last night preparing the SSe and SSv guitars for the show. It seemed that every time he went to use a tool (sander, CNC machine, you name it), there was an issue. So instead of just diligently working on creating guitars, he was adapting tools, cleaning screw threads and overcoming machining roadblocks for the entire 4 hours I was present. I mostly stayed out of the way and cleaned.

So, if all goes well, we'll be painting tomorrow and building on Thursday. Fingers are not crossed, they are working.

Also, don't eat the shop yogurt.

Cutting it Close...

The Arlington Guitar Show is this weekend and it looks like the original thought of having five new models to show would be too much to ask. Time, repairs and custom builds tend to suck up a lot of Don's time. But we should at least have two new models ready for viewing at the show. The "SS-V" and the "SS-E".

Above: The CNC machine does Don's bidding and routs out the control panel section for the SS-V.

Ed Roland Jazz Blaster is Complete...

Front-man Ed Roland of Collective Soul will soon be the proud owner of this Bell Custom Guitars JazzBlaster. Notice the stripe that surrounds the body. This was Ed's idea. It provides a more traditional cue without being traditional at all. Hopefully we will see the Bell on stage with Collective Soul soon!