Bell Custom Guitars Blog

One of a Kind...

2011-08-28T07:53:00.003-05:00

Imagine if you will: A semi-hollow acrylic/wood hybrid in the vein of a Gibby 335. Now imagine it's shaped like an Explorer. That's what's happening with this little experiment here. Why? Because we can!

Acrylic Cut For BCG's New Tonar Guitar

2011-08-24T17:02:00.004-05:00

The Tonar (short for "totally gnarly") is finally taking shape. This will be a 100% original design, a first for Bell Custom Guitars. The body will be mahogany and plex, with a touch more wood than the JazzBlaster, so the weight will be down a bit, too. Check out a model screen shot here, and an illustration here.

Miggs Video Premier Featuring BCG JazzBlaster. Oh, and Lindsey Lohan.

2011-08-19T15:41:00.002-05:00

The Bell Custom Guitars JazzBlaster can be seen at about the 1:40 mark. Thanks to Don Miggs for letting us be a small part of his big thing. Good luck, Miggs!

Video of Gary Hutchison on the JazzBlaster

2011-04-05T11:35:00.002-05:00

From the 2010 Arlington Guitar Show.
Watch Here.

A Raving Testimonial...

2011-04-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

I bought the frosty JazzBlaster in March of 2011. Everything about the transition was smooth as silk and I got my guitar inside of a month from the time I ordered it. Communication with Don was great and I always felt like I knew what was going on during the process. And what a guitar! Outstanding workmanship, unique, and with a wide variety of classic tones available just from jacking it into an amp. Very versatile. And incredible sustain, even at low volumes on an amps dirty channel (and no pedals). It's hard to imagine a style of music that this guitar couldn't do well. Plus, the LEDs are cool, I have to admit. Good job, Don.

- Walter Ehresman

Bell Custom Guitars in Premier Guitar Feature

2011-02-16T15:44:00.002-06:00

It's true! Check it out here. Then tell two friends...
Thanks Premier ; )

New GRO video featuring Jamey Ice and his JazzBlaster

2010-12-17T15:13:00.001-06:00

A tasty choice of covers, too.

View here.

Reverse Fret Job

2010-11-28T19:10:00.003-06:00

My frets were perfect.

So we reverse-buffed them...

Taped up the fretboard...

and grinded the frets with a special fret wearer to simulate years of shredding abuse.

Now they're all messed up.

Arlington Guitar Show 2010

2010-10-25T08:06:00.003-05:00

We were at the 2010 Texas Guitar Show in Arlington. We have pictures to prove it.

At the booth, Don showed two new JazzBlaster versions. This "Soapy" one,

And this "Frosty" one. I'm digging the frost and when I finally get my Bell you can bet it'll be cold chillin'.

This had to be the most beautiful guitar at the show. A deluxe JazzBlaster with rectangle inlays and binding on the neck. This thing just shines.

We're crossing our fingers that someone videoed the showdown performance between a vintage Fender Nocaster and Jerry Amalfitanos' blue and gold JazzBlaster. I hear the Bell was the tone champion as Don saw and heard it live. I have yet to see it, but if it's posted YouTube-ish I'll link it up here.

Free Guitar with T-Shirt Purchase!

2010-09-15T17:31:00.003-05:00

Of course the shirts are kind of expensive. They range from about $995 to around $2,495.

JazzBlaster Special Video

2010-09-01T11:43:00.001-05:00

I'm a real fumbly masher. But the tone is good. First part is with neck pu, second with bridge.

SS-ER Review in Premier Guitar Magazine

2010-08-17T17:44:00.004-05:00

Muchos, muchos gracias to the guys at Premier Guitar Magazine. We are honored to have the SS-ER reviewed in their latest issue. Go buy it, folks! Or check it out online!

Before and After...

2010-07-28T08:16:00.001-05:00

Pics from the owner of a torched and broken LP, risen from the ashes.
Here.

Drought Buster / Maker

2010-07-21T15:45:00.003-05:00

Here's Don's front door. Don was at Wal-Mart when I arrived. I sat back in the sedan and listened to the Rangers' game. I had forgotten to call... again.

Dude. Here are two proto guitars that Don built for a designer. The paint's not by Bell.

And here's the bass. Cool perspective shot 'cause Don is tall.

The BellMobile_2. Don's fixed 'er up nice and she's good to go.

This is a Martin. It was all cracked up on the top sides and backside. D fixed it that sh!t.

OK, going on vacation for a couple of weeks. But if NEWS BREAKS!, I'll be online and postin'.

Stay cool 'til then.

Realy?

Player Page on Web Site

2010-07-15T12:43:00.002-05:00

Check it out, folks. Dis be who playin' da Bells! If you own a Bell Custom Guitar and want your mug and rap sheet on our player page, send me a photo and some info about yourself and your musical endeavors. What's with these underlines? Thanks, blogger!

JazzBlaster Ambassador

2010-07-09T20:34:00.003-05:00

Here's GRO's Jamey Ice and friend, Phil Traina of The Finding. The JazzBlaster is Phil's.

Phil loaned the guitar to Andy Davis of Jeremy Camps' band.

Andy played it at Spirit West Coast in Monterey.

Another post-fire finish

2010-06-28T17:00:00.003-05:00

What's the deal with all of these guitars in fires lately? Here's a LP Custom, I believe. The hardware will be black. If it's still in the shop I'll get some finalized pics tomorrow.

Phil Traina's Review of the JazzBlaster

2010-06-27T17:23:00.002-05:00

Quote

I received this guitar in the mail on Friday direct from Don Bell of
www.bellcustomguitars.com. I am writing this after playing it solid
for three days. The rig I am using to demo this is JazzBlaster
plugged direct into a Morgan Amplification Dual40.
(www.morganamplification.com)

My first impression of the JazzBlaster after unpacking it is WOW! This
looks cool. It looks better in person than even the website pics. I
first contacted Don based on the look or flash factor of the guitars
he builds. I was in the search of something different. I found it!

Just looking at the guitar you can tell care and precision were
involved in the building process. The JazzBlaster is based on a
Jazzmaster body style but oh it is so different when it comes to
construction. Let’s start with the body of this guitar. Down the
center of the body is a beautiful piece of swamp ash finished in a
translucent white reminiscent of the Mary Kaye white we’ve all grown
to know and love. Married to the wood are two wings of perfectly
sculpted contoured high grade plexi/acrylic. Embedded in the side
where the plexi/acrylic meets the wood are 2 sets of 3 LED lights, white, green
and blue. To control the lights there are two mini toggle switches.
The two way switch turns the white light on or off and the three way
switch controls the green lights to the right, blue light to the left
and off in the center. You can also have the white and either the
green or blue on at the same time for a very cool effect. The ultimate
stage guitar! The JazzBlaster is fitted with a string through body,
two nickel Amafitano vintage PAF pickups
(http://amalfitanopickups.com), three nickel barrel knobs, two volume
and one tone and a three way pickup selector. The white perloid
pickguard adds an extra touch of class and flash to already visually
stunning instrument.

On to the neck, Don went over and above for me on this set neck. I
like a little more chunk in the neck department. This perfectly
shaped maple masterpiece is contoured similar to the late 50’s Gibson
style necks. It is 25.5” scale and has maybe the most consistent
rosewood fret board I have yet to see. The dot inlay is immaculate,
and where the neck meets the body is super solid and the neck tenon is
nice and long, Don says around 4” or so. The fret work was perfect.
The nut is flawless and the action and setup was perfect. The guitar
showed up in tune and ready to play. I only spotted one extremely
minute finish flaw. Right next to the nut toward the head stock was a
minor rough spot. Other than that the finish was as close to perfect
as you could ask for.

This guitar is a TONE MACHINE!! I must admit I was leery of how well
this instrument would sound. I had never seen anything like it, I had
no point of reference. All of my doubts were shattered after the
first acoustic strum. You could tell even before it was plugged in
there was something special here. So I plugged it in….Oh my goodness!
It brought new meaning to “Bell Custom” This guitar was so clear, so
open, so harmonically rich, so “Bell” like. I couldn’t believe it.
The neck pickup is so usable unlike so may other dual humbucker equiped
guitars. I must have spent two hours playing in the neck position
alone. The Bridge position was equally great a bit more high
frequency response, as we would expect but not so in your face that it
was offensive. It was like a veil had been lifted off my amp. The
bass was tighter and the upper mids and highs were so clear. This was
what a guitar should sound like. Now in trying to explain tone we can
use the benchmark guitars ie; Strats and Les Pauls. To me the
JazzBlaster took the best parts of the vintage world and brought them
into the 21st century. This guitar is so responsive you can get
almost any type of tone out of it. It can get the bright almost
strat-ish tones to the tele spank to the darker woodsy tone of the
best dual humbucker guitars. The tone in and of itself is nice and
round. It fills out space perfectly. You would have to try really
hard to get a bad sound from this guitar.

The Verdict:
I am super picky when it comes to tone and sound from my instruments.
But, I’ll tell you what, the Bell Custom JazzBlaster is now in my
permanent arsenal. You could order any of Bell Custom guitars sight
unseen and be extremely pleased. Don was a pleasure to work with and
I wouldn’t hesitate to refer anybody who is looking for the holy grail
of tone to contact him. Do yourself a favor and play one. Once these
guitars catch on they will be in the hands of the best players in the
world. I truly believe that! Thanks Don for building an amazing
instrument with all the flair a guitar player could ask for.

Phil Traina
“The Finding”
www.thefindingmusic.com

End quote

2 classy fretboards...

2010-06-27T16:27:00.002-05:00

As your eyes tell you, Don has graced these fretboards with rectangle inlays and binding. It really classes up the shop. But as soon as they are on the JazzBlasters they are intended for, the shop will go back to appearing classless.

My New Fender DR II Has Arrived

2010-06-24T17:08:00.004-05:00

Thanks, UPS, for taking care with my package.

Thanks, Phil, for packing her up tight and right.

Some assembly required, and I don't mind a bit!

WooHoo! After about 2 hours of tidying up (it was just a bit dusty) she looks beautiful and sounds great, too. The reverb tank is picking up a strong Hispanic radio reception. That's good, right? I'll put her through the paces tomorrow.

Andy's SG 7 Almost Ready to Rock Again

2010-06-23T15:39:00.002-05:00

Here's ol' Andy's 7 string SG shape Bell Custom Guitar after leaving the burn unit. It's ready for the trimmins now. Remember how it looked before? Icky. Even before that. I'll post the beauty when it's done.

New Bender Unit

2010-06-17T15:11:00.002-05:00

We got one of these. A fret wire bender. Finally. Now we can get rid of our old unreliable unit.

Our Sandiest Fretboards Yet! or MEGAPowder Slide.

2010-06-14T22:58:00.004-05:00

We're going to put these on a couple of guitars. Look at that little amp feel shame in my presence.

Stewart MacDonald keeps leaving his tools at the shop.

Bell Custom Guitars Welcomes Steve Stevens

2010-06-10T17:21:00.004-05:00

Alright. What can I say here. It's Steve Stevens. Words cannot express how proud we are to have Steve be a part of our family of players. Just days before the Billy Idol tour began, Steve contacted us and purchased the last JazzBlaster of our second generation run. Upon receiving the guitar, he had this to say:

"Hi Don, I got the guitar today. Stunning! I expected a nice instrument and purchased it based on the "flashy" factor. This guitar is soooooo much more. It's craftsmanship is flawless. I head out for tour in Europe in a week and the Bell will be with me. I will send you some photos of it in action asap that you can use however you like. I couldn't be happier with this beauty.
All the best,
Steve Stevens"

So, yeah. Photos as soon as we get 'em. Steve and the boys will be coming through in August and we'll be there.

The Phoenix, She Rises.

2010-06-10T16:39:00.003-05:00

This Les Paul custom was in a terrible, asinine, ridiculously warm fire. Sorry no before pics. Imagine a struck wood match that has burned down all cartoony. Now you have the before visualization. It will return to life looking better than before.

Here's a look at how Andy's seven string Bell Custom is coming along. I was in a horrible, rotten, despicable burny fire. It's gonna be all better. There, there.

Delivering Dreams

2010-06-09T14:38:00.003-05:00

This is a left-handed sanding technique mastered and switched goofy handed right. What?

It's a neck through so... You won't be needing this. The appendix of neck throughs.

Appendix yet to be removed.

Da big bass, bruddah.

Does that make you smile. Only if it's your dream, huh?
Don just built these prototypes for an aspiring designer.
The job was work, the work is done, the fun and work, were work and fun.

Dave O Video Snip

2010-06-06T07:20:00.002-05:00

One of the first Bell owners and the man responsible for my involvement in Bell Custom Guitars is captured tracking sleeveless.

Haters Love Us (or) Opinions Are Like A-Holes...

2010-05-31T09:18:00.004-05:00

Here are some fun posts by some folks who are opposed to our style of guitar.

From a Fender Bulletin:

Ah HA! That is what it reminds me of! The light up neon guitar clock in this room that I bought for $19 at the local drug store!

Ummmm.......no thanks. Not very fond of the tonal quality of plexi-glass.

A plexi guitar that looks like it should be hooked up to a video game. Then somebody has the nerve to tack on a three grand price tag. They are on some serious drugs at Bell Guitars. No thanks I got better things to do with three large.

I'm sure there are some more slam posts out there and as they surface, I'll likely post them. It'll be fun to look back at them while I'm waiting for the Lamborghini to get painted on my private island.

We get all kinds of comments, but the people who have actually played one all seem to have good things to say.

It's great that these guitars are so polarizing.

Fire Damage / Wasp Control

2010-05-26T14:27:00.004-05:00

There's D. He's doing some sanding on a Les Paul that was in a fire. Hey, what's going on with all of this fire? Let's be more careful out there, OK!?

Sometimes binding refuses to bind. It is at that point it needs to be bound with a binding agent.

A message to all you harmful pests: "Don't bring it to the shop!"

Now let's enjoy our traditional post-kill snack. The mosquitos were eating my legs at this point.

Here's Andy's Bell Custom 7 string that was in a fire. It's about to be sanded down and made smoothie smooth. Repairs have been done to the headstock. See.

This Gibby is Jamie Ice's. It needs some love. Can Don get it done?

Yes.

eb0 Refurb is Done!

2010-05-17T08:52:00.006-05:00

It's been a while since I last posted about the 69 Gibson eb0 I've been refurbishing. Here is the final product. I kept the original tuners, humbucker, and electronics. I also left the back of the neck unpainted because I like the way it feels. Don made me a tortoise shell pickguard, too, but the original is pictured here. New bridge, knobs, frets and paint detail. It felt like it was going to fall apart every time I played it before. Now it's solid as a rock. Thanks for your help, Don.

ToneBlaster in Spanish!

2010-05-15T17:11:00.000-05:00

We made el fronto page-o. Volumen11.

Premier Guitar

2010-05-13T15:54:00.002-05:00

We are on the front page of the Premier Guitar web site. At least for a little bit. Check out the Premier Guitar site if you haven't. It's chock full o' stuff.

To the shop!

2010-05-13T11:23:00.002-05:00

I went to see Don at ye olde guitar shoppe last night. We discussed players, lovers, religion, television and working out. He gave me some lessons on soloing technique and gave me homework, too.

We are almost sold out completely of the stock we just built. I think there is one guitar left out of the latest batch of 6. So, it's on to building the necks for the bodies we do have. 6 JazzBlasters and 3 ToneBlasters. I'd say we are likely 6 weeks away from having them available.

The Tonar model and a JazzBlaster style bass are on deck.

No photos for you as my old school Nokia phone cam isn't playing nice with the mac today. One day I'll have one of those smart phone/max ipads and then you'll all be in big trouble.

BCG Press Release...

2010-05-11T17:13:00.001-05:00

is on HC page. Now check it.

New Videos

2010-05-11T08:12:00.001-05:00

We have some new videos up on our You Tube page. Some from the shop and some from the GRO show last month. Enjoy!

BAB photo right here...

2010-05-10T14:41:00.001-05:00

Don't cross the 'tross.

New Guitars, Site...

2010-05-06T18:02:00.001-05:00

New guitars in stock! New look to the site. You. Go. Look now.
http://www.bellcustomguitars.com/

What Am I Doing?

2010-05-03T22:39:00.003-05:00

I'm updating the website. It's gonna be better than the last version.
Gratis.

Green River Ordinance at HOB Dallas

2010-04-26T15:17:00.003-05:00

Jamey was kind enough to give Don and I tix to see GRO at the HOB. They sounded super tight and were very entertaining. Kudos.

Also there are two videos from the show on our YouTube page.

Interesting DIGF Shots...

2010-04-19T12:23:00.005-05:00

The two new Beatles members. This gentleman was giving a shredding demo. He wasn't about to, he wasn't done. He was still shredding in this photo. I don't think he's thinking about guitar, though. I think he sees those football/model chics in the next booth.

I actually would have bought this guitar if I had $100. Frankensteined together with Gibson-Baldwin parts n' such by Jimmy from Jimmy's Guitar Repair.

Some guitars have birthday cake vomit.

This guitar is sure to sell as it has the elements of a winner. Texas loves football and music.

This guitar is actually manufactured to be sold. Needs more stuff on it before I buy. Maybe a Trans Am.

This guitar has it all. A knob, a sturdy pick guard, some bat wings, and some fret flames. The search is over.

I'll just be quiet here and listen to the crowd.

These last two are fun-shaped.

Saturday at the Dallas International Guitar Festival

2010-04-18T09:44:00.002-05:00

Don lovingly "warms up" all of the guitars to get them prepared for fondling by show goers.

Brett is trying to decide if everything is gonna be alright with his new guitar, the Bell A Blaster.

Yes, it's gonna be OK.

See that red guitar there in the front? It may be the last time you do. It was sold before I could get pictures for the website. That's an OK problem, though. It means Don can buy his monthly ration of Top Ramen and Pop Rocks.

Here's the booth in the morning.

The next post will include some of the more interesting guitars from the show.

Thanks for looking.

Final Show Countdown Report

2010-04-14T08:39:00.002-05:00

Oh, yeah. Bow down.

The cherry red one.

The one and only Bell A Blaster. This one's for Brett. It has an Amalfitano bridge pu and Amalfitano p45. Sick.

See you at the show.

Show Countdown Update #13

2010-04-07T14:31:00.004-05:00

OK, that's the butterscotch ToneBlaster. It'll get a black pickguard.

That's the BAB ToneBlaster in white. It's going to have a P45 at the neck along with a pearly pickguard.

This one's cherry red.

There are a few more not pictured here. Last night I did a few wiring harnesses for the LEDs. Man, there is a lot of work that goes into these guitars. All these need the LED systems built and installed as well as pickguards. Almost there, though, fools.

Show Countdown Update #12

2010-03-31T22:49:00.003-05:00

This red guitar here will be a stunner. Fo Sho.

See the way the reflection grabs the grain of the wood. I think that it'll make for good contrast against the plexi. Don does, too. We may not put the glass top on some of these. We'll see.

Getting there.

These will make the show, too.

This one's candy apple red.

Well, see ya later.

Show Countdown Update #11

2010-03-30T09:48:00.003-05:00

So I did some more wiring last night. I will do more on Wednesday and hopefully be done wiring the show guitars. More wiring is ahead, however, as we must also build the harnesses for the LEDs.

Checking the fit for the ToneBlaster bodies.

Don was spraying while I was wiring. These are the ash guitars. Butterscotch, cherry, and white.
Bell a Blaster not pictured here, as it was receiving special treatment.

The cherry will look very nice.

Show Countdown Update #10

2010-03-28T11:45:00.004-05:00

Remember this custom 7 built for Andy? It was in a fire. Don's gonna make it all better again. Should be good as new when the work is done. Sorry about the fire, Andy.

The body.

Yesterday I finished the white LED wiring and wired some switches for the JazzBlasters and ToneBlasters.

These are the ash bodies just hanging around waiting for paint.

I'll be wiring the pots, input and switches like this tomorrow.

Show Countdown Update #9

2010-03-23T21:06:00.004-05:00

These JazzBlasters are masked for paint.

I spent my night making the rest of the LED fittings for the show guitars.

Don masked this ToneBlaster guitar to the tune of Chocolate and Cheese... by Ween.

Show Countdown Update #8

2010-03-21T11:07:00.004-05:00

I prepared 40 white super bright light emitting diodes that will be used in the show guitars.

It took about 3 hours to make all of these. Trim, trim, trim, splice, splice, bend, twist, twist, solder, solder, trim, trim, test, shrink tube, shrink tube, repeat. 80 more to go!

Don adjusting the pup routing template to fit the Bell-a-Blaster for Brett's hardware.

Here are the the routed JazzBlasters for the show.

Don completing the routes for the Bell-a-Blaster.

We will be painting very soon. Monday, hopefully.

Countdown post #7...

2010-03-16T16:54:00.003-05:00

Don spent most of his time sanding and polishing last week while I was out. The new batch of guitars look like glass! Shown here are four JazzBlasters and two SST's.

Now they feel and look like guitars instead of just parts. Don began shaping the neck joins and routing for the pickups last night. The new neck join is VERY comfy and looks fluid, too (I'll photograph this for you on Saturday and include it in the next blog). I sanded the remaining guitar bodies that don't have necks yet. Although I spent 3 hours sanding, I probably only got about half the work done. We go through tons of sandpaper. 6 different grits for each guitar, I believe.

A little more work

2010-03-06T15:02:00.003-06:00

Here's the 12th fret graphic for Brett's Bell-A-Blaster. We machined the pearl because of the minute details. It's full of epoxy and glue right here.

Now it's had the fret slots widened, the fret wire cut, frets set, glued, trimmed and sanded. Just about to be glued to the neck.

Don sands and shapes a neck for one of the guitars. An SST, I think.

Countdown Update #6...

2010-03-03T15:29:00.005-06:00

Some necks are fit to their bodies.

One SST will be the worlds first and last Bell-A-Blaster.

We surfaced about 10 headstocks last night. Next they get ears and then they can mate.

Here are some necks. I filed two fretboard edges last night. Wow. I know. Right?

Last night my wife told my two year old offspring she was cleaning the funk out of his toes.
This morning he asked me if I could "Peas get da fuk out da toes". "Hell yes", I said.

Countdown Update #5...

2010-02-28T08:08:00.003-06:00

The Tonar 3D modeling is just about done. Looking damn good.

Here's an SST guitar with the neck fitted. We began shaping the necks for the show guitars yesterday, and will be attaching them to their bodies this coming week. It's all cake after that!

An SST sandwich on JazzBlaster bread.

Latest Tonar Design...

2010-02-22T21:32:00.002-06:00

Here's the Tonar with a few adjustments and some fantasy stuff that probably wont make production. It's a direct import from the 3D program Rhino into Illustrator, so the lines of the body are exact, but the neck and pups and stuff are not to scale.

In Law to the Rescue

2010-02-21T18:14:00.002-06:00

I'm back in the guitar designing business. My father-in-law had a monitor he was going to trash, so I took it. Design CPU is up and running and I can return to changing the world.

Hopefully I'll be back in the shop by Tuesday or Wednesday.

I'll post some Tonar designs soon.

Thanks, Chico!

Awe, man...

2010-02-19T15:26:00.002-06:00

The CRT monitor I use for the 3D guitar buildin' blew up yesterday. What a metallic stench it left behind. I imagine I can get one on the cheap or even on the free.

Don's working away at the shop today making necks for the SST and JB models.

What's that beeping sound? Better go see...

Show Countdown Report #4

2010-02-16T20:57:00.002-06:00

Well, not much happened tonight. I fretted two fingerboards. They are either for the JazzBlaster or the SST. That was nice. Four more to go. There's not much you can do at a geetar buildin' shop in two hours.

Right now I think I'll do some fanger pickin' on this here Martin.

Until next time...

Another Cloud Clone Delivered...

2010-02-15T15:02:00.001-06:00

Check out the photos and comments posted by the new owner and the members of the Prince.org message boards. Click here.

Show Countdown Entry #3

2010-02-13T15:39:00.004-06:00

A close-up view of the control pocket area and the one eighth radius edge of the SST guitar.

The back of the SST. LED power pocket, string through and switch pockets.

SST from the top. Control plate pocket and switch pocket routed.

JazzBlasters are getting smooth. Just gotta get the body relief sanded down.

Top view of the JBs.

So, detail and wet sanding will begin soon. That includes 6 sanding stages for each guitar. Bye bye fingerprints.

Oh, I'm saddened to say that the Tonar's development has been dealt a serious blow, and will likely not be ready by the guitar show. Please contact me through email and I will tell you where to send the condolence cash.

Show Countdown Report #2

2010-02-11T10:25:00.005-06:00

This photo shows the CAD work we did last night for the SST. The purple line items are the pockets for the controls. Starting at the top: Pup switch, wire trench, knob locations, and light switch locations. A kill switch will be installed on this particular model, and that's the circle behind the bridge.

A model view so we can see the switch locations in 3D.

While I was doing up the CAD, Don was finishing the control routes and edge relief bevels on the fronts of the JBs. This batch is turning out to be really nice.

Show Countdown report #1

2010-02-04T16:47:00.005-06:00

After leveling the faces of a dozen JazzBlasters with the hand sander. Looks kind of like Borderlands.

I'm posting this pic in for now, but Don may have me take it down. I don't think any secrets are being revealed, but I could be wrong. You can see by the color of Don's hands that we have working Avatar pods and will be completing the remainder of this project in Avatar form.

A stack of Tele bodies. I think these are going to be known as SST from now on. They are waiting for contouring, pup and pocket routes and more! There's yours on top, Brett!

Stack of the second generation Jazzblaster. We have made improvements to our processes which could result in smiles. These have yet to be face-sanded.

No progress on the Tonar.

I'm going out of town this weekend to do stuff. I'll hopefully be back in the shop next week. Pray for Don as he is working too hard.

Countdown to the show...

2010-02-02T16:22:00.002-06:00

April 16, 17 & 18. The 2010 Dallas International Guitar Festival.

Man, we've got a lot of work to do Don and I. Our plan is to have a few second generation JazzBlasters, a Tele shape or two, and the new all original Tonar.

As of now we've got the JBs, and the Tele bodies together, but still need to contour them, route them for pups, build the necks, and on and on. The Tonar doesn't even exist outside of a sketch!

I'll post picks of the process starting tomorrow night.

Wish us luck...

Paul DiFrancisco's Endorsment sounds like this...

2010-02-01T09:50:00.002-06:00

Thanks, Paul! You can check out Xes Whiskey here.

Live 80 at NYE in Dallas

2010-02-01T09:45:00.002-06:00

Check out Marc Daigle of the Dallas band Live 80 and his Bell Custom V.
Click here! and watch the video on the right.

A video from Ty

2010-01-26T11:28:00.001-06:00

Ty and his JazzBlaster do Joe Satriani.
Check it out on the homepage, homie.

The first V with lights...

2010-01-10T10:22:00.003-06:00

This one's another for Ed Roland of Collective Soul. It features the Amalfitano PAF style pups, string-through and set neck. Like his JazzBlaster, this V has the stripe around the acrylic to better accentuate the shape of the guitar for those in the nosebleeds! Sounds fantastic, too!

Happy New Year...

2010-01-01T13:52:00.001-06:00

now get to work!

We are surfacing six first-run Tele shapes today. Getting them one step closer to the finish line.

Photos and Another "Lit-up" Video...

2009-12-30T17:11:00.004-06:00

Probably should have waited to post all this stuff at once. Oh well. Enjoy...
Here's the second video, too. G'day, Ty!

JazzBlaster Video

2009-12-29T22:18:00.004-06:00

Don and I put the finishing touches on the last JazzBlaster Monday night and boy, is it a beauty. I love the white and chrome. The lights look really sweet on it, too. But as usual, the tone is just so nice. See and hear for yourself...

A landmark event has occurred...

2009-12-23T14:29:00.002-06:00

Sort of. Don is finishing up the last JazzBlaster of the first batch. This is number 12, I believe, and is going to a customer in Australia. It'll be the first white one with chrome appointments. The previous white ones have all been fitted with gold hardware. I think the chrome will be nice because the white is showing a nice gray wood grain through the translucent finish. I'll get better pics when it's done, but here are some phone pics for now.

Also Don is finishing up a red CTS V for Collective Soul front man Ed Roland. This will be his second Bell!

The work keeps piling up for D, so it looks like Christmas break will consist of one day. Christmas. Then it's right back to it for Bell Custom Shop workers.

Jamie Ice Video Interview, Take 2...

2009-12-21T17:01:00.002-06:00

OK, so after some constructive criticism from a potential client of ours, I have re-edited the Jamie Ice interview we did last summer. I've separated it into three parts, each part about two minutes or so. I think this is a great representation of our product, so watch them!

part one - The JazzBlaster

part two - The Tone

part three - The Studio

Now, I hope you enjoy them, but no critiquing!

-Paul

JazzBlaster in GRO's "Come On" Video...

2009-12-11T16:03:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Jamey Ice and Green River Ordinance on the completion of their video for "Come On", which is off of their Billboard Charting debut "Out Of My Hands".

We are very proud to be a part of Jamey's success (albeit a very small part) and I don't think we could find a more deserving guitarist to wield our axe.

The boys are charting #20 currently on the Billboard charts for Adult Pop Song, and are charting elsewhere throughout additional Billboard groupings.

Check out the video here. The JazzBlaster is in all it's glory at about 1:45 or so.

Thank you, Jamey.

Marc Daigle of LIVE 80...

2009-12-01T20:45:00.001-06:00

has some pretty strong feelings about his Bell Custom Guitar. See...

Last nights work...

2009-11-20T11:17:00.002-06:00

Did some Cloud Clone work on the CAD machine. Cut the body profiles out, cut the neck join, drilled the knob holes, and cut out the control pocket. On the tele models we did some top secret fine tuning for the joining process. I was only there for a few hours, but I think we made some good progress.
Don's still plugging away at repairs. A couple of refinishing jobs and some build-ups, too.

Back in the saddle.

2009-11-17T14:35:00.002-06:00

Had a good vacation weekend away from the shop, but now I need to wedge my way back in there to see what's happening. You all know the drill by now. I'm going to call Don and see if I can make him work on the Tele. I'll let you know how that goes.

Them there repairs...

2009-11-09T15:53:00.002-06:00

just keep on coming in. We are blessed to have 'em! However, I'm going to go over to the shop tomorrow night and try to convince Don to work on the Tele model.

Right now he's putting necks on Cloud Clones.

Blessings from across the pond...

2009-11-05T20:05:00.000-06:00

Check out this testimonial.

Ooh, that smell

2009-11-05T07:30:00.002-06:00

Not THAT smell, the smell of old guitars. Check out this '63 custom recently purchased for $15,000. All original. Don's doing a little work on it. The neck is whacky, so the thing won't stay in tune so I didn't play it. I pretended, though.

We also did some work on the Tele. We installed the light posts for all of the bodies last night. Next step is to fuse the bodies.

Damn Yankees won again.

Last night, tonight.

2009-11-04T06:48:00.002-06:00

Yeah, Don's a sci-fi buff so I didn't get over to the shop last night. He was checking out the premier of V on ABC. I don't think any dramas are worth watching if they are on network tv. Plus I saw the original in '83. I remember wishing I was watching Night Rider instead.

I did, however, watch Dirk go off for 29 points in the fourth quarter against the Jazz.

So yesterday evenings plans are now tonights', and we will be working on TELE!

Tonight

2009-11-03T16:32:00.002-06:00

Going to the shop tonight to coax Don into working on the Tele shape. He's really busy with repairs, which is great, but I feel like I've got to nag him about staying on top of the Bell product line.

New All Original Shape...

2009-10-29T15:26:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-24T10:32:00.001-05:00

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!

2009-10-22T15:36:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-10-19T15:27:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-13T09:11:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-10-11T22:56:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-10-11T22:45:00.002-05:00

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!

Working Away...

2009-09-14T07:27:00.003-05:00

Don's hard at work getting 5 or 6 of the new stock of Bell guitars ready for the Arlington Show in October. We are hoping to have two Vs, two Explorer shapes, and a Jazzblaster. If we have time, the Tele will make it into the mix. All of the parts for 40 guitars are just a few more steps away from being ready for assembly.

The new apparatus for connecting the plexi and wood. With Don's advent of the new body/plex joint, this method is necessary and should provide a seamless joint that's unseen from the outside.

Here's my tiny contribution to all 40 guitars. Machining the light poles that house the LEDs...

Funny GRO video...

2009-09-08T07:31:00.001-05:00

Here's a pretty funny look at GRO opening for David Cook in West Virginia. You almost don't notice the Double Bell guitars! Enjoy...

Guitar Show and Collective Soul Collecting...

2009-09-08T07:15:00.003-05:00

The big Arlington guitar show is coming up in October and we've got parts sitting around that will make up like 40 guitars, but none complete. So, the focus shifts from refurbs and repairs to the new batch of guitars. As I mentioned before, there will be JazzBlasters, Teles, Explorers and Vs. Each of them sporting some design improvements over the previous batch.

Brett, this means your tele will be in your hands sooner than later! Maybe before Christmas!

About 5 of these are already spoken for, two of which are going to Ed Rolan, the front man of Collective Soul. Ed had his people call Don's people (Don) and arrange a meeting so he could play some Bells and talk to Don about what he wants in a guitar. By the end of the night, Ed chose a JazzBlaster like Jamie Ice's (Green River Ordinance) and a flying V, too.

My Ebo has a thin layer of shop dust on it.

P

Back to the shop

2009-08-21T10:48:00.001-05:00

OK, I'm back from a 2 week vacation and what do I do when I return to the shop?
SAND! This time with water, though. The eb0 is now prepped and ready for paint. Hopefully I will be posting painting process pics next week. It's hard to finish this with just 3 hours at the shop a week, but I have to take what I can get.

While I was gone Don worked on getting his shop's electricity finished up in the spray booth as well as a bunch of acoustic repairs. Now that I'm back , I can urge him to get crackin' on the new Bells and the Tele proto for Brett.

eb0 headstock and prep / back to the Bells!

2009-07-29T08:09:00.003-05:00

Did some painting last night. Sprayed the headstock and then had to scrape away to the inlays underneath. I was quite a calming bit of work. There's something about scraping that lets you tune out the rest of the world as you focus on the job in front of you.

Also did the final 2 coats of clear before the black goes on. Oh, of course there's some sanding to do before we paint it, but that will have to wait until I'm back from vacation.

We have developed a new method for fusing the wood to the acrylic which will create a stronger bond and a much cleaner look. This took developing a vice-like tool for the CNC machine to simulate 3d cutting. Don's a visionary, for sure. So this means we are back to the Bells after a long stint of repair work. There's really no telling when the guitars will be ready, but it'll definately be before the next guitar show. We should be rolling out 4 models. A V, JazzBlaster, Tele, and Explorer. Then development begins on some original shapes of mine in the fall.

Here's the tool created to cut the new fusing system.

Prince Oz Guitar is complete and gone!

2009-07-23T12:50:00.002-05:00

Oz came by and picked up the guitar on Tuesday evening. "Wow" was his first word, just as I told Don it would be. He arrived with bandmates Paul D. and Jon, and they were taken aback as well. Everyone played it and talked about the strange size of it (Prince size). Oz could not have been happier and we can't wait to see it live. Prince, come get you one...

Prince, eb0 and the future...

2009-07-16T11:48:00.004-05:00

OK. Last night was fun. The Prince Cloud guitar is almost done and it's looking sharp! Waiting on the white 'bucker to arrive. Tick... Tock... Also need to put the truss rod cover on with the Bell logo. The neck pup is cool cause it's installed from below. No need for a mounting plate.

Well, exciting times for the oh, so slow eb0 transformation. Another sanding and coating. This is the second time and it'll require one more round of spraying and sanding before it's ready for paint. This finish should be smooth as glass...

Back in the saddle

2009-07-14T13:45:00.001-05:00

Alright! I'm going back out to the shop tomorrow to resume a somewhat normal schedule of building the Bells!

Thems lots of repairs, there.

2009-06-30T19:37:00.004-05:00

The new stock of Bell's (2nd generation Jazzblasters, Vs, and 1st generation Explorers and Teles) are being forced onto the shelf for a little while while Don gets a ton of repairs done. Just look at the pile! Wish I could help out more, but these guitars are generally old, acoustic, and or valuable and I'm impatient and shaky! That one on the ground is one of two shipped over from Austria. It's valued at about $40,000. There's a sticker on the back of the pups that reads "patent applied for". Obviously it needs a neck!

The Cloud Clone is coming along as is the Gibson eb0 refurbishing. Both were sprayed with clear last night in prep for more sanding (of course) and color.

Back to work!

2009-06-24T10:54:00.003-05:00

I did some sanding and masking so that after we spray some paint on it I can sand and mask again. Did I mention there's a whole lot of sanding that goes on at the shop? The neck is taped off because I'm not painting it. I don't really like the feel af the painted neck.

Don was working on the Prince Cloud Clone. Getting close!

Man work.

2009-06-19T08:24:00.003-05:00

Well, no guitar tales this time. In anticipation of the weather getting super hot, Don and I have completed some overdue tasks. Insulate the attic like a biotch. Finish building out the walls and ceiling in the CAD room. And create new storage spaces above the garage. This has already had a profound effect on the A/C's effectiveness. All of this was done in 3 days and I helped for just one. Now the shop is closer to it's ideal state and the working areas are clear of clutter. Maybe Don will misplace his tools a little less often? Yeah.

Tele work and eb 0 progress, too.

2009-06-14T20:01:00.003-05:00

Cutting the acrylic out for teles and jazzblasters.

The cloud clone's ebony inlay.

Lightbar holes and pockets for the tele.
Jazzblasters on the left, teles on the right.

I got to use lots of dangerous equipment this weekend and didn't lose a digit or scrap a thing. That's a good day!

eb 0 report 060309

2009-06-03T07:56:00.003-05:00

It's not exciting, but I spent 2 hours hand sanding the eb 0 getting it ready for the sealer. So much sanding. Then I sealed fo the first time. Easy work compared to sanding. Next step is to repair some of the deep wounds with wood filler (there's only 2 tiny parts) then we put the base down for the paint. Oh snap!

Rob Hines with Melissa Lawson

2009-06-02T15:57:00.003-05:00

Rob Hines is a Bell convert. He plays with 2008 Nashville Star winner Melissa Lawson in this video. This was a free concert in downtown Arlington, Texas.

His model is a Jazzblaster with humbuckers.