BLOG AND PORTFOLIO

Custom Job Musical Instruments Opens it’s Electronic Doors..

Custom Job Musical Instruments is officially selling stuff. Presently, only two guitars are up but there’s two more on the way of the EarthII model, after which, I’m going to focus on repairs and restoration while working on a few acoustic projects I want to take on. But I’ll be adding smaller things along the…

Custom Job Earth 2 CJE2SP240225 Born today….

A bit long in production on this one. Got quite sidetracked by the fretboard layout with the addition of wrap around ‘sun’ side dots, a larger diameter ‘moon’, a Fender style nut slot and a few other keeper details. The guitar is similarly equipped to my last 3 p/u build, Dimarzio Super dist. in the…

Custom Job is Officially (if not temporarily) Located in Sterling, MA.

At long, long last, I wired in my heavier equipment and dialed everything in. This took a rather healthy chunk of time, BUT I can now basically turn a tree into whatever I want. This will be home to material dimensioning, body and neck carving, rough fret work, decorative work and finishing. Fine fret work,…

Earth II-A by Custom Job on the Way!

With a couple of tweaks to the Earth II design: 25” scale rather than 25.5”, relocation of the tuning machines, a drastic calming down of the electronics (2 humbuckers, master volume, two tone, one 3 way switch), stoptail bridge, walnut with maple veneers, nickel plated rather than gold and brass, Madagascar Rosewood fretboard, and a…

Earth II. Born today.

The dust has settled, the solvent evaporated, the contacts are solid and clean. Got down to the final set up on Earth II today. This was the second build using a lot of curly maple I’d been trucking around for 20 years (yes… 20 years). 5 piece neck through design, 25.5” scale, 24 frets, Dusenberg…

Earth II in the final stages

I generally like to post complete projects but, I’m keeping my hands off this one for a few days till it’s totally sold to block, polish and assemble. Should look nice with the gold, brass and Cream hardware. She was clearly inspired by my favorites, BC Rich Eagle and Mockingbird, The Gibson SG, a little…

Custom Job (somewhat) narrows it’s focus! (ADHD be damned)

Custom Job left it’s last shop in Tolland, CT in September and, with limited local shop space, has since been focusing on Lutherie, A direction that I’ve decided to make permanent so, “Hello” from Custom Job Musical Instruments! After years of fixing my own and other peoples stuff and thinking about it, I’ve pushed into…

Rest Easy, Brother.

I had to let go of my eldest dog Artemus this morning. He’d not been doing well the day before and suffered a number of seizures that took his sight and ability to walk over the night last night. He passed away in my embrace, with as much love as I could channel into him.…

1959 Economy Country Squire Tractor Restoration

This was what was still bolted together of my paternal Grandfather’s Tractor after a tenant of his blew the piston, took the whole thing apart, “LOST” the hydraulic pump and left it sit outside for a number of years. It’s a long story. Bought new by him in (around) 1959. He used it for everything…

CONN. GENERAL 2557A HOME OFFICE.

An old filing cabinet module that belonged to my Grandfather. I was obsessed with my grandfather’s workspace when I was a kid. He did a lot of electronic work … televisions, radios, amplifiers…. Of the many many fixtures in his shop (one of which was a collection of vacuum tubes I’ll never see the likes…

Studebaker Jr. Wagon

This was a kit build for a Custom Job client. All I had to do was figure out how to put it together, how/where to get the stencils made, how best to apply and protect them, put it all back together and deliver it. Smooth, right?

1948 Gretsch Drum set

I found the snare and two of the toms at a picker type place. I’ve since restored those, added a bunch of new stuff, made a drum from scratch and modified a few drums to fit the package.

Early 1900’s Oak Dinning Table

This is an early 2022 job I picked up off of Craigslist. It was a little more than I wanted to spend but it was precisely what I wanted: a round, oak, two leafed pedestal table with as little ornamentation as possible and a highly figured top.

75 Doyle Bath Shelves.

We’d decided that our downstairs closets were, well, stupid .. as most who own a traditionally styled house do. (who the hell owns that many coats?). So while I planned out some more flexible modular based build outs for those, I took the knotty pine used as shelving, trim and dividers and built them in…