Official Luthiers Forum!

I received my stuff from my new friend John at Droplight industries https://www.droplightind.com and I'm thrilled with what he sent me and made for me.

First if you recall I needed a "Heshtone" badge in a Marshall like font for my 1/2 stack 45 watt head I built and am now enjoying the hell out of. Droplight makes these with counter sunk screw holes and sends matching flat head screws making installation a breeze (once you jump though hoops to get things straight).

I also bought of his Tweed clock with Heshtone on it. Me I'm not vain...... . He has a Marshall clock too that I plan on ordering too.

And I had John make me two smaller Heshtone badges for the 57 and 59 tweed amps that I built as well.

Everything came out great and I'm thrilled.

This man cave is part of my plan. I plan on working 14 more months and then giving my share of Ann Arbor Guitars to Dave because he's earned it and he's my best friend. I have always told him I would do this too. He will have to employ me though to work as little or as much as I like. So when I need or want a new guitar I can glue some bridges, do some fret work set-up whatever comes my way and have a part time job as little or as much as I like. And my weed dispensary is across the street. Ain't life great

Have some road trips to do to visit Link Van Cleave in the emerald triangle..... and I want to spend some time in Yellowstone with my Sony 62 MP camera and 600 mm lens.

So the man cave plan is to have everything me and my buddies need to rock out here so they never have to carry a thing since they are geezers now too. Some of the same people I was in garage bands when I was a kid are still alive so we will regress to being rock star wanna-be stoner dudes who also acquired a taste in the last 50 years for fine single malt scotch. We may sound like crap but no one will care or notice

Anyway this closes the chapter on these three amps I built they all work flawlessly and they sound killer. I'll never purchase a f*ctory amp again and had not realized how terrible they sound until I got to play though hand wired, point to point vintage amps that helped change our world back in the day.

Watched Jimi at Monterey on Netflix yesterday squirting lighter fluid on a Strat and then setting it on fire. That's what I want to be when I grow up

Some more pics:

PS: It was -2F here when I took these pics you can see my humidifier solution does great even in a Michigan winter.

Great looking amps. How does that tweed badge mount to the amp? Is that like 4 little nails in the corner?

Exactly and I was concerned at tonking the nails and subjecting the amps to shock of the hammer. So I got out a pin vice and a .0060" drill bit and predrilled the holes for the .0062 nails and didn't have to do any thing but some light tapping. Leveling everything was the tough part and one of then I got a little crooked. Oh well.

I think I am going to build another 5 watt it was so much fun I want one upstairs too to jam with.

Hey Hesh…

Single malts, downstairs studio, rock band with old buddies, western parks, photography… man! We have even more in common than our past careers in communications and our second life as guitar repairmen/builders! All that's missing is a passion for golden retrievers!

We're even using the same hygrometer, and my current favorite amp is a Marshall 18-watter point-to-point clone!




We definitely have to meet! See me on your next trip to Quebec City! In the meantime, have a look at some of my pics from Utah…

http://www.pierrecastonguay.com/koken/sujets/2017-1/


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay

I'm a huge dog lover without a dog, at the moment. We, Dave my business partner has a black lab, Kibbeh who loves to sit on my feet as I work. I bring in treats for her all of the time too. Yeah we have to meet bro and I already thought that too.

Great pics Pierre and you went to the same places I want to go to. For 30 years every week I took a flight across the country originating either in Michigan or Washington DC to the west coast. I always thought it would be cool to drive it and I have now 3 times but I have never stopped at the parks and Yellowstone. So that's my bucket list number 1, Yellowstone.

I've been doing lots of wildlife photography including bald eagles and I discovered a nest too. When the pandemic started I bought a Sony A7 RIV and a bunch of lenses including some primes. I spent 15 months in the woods taking wildlife photos and was not around a single human being for at times months. Made friends with a deer, Mr. Deer that would follow me around. I never fed him that's not legal here and I do not want him comfortable around humans but he would come within 8 feet of me and just hang out. If I got on the ground in a blind he would take a nap behind me, it was crazy. He kind of stunk too..... I may post some pics if I can edit them that small to fit the server here.

Here's an album of my first trip to the south of France, my favorite place to be. Just keep clear of the Côte d'Azur, the backcountry is incredible. I went again for a full month just before the pandemic hit, but I never get around to postproduction because, you know… too many guitars waiting in the shop.

http://www.pierrecastonguay.com/koken/a ... y-sur-mer/

Then… since you love doggies…

http://www.pierrecastonguay.com/koken/sujets/chiens/


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay

Hey Hesh, a 5 watt amp for every room in the house!

That's the way you do it!


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay

JF you are enabling me, thanks But I would like a Champ upstairs in my sun room so I can play there.

JF any desire to build another amp? I'm kind of hooked and would be building another one right now but there is a shortage of transformers in the US now and everyone is out of them, sadly.

Pierre the Goldens are incredible and that entire breed is a great personality too. They look great, very cool!!! I have a 30 pound weight limit since I live in a condo but I would love a golden.

I probably will build another one. I'm thinking a Fender Champ clone. It will be a while for me because I have too many guitar orders to fill. Not a bad problem to have but it's keeping me busy. So by then supply cahin issues will probably be worked out I hope.

Great stuff Hesh, but... you'll have to get a "Heshtone" badge for your hygrometer too!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Great idea Colin!

They’re like the Collings of animal kingdoms… or the Heshtones? Heheh


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay