John Gaudesi and the Yamaha Custom
Shop:
Doug's 12-String is Born
Part 2
The internal body contour is drawn
The color you used for the
finish isn't quite black... what would you call it?
The color for this bass is called
Deep Wedgwood Blue. It is a Ford custom color. It was top coated with BASF satin
clear coat eurothane.
The body is planed by hand
How did you decide on a
design for the bridge and tailpiece? Did you machine those yourself? What are
they made of?
The bridge is an over the counter
version of the old Schaller type used on some of the first Hamers, but I
fabricated the tailpiece from aircraft grade aluminum to accommodate the extra
mass and left-handed string spread needed.
Did you play any 12s before you began
building Doug's? If so, which ones?
A few years back I spent some time
with Cheap Trick specing out some gear and I got to take some details from Tom's
12s. I have played about every 12 out there and still remain fascinated by every
one. They are truly unique instruments.
The neck construction begins
How much does the instrument weigh?
The instrument weighs approximately
8½ pounds.
Can you tell me about the neck
dimensions? How wide is it at the nut?
The neck dimensions are 2" wide at the nut with a 1 degree taper on both sides
towards the bridge.
If one clamp is good, 14 are better!
Doug mentioned to me that there might be more Yamaha 12s in his future. Can you tell me a little about what you've got up your sleeve?
He also mentioned that he would be
interested in collaborating with you on a production "Doug Pinnick" model.
Any thoughts on that?
I
think that aside from his fan base a lot of players would embrace a production
12 of this caliber.
Routing the neck to prepare for mounting the fingerboard
What string gauges did you outfit the 12 with from your shop? Did Doug specify these or did you decide?
Being a 12-string it has a tremendous
amount of tension on the neck. What can you tell us about the neck
construction?
The neck construction is 3 piece quarter sawn
hard maple reinforced with graphite along with a double action stainless steel truss rod.
The neck routing from a different angle
