Zachary Custom Electric Guitars Bass Guitar

February 15, 2000
The Tremolo model is ready and it kicks ass. I am using a Wilkinson-style tremolo with a floating up and down movement. The great news is that I just recently discovered a secret nut material which keeps this thing in tune like crazy. Throw out your locking tremolos, you don't need them anymore.

I will never tell what the composition of this nut material is. Even under torture I would never tell. The secret is mine. I wouldn't want all these "cookie cutter" guys to get a hold of it. All I will say is that it has zero friction and it sounds great. Most plastic nuts currently on the market intended for trem use are crap compared to this material, I find they make your guitar sound like its dead. You can dive-bomb with my nut and it comes back to pitch perfectly every time. I also use Sperzel locking tuning keys. WOW! You got to experience it and you can only get it if you buy a Zachary guitar.

The Zachary Bass will be ready as soon as my German pals make some bridges to my specs. As soon as I get the bridges I will build the bass. This bridge will be identical to the hardtail bridge design which I use on my guitars. It will be very unique on a bass. Never been seen before.

The hollowbody is finished and it turned out well. I really like it. Its like a little acoustic. It has the characteristic acoustic "hollow" tone with the strong attack to the notes. You can even play it unplugged. What makes it really interesting is that its very versatile. It has some powerful pickups on it and you can play anything on it from fingerstyle clean jazz to shredder music. The tone through a Fender Blues Junior amp reminds me of that George Thorogood tone on "Bad to the Bone". The guitar sounds very raw through a clean amp. Good for rockabilly or any other percussive sounds, but if you turn up the gain it really sings. Check out the pics on the "Currently For Sale" page. Click on the second last serial number.

I plan to build a series of three "Ikea" model guitars. This is what I call them because I bought the Pine wood from an Ikea furniture store. Actually this is the wood from those $15 end tables you can buy at Ikea and assemble yourself. The most beautiful and rare Knotty Pine you ever saw, glued together from about ten different strips, Private Stock, AAAAAAA quality. They will also have original Ikea stain colors and a unique Beeswax finish. Now if that isn't Cool, I don't know what is! I am very worried PRS will copy it. If they do, just remember where you saw it first.

I plan to take some digital pics of some new exotic figured wood I got. Anyone interested in a guitar can just pick out the wood they like from the pics. You will be able to choose the raw wood which I will build your guitar from. What a novel idea, wouldn't you say? That's what I call involvement. It reminds me of an oriental restaurant I went to where you could pick out all the raw ingredients in a bowl and take it to the chef who would cook it up for you before your eyes.

March 18, 00
The first of the IKEA guitars has turned out really well. I did a few new things in the way I built it and the hardware I used. This opens up more possibilities for Zachary guitars such as P 90 style pickups, narrower bridge spacing, metal wood inserts for screws and fretting the neck before it is carved. The tone is incredible from this knotty pine guitar. If Pavaroti was a guitar he would sing like a Zachary.

April 19, 00
I have been playing my second tremolo guitar for several weeks now and I can't believe how good this thing is. I modified the trem block and enlarged the cavity. This results in a greatly increased travel for the trem. It goes way up and all the way down to slack. The sounds that I can get from this guitar are just amazing. I think of it as a Sound FX guitar. The tuning is marvelous. After stretching new strings and playing the guitar for a half hour, you can go absolutely crazy on the trem and it will come back perfectly in tune. What a total improvement on your regular Strat. Its just one amazing guitar. Hendrix would have loved it.

August 26, 00
The big news is the introduction of the Z2. This is not an improved version of the Z1, it is an entirely new guitar. It has a new and different body style with more high fret access. It is a less traditional shape which is more radical in appearance, but the construction and design is virtually the same as the Z1. It sounds and plays like a Z1 because it is built using the same concepts and methods. At first I thought that considering the more radical shape, the Z2 would not be as comfortable or balance as well as the Z1. Was I in for a pleasant surprise. It is very comfortable. In the sitting position it actually blends in with your body. Its like and appendage, it feels so natural. The look is also a very cool, a one of a kind guitar which feels very organic and manageable due to its small and light body. The tone is just as good as the tone of the Z1 because the large contact area between the body and the neck has been maintained on the Z2. Pickup placement, switching, neck feel is all identical to the Z1. I am also using my Anti-Friction "Mission impossible" nut material on all my guitars and these things simple do not go out of tune.

December 3, 00
Well, the Z2 single coil is out and it sounds different from any of my previous guitars. It sounds like I am playing a Strat or a Tele. Its all twang. I think the top is very interesting. It has holes which are actually knots in the wood as well as quilt. This is wood commercial mass-production manufacturers would toss out as "junk wood". Just because it does not fit their image. That is very unfortunate. I love this piece of wood. Take a look at the thickness of the top. Its thicker than the Mahogany back. The mass-producers use a thin veneer in most cases. They might as well use wallpaper or Mack-tack.

I have a big surprise coming up shortly, the introduction of the Z3 body style. This will be a surprising shape. Stay tuned, I should have it ready by the new year.

December 22, 00
The new VHS Demo-Video will be hot. You can see me play various tunes on Zachary guitars. Go to the Video page for more details and send your address and I will send you a FREE video

The Z3 is next and then a bass for Fat Weasels bassist Bob M.
I am excited already. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

December 31, 00
Happy new year everyone. I have most of the video shot but I have to edit it and then duplicate it. It looks great on my Mini DV camcorder but I tried transferring it on VHS and it dramatically dropped in quality. I also have a problem getting the necessary hardware and software for the computer for the editing. I was told that I need a FIREWIRE card and cable as well as some software. I was recommended the Studio DV package. The problem is that after Christmas it is not available at any of the stores in my area. So I must wait.

If anyone has some pointers how to best go about doing this, please let me know. I need to duplicate this on VHS and not loose any quality if that is possible. Also, I was told that I may be able to just save it on CD-R and just send those out. I am not sure if it can be viewed by just anyone. Do they need special software?
Thanks

January 30, 2001
I have just returned from California. I went to visit the NAMM show. This is the big musical instrument show where all the manufacturers exhibit and all the music store owners attend to check out the new products. Its a big zoo. Very hard to play any instrument, talk to anyone or even to hear yourself since there is so much noise in the halls. Its a nightmare to find anything or to seriously check anything out.

In terms of guitars, there was "a lot of show but very little go". Whichever company uses grotesquely figured veneer tops and shiny thick paint is the one with a lot of admirers at their booth. There are too many suits at this convention and not enough musicians. There is a real shortage of truly knowledgeable dealers present. The smaller exhibitors got lost in all the confusion among the big companies who take up separate halls with live stages, furniture, breast implants and other gimmicks. I don't believe there was one guitar at the show that blew me away. I came to realize that there are very few, truly good guitars made these days. Paint jobs and image is what the companies are producing. I picked up some expensive high end guitars but they all played terribly and had no tone to speak of. You either get repackaged "same old, same old" or you get very radical esoteric guitars that are hard to relate to. How about building an original, yet also traditional guitar that plays great and sounds big and resonant with some innovative features. How bout guitars that are completely hand made, very organic, ergonomic, and individually totally unique, yet cost less than machine mass-produced "boutique" guitars, that come off the cookie cutter and only vary in color? You will not find it at the NAMM show or at your local Music Superstore. You will find it however if you visit this website .

Was there anything that I liked at the show? Yes, by accident I came across the Pedulla booth. I talked to Mr. Pedulla himself and fond him to be so much different from all the big-shot, guitar/industrialists. Pedulla was not about bull shit or hype, just substance. A video was playing at his booth showing how his basses are made. I was impressed. Just as I suspected, entirely hand made. Every operation hand directed. They build guitars just like I do and it was a pleasant surprise to see that even a midsize company like Pedulla can do it. I got one of his videos and really gained a lot of incite. Yes, contrary to what some will tell you, it is possible to still build guitars by hand. I will be the first one to say that if you are looking for a quality bass, seriously consider Pedulla.

I drove to San Diego after the show and toured the Taylor factory. This is a very professional operation with what seems like tons of money behind it. CNC computerized machines everywhere, laser cutting of the tops and backs and countless other machines doing specific jobs. Completely opposite of Pedulla. I do respect Taylor for what they do. They want to build high quality guitars in very large numbers and this they achieve with success. There is no turning back for them however. For Taylor, its more and more programmable machines, and increasingly less human contact. Efficiency is the name of the game. Needless to say, Taylor was very interesting but other than some techniques for storing and drying wood, I didn't learn a thing. It was like going to a Cola bottling plant. Taylor guitars are flawless in workmanship and the tolerances are unreal in terms of precision, but as a player that is not what I look for in a guitar. In fact, I can't really play a guitar like that for long. I feel that it doesn't agree with a human viscerally. This is why most of us admire fine art. The human touch is about variability, imprecision and inconsistency and we unconsciously crave these qualities form anything we relate to on an emotional level. These are all virtues if they are a byproduct of skill.

On another topic, I have my new computer with the required editing software and I am working hard at learning how to edit my Video. I hope to be finished soon. It will not be slick and polished but it will be real. Thanks for all the request for the Video, I think you will like it.

January 31, 2001
I forgot to tell you that on my trip to California I bought some amazing wood from an exotic wood supplier. Some of these woods have never been used in guitar building before. I have Canarywood, Locust, Aromatic Cedar, Zebra, Santos, among others and some from the urban forest. As you know I use any wood that looks wild and interesting, since I feel that every wood is a "tone wood". The wilder the better. I even have some Aromatic Cedar, the stuff people build the inside of their closets from to give it a nice natural smell. I plan not to oil-finish these guitar bodies. I will leave them raw wood so that the scent is retained. These will be the sweetest smelling guitars in the world.

I also bought some other woods I have never heard of including some Urban Forest wood cut from the streets of LA. What a great idea. Lets celebrate what others call "trash wood". Some of this stuff is very unique and once in a lifetime find. Some of this wood is naturally blemished with knots, rot and wild grain. I love it. So if you want a great guitar that you will never find at your local Guitar Center, make sure you order one from me. I am ready to build many guitars and I hate my day job anyway.

February 15, 2001
I finally have the video finished. It was very tough to do since I had major compatibility problems between the hardware and the software. I know I should have bought a Mac. The Vid is now being duplicated. I will be sending them out early next week. If I missed anyone who requested a video, please let me know. My cost for each video including shipping in North America is $10 US. I don't even want to know what it will cost to ship to other continents. I will send out the first 100 videos free of charge and after that I may need to charge $10 just to cover my cost. I would rather not charge anything so I will do my best to keep it free.

February 22, 2001
Many videos have already been shipped out to you. You should be receiving them soon.
Many of you have been asking for a tremolo model Z2 and Z3. I will be starting on these soon.

March 5, 01
I have sent out most of the videos. The requests are still coming in and I have just about run out of my first batch. I know that many of you have not received them yet. This worries me somewhat. I sent them by Air Mail and I believe that when US customs sees that they are video tapes, they will think that I am shipping pornography. Why else would someone send a whole bunch of videos to people all over the USA? US Customs are probably watching my video right now. Little do they know that the hard-core stuff is hidden toward the middle of the tape just before my bass guitar demo. So if you receive a tape that is not rewound, let me know and I will complain to to US Customs. I hope you all get your videos soon. Hey, check out the new green Z2 guitar.

March 22, 01
Some of you have mentioned that the Video was not what you expected. Well, I apologize for the shitty quality and production of the tape. Some people expected it to be a fancy polished promotional video. That was not the purpose. Its just a cheap, low budget home video showing me jammin on my guitars. That's all and nothing more. The purpose is to show people how well the guitars play. These guitars really play well and they are meant to be played. Unfortunately, I could not capture the true tone of the guitars. The guitars sound a hundred times better than they do on the video. My amp was not the right one to use and my video equipment was not adequate. The amp is a Line 6 Spider and those things don't sound good clean. I find they sound good either distorted or processed with effects. Unfortunately the tone did not come through on the video. These digital amps also have another problem, they make all guitars sound somewhat the same. The switching between the different pickup positions was also not that noticeable. In real life, believe me, the switching is quite dramatic. You experience dramatic single coil as well as humbucking tones on the same guitar. I know I also look like I just got out of bed. This is how I always look. If you don't have a job to go to in the mornings like me, you kind of develop this look. I usually build guitars in my slippers. Some people said that I looked stoned but I don't do drugs. I was just sick with the flu during the whole thing and felt like shit and pissed off at the same time. Oh well, that's life.

I wanted the video to be real. I didn't want to misrepresent anything to entice people into buying my guitars. I wouldn't gain anything by doing that. I wanted people to have the same experience that they would if they visited my shop unannounced. Reality. What you see is what you get. No bull shit. Just think how helpful a video like this would have been to see of our spouses before we actually got married.

April 27, 01
Sorry for the delay to those of you who have ordered guitars. I know its taking a long time. I have the guitars partially made but I must wait for my new tooling and trussrods. I am making some serious changes in order to enable me to build guitars faster and with less headaches. I am having some custom made cutters manufactured that I use to cut out the body and neck shapes with. Also, a local shop is making new trussrods for me. I must wait for these items to be ready. Once everything is in place I will be able to make guitars in less time and in larger numbers and still stay with my hand-craftsmanship philosophy.
I just put together my latest guitar with a body and neck that I had already made before. After I built it I just felt like beating it up. Its a great guitar and my main guitar at the moment.
I will soon be releasing my own line of pickups called ZachAttack. They are built by one of the best pickup designer and maker in the world. Now you will have a handmade pickup in a handmade guitar. Stay tuned for the details.

May 10, 01
I have a great local machinist named Richard who is making me trussrods. He has made three samples to my specifications and they are great. I built two necks with it already. I am excited about this because I have control over the design and the manufacture of these new trussrods. I will also get more of the ZachAttack pickups which are made to my specs. Now I have absolute and complete control of these guitars from beginning to end and from tip to toe. This is exciting. It sure is better than buying a guitar from a store. I hope to have some very interesting guitars in the future. I have a large selection of very nice wood. Interesting wood that many have never seen on a guitar before. That's what its all about, Zachary guitars are the ultimate antiestablishment guitars for the non conformist. So be an original and play a Zachary guitar.

May 28, 01
Did you check out the latest guitar 260501 Its absolutely scary, even for me.
God had to have made this guitar for sure. Its tremendous. However I would not recommend that you buy it. It would disturb you psychologically beyond belief. You would have to forget everything you ever thought you know about guitars. Its like when you first found out there is no Santa Claus. Just a terrible shock to your entire existence. After playing this guitar you will never go to another music store again, you will sell your entire guitar collection, you will not buy any other brand of guitar again. This guitar will change your life and make your current life meaningless. It may just screw up your entire life completely. After the dust settles you will not even recognize who you are. You will become an entirely different being. In essence you will be reborn. It will be a revelation like no other that you have ever experienced.
Better not buy it, just play it safe, it may be more than you can handle.

Sep 15, 01
Its been a long and busy summer. I did not do much guitar building. I did do a lot of design work. I designed some templates, jigs and a new headstock shape for the upcoming basses. Unfortunately, I can not really use the Samurai head shape for the basses because its too tight of a fit with bass tuners. I stayed as close as possible to the Samurai shape and designed a larger bass head. This way I am able to build 4, 5 and 6 string basses and fit on all the tuners.
I am now gearing up to make a new batch of guitars and they will be hot.
Here is my next guitar being built now. Body: top - Canary wood, back - Basswood, Neck: Maple with a 26" scale Ebony fingerboard.

I just got a new digital camera. For the technically minded, its a Canon G2. They say its the best consumer camera on the market. I should be able to take sharper and better pics of my guitars in the future. I have to learn how to use it first. I wish it was as easy as building a guitar.

Oct. 8, 2001
I am working on my next guitar, a D1 made from a body blank that I already had glued and laminated and a neck that was already half made. I am waiting to finally receive my tremolo routing templates that I have been waiting forever to receive. This is what happens when you have to rely on someone else's work. Many have you asked when will a Z2 Tremolo guitar be ready. I am dying o make one myself as soon as I receive these templates.
Dummy ZachAttack pickups are also being made to serve as molds. I tweaked the pole piece spread so now it will perfectly match the string spacing of my guitars at moth pickup locations. There will be two different molds made for the ZachAttacks, one for the bridge and one fro the neck locations. In the meantime I still have a supply of DiMarzios I can use.
By the way, I can't put my latest guitar down (280901). I really nailed this one. If you want the ultimate guitar, you will not be disappointed.
I am not usually preoccupied with anal things as the tone difference between various woods. By accident I did strum two of my guitars side by side in my shop. Both guitars lay side by side on a table. The Canary when compared to an all Mahogany guitar sounds much more pure and defined with less overtones. The Mahogany sounds darker and less defined with a more muffled sound. Neither one of these is better or worse, they are just different. Its interesting what difference various woods make. I like the sound of the Canary better but Bob Migliardi (Fat Weasels) liked the darker tone of the Mahogany.

Nov. 9, 2001
With talent on loan from God or at least Rush Limbaugh, I finished building my first Z2 tremolo guitar. I have been playing it every night and the thing is hot. Perfect tuning and its a real firebreather. Its a trick guitar. I find it very hard to play any real tunes on it. I am constantly tempted to shred and tap and do dive bombs. The finish is mesmerizing. It kind of looks like a candy apple. I want to take a bite out of it. That would be a neat trick. Taking bites out of your guitar as you play it on stage. Well check out my latest creation and in a few days I will have some more text on that page.
Someone had the bright idea that I should sell my guitars through music stores. Do you think they would have anything to do with me? Its a scary thought seeing my guitars on display at a music store being fondled by every Tom, Dick and Harry. Kind of like seeing your daughter as a prostitute on a street corner. Do these guitars belong in music stores? What the hell, I may try it for a laugh. Guitar gurus will probably tell me they are unmarketable. What do you think?

Dec. 20, 2001
Well, the annual bull shit extravaganza called the NAMM show is coming up again and I will be there for only 2 days (as much as I can handle), not exhibiting anything but just walking around taking care of mostly non guitar related business. I will for sure stop by the RSP both to drool over those gorgeous works robot technology. I will be literally drooling over them, if you can visualize it.

The highlight of this otherwise stupid event and even better then the few remaining silicone breast implanted babes, will be a performance by Bobby Simcox playing his Zachary Guitar. I am really looking forward to meeting Bobby and seeing him play a guitar I made 260501 with my own two hands.

I encourage anyone in the area to come and see Bobby and his Baby. He will be playing Friday, January 18 at 10:00 PM at a place called Club Bravo just a few blocks away from the convention center.

Jan. 11, 2002
Well I finally have my ZachAttack pickup masters, all ready for Kent Armstrong to actually make these custom handmade pickups. I have several really cool guitars on order including a bass that is long overdue. After this bass I actually plan to also call myself a bass guitar maker. I will be picking up some bass bridges at NAMM and watching Bobby Simcox burn on the fingerboard.
I know what you are thinking. The Devil and his followers will be out in full force at NAMM. That is true, but I am strong enough to keep my distance. Condom covered figured wallpaper guitars will be everywhere, as artificial as silicone breast implants. Its like walking into a Guitar Center the size of 5 airplane hangars. Looking at things you have seen a thousand times before. Sort of like watching a porn movie for the 87th time. No turn on what so ever.
All right, off to California I go. I hope I make it. If I don't, I will be making my next guitar for Jimi Hendrix. Can you just see him playing a Z2 with tremolo? He would be amazed how his guitar stays in tune for the first time unlike his Strats.

Jan. 28, 2002 My trip to California

Well I survived NAMM because I only stayed there for two days. The attendance seemed really down. Usually, the first morning there is huge crowd in the lobby and outside the convention center. This year there was no crowd. There was nothing exciting to mention. Not even girls, except for the three at the Dean booth bored out of their minds with ugly guys sitting beside them having their pictures taken. How degrading for any woman to go through that shit eight hours a day for four days. I didn't really look at many guitar manufacturers but there was nothing to see. Just the same generic plastic covered crap. The game still seems to be, whoever can coat their guitars with thicker plastic wins and guitar Player Magazine will drool over it and tell you it has great tone. Tone my butt. There was one fancy booth which will remain nameless that had about fifteen identical plastic guitars displayed in a row, all the same ugly blue aqua color and the grossest quilted wallpaper tops you have ever seen.

I did stop by the Fodera both and talked with Fodera's partner, good guy and he said he heard of me. He told me they still cut the bodies out with a band saw and round the edges with a spindle sander. Can you believe it, another guitar builder? We are an endangered species, especially at NAMM. You can just tell the difference by looking at their basses. They start at close to $4000. It sounds like at Fodera they actually make $10 an hour, I am only at $3 myself. Maybe I should raise my prices. No, I want every player to play my guitars from rich baby boomers to poor musicians.

Speaking of poor bad-ass guitar players. It was a pleasure to see Bobby Simcox play live at a clubs near NAMM. Bobby's playing is mind-boggling He plays super fast, clean and you can tell that the guy is an absolute natural. He is truly a world class player. Bobby is the wild man of the Con-Panna band, an instrumental Latin fusion band out of SF. What really struck me is how good Bobby looked with his Z2. Click here for the pics of Bobby I took at the show. His Z2 guitar suits his body, playing, and personality perfectly. He looked great with it. He played the entire show with his Walnut Z2 Baby without ever tuning. What really struck me is how original Bobby looked instead of looking like so many Kenny Wayne Shepherd clones, all those guys are clones of a clone. That makes them third or fourth generation clones. Bobby is an original. Guitar Player Magazine seems to have run out of good players to put on their cover. Its not like it used to be in the seventies or eighties. They seem so desperate that they alternate between Hendrix and Britney Spears' mom with a guitar strapped on her. No offense to Britney's mom she probably plays guitar as well as Britney can sing but I would like to see some real players like Bobby mentioned. What a shame because this guy can really play. He belongs on the cover of any guitar magazine and I belong inside a magazine with Britney spears.

I also visited another Zachary Guitar player, Rich in San Jose. Rich is one of my first customers and a great supporter. I won't forget this easily when its time for him to order his second Zachary Guitar. This time make it a tremolo model Rich. I was amazed to see that two years later his Z1 Korina guitar has remained exactly like the day I built it. Nothing moved on this guitar. The action and neck relief was perfect. I was very pleased.

We drove from LA to San Francisco spending the nights in motels and even slept in the car in a sitting position at a grocery store parking lot in Santa Barbara. I could barely move in the morning my body hurt so much but there were no vacancies in any hotels and I saved a few bucks. Needless to say I was not well rested. I then took a detour to Lake Tahoe and encountered some real Canadian weather but the scenery was magnificent. I drove very slow not wanting to drive off the cliff, I want to build a few more guitars yet. Spent a few days in San Francisco and saw a guy with a sign "Homeless my ass, I just want to get high". What a huge city and so expensive. After two weeks of living there I would be walking around with a sign myself.

Lake Tahoe, CA

I even went to some music stores. This is not something I do any more, I really feel out of place in a music store. I fond out that MARS is closing 11 stores, what a shame. Guitar Center had the same morons working there who themselves even wondered what they were doing there. Its either flipping burgers or working at GC. I thought I stopped a guy from buying a $2700 Gibson Les Paul that was made to look old. You can guess, I am not the most popular guy at music stores.
All in all this was a great trip.

I came back inspired with some new ideas for the future. I found a manufacturer of a nice modern yet traditional Tele bridge that I would like to use to build a new Zacharized Tele guitar. I also would like to introduce a Zacharized Les Paul Junior body style. I purchased some 4, 5 and 6 string bass bridges form my German hardware maker to use on my future basses. I located some vintage-style, open-gear tuners that are very light. I also ran into a wood supplier out of WA that specializes in Spalted Maple. They had a very pretty girl helping them out who told me she didn't get turned on by any kind of wood but I would have married her in a flash anyway, she was very cute and I told her that. Much better than Britney because she was all natural, imperfections are a turn on for me because I am into natural things as you know.

I would like to make some more hollowbody Z1 guitars and an 8 string Z2 would be really cool. So much to do and so little time. With your support maybe these things can happen. There is no guitar like a Zachary guitar. I checked out the competition and it inspiers me to keep doing what I am doing.

Feb. 11, 2002
Well, I am happy about how 090202 had turned out. It was made for my good friend Rod in Mexico. He already owns a Zachary guitar 050599 and this will be his second one. Rod was one of my first customers. I don't go to much for quilted maple because its really been overdone by everyone. Its a nice piece of wood however and as long as its a naturally blemished piece and not one that looks artificially perfect like wall paper, I am OK with it.

As I was contemplating the reason behind Zachary guitars, I came to the realization that most of what I have done is to fix design problems found on commercially available guitars. These are details some minor and some quite major that I had a hard time living with and they were a constant source of frustration for me. I just never believed in giving the consumers what they want even if its flawed. Do consumers really want what they buy or is it possible that they are not given a choice so they settle with what is available?

An example of this is something that has bugged me for a long time, the polepiece height on vintage style Strat pickups. Leo Fender had perfectly designed these pickups for a wound third string, which is what they used in the 50s. The pole piece stagger on an original Strat pickup is correct for a string set that contains a wound third. The polepiece, which is the actual magnet on a Strat pickup is the highest in the third position since a wound third has a very thin steel core and less magnetic pull. We no longer use a wound third strings and consequently all vintage Strat pickups are inappropriate for modern strings with the plain 3rd. This results in an overly loud third string since a plain third is very thick and magnetic. Consequently the polepiece on a Strat pickup when using a plain third string should be very low ore even eliminated instead of being the highest on the pickup. You think that pickup companies would change it? NO, they reason that this is what people who don't have this basic understanding buy, so that is what they make. Who in their right mind would want to buy these Strat pickups with the wrong stagger? Well they have no choice. The pickup companies would tell you to take a hike saying that this is what people want to buy, wrong or not. What comes first the chicken or the egg?
Do consumers demand a flawed product or are they forced to buy a flawed product.

Well the moral of the story is that I don't care if anyone buys my stuff or not, I will make it right. It may be a small details that some people don't care about but it bothers me to know that someone is playing a big fat plain G string under an overly extended magnet. Yes I am talking about you KWS. I can hear how your G string is so much louder than all your other strings. Now you know why.

On an inspirational note, Steve in Columbus OH who owns the Canary guitar 280901 has just sent me the money for three more guitars that he is buying at all at the same time. What a great deal. Three handcrafted guitars for just a little more than a new Les Paul or Fender that is made to look old. He of course has received the 25% dealer discount. One of the guitars he is buying is the "Horror Show" guitar, which I kind of made my own personal guitar and will be sorry to see it go. Another one is the Walnut Tremolo guitar that I used in playing on my cheesy home video. Its a real kamikaze guitar that loves to perform dive bombs all day long. What fabulous guitars but I can't keep them all. I wish I had as many women as I have guitars. Or maybe not, guitars don't nag and call me selfish and insensitive.

March 3, 02
As you know I am going to be making another Demo Video. Bobby Simcox and his Baby will be one of the stars this time. I am also working on getting some other Zachary players to contribute. So if you can put two chords together you are welcome to send me a tape in MINI DV format. Just contact me for the details.

Bobby Simcox also needs another Zachary guitar. He needs to also have a tremolo model Z2 along with his fixed bridge Baby.
Here is his only requirement:
"Hell, If She breathes GODZILLA FIRE, She's Perfect!"
Now that's what I want to hear. It just happens that I specialize in making guitars that breathe GODZILLA FIRE. So it will not be a problem at all. One Godzilla Firebreathing Z2 tremolo guitar coming up. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I know exactly what Bobby's next guitar will be like but I will keep it a secret until it appears on this site. So check back in about a month.

Bobby did some recording and this is what he says: "Oh, Baby sounded AWESOME on the recording". No wonder, she is nothing short of a horny dark skinned exotic lady in the heat of passion. Don't hold back Bobby, give her all you got to give.

I am currently busy making a couple of orders. I will be sending 3 guitars to Steve in Columbus Ohio who already owns the Canary guitar and just bought 3 more guitars to display for sale at his new art gallery that he just opened with his wife who is an artist. So if you live in Ohio or anywhere close, make sure you visit this new establishment and you can play my guitars and even buy them from Steve if he is willing to part with them. I like this arrangement. My guitars belong in an art gallery, not so much because I consider them as fine art but just to keep them away form that god-awful plastic artificial crap and those obnoxious guitar store blowboys as well as the moronic guitar consumers which makes up about 90% of everyone who owns a guitar. If you are one of these people, leave immediately, you belong at Guitar Center not on this site. This site is for the other 10%.

Getaway Gallery
1421 West 3rd Ave
Columbus, OH 43212.

March 16, 2002
Check out the new guitar 130302. Its my dream guitar and now I have to send it away but its going to a good home. I am depressed, such a great guitar and Guitar Player Magazine did not call to have it included in their "Dream Machines" special issue. I thought those nice folks were on a mission of bringing you any news that has to do with guitars. I thought they would look for any opportunity to spread the word about the uniqueness of Zachary guitars. I guess not. Could it be that Zachary guitars are not good enough. Oh well, I will just have to try harder next time.

I am waiting every day for Carlos Santana to call and offer to buy my business as a secret owner. He will move in the CNC luthiers and just keep me as a sales rep. You will then see Zachary guitars 90% covered with Godzilla inlays and sprayed over with thick car paint. Carlos will charge at least twenty five thousand dollars for one of these sea shell beauties. Guitar Center will order them by the thousands and Pop Stars everywhere will be endorsing them. This is when there will be a Zachary guitar in every successful baby boomer's home. Now that's what guitar building is all about but I can only dream. If anyone knows Carlos Santana personally, put in a good word for me, will you.

I bought three thousand dollars worth of heavy machinery. A big thickness planer that needed three guys and one woman to lift out of the van. A second band saw, just for cutting out bodies. I will use my other one for straight line re-sawing wood for tops. A large jointer, to get those joints even to be glued together nice and level and finally a dust collector. No longer will I use my lungs for dust collecting. I am now set up as a little one man factory.

You guessed it, I need a lot of powertools to make handcrafted guitars. As funny as it sounds, its not really true. The powertools are just for the rough machining of wood and these powertools are useless without the guidance of the hand. One wrong move and I either cut of the horn of a Z2 or I cut of my finger. Everything is hand guided. It is very different from the world of the CNC guitar builder of which we have too many these days. There are thousands of these CNC guitar builders in Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, China, Japan and quite a few in the USA, some of whom are highly respected in the guitar playing community. They are everywhere. Do you want to see their work? Actually, just open up any issue of Guitar Player Magazine and you will see it in all its glossy splendor. There is also a good chance that the guitar you are playing now is an example of their talent. For some reason they have no trouble even getting on the front cover of the annual Guitar Player Buyer's Guide. Like I said, I have to try harder.
Until next time.

March 21, 2002
Here is an email I just received.

I agree with your concept of not covering up guitars with paint, lacquer etc. I try to tell people that you have to hear the wood not the pile of lacquer that gibson uses. You may as well mold a guitar out of plastic, which has been done, as to use all the glue and lacquer as gibson and others use. I do use some light lacquer to keep the wood from getting too dirty but I have ordered wenge wood, zebra wood, etc. for my newest projects that will not use any lacquer or paint. As for declaring your guitars are the best in the world... that may be because mine are the best in the universe. Only kidding. I can appreciate your belief in your abilities but I have built enough guitars to know that you can be the best in skills and the wood has to decide whether it will warp or not after all your efforts. Wood can have a mind of it's own. It is shocking to see one of your designs is hauntingly similar to one I came up with. Your have good taste. I am Sherm at Lectrahors guitars of which are home built in my apartment. I don't even have a shop to spray them with lacquer or paint. I am glad that I came to a realization that I am finally free from feeling the necessity to cover the wood with toxic chemicals that hinder their voice. I can't wait to start my first naked guitar with new exotic wood that can be left that way. I am waiting on the wood now. I love your website and agree totally with your concepts of how to build a guitar. John Lennon had an old Epiphone he recorded with that he stripped and lightly lacquered that Epiphone recently reissued. That is where my concept has been for quite a while but now I am going totally finish free on my latest designs. Thank you for the inspiration. Sincerely, Sherm at Lectrahors Guitars (My apartment actually)

Hi and thanks for the email. I am happy you understand my feeling about guitar building. Actually Gibson is not the biggest sinner in the plastic finishing world. Gibson still uses lacquer on most of their stuff. Vintage type lacquer is still the best of the spray finishes. Its thin and hard. This is why it always cracks. Its the new Fender rip-off guitar building heroes and my personal hero who shall remain nameless who manufacturers plastic objects that only an 8 year old boy would find cool or a baby boomer with the mind of an eight year old. Of which there are thousands unfortunately. Walk into any music store in the world on a Saturday morning and you will see them there.

These are the ones who actually use the car paint. When I say car paint its no exaggeration, its the latest technology in plastic car paint, about twelve coats of the stuff. I once dropped the sharp edge of a tuning fork really hard on one of these guitars and if it was a Gibson or a vintage Fender that would have been it for the finish. I looked down and there was absolutely no damage other than a small white dot where the finish changed color form the impact. I had to look twice because I could not believe my eyes. They are sure durable, that paint has industrial strength.

If this is how they want to make their stuff, that is fine but just don't talk about tone, because there isn't any. They better have a good amp or they are in trouble. The way to tell good tone on an electric is plug it into a clean amp with just a little reverb and play a chord and let it ring. On my guitars the sound jumps out, on the plastic ones the sound is muffled and is kept in by the condom. Tone is nothing more than sound. Do you get a lot of sound or not much sound from your guitar when playing it clean? Strum it unplugged and see what it sounds like acoustically.

I may sound pompous when I say I make the best guitars in the world but its not hard, just take that crap off the wood for starters. All that garbage is there for either marketing or to hide flaws in the wood. I celebrate flaws in wood. Most of my guitars have flaws in the wood. The thick glossy paint and inlays are there to appeal to the juvenile minds of immature baby boomers. Over $30 fucking thousand dollars for one of these, I don't even know what to call them. Give me a break. With this type of non-competition you can build the best guitar too when compared to what these marketing geniuses produce. You know the devil is at work when you see this type of atrocity.

Here is what Bobby Simcox has to say. "Ya, I saw that thing and Man, what a waste of $$$$$$! I pity the poor rich bastard who buys it! Only in America, eh?

Keep up the good work and keep building the best guitars in the Universe. We'll beat their ass yet.

March 30, 2002
Well nothing is new, except for what my spiritual advisor Bob Migliardi told me. He says that I tend to offend people on this website and its not right. Well, maybe I do, just a bit, but its to get a message across and make people think. Since I have nothing new to say I thought I would include a picture of my sexy wife Susan. When I am not building guitars I just sit back and watch her do housework. Here is a treat for you. Enjoy.

April 7, 2002
Well I am pleasantly surprised. I thought I was the only brilliant one around but recently I received some truly brilliant emails. I am very impressed. I have faith in the world again. I thought we were doomed. Here they are:

Hi Zach, Your designs are wonderful! I never played one of your guitars but they look like they begged to be played. I'm glad someone finally had the guts to step out from the norm and make a guitar to FEEL and PLAY right and not to dazzle teenaged boys into blowing their parents money on a flashy piece of hyped crap. I really like the wine red finish on your Z1 model no. 160699. Again, congrats on the wonderful, inovative guitars and I hope there will be a Z1 in my future soon. Many thanks, Doug

I am so excited, Bobby Simcox will order another guitar. I always knew he was brilliant and I really like his way with words.

I want that Monster to sound as AWESOME as possible!!! Do whatever You need to do. Longer scale, shorter scale, larger frets, smaller frets, smaller radius, longer radius, ZachAttacks or DiMarzios, Bro, it don't matter to Me! I want this Baby to be the BEST You've ever made!!! I Want You to be the PROUDEST DADDY alive!!! I'm gonna call Her MAGGIE!!!! That's Female and Short for ARMAGEDDON!!! She's gonna be My ARMAGEDDON AXE!!!! I want guitar players 'round the world to See and Hear Her, and SHIT their pants, QUAKE in FEAR, and LOVE every DAMN FUCKING Minute of it!!! In other words, just do whatcha usually do! Sometimes the only way to deprogram the ignorant masses is a Swift Hard Kick in the Nuts! Hopefully We can accomplish this. Bobby

Just fell on your site. i dig your work, and (gasp!) attitude... looks good and respect what you're saying. Why build another Fender? Fender already did that. Here's to the day craftsmanship returns!
One thing i did learn quick tho - which is what made me pick you out from all the other "luthiers" with slick websites and snazzy designs - is not to fill in the wood's pores with plastic and crap. Doesn't matter if you have 20 lams of exotic wood if it's been entombed in plexiglass... My first bass had 8 million coats of laquer on it, my second had only a tung oil finish. Tim

Well I'm impressed, there are some brilliant people out there. If you are also this brilliant then send me an email. Just for that here is another pic of Susan sitting on the porch. She lost a lot of weight, she used to be 300 lb.

April 18, 02
Take a look at the bass I just finished 150402. I feel like I have achieved something. Its a new step forward. I am excited about basses actually. I can't wait to build a fretless, a 5 string and a 6 string. Being a guitar player, a 6 string will be interesting for me to play.

I was outside today taking pictures of the bass and I just couldn't resist taking a picture of my Suzy. It was such a nice day. People tell me this site is different from all other guitar sites. You bet!
If you're not a horny bastard, you shouldn't be playing a guitar or bass for that matter.

May 24, 02
I haven't had time to rant lately. I have been busy but not as productive as I would have liked. I am happy about some major advances in tooling and techniques that I have adopted. Zachary guitars will be produced faster then ever and more efficiently. I started building two guitars that I have to deliver as soon as I can and since I had everything all set up to do bodies, I ran off seven bodies. Then when it was time to do the necks I made a batch of seven necks. Considerable time can be saved by doing it this way. Here is a picture of all that work. These bodies and necks are only in their preliminary stage of completion. Much work still remains. There should be some nice guitars that will emerge from this pile of wood. Six Z2s and one Z3 with a flamed maple top. Truly high performance guitars.

I am looking forward to the Bobby Simcox signature model, Woody II, and my first 8 string. ZachAttack pickups will have to be made for the 8 string. I am getting a woody just thinking about it.

I have updated the "Demo Video" page with an important message for everyone. I will also update the "Comments" page in the next few days. Back to work on this pile of wood.

June 6, 2002
Something interesting.
Recently I read in a music trade magazine that the guitar market had doubled since the late eighties. This is a huge increase. My question is, who is buying them and what guitars are they buying? If this is true why is there so little guitar playing on the radio. The little you do hear is overproduced and gets lost in the massive mix of digital tracks. We desperately need an Eddy VanHalen again. I find that guitar playing is not nearly as cool as it once was. The 40 and 50 year olds are playing guitar but what about teens. Do teens play guitar? I don't see any. What would they even listen to to get inspired? Are there any current guitar heroes? This gross over production of recordings these days has killed the music. Having an infinite number of guitar tracks on every song takes away from the real thing. Not to mention digital editing, sampling, etc. The video Bobby and I are making will be real. It will be filled with mistakes, imperfections, raw energy and natural brilliance. I will provide the mistakes and imperfections and Bobby will provide the raw energy and natural brilliance. It will be a real opportunity to see and hear real guitar playing. What a treat. You don't find Zachary guitars in music stores and you do not hear real guitar playing on the radio. To dangerous and threatening I think.

I just flipped through the latest issue of Guitar Player Magazine. Happy birthday to the Les Paul guitar by the way. My first electric was a $125 copy of a white Gibson Les Paul Custom and a $25 no-name amplifier. This was 1978.

Oh yes, check out my new guitar 050602 This guitar weighs in at 5.5 lb. A Les Paul weighs in at between 9 and 10 lb. I am not making a value judgment I just think its interesting. I guess pound for pound the Les Paul is twice the guitar for the money.

Zachary Handcrafted Guitars and Bass Guitar