- - - Skullbug 61Railmaster - - -

AUGUST 2018: The 61Railmaster is a Telecaster/Jazzmaster hybrid prematurely aged to feel like it's lived in sweaty bars from Chicago to Memphis and New Orleans to Los Angeles since 1961. Inspired by some fave guitars and a 2017 rail journey south from Chicago on the 'Spirit of New Orleans' then across the USA from New Orleans to Los Angeles on the 'Sunset Limited', the guitar incorporates a small Nortrak sign I scavenged from the rail tracks in Houston (got yelled at by a guard, but pocketed the sign)

BODY: Basswood Jazzmaster body PICKUP: 15.8k Arcane PX-SUPER 8 humbucker, hand-crafted by Rob Timmons in North Hollywood, with tuned Alnico 8 magnets and a raw nickel cover. High gain and high output but still with tons of dynamics and smooth highs. NECK: My fave 7.25" radius neck circa 1983 with Gotoh SD91 Vintage Magnum string lock tuners. OTHER BITS: Electrosocket jackplate, Switchcraft dual contact jack, 500k CTS pots, Gotoh Relic Series string trees, oversized strap buttons. PAINT: Holo-flake sprinkled over wet black enamel then finished with thin coats of polyurethane for easy relicing.

Breaking Bad time: "Jesse, open the vat..."

For its new home my fave neck from the past 30 years needed a touch of restoration but without losing its scars such as the old cigarette burns from back in the day when i smoked:

An experiment that worked - trem springs in pickup cavity to add reverb a la an unplugged strat

Plays like a monster - fast, gnarly, squeals like a pig -awesome!