Guitar #074

Flame Maple Slab Drop-top mini 4-string solid body electric.

Completed Dec 1, 2024

I've been salvaging local woods for almost as long as I've been building guitars.  If the grains is straight and the log is big enough, then I cut it into acoustic guitar back and side sets, but if the grain is wild, then often it turns out to be perfect for an electric guitar.  That's the case with this little cross cut slab of Maple.  It was in my stach for years.  I was blown away with the color - showing some light spalting, by the stress flame radiating out form the center, the patern of the rings, and even the void in the pith along with the checking.  I'd pick it up from time to time and tap it.  It rang like a bell.  It was calliung out to become one of my little mini guitars.

I took this maple slab and paired it up with more salvaged Basswood from my own property.  The back is bookmatched and also showing some flame, which is very uncommon in Basswood.  The neck is made of Black Locust, which is a member of the same family of plant life as Rosewood, and has overlapping qualities, making it Canada's golden tonewood.  The only exotic woods are the Zericote fret board and the Ebony binding.  Zericote is equal to Ebony as a fret board but also has those wild color paterns making it visually perfect to be paired up with this maple top.

The neck of this instrument has an 18.5" scale length, which is about where the 7th fret is located on a standard sized guitar.  Thats the note B on the first string - a perfect 5th musically.  So this instrument is tuned up a 5th to A, D, F#, B.  The string spacing is just like a standard electric guitar, making the Nut much narrower than an equivilant sized Ukulele.   The string height is also very low, giving people the ability to play much faster than they are used to.

Finally, I had a conversation with Kent - the owner of Kent Armstrong Pickups - and ordered custom hand made humbuckers with the exact pole placement for the layout of this guitar.  These were made with four leads allowing for series / parallel switching via a push / pull on the tone knob.   I'm pleased to say that this guitar has the same great clarity and sustain as all Dickert Guitars.  Pushing the switch down into series, ups the gain and drives the amp to give some serious growl.  Playing the first string past the 12th fret reminds you of those eightieth keys on a grand piano.

Further notes;  The knobs are hand made Zericote wooden knobs with a MOP possition dot on top.  They have brass bushing in the center, and an allen key set screw.

The head stock inlay is a Maple Key made of Gold MOP and Abalone, inlayed into the head cap which is made from the same wood as the guitar's Maple top.

The void in the center of the Maple top was filled with the same kind of epoxy used in creating "River Tables".  I use Ebony saw dust mixed into the epoxy to give it that deep black color.  This same mix was used in all the checks and voids, stabalizing everything and giving it that great look.

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