The very excellent Strat-O-Blogster who, by my reckoning from afar appears to be a curious combination of street philosopher/musician/all-purpose aficionado/deep geeking gear slut/repressed poet/mad genius/humorist/seeker/seer (in other words, he’s a great bunch of guys), has a real knack for furthuring the discussion and gently leading me to the next logical step along the path.
It seems that there is a tendency to draw a line in the sand between craftsmanship and art. The fact that the main purpose of a guitar is utilitarian in nature, is the the fly in our metaphysical ointment.
But, just because a guitar has to get the primary job done doesn’t mean that the way it looks has to be without purpose. For instance, every time I tote the the Blue Flower, Wallpaper Tele to a honky-tonk or roadhouse, I get ribbed by various overtly macho types. Yet, I have never taken this guitar to a gig where at least one of the fairer sex hasn’t come to me and said something like; “Ooooohhh, that’s such a pretty guitar!” I find both of these types of responses delightful.
The question then, is; “Can craftsmanship be art?”
A guitar could have artistic value yet, be unplayable. Therefore, it would be merely a piece of art. But, we are talking about guitars so, for it to actually be a guitar, there has to be a level of craftsmanship involved.
And at this point in the proceedings, Strat-O-Blogster introduces us to Goldbug Guitars.
“Why not?”
In 2006 Goldbug Guitars came about in response to the question “Why Not?”. Specifically, why not build guitars and design and manufacture all the parts? Why not design all aspects of the guitar to the highest design standards. Why not produce all the metal parts out of precious metals?
“Why not do things that have never been done?”
GOLDBUG GUITARS
is the answer to those questions.
After perusing the site just a tad, my choice is The “Lenore”.
$12,900…Edition Size 40 instruments
“Lenore” is a limited edition guitar (40 available instruments) commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-2009. The sources of many of the design elements of “Lenore” are the works and themes of Edgar A. Poe, including “The Gold Bug”, “The Raven”, and “A Dream Within a Dream”.
Excluding electrical components and some mechanical parts (screws, washers, frets, etc.), Goldbug designs and produces every part of “Lenore”, including the bridge, tailpiece, pickup rings, tuner knobs, tuning machine housings, strap pegs, control knobs, switch tip and inlays. All of these items are made of solid sterling silver and each piece has been exquisitely designed and manufactured with unparalleled craftsmanship and attention to detail.
My impression is; that’s stunning. I have a notion that, it plays like a dream, sounds great and chicks would dig it.
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