top of page

some fantastic players demonstrating our guitars & pickups

Eternal Guitars: '74 Special Pickups for Telecaster Custom. Demo by Chris Cox
05:20

Eternal Guitars: '74 Special Pickups for Telecaster Custom. Demo by Chris Cox

I recently undertook a "players grade" restoration on a '74 Fender Tele Custom, for our friend Chris Cox. As part of the hardware and electronics upgrades, I needed to make some new pickups (the originals have long since been lost) but keep the original Widerange/single coil layout. Chris loves our “PAF Replica” humbuckers, so we decided to make one in a Widerange cover and use four-core wiring so the pickup could be split if desired, to offer a taste of a Tele neck single coil, and broaden the tones available. For the bridge unit I bespoke wound a single coil with the basic aesthetics of a real ’74 pickup (grey bottom flatwork, black string wrap, staggered mags, lacquer dipped) but added a decent slice of extra grunt to lose the shrillness often associated with single coils of the era, and the Eternal “74 Special” was born. I also refinished the body and replaced the pickguard along with an upgrade on all of the electronics and a set of neat Gotoh “In Tune” saddles. For the wiring, Chris prefers a master volume control layout which left a “spare” pot which we decided could be used as a ‘coil split” to gradually roll off the volume of one coil on the neck “Widerange PAF”. It works brilliantly and with some subtle use of the controls, a wide variety of tones are available. Upon collection Chris was kind enough to allow me to record an on the fly demo video straight to my phone (hence the less than studio quality) but along with some very tasty playing, it gives a very good idea of how she now sounds.
Gibson J45 headstock replacement
04:00

Gibson J45 headstock replacement

This unfortunate 2005 Gibson J45 had been through the wars, and at least two botched head break repairs when it landed on my bench. I was asked by Alex at “We have Sound Guitars” in Worthing if I could help as the guitar had huge sentimental value to its owner. I had hoped that it would be possible to repair using splints but closer inspection revealed that was in a terrible state and beyond saving. There was clear evidence of copious amounts of superglue, wood filler, car body filler and quick setting epoxy - which is crap at the best of times, and certainly unsuitable for high tension repairs. I also found nails or maybe screws - again, neither of which will ever hold a head break together (and are fabulous at f***ing up your tools should you discover them buried deeply in wood). There was only one option: cut the mess off and replace the headstock and a portion of the neck. I began by ensuring that the truss rod worked and hadn’t be glued solid during the past repairs, which I’ve seen all too frequently. Thankfully it was okay, so off came the fingerboard, before the truss rod fillet and rod were removed. I then took a deep breath and ran the neck through the bandsaw! Next, I milled out a new headstock from a nice quarter sawn neck blank, and began the process of making the two become one. As the pics show, it was an involved process incorporating a scarf joint into an existing neck. Once the basic shape and scarf were complete and a neat match, it was glued together and planed perfectly flat where the fingerboard would sit. The truss rod channel was then reintroduced before the fillet and fingerboard (forming a laminate of sorts) were reattached. Only then did I complete the carve and blend into the neck and fingerboard edges. I added an ebony veneer “faceplate” and after a mockup with the tuners and strings fitted to make sure all was well, I began the paintwork. The join would never be totally invisible using translucent lacquer but with the right amount of tint I achieved a very nice match and finished by clear-coating the whole neck to blend everything together. The result feels marvellous and looks almost better than expected : )
Eternal "Luna" S-Type demo by Alex Ward and Lewis Harding
13:04

Eternal "Luna" S-Type demo by Alex Ward and Lewis Harding

"Luna" was built as a tribute to the rare vintage examples that had mahogany bodies, and were only made for a short period in '63. Using mahogany instead of the regular ash or alder resulted in a fantastically lively, warm and responsive acoustic tone. I had originally planned to use a H/S/H pickup layout but the acoustic tone cried out for the clarity of three single coils, so using a tried and tested configuration, I went with twin mid-scooped “Ozones” in the neck and middle with some added wallop from our “S90” single coil at the bridge. The neck is a decent sized C-shape profile with a slab rosewood ‘board with jumbo 6000 size frets across the 9.5” radius for improved choke-free bends and low action. The all nitro finish is heavily aged Shell Pink with a matching headstock face, and worn tinted nitro on the rear of the neck for a wonderful, broken in playing feel. Hardware is Kluson and Gotoh with our usual top-notch, highest quality CTS, Switchcraft and CRL electronic components on a full-sized aluminium shielding plate beneath a mint green aged pickguard. Listen to "Luna" over on our Demo Page.   Model: “Luna” S-Type   Body: Solid two-piece mahogany   Neck: Maple with dark rosewood fingerboard and clay dot markers   Neck profile: C-shape   Neck dimensions: 22.6mm deep at 1st fret to 24.6mm deep at 12th   Radius: 9.5”   Fret size: 6000   Number of frets: 21   Nut width: 41.5mm   Finish: All nitrocellulose, aged Shell Pink on body with matching headstock and worn tinted lacquer on neck   Plastics: Three ply aged mint pickguard   Bridge: Gotoh vintage repro with steel block and bent steel saddles   Tuners: Kluson vintage repro   Pickups: Eternal hand wound “Ozones” in neck and middle, with an “S90” at the bridge.   Electronics: CTS Brass collar 250k volume and tone pots with an Orange Drop capacitor, a CRL five-way selector switch, cloth covered hook-up wire and a Switchcraft output jack socket. Aluminium shielding plate.   Nut: Handcut bone   Strings: Ernie Ball Slinky 10-46   Weight: 7.13Ibs   Case: Vintage style tweed hardcase included
Eternal “Chloe” the Candy Apple Red late ‘60s inspired T-Type - demo video by Alex Ward
07:16

Eternal “Chloe” the Candy Apple Red late ‘60s inspired T-Type - demo video by Alex Ward

I needed a guitar to showcase my wonderful “Eternal ’68 Special” bridge pickup, so I decided to build something that had the correct aesthetic, but that retained my usual tweaks for tone and playability. The body is lightweight obeche that I really love for its open airy voice, mated to an era correct two-piece maple neck. I went with a vintage-correct 7.25” radius but used beefier 6100 size frets to aid bending, note definition and feel. Tuners are Schaller’s excellent late ’60s/early ‘70s replicas, and the bridge is a Kluson plate with steel grooved saddles. The electronics are my usual top-notch CTS brass collar pots, with a CRL 3-way and Switchcraft output jack. The bridge pickup is the aforementioned ’68 Special (my own slightly meatier version of a pickup from that era that tames the icepick attack so common on the originals) that pairs so beautifully with a neck P90 style pickup - in this case my own V90 unit. Model: “Chloe” T-Type Body: Solid obeche Neck: Maple with maple fingerboard and black position dots on face and side Neck profile: Beefy C-shape Neck dimensions: 22mm deep at 1st fret to 25mm deep at 12th Fingerboard radius: 7.25” Fret size: 6100 Number of frets: 21 Nut width: 41.5mm Finish: All nitrocellulose, lightly aged Candy Apple Red on body with tinted lacquer on neck and fingerboard Plastics: Three ply aged parchment pickguard Bridge: Ashtray with three grooved steel saddles Tuners: Schaller late ‘60s vintage repro Pickups: Eternal hand wound ’68 Special Bridge pickup with a V90 in neck Electronics: CTS Brass collar 250k volume and tone pots with an Orange Drop capacitor, a CRL three-way selector switch, cloth covered hook-up wire and a Switchcraft output jack socket. Nut: Handcut bone Strings: Ernie Ball Slinky 10-46 Weight: 6.9Ibs Case: Vintage style tweed hardcase included
Eternal Guitars "Gianna" T-Type demo by Alex Ward
12:18

Eternal Guitars "Gianna" T-Type demo by Alex Ward

Built primarily to showcase our new “Broadcaster” style early ‘50s inspired single coil bridge pickup, “Gianna” uses the same basic chassis as our best selling “PAF Replica T-Type” guitars. The combination of a lightweight build, solid hardware and our open sounding, transparent pickups create a unique tone - both resonant and focussed that really allows the player to find their own voice and to craft truly musical tones. Again we used super lightweight Obeche for the body, a one-piece soft 'V' shaped neck profile with a vintage radius but with jumbo (6100) sized fretwire for an “enhanced vintage” playing feel. Our original versions leaned heavily on the early/mid ‘50s vibe and aesthetic, so we’ve gone back to the start here with a solid black nitro finish on the body, and a worn-lacquer maple neck finish. A hand-cut bone nut with Kluson/Gotoh hardware - including a three-brass compensated saddle bridge with through body stringing for maximum TONE and split-post tuners with “Butterbean” plastic buttons. Although a one-ply white pickguard would have been more “correct” for an early ‘50s vibe, I went with a three-ply mint guard as it was a lot sturdier for mounting a humbucker and it also looked fantastic! The juice comes from one of our aged, nickel covered PAF Replicas in the neck and being a low output, non-potted humbucker it pairs beautifully with our recreation of one of the earlier Tele bridge pickups. Before the Tele became the twang-beast that we all know and love, the earlier versions used a slightly thicker and beefier sounding single coil (possibly in an attempt to emulate the good old P90 that Gibson had been using for many years prior) that found its way on to the Tele when it was still called the Broadcaster - this was around 1951 and the name was famously changed shortly after once Gretsch copped the hump about the similarities to their “Broadkaster” drum kit name. There was short period of no name (or Nocasters) before the Telecaster was officially christened. The crucial difference to the later pickups is a fatter and warmer tone with a noticeably snub-nosed top end that lacks the shrill brittleness of many later variants. On “Gianna” this pickup combination is channeled through our usual CTS, CRL and Switchcraft electronic components and makes for a very versatile, tone-packed, simple instrument, perfect for all styles of music. Model: Eternal “Gianna” T-Type Body: Solid Obeche Neck: One-piece maple Neck profile: Soft V Neck dimensions: 23mm deep at 1st fret to 24.3mm deep at 12th Radius: 7.25” Fret size: 6100 Number of frets: 21 Nut width: 41.8mm Finish: All nitrocellulose, aged black on body with tinted lacquer on neck Plastics: Three-ply aged mint green pick guard Bridge: Ashtray with three brass compensated saddles Tuners: Kluson vintage repro with plastic “Butterbean” buttons Pickups: Eternal hand wound “PAF Replica” in neck with “Broadcaster” single coil in bridge position Electronics: CTS brass collar 250k volume and tone pots with an Orange Drop capacitor, a CRL three-way selector switch, cloth covered hook-up wire and a Switchcraft output jack socket. Nut: Handcut bone Strings: Ernie Ball Slinky 10-46 Weight: 6.9Ibs Case: Vintage style tweed hardcase included
Eternal "Number One" Tribute demo with Alex Ward and Lewis Harding
10:20

Eternal "Number One" Tribute demo with Alex Ward and Lewis Harding

Eternal SRV "Number One Tribute" As a huge fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, I had wanted for many years to build a loving and accurate recreation of his “Number One” Strat, and the long periods of lockdown that we’ve experienced in recent years gave me a chance to make it happen. Choosing an era of “Number One” to use as reference was the first consideration. The guitar changed continuously over the years (it was already well-used when SRV first acquired it in 1974 from Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music) and was thoroughly beaten over thousands of gigs right up to Stevie’s untimely death in 1990. Not long before the end, Stevie’s guitar tech Reme Martinez had swapped out all the remaining hardware for gold, including the tuners for a modern set with pearl buttons and a thick one-ply black pickguard with (I assume) a laser etched “SRV” logo and this is how the guitar has remained. As great as this looked my own personal preference and pinnacle of the guitars aesthetic was shortly before these final changes, when it retained much of the original hardware, the three-ply black/white/black pickguard with holographic lettering and vintage Klusons, captured beautifully on his 1989 Austin City Limits performance, so this is the look I chose to replicate. Stevie often referred to ‘Number One’ as a ’59 as this date was written on the base of the pickups, but we can be reasonably sure that the body was made in 1962 with the veneer fingerboard dating the neck to late the same year or more probably 1963. As much as Stevie loved Number One, he rarely held back when performing, so she must have required almost constant maintenance to keep her playing and gig ready. The body had taken the full force of Stevie’s heavy and aggressive playing style and once the finish abandoned ship, the naked wood had begun to take the brunt with deep wear above the pickguard and chunks removed, scrapes and impact damage all over the body particularly on the back lower bout. The originals neck was eventually retired in the late ‘80s after a lifetime of re-frets (veneer fingerboards only have so much life in them compared to slab ‘boards which typically can handle more re-frets assuming the work is done sympathetically) and replaced for some later shows with the neck from another of Stevie’s vintage Strats, until this neck was destroyed in a freak stage accident. After Stevie passed away, his brother Jimmie had the original neck and body reunited. I began this build with the body which I made and painted before putting it aside as normal work took over, but this allowed the nitro sunburst finish to thoroughly dry over a period of almost a year, becoming brittle enough to age authentically. Like the original, the body is alder, visibly modified for a lefty vibrato bridge including the false start on the base of the rear trem routing, with a 7.25” radius veneer ‘board, worn clay dots and 6000 fretwire. Stevie’s huge sound came from a combination of a great sounding and resonant instrument, heavy strings tuned down a semi-tone, his very strong and percussive attack and of course his amps and pedals. When it came to capturing the right plugged in sound I decided to avoid the “Texas Special” take on Stevie’s pickups which never sounded truly authentic to me. In all fairness they were designed (much like my own “Texan” models) to offer some extra beef to an otherwise standard guitar. But clearly Stevie never used “hot” or overwound single-coils. It’s definitely possible that over the years one or more pickups on “Number One” could have been repaired or rewound, but if we assume that for at least longe periods of his career that they were original then we’re talking pure, vintage single-coil tone. In 1959 Strat pickups were most typically wound with Heavy Formvar coil wind, wound to a relatively sedate 5.9 - 6k DC output using staggered poles and lacquer potting. The pickup frame was assembled before being sealed with lacquer to insulate the poles and then wound before a final lacquer dip or potting took place. The lacquer rarely penetrated the coil properly on these originals which apart from leading to some failures, actually allows the inner most windings to vibrate or move at high volume creating the transparent and very slightly microphonic edge that these old pickups are known for. They were all wound in the same direction, so there was no reverse wound middle pickup. My versions for this guitar are made in exactly the same way. The electronics are as close to full vintage spec. as is feasible with high quality CTS 250k pots and a “Red Dime” capacitor - I took the liberty of connecting the bridge pickup to the second tone pot as this was just sensible, and used a five-way selector switch, with aged cloth wiring throughout. Hardware is all Kluson, with the excellent holographic letter and “Custom” stickers courtesy of the fabulous “Axtreme Creations” in the States. For the full spec. head over to our website: www/eternal-guitars.com
Eternal Guitars "Gianna" T-Type audio demo by Lewis Harding
05:12

Eternal Guitars "Gianna" T-Type audio demo by Lewis Harding

Built primarily to showcase our new “Broadcaster” style early ‘50s inspired single coil bridge pickup, “Gianna” uses the same basic chassis as our best selling “PAF Replica T-Type” guitars. The combination of a lightweight build, solid hardware and our open sounding, transparent pickups create a unique tone - both resonant and focussed that really allows the player to find their own voice and to craft truly musical tones.  Again we used super lightweight Obeche for the body, a one-piece soft 'V' shaped neck profile with a vintage radius but with jumbo (6100) sized fretwire for an “enhanced vintage” playing feel. Our original versions leaned heavily on the early/mid ‘50s vibe and aesthetic, so we’ve gone back to the start here with a solid black nitro finish on the body, and a worn-lacquer maple neck finish.  A hand-cut bone nut with Kluson/Gotoh hardware - including a three-brass compensated saddle bridge with through body stringing for maximum TONE and split-post tuners with “Butterbean” plastic buttons.  Although a one-ply white pickguard would have been more “correct” for an early ‘50s vibe, I went with a three-ply mint guard as it was a lot sturdier for mounting a humbucker and it also looked fantastic! The juice comes from one of our aged, nickel covered PAF Replicas in the neck and being a low output, non-potted humbucker it pairs beautifully with our recreation of one of the earlier Tele bridge pickups.  Before the Tele became the twang-beast that we all know and love, the earlier versions used a slightly thicker and beefier sounding single coil (possibly in an attempt to emulate the good old P90 that Gibson had been using for many years prior) that found its way on to the Tele when it was still called the Broadcaster - this was around 1951 and the name was famously changed shortly after once Gretsch copped the hump about the similarities to their “Broadkaster” drum kit name. There was short period of no name (or Nocasters) before the Telecaster was officially christened. The crucial difference to the later pickups is a fatter and warmer tone with a noticeably snub-nosed top end that lacks the shrill brittleness of many later variants. On “Gianna” this pickup combination is channeled through our usual CTS, CRL and Switchcraft electronic components and makes for a very versatile, tone-packed, simple instrument, perfect for all styles of music.  Model: Eternal “Gianna” T-Type Body: Solid Obeche Neck: One-piece maple Neck profile: Soft V Neck dimensions: 23mm deep at 1st fret to 24.3mm deep at 12th Radius: 7.25” Fret size: 6100 Number of frets: 21 Nut width: 41.8mmFinish: All nitrocellulose, aged black on body with tinted lacquer on neck Plastics: Three-ply aged mint green pick guard Bridge: Ashtray with three brass compensated saddles Tuners: Kluson vintage repro with plastic “Butterbean” buttons Pickups: Eternal hand wound “PAF Replica” in neck with “Broadcaster” single coil in bridge position Electronics: CTS brass collar 250k volume and tone pots with an Orange Drop capacitor, a CRL three-way selector switch, cloth covered hook-up wire and a Switchcraft output jack socket. Nut: Handcut bone Strings: Ernie Ball Slinky 10-46 Weight: 6.9Ibs Case: Vintage style tweed hardcase included
bottom of page