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Well, it's been a while since our last update…but as you can see, we've been busy working on the latest and greatest, and we've never been happier about the instruments that are coming out of this little shop - they just keep getting better!
To start off, here's a great picture of our friend Kaki King and her custom Gryphon…
Check out some of the newest videos, from people like Kaki King, Colin Hay, Paul Brett, and more - click here to see the Videos page! Here's a selection of some of the newest videos:
button above.
Veillette Guitars at the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers' Showcase
Veillette at the London Acoustic Guitar Show
This September, Veillette Guitars (well…Joe and Kim, anyway) took a trip across the pond to show some of our latest Acoustic creations at the London Acoustic Guitar Show. Our booth was Co-sponsored by our Veillette Guitars man from Brighton, Phil Ward. Armed with some Terzes, a Baritone or two, and (of course) a Doubleneck, it's pretty safe to say that we had some of the most unique guitars there.
After connecting at the show, we are happy to announce that Veillettes are now available at Ivor Maraints Musicentre in London - one of the very best specialty guitar shops in the UK, catering to every level of player.
Their first Veillette, a lovely Terz 12, is already in the place of honor in their high-end acoustic room:
Veillette welcomes
Tim Mack
We are happy to introduce the latest member of Veillette Guitars, Tim Mack.
We've known Tim for years (actually, Ande and he went to school together!), and are thrilled to now have him in the shop doing great work on assembly, setup, wiring, and some woodworking. In addition to being a fine bassist and guitarist, Tim also brings much-needed skill in recording and general computer literacy, which we're sure to need more and more!
Welcoming Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) to the family…
For such a small company, we're very proud of our large and diverse list of well-known players and performers. The latest "star" player to get on board the Veillette bandwagon is Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. Mike took home an Acoustic Gryphon, and is already having fun and writing songs with it. Pearl Jam are back on the road, in the middle of a worldwide tour, and who knows…maybe the Gryphon will turn up on stage somewhere!
In the meantime, here's a little home video from Mike's blog:
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The Terz family… With the great response we've had to our Terz 12-string model, we just had to expand the 'family'... We're now thrilled to present the Terz 6-string, and the Terz Cutaway! The 6-string brings the shimmer and sparkle of its 12-string sibling, along with a harpsichord-like precision and definition when played fingerstyle. The tuning is perfectly matched to the natural range of the 14" body shape. Even our simple "guitarmaker's fingerstyle" sounds fresh, lively, and unique on this fascinating instrument. For players who really want to explore the high reaches of the Terz tuning (getting almost up into Gryphon range!), we are now also offering both 6-string and 12-string Terz models with the optional cutaway body. |
Acoustic Doublenecks - we just won't stop!
Anyone who spotted the Acoustic Doubleneck on our "What's New" page will understand why we were so charmed and excited - the guitar suggested so many sonic and musical possibilities, we just couldn't stop thinking about it. Actually, we felt it was so successful, that we decided to make some more!
These two Acoustic Doublenecks are both configured like the first instrument - a standard-tuned 6-string as an "upper" neck, and a D-tuned Gryphon 12-string for the "lower" neck. A carefully-designed pair of intersecting X braces support the 18 strings worth of tension, and lends each neck a unique voice, quite different from their single-neck equivalents. The Standard-6-string neck is perky, punchy, and responsive, with a lot of "breath" and airspace around the low notes. The Gryphon side has a very energetic midrange response, with tons of note definition and "cut", thanks to the forward-shifted position of its X brace.
A pair of pickups merge into a single preamp, for 'plugged' performance that comes as close as possible to a microphone. This arrangement allows for maximum interaction and sympathetic vibrations between the two necks, which add another beautiful dimension to the spectrum of what this guitar can do - drone strings and harmonics comes alive, even with simple playing, and envelop both player and listener.
These guitars were a labor of love, and we invested a great amount of time and energy into making them as good as we possibly could. Everyone that's picked them up has been charmed and inspired, and frankly impressed at how comfortable, playable, and musically useful they are.
These very special pieces are available for sale - please contact us if you're interested! It may be some time before we make any more.
A new option - Top bevels
In response to a number of customer requests, we're now offering our Acoustic instruments with an "arm bevel". Seamlessly integrated with the face binding, the arm bevel gives our already-comfortable guitars a new level of ergonomic satisfaction, with a smooth, uninterrupted crossing for the right arm, with no sharp corners. Ideal for the player who wants a large-body guitar without the large-body feel, or for any guitarist looking for a stylish and functional upgrade that really feels great (and looks pretty fetching too!).
More New Doublenecks - Electric Edition!
In case you hadn't noticed, we're in danger of becoming obsessed with doublenecks! Here's the latest and greatest in electric doublenecks - both are 6-string/12-string combinations.
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| This doubleneck uses a hybrid pickup setup, with humbucking bridge pickups and hum-cancelling single-coils in the neck. | Built for our friend Rob Mickam, this doubleneck is decked out with full-size humbuckers in all four positions. This guitar will sound way, way heavier than it feels! |
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Lorah Yaccarino's Custom Baritone 12 One of our earliest customers, Lorah Yaccarino has built her unique and hypnotic style of guitar playing around her first Veillette, a beautiful blue Mk-III Baritone 12. Ten years (and a Gryphon) later, she came back to us for an updated and refined version. We worked with her to reduce the weight and improve playability and feel, without losing the essence of her original. The mahogany neck and slim, heavily chambered body shave a couple of pounds off the weight of the original. To idealize the balance, this guitar features the same amazing Gotoh ST31 "Stealth" tuners that we've been using on our doublenecks. The piezo bridge pickup and Duncan "Vintage Rails" magnetic blend together through a D-Tar Eclipse, for a huge variety of sounds. Lorah is delighted with her new guitar - it promises to be a great new companion for her musical journey. |
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Bass Player reviews the Concorde Bass!Since its introduction in our last Newsletter, our Concorde bass has been turning heads with its unique mix of vintage-inspired hollowbody goodness and cutting edge design and construction. Our good friends at Bass Player took one in to review, and came back with rave reviews, praising the Concorde's "wonderfully warm and organic tone", "superior craftsmanship, vintage look, and superb sound", and "airy, natural voicing of the bass violin". Many thanks to reviewer Rod Taylor for perfectly capturing the tone, vibe, and functionality of this unique bass! |
Mike Gordon picks up a fretless 5…
We're thrilled to welcome the legendary Mike Gordon of Phish into our extended family of customers, players and friends. We had a great visit with Mike in June, and he ended up becoming the proud papa of a fretless 5-string bass and a solidbody Gryphon 12-string. We can't wait to see what Mike does with these beasts - and (who knows?)… just maybe they'll turn up on stage with one of the greatest live bands playing today!
Featured custom: Graeme Harvey's amazing Archtop 5
This stunning Archtop 5-string bass is off to its new home in the UK.
We always love instruments that have a strong visual "theme", and this is a perfect example - the natural finish on the poplar and maple contrast strikingly with the all-black appointments - pickup, bridge, tailpiece, knobs, and binding. A sleek, unlined ebony fingerboard is the perfect final touch. The amazing quilted maple top doesn't need any help from stain or color. The chamber and soundhole give an extra 'acoustic' flavor which complements the sound quite nicely.
Beyond the looks, this bass features a custom 35" scale and 17mm string spacing to suit the customer's preferences - when we're building a "dream bass", we want every last detail to be just right!
Thanks to Graeme for dreaming up this lovely bass, and giving us the opportunity to build it.
New Dealer: Premier Bass Guitars!
Due to open in mid-October, Premier Bass Guitars in Superior, CO is poised to be an exciting new player in the world of high-end bass dealers. Owner Dan Basica has pulled out all the stops, and his inventory of fine instruments and amps will have something for just about every taste or musical need.
For the grand opening, Premier will be stocking 3 fantastic fretless Veillettes: a Paris 5-string in Natural finish, an Archtop 5 in Honey Walnut, and a gorgeous Concorde 4-string in Tobacco Burst. We're proud to be Dan's first choice in fretless and semi-hollow instruments, and thrilled to be part of this great new shop.
That's all for now… but stay tuned for our next Newsletter — there's a new style of instrument in the works that promises to further blur the line between acoustic and electric that we've been navigating for years…some great new website features coming soon… and as always, some gorgeous new guitars that we just have to show to the world.
See you then!,
Joe, Ande, Martin, and Tim
Veillette Guitars