Reader Guitar of the Month: Bald Cypress and Lindsey Buckingham Inspire a #1 Instrument

BODY COPY:Reader: Steve AgostoHometown: Jennings, LouisianaGuitar: #1I started my journey into guitar back in the 1980s. Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac was my biggest influence because I was mesmerized by his ability and presence. I wanted to play like him, and though I could never really master his licks, I did teach myself to play guitar. It just took 30 years.I never had the time to play much because I was in the service and worked on the road for so many years. But when I finally settled down, I was almost 50, so I got serious. I played every day, soaking up information—and, yeah, Premier Guitar was there with me every month since 2008. Over the course of my search for that mojo, I’ve had Stratocasters, Telecasters, an Epiphone Casino, a Takamine, a Firebird, SGs, and Les Pauls (a lot of ’em). I’ve lost count of all the mods I’ve done. But through those experiences, I learned that no guitar would have everything I need unless I had it custom built. So, getting near retirement (and now pretty good at playing, too), I decided I would build my own in my garage. I’m one of those guys that loves his garage.
About a year before retiring, I started educating myself by watching videos and speaking with other builders in my area. Then I started to put it all together. My father-in-law knew about my interest, and while I was visiting his farm in southwest Louisiana, he showed me something he’d kept for years, thinking I might appreciate it. Long ago, he had been to another family’s farm and discovered old-growth bald cypress hidden in the rafters of a barn. According to him, the wood had likely been there for at least a century. This wood, like some other boards that were found, was likely from a tree felled during a hurricane. Bald cypress is slow growing, and these particular pieces were probably 200-300 years old. I kept two and gave one to a coworker who had guided me through the building process. Having owned and played so many different guitars, I learned that P-90s are my favorite pickups. I like a short scale because it keeps my elbows tucked in, which is good for my old shoulders. I also fell in love with a 7.25' radius thanks to an old Telecaster, because it was easy on the hands. Because of this, I decided to use a Fender-licensed Jaguar neck by Allparts with a bone nut. The 6-saddle bridge is a Fender-licensed component, too. The pickup is a Korea-made staple P-90, which the seller said came from a Peerless-series Epiphone. Electronics include 250k CTS pots and.047uF Orange Drop capacitors.
It’s very comfortable to play—like a parlor size guitar that’s 1 3/8' thick.Then, of course, there’s the bald cypress body. I settled on the shape because one of my favorite acoustics is a parlor-sized guitar, but it’s also inspired by the Model 1 that Rick Turner built for Lindsey Buckingham. I literally traced my parlor and then placed the pickup where Buckingham had his. (I was always amazed at the tone he got from playing with just that one pickup, not realizing it was actually more Lindsey than the hardware). The entire body is shaped by hand, which isn’t saying much, because I love a flat top guitar like an SGs or Firebird. That made things easy. After I cut the neck pocket and cavity with a Dremel router attachment, I put it together. I darkened the body with 15 to 20 coats of Tru-Oil (I actually lost count), and it was done.This guitar is my #1. Like my wife, there can be no other. It’s light (not even 6 pounds), and very comfortable to play—like a parlor size guitar that’s 1 3/8' thick. It’s also resonant. The P-90 is amazing—I wish I could find another just like it. It’s smooth and clean, but can get nasty when you open the volume knob. I play through a 1965 Fender Showman and a Friedman Runt 50, and they love this guitar as much as I do. When I play another guitar, I’m usually looking over my shoulder, telling myself, “This would sound a lot better on my #1.” And it always does!