Giving to a worthy cause.

QC 008 - Lakotacaster

I wanted to donate a very special Quiltcaster to one of my favorite non-profits called Conscious Alliance. They are an organization of musicians, artists and food makers on a mission to end hunger in underserved communities nationwide. One of the main underserved communities that Conscious Alliance serves is the Native American reservation of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. So it just seemed appropriate to create a custom Quiltcaster featuring the Lakota Native American star.

The design

The Morning Star is a popular quilting design but has additional significance for the Lakota Sioux people, . The star quilt represents honor and generosity. The giving of a handmade star quilt was to celebrate special occasions such as births, graduations and marriages.

For the ‘Lakotacaster’ QC#8, I quilted durable black and white jean fabric with an applique’ Lakota Native American star pattern and edge binding. The boutique pickups are TV Jones Classic humbuckers with a fat, but warm sound and stainless steel hardware. The quilt gives the guitar a special durable texture and yet does not impact the sound quality. Like a favorite pair of jeans this guitar will wear well and many hold many memories.

Challenges

This particular guitar took a long to time create. Several challenges were the size of the star. I ended up creating about seven different stars of various sizes. However, only after working on applique’ was I able to get the fine detail and precision I was looking for. Furthermore, placing a start on a curvey guitar presented design issues. I wanted to allow for the star to be the ‘star’, or center, of the guitar but had to accommodate pickups and the bridge saddle. The hardest part of this was knowing I would have to cut into a perfectly fine applique’ star to allow for the hardware. But, sometimes you have to make some very tough edits to create a great piece of art.

The tone and guitar style

Matt Martin donated his Cabronita guitar and all the hardware to the Conscious Alliance cause which was a very kind gesture. So this guitar was actually refurbished and I recall asking him several times ‘are you really ok with me sanding down your excellent guitar and placing a quilt on it?’ His trust in me was very special. I believe it turned out fantastic. Matt was also helpful in recommending that the guitar components should be rear-mount to avoid disrupting the star as much as possible. Matt also is the Tone-Master and Guitar designer as he’s got a much better ear and is very precise with guitar building. Matt has also designed the tone and hardware for the Jazzcaster (QC6) and the Jeancaster (QC7).

Photos on location at Red Rocks

The photos of the Lakotacaster are from Keith Bernard. He was very kind to donate his time and creative eye in shooting QC8 at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO. This is not a coincidence as Conscious Alliance frequents Red Rocks for their food donation drives and many concerts during the summer. It is also where I first met the Conscious Alliance team and volunteered with them for many shows. If you’ve never been to Red Rocks you should make the effort. It’s a very special place with fantastic acoustics and spiritual significance to many.

It was a pleasure to work on this guitar to honor the nobile work Conscious Alliance does to provide meals around the country through the combined power of art and music.

Lakotacaster QC8 Specifications:

Body – Ash wood, Cabronita style

Neck – 22 frets, Vintage/Modern Compound Radius neck, 10-16”, light birdseye maple with rosewood fretboard.

Neck Pickup – TV Jones Classic Neck

Bridge Pickup – TV Jones Classic +

1 Volume Pot – 550K Vintage Inspired Pickups brand

3-way pickup selector switch

Bridge – Fender USA Strat Hardtail Bridge (Offset Spacing)

Block Saddles – Hipshot Stainless Steel

Tuners – Hipshot Tuning Machines

Jack Mount – Electrosocket

Strings – Ernie Ball 9.5-46