Uploaded June 2013 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
This is a long overdue project, and no, it has nothing to do with smoking a pork butt. I built this guitar in 1964 and 65, while I was still in school. I wanted a 12 string desperately, and on a student's budget, buying one was not an option. So... I researched it, learned enough to get myself in trouble, bought $36 worth of musical instrument grade woods from Craftsman Wood Service in Chicago, and spent 6 months learning by doing. The reward was this guitar.
Now, it needs a new top. Turns out that American Holly, though it made the guitar sound twice as big as it is, didn't have the strength to support the forces a 12 string endures, and after 20 years of heavy playing, and many miles, it warped badly enough to become unplayable, so I parked it.
Now I'm unparking it. Because again I have a craving to play like Leo Kottke, and to do that I need a 12 string. Well... I have a 12 string. It's just broken. Solution: fix it.
This could take a while, but it shouldn't be anywhere near the 6 months of dedication it took to build it from scratch. We'll see...
This is a long overdue project, and no, it has nothing to do with smoking a pork butt. I built this guitar in 1964 and 65, while I was still in school. I wanted a 12 string desperately, and on a student's budget, buying one was not an option. So... I researched it, learned enough to get myself in trouble, bought $36 worth of musical instrument grade woods from Craftsman Wood Service in Chicago, and spent 6 months learning by doing. The reward was this guitar.
Now, it needs a new top. Turns out that American Holly, though it made the guitar sound twice as big as it is, didn't have the strength to support the forces a 12 string endures, and after 20 years of heavy playing, and many miles, it warped badly enough to become unplayable, so I parked it.
Now I'm unparking it. Because again I have a craving to play like Leo Kottke, and to do that I need a 12 string. Well... I have a 12 string. It's just broken. Solution: fix it.
This could take a while, but it shouldn't be anywhere near the 6 months of dedication it took to build it from scratch. We'll see...
