The History of the Stukely Guitar

[stukely]

As an avid Guitar Enthusiast, Luthier and Woodworker I have been designing and building Electric Guitars since the early 1960’s. About 12 years ago I decided to start a small Instrument retail business under the banner of “Stukely Studios” where I would retail my hand built designs. Over the years I have experimented with a variety of different woods and electronics searching for the elusive perfect tone and I must say it has been an extremely satisfying experience. I am proud to say also that my Guitars have been sold all over the USA and Canada and as far away as Hawaii and I have gotten a tremendous amount of positive feedback. I have decided for posterity to share several of my Guitar designs through this forum. I will start off with my very first effort which I labeled the”Stukely Solo 2” which I still own today and probably cherish most of all. This Guitar consists of a book matched Flame Maple top and African Mahogany Body and with a Neck of Canadian Hard Rock Maple. It has essentially the same size Body as a Fender Stratocaster and thus accepts the standard Strat Pickguard configuration. The Pickups on this Model were originally “Mighty Mites” for experimental reasons but have been changed a number of times over the years. The other hardware is off the shelf stock

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With this model I ventured into the Semi-Acoustic field with a solid center block and hollow wings, this made for a much lighter instrument with a distinctive acoustic timbre. The body has a Maple top with a hint of Spalt veining, a Walnut stripe runs down the center and the remainder of the Body is made of light grain Mahogany. As a departure from Rosewood I utilized a Maple fretboard. The Pickups are High Quality Korean made as is the Gold finish Hardware. Black knobs accents complete the overall esthetic effect. I labeled this Model the "Soloist" to emphasize its stand alone quality.

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With this Model I experimented with a 3-Pickup design along with my first attempt at multiple body bindings. The top of this Guitar was made of Flame Maple with a body of straight grain Maple. Although the “Soloist” was a rather attractive Instrument with its Gold Finish Hardware and Bird Emblem on the Headstock, I made one regrettable error and that was placing the 3-way switch in an awkward position too close to the pickups, something I corrected in later Models. This Guitar had a rather distinctive edgy sound with its center block, hollow wings and all Maple construction. I utilized a hand rubbed oil finish on this Guitar as was the case on most of my other Instruments with a few exceptions.

[Spud1950]

Thanks for posting these. Great looking guitars. I especially like the one above. Very beautiful indeed!

[mrblanche]

Man, as someone who worked in a cabinet factory for a number of years, I have a real weakness for those woods and finishes!

[stukely]

With the advent of this Instrument you could say the suppressed rebel in me surfaced and was a radical departure from anything I had done previously. I guess I always harbored a hidden desire to delve into the heavy metal scene which was unleashed with the introduction of the “Predator” Model. As you can see from the photos the shape was a cross between a Gibson “Explorer” and a “Flying V”. The photos show one Model with a body of African Mahogany in a dark Charcoal stain while the other is in an exotic African Afromosia wood with Walnut and Alaskan Cedar stripes and in a clear finish. The latter has a Walnut Shark inlay on the Body and Shark Tooth inlays on the fretboard. The Dark Stain Model has GFS over wound Pickups (each in excess of 15k) with unbelievable overdrive and ear splitting sustain so much so that when I tested them my wife threatened divorce and the neighbors were ready to press charges. Needless to say I only built two Predator Models but I still had a blast building them
PS: For the record what appears to be indents or grooves in the photos of the Dark stain Model is actually erratic lighting

[stukely]

Although I should have learned my lesson with the “Predator” Model I continued on with my rebel ways and produced yet another radical design the “Quad” 1. I guess you could call this Model a “Stukely” minus the Upper Horns and I labeled it the “Quad 1” after the Kramer Quad Rail Pickups I installed on the first one I designed. I built only three of these Models when I found out because of its shape it was not a very lap friendly Guitar. In fact a friend of mine nicknamed it, the ”Molar” as it reminded him of an extraction he recently had. One Model had a top of “Curly Cherry” with a “Walnut” Wood Body and Kramer “Quad Rail Pickups” (called the “Sumos” of the Pickup world).The other two including the one shown had a local Birds Eye Maple Top and “Wawabima” Wood Body and over wound GFS high gain Pickups. As I indicated earlier only three of these were made, and I have retained one for posterity.

[stukely]

After my foray into the dark side of Guitar Lutherie with the “Predator” and “Quad 1” Models, a silver lining emerged so to speak and I began producing what I consider to be some of my most artistic work. Beginning with the Solo I Limited Edition Model I paid more attention to detail and workmanship and introduced the Body edge Stripe of Brazilian Cherry Wood and the inset matching Wood Cavity Covers, to give the Instrument a more distinctive appearance. This particular Model was constructed with a Flame Maple top and straight grain Maple back and the electronics included Seymour Duncan Pickups with Gold Finish Hardware. You might notice a small plug next to the F-Hole, this is an opening for a future Piezo Pickup Control which was not installed on this particular Instrument. I was very fortunate and honored to have this particular Guitar showcased at the “Remenyi” Music Store in Yorkville Toronto where it eventually sold. As a heads up to the Forum Members, my next submission to the Stukely History will be my final entry as it represents the last Guitar I built with my own hands and under the “Stukely” banner

[stukely]

With this entry which I consider my finest work I wrap up the History of the Stukely Guitar. This Model was commissioned by a Guitar aficionado from Tennessee who was my biggest fan and who had previously purchased two of my Instruments. I owe this gentleman a ton of gratitude as he gave me one of the highest reviews on “Harmony Central” which I will always cherish. Aside from my own design suggestions he was very adamant about the type of woods and hardware he wanted for this custom build. This particular Instrument was embellished with a Spalted Maple top and Spanish Cedar Body and aside from the Brazilian Cherry wood Body stripe the Headstock was likewise adorned. A Birdseye Maple Neck and Fretboard and a mix of Gold and Black Hardware completed the overall appearance. The Magnetic Pickups which were the owner’s choice were made by Dimarzio with a “Tone Zone” for the Bridge and an “Air Norton” for the Neck and I installed a Stewmac 5-way “Megaswitch” for a wider range of control. He had also requested a Piezo Pickup and to be truthful I was a mite apprehensive about this requirement as I had never installed that type of Pickup before, but after much reading and research I settled on the Graph Tech “Ghost System”. I must say having the 5-way Switch on the Mag Pickups and the ability to toggle between Mag and Piezo Pickups or both provided a mix and range of sound that was nothing short of amazing. The Graph Tech is the closest thing to a Martin Dreadnaught sound I have heard reproduced electronically. With this build I decided I had now covered the gamut of guitar designs that had lay dormant in my brain over the years and it was time to take a rest and being no longer involved in woodworking I sold off my equipment. You would think this would be the end of the story but alas once bitten, Guitar design gets in the blood and is almost impossible to shake. Although I no longer personally build Instruments I am still actively involved in designing while outsourcing the construction. If time permits and if anyone is interested I may post one of my latest creations. In closing I hope you have enjoyed this journey into the History of the Stukely Guitar as much as I have and to all Forum Members “Happy Strumming”