The Junk Yard Dog 8 String .. A New Model Pettingill

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 11 Nov 2010 10:41 am

Some of you may have seen a few of the in progress pics of the JYD and I'm pleased to say, she is done.
I am extremely pleased with how she came out, both is looks, but more importantly her voice. The pickups are some very cool units modeled after a Tele set. I built the bobbins and sent them off to Bryan Gunsher at BG-Pups to have him wind them up and do what he does so well. Bryan nailed the tones I was shooting for and I would not change a thing. Her voice is is everything I had hoped and imagined, crisp, clear, airy and articulate, sweet and smooth with a sexy bite. With a little gain she pushes the amp and has a killer overdriven tone.

A little about the steel and specs
24" scale
3/8" string spacing
Body is chambered swamp ash with a feathered black walnut top.
Neck is a long tenon black walnut with birdseye maple fretboard and head cap.
Pickups are setup with 4 way rotary switching for versatility
Custom matching knobs and pickup rings
String through set bridge with a phosphor bronze saddle
Grover Rotomatics

This one is kind of hard to get captured in pics, but here are a few that didn't come out too bad.

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Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 11 Nov 2010 10:50 am

Yummie!!

Allan Munro · Post by **Allan Munro** » 11 Nov 2010 10:50 am

Shiny!
Beautiful as always. I think I like this one even more than the others that I have seen on here.
Love your work Mr. Tom.....

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 11 Nov 2010 1:18 pm

Thanks Steinar and Allan

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 11 Nov 2010 2:53 pm

Nice job, Tom!

Chris Tweed · Post by **Chris Tweed** » 11 Nov 2010 3:26 pm

That's a beauty! Beautifully finished too. It's great to see real craftmanship is still available.

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 11 Nov 2010 4:34 pm

Allan Munro wrote:Shiny!
Beautiful as always. I think I like this one even more than the others that I have seen on here.
Love your work Mr. Tom.....

Plus one. You're amazing, Tom!!

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 11 Nov 2010 5:15 pm

Thanks Brad, Chris, and Rick

It was a fun build and a great opportunity to bring to life an idea I've had floating around in my head for some time.

Ron Yarboro · Post by **Ron Yarboro** » 12 Nov 2010 1:48 pm

Hi Tom,

The guitar is truly stunning! The knobs, bridge, and pick up rings look great. RY

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 12 Nov 2010 2:01 pm

Thanks Ron

... still need to get some better pics taken, but here are a couple that show the pickups and knob detail a little better.

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Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 12 Nov 2010 9:02 pm

The best yet!

Ron Yarboro · Post by **Ron Yarboro** » 12 Nov 2010 9:13 pm

Tom Pettingill wrote:Thanks Ron ... still need to get some better pics taken, but here are a couple that show the pickups and knob detail a little better.

Wow,even more stunning!

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 13 Nov 2010 1:59 pm

Thanks Bill and Ron

... here are a couple more shots that are not too bad.

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Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 13 Nov 2010 2:14 pm

Tom, everything you build blows me away! Another work of art there for sure.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 14 Nov 2010 2:36 pm

Thanks Bill

... wait till you see the next couple in the pipeline ...

Dean Upson · Post by **Dean Upson** » 14 Nov 2010 5:06 pm

Just stunning!

Dean

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 15 Nov 2010 10:36 am

Thanks Dean!

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 15 Nov 2010 10:49 am

Tom, that is so hot it's a shame to put it on your lap so the world can't see it. If ever a steel needed a strap, it's this one.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 15 Nov 2010 5:29 pm

Thanks Mike and to be honest, I was eyeballing the possibility of making this design into a viable stand up model ... it certainly has potential.

Peter Jacobs · Post by **Peter Jacobs** » 16 Nov 2010 9:36 am

Slick! Another beauty, Tom -- I love that it's asymmetrical. My stand-up steel is also made that way, to avoid putting excess weight further away from my body (this was the builder's idea, and a darn good one).

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 16 Nov 2010 11:27 am

Tom, this guitar is a beautiful melding of form, function, craftsmanship, creativity, taste and finishing skills. Bravo!.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 16 Nov 2010 1:56 pm

Thanks Peter and Andy, it is much appreciated

Peter den Hartogh · Post by **Peter den Hartogh** » 16 Nov 2010 9:38 pm

Tom, that instrument is absolutely beautiful!

What exactly do the controls do?

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 17 Nov 2010 7:56 am

Thank you Peter

For the controls I have solid brass shaft 250k CTS pots with a .047 Orange Drop cap, volume is closest to bridge and tone on top. The middle is a 4 way 3 pole rotary switch setup as bridge - bridge / neck in series - neck - bridge / neck in parallel.

As you can see in this pic, the rotary knob has a strip of walnut inlayed for a marker and the corresponding position markers on the body are inlayed mother of pearl.

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Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 17 Nov 2010 8:28 am

Stunning, Tom! Looking at those pics really makes one want to pick the guitar up and play it!

Congrats - to you and the lucky owner!

Fred