The Steel Guitar Forum

Here is a fun one I thought some might like to see, a P6 Deluxe in solid cocobolo rosewood with birdseye maple trim.

One of the goals when planning the build was to possibly hide any mounting screws for the plates and control cover. Being a glutton for punishment, I ended up making some match marked drilling jigs to locate and install dowel pins and their corresponding holes.
For the control side I used an oversize dowel pin and socket arraignment and ran the mounting screws up through the back to / through the feet. A pain in the butt, but I'm tickled with how it turned out and glad I did it.

Some basic specs
24" scale
Cocobolo rosewood neck and body
Birdseye maple trim
Lollar Horseshoe
String through set bridge

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thats art....

Bill Hatcher wrote:thats art....

x2

What a beauty!

Stunning. And thanks nature for one amazing piece of wood (and a luthier who recognized it).

Wow nice, what a slab of wood.

Superlatives escape me.

Oh my.......

Beautiful! I love it.

Tom

Man that's nice!

Good job and cool choice of woods. Well done.

I have watched all the postings about other builds and studied Tom Pettingill's guitars closely. For several years I dreamed of one and this is it. For certain, I have been motivated by the beauty of Tom's work, but I would like to say thanks to Tom by saying more about why I like his work. Yes, beautifully made and for certain he is technically precise. Part of the deal is this. If you watch other postings when a forumite shows a guitar he or she has made, Tom is always there to comment, and usually it is encouraging, complimentary, and revealing of how modest he is of his own work--a classy guy. Next I want to say what a pleasure it is to work with him. He answers every e-mail, taking real time to address questions and sometimes challenging ideas. I originally suggested not having screws to attach the plates, because I thought this would help allow the beautiful wood to stand out. I made the suggestion, but assured him that I would be good either way--with our without. It was extra work for him, but he figured it out and it was challenging. And, it is the small touches that further distinguish his work. Screws that came with fixtures were replaced by highly polished stainless screws and nylon fixtures for the pickup were replaced with hand-made stainless replacements. I do believe that it is the little details that make for the best work.

I can't wait for this beautiful instrument to arrive at my home in Indiana. It is being shipped to a secret location so that none of you can bribe the Fed Ex driver! By the way, I am matching it with a Vintage47 Rick style amp. So there you go. Tom Pettingill is probably shy about high praise. But, if I can ever afford it, I might just order another!

Just beautiful Tom. I love how the cocobolo "swirls" show up on the part between the top and bottom.

What tuning is she in?

Good luck with your Pettingill, James. Tom does fabulous work and he isn't happy unless YOU are happy.

What kind of finish is that?

HI TOM,

I believe this is "IMO" the most beautiful guitar you have ever made.

Now how about a ROSEWOOD P8 guitar?


Roger

What a showpiece!!
James you are a lucky man.
Thanks for posting these pics Tom.

RT

Tom Knocks another one out of the Rickosphere.

Bravo!!

Thanks everyone for the kind words! Truth is that its pretty easy to make them look good when you are playing with some of natures best. I truly feel lucky to have the opportunity to bring some of my ideas and instruments to life.

James ... Thank You! It was my pleasure to build her for you! I know she will have a good home and I've no doubt that she will be the source of some big grins for years to come.

Steve ... the tuning is C6. The finish on the rosewood is just a light coat of shellac to both seal and pop the grain followed by just a bunch of hand polishing to bring up the natural luster. The maple is all Tru Oil rubbed out to a silky sheen to match the rosewood.

Roger Shackelton wrote:... Now how about a ROSEWOOD P8 guitar?

Roger ... I'd love to. I have the wood, just short an 8 string horseshoe. Though, I'd bet our buddy Mr Aiello could conjure up a sweet alternative.

And because sometimes a picture can be better than a 1000 words, here is a look at how I ended up doing the control side mounting. The oversize feet serve to solidly and accurately locate the plate and also add some extra meat for the screws to bite.

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Tom - your work continues to amaze and delight me. That wood is stunning, but more impressive is the obvious care and heart you put into making each piece come to life. Bravo!

James - Welcome to the P6 Club, of which you and I are the only members. Tom delivered mine last September and it is, quite simply, a remarkable instrument. He has outdone himself with yours. I'm sure you'll appreciate its tone and sustain, as well as its playability. And eliminating the mounting screws was a great idea. Congratulations and enjoy your guitar!

Thanks, Ralph. It was your guitar that I found so inspiring and I enjoyed a recent post of you in Hawaii playing it on stage.

Those are two tasty rascals ...

Beautiful guitar!

Tom , I'm blown away. Your latest creation is stunning to say the least. The innovation you came up with to hide the screws should garner a prize for inventiveness and ingenuity ! I also have to echo an earlier post about your supportiveness for others on this forum who are just getting into building lap steels. Your encouragement means a lot to those of us just starting out. I do have to warn you though, if ever I'm in your neck of the woods, I will attempt to pick your brain!

Tom, that is one "drop dead gorgeous" steel. Being the owner of a B-6 post war Rick I recognize the pattern. My first thoughts when I saw this beauty was from Gomer Pyle... "Goooollly !" How does it sound? I know Curly Maple, Rosewood and Myrtle wood are probably the most dense woods there are. I'll bet that sucker has tone-to-the-bone.

oj hicks

Beautiful beautiful beautiful!!!

Every time I see Tom's latest guitar I think,,,"that's as good as it can get",,,then,,,the next one comes along,,,,EVEN BETTER,,,,beautiful Tom,,,,just beautiful!!!!!!