Love for Sale
by Tom Bills

A truly great handmade guitar is more than just an instrument - it's the tangible product of a luthier's love and passion. After hundreds of hours of intense work, it is finally born and ready to be received lovingly into its new owner's hands. Occasionally through life's twists and turns, this very special instrument isn't able to be delivered to its intended owner, so seeks a new owner's love. This is the story of one such instrument. Like the old jazz standard, it is now "Love for Sale" (Cole Porter with lyrics by Billie Holliday).

This guitar's story began in the usual fashion, when I received an order from a gentleman searching for his dream guitar. It was to be an amalgamation of every attribute he had ever wanted in a great fingerstyle guitar, but heretofore unable to find. He presented me with as thorough and specific a list of requirements as I've ever encountered, resulting in unsurpassed sound, playability and aesthetics.

Together, we spent hours pouring over every detail to make sure this guitar would be like no other. I selected each of the 8 types of exotic wood with care for just the right look and sound, including deep powerful bass and sweet singing trebles:

• Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides to give complexity and richness to the guitar's tone.
• For the top- very old German spruce harvested according to lunar cycles and seasoned by the strictest standards.
• Highest grade curly koa bindings, purchased directly from my Hawaiian supplier to highlight the elegant curves of the guitar's body.
• Purfling of rare lacewood to add a subtle yet elegant golden shimmer.
• Ebony headstock veneers, bridge, and fingerboard provide beauty strength and great tone.

For the nut and saddle, I chose fossilized walrus ivory, which is known as the absolute finest material for clear warm tone as well as unique and rare beauty. I purchase the ancient tusks directly from Alaska, then saw and hand shape them to fit each guitar.

Inside the guitar I created an amazing world of flying braces and engineering wonders - every component hand shaped and tuned for optimum efficiency. Each tone bar - taken from the same piece of wood, was hand split and grain matched to ensure perfect tonal balance and integrity.

The lower bout had to be only 14.5" wide, allowing for very comfortable playing. The distinctive asymmetrical body shape and side soundhole placement freed the entire top, allowing production of true fundamentals that reinforced upper harmonics. The end result is warm, rich tone with strong, solid, full bass from a comfortable and elegant guitar.

The guitar's neck, which joins the body at the 13th fret on the treble side, features a 1 7/8" nut width. The hand-carved neck shape is designed to facilitate correct playing position and accommodate players who like a neck profile slightly larger than those commonly found on steel-string guitars.

In addition, this guitar also features an elevated fingerboard design, allowing the player to more easily access the upper frets without resorting to a cutaway, and causing the string angle to be increased in relation to the top plate. This pulls the top from a steeper angle and is similar to a harp (though the angle is less severe). The effect on the tone is a wonderful purity and balance. A solid fundamental to the note surrounded with rich harmonics and an even balance.

Some other great features included on this guitar are:

• The asymmetrical headstock design is fitted with custom, handmade Gilbert Tuners featuring black plates with ebony knobs.
• Custom-fit Deluxe Calton Flight Case with shoulder strap and all locking catches.
• K&K Pure Western Mini passive pickup is installed for true-to-life sound that captures every nuance of the guitar's beautiful tone.
• The guitar's top being the most important part, tonally, is finished with hand-rubbed French polish to allow the true voice of the guitar to speak. The back, sides, and neck are finished in high-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer.

After the many hours of polishing and perfecting, the guitar was finally completed. From the time it was ordered until it was ready to deliver nearly a year had passed. During that time the guitar's intended owner experienced some financial and emotional challenges as life took an unexpected turn. Sadly he was unable to take delivery of the one-of-a-kind, exquisite instrument that he and I had poured so much of ourselves into. However, the story of this guitar doesn't end here...

Love for Sale
Who will buy?
Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price,
For a trip to paradise?
Love for Sale

Editor's Note:
If interested in purchasing the guitar described in this article, Tom Bills can be reached by phone at 314-631-1435 or by e-mail at tbguitars@gmail.com. To learn more about the acoustic and archtop luthiery of Tom Bills, please visit his website at:

www.tbguitars.com

---

---

About the Author

Tom Bills loves his craft. He passionately strives to push the envelope, challenging and testing tradition. Every guitar is an original, a harmonious collaboration of player and maker. Tom's designs are fueled by faith, hope, and the knowledge that all things are possible to those who believe. Tom's instruments are elegant and personify the delicate balance of timeless beauty and cutting edge advancements in acoustic exploration. Excellence in workmanship, playability, and tone are the hallmarks of a TB guitar.

The best materials, great design, and total commitment to excellence and integrity, combine to make some of the finest archtop, steel-string, and nylon-string guitars in the world. Tom has studied with and been mentored by great luthiers like Boaz Elkayam, Gila Eban, and John Buscarino.