Mule

I think the most exciting part for me as a builder was that moment of "I wonder if I could make that?" leaving the Kelly Joe Phelps show four years ago where he was playing his National.  I think about that almost daily as I'm reminded of other events leading up to doing what I'm doing now. That initial struggle, figuring, plotting, planning...I think that's my favorite part. It's painful and frustrating and it creates obsession.  It's entrepreneurship of an object that inspires. 'If I can make this, what sounds will I hear that havn't been heard? What songs will be written?" It's one thing to be a part of something, to do good work within a system. Its a different thing to take an assemblage of failures and successes and experiences and apply that to a piece of wood and a piece of steel. It requires relentless forward progress, you just have to keep moving. Cutting and trashing and buying and thinking. I feel that again with these Mule electrics. Rawk'NRoll. I know that they have to be stainless, because it sounds great and is pretty well indestructible patina wise.  I've been practicing my TIG welding. The resonators are flanged and then soldered. That's the way resonators have always been done.  I want to TIG weld these because the tight cutaways on the body shape would make it really hard to get a good fit after flanging. TIG welding is also awesome. Chris Hamilton at Hamilton Steel Guitars is an inspiring dude.  I want to grow up to be just like him. I'm making an outside mold here.  The top and back will be aligned and welded together via rods inside to properly space them. This mold will, hopefully,  be used to clamp the slides around the top and back.