Mule Resophonic Guitars

    (Above) My first set of spun tricones. Let yourself be a beginner. It's been said before. But....how?  Why don't you?  I think we skip the beginner stage because we have good taste.  We know what's awesome, what we...

The buzzword in business podcasts I listen to these days is "gratitude".  Big shot business guys, motivational speakers all want to show people the power of gratitude.  But listening to the last couple I hear a common theme -...

Everyone wants authority. Taking responsibility is more important.  It's our gut reaction to walk into a meeting/work place/internet forum and want to be the one that everyone nods their heads to, but being the guy who says,...

I love building resonator guitars. LOVE.  Every day the feeling will find it's way to the surface, " Why me?" It's just awesome. ...

Brass resonator guitar start to finish ...

Gee golly brass is nice. This one is headed over the pond to James Home of Tone. ...

If building guitars has 1,00 steps, probably 800 of them are in teh locating/setup. Smithers does them all, very well.   ...

Ever bit off more than you can chew?  Work 80 hours in a week? How was that for ya? I read something in regards to repeat-ability in regards to physical effort and working out that struck a chord. Eighty percent of your...

I heard a really great phrase the other day. The context was chemotherapy medication but I think it can be applied elsewhere usefully - the "Optimal Minimum". Because chemotherapy can have negative consequences you can't...

Yesterday I saw a video of Christopher Porterfield playing Away in A Manger on his Mule, his new baby sitting in his lap and his wife filming. Yesterday I also read an interview with a maker of stuff who used a lot of words...

I read a book by Mark Divine and in it was this quote. "Burn the boat." The point was committing to do something before you knew how to do it.  Arrive on shore, and then burn the boat.  Not as a test of strength, but...

The other day at lunch I made sure to not get on my phone. I just ate and then when I was done I just sat there. Didn't think about anything or do anything, just sat there. I felt uniquely rested when I went back to work. We...

Authenticity is a lie. Ok, that's an extreme way of breaking down my point. I don't usually say things that needlessly blunt so I wanted to try it. It felt good! I'll keep going. Authenticity is a distraction. (That's more...

The number one most awesome business thing I've done this year - (almost) daily progress pictures for customers. I used to do it occasionally, 'here's the wood,' type stuff. Now we do it every day. My brother Phil has a...

Okay. Here goes. We like making stuff.  Like, a lot.  But we like doing things that aren't being done. This is how Mule was born, how I learned what I needed to learn to make it happen. One day we got it into our heads...

Let the Wood Be Wood: Fingerboard Wood and Color When I started building these resonators I remembered some advice I got in guitar building school 10 years prior - "Save the good wood for later". Even though every bit of...

Everything has a cost, right? Choosing one project means you are not doing another. Choosing to spend your time in one place means you're not spending it somewhere else.  If you aren't aware of the alternatives - the cost-...