The Six String Side: Sully Guitars Stardust Custom Deluxe 12

 When I started this blog over 20 years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In an Easter post, several years ago, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet,which I have done in the past. (Just search "The Six String Side" in the search box in the upper left of the header to find those older posts)  Enjoy! NOTE: All images except the first in today's post are courtesy of Sully Guitars.

My 2022 Conspiracy Series Sully Guitars Stardust

Several years ago now I picked up my second Sully Guitars model. A Stardust from Sully's Conspiracy Series. This series is a batch-made guitar run Jon Sullivan offers from time to time and they are made to Jon's specifications in Korea. This lowers the price significantly and allows more people to get in on Jon's awesome designs. 

But the Conspiracy Series is not "custom made" by Jon and his team in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. Those cost a lot more and have more options. I've always wanted to get one, especially after my mother died in 2021. I was thinking of a tribute to her, in some way. 

I also had been itching to try a 12 string electric guitar for some time. Sure, you can get those and at relatively inexpensive prices. Danelectro comes to mind here, but there are other brands as well. I just wasn't jazzed on any of those from a design and aesthetic standpoint. 

Rickenbacker Guitars make some classic designs, and they sound good, but I've never been a huge fan of them, and they are expensive! So, I always put off trying a 12 string, until.... 

The body of the 12 string will have a quilt maple top.

One day in August of 2024, Sully put it out there that he was having a sale on custom orders. He had never done this before, so, I thought, "What the heck! I'll ask." 

I figured Jon would say no. I had heard him put down the idea of a 12 string before, saying tuning something like that would drive him nuts. But would he make one for someone? 

I sent in my request, and a few minutes later Jon gave me a thoughtful answer and somewhat begrudgingly said he'd do it. I was surprised!

Well, to be fair,I knew Jon wasn't 100% jazzed about 12's, and he said he'd have to do a bunch of R&D work, because he'd never made a 12 before. So, I was expecting a long build time. I think Jon was a bit overly optimistic in his estimation for finishing the project, and that's okay. 

See, my philosophy is this: If you are wanting someone to actually make you something, and especially if it is unique and something they haven't necessarily got in their wheelhouse, then you must give that person 100% trust and patience. As a mechanic, I learned that having someone put pressure on you to get a difficult job done by their timeline is not fun. It also is unproductive, as - speaking for myself here - it made me not want to do the job. I always did do the job, but usually it was motivated by a desire to get that customer out of my hair. Not to make them happy, or over deliver on the job. 

Lyrics from a Warren Zevon song

So, Jon was free to get this done on his timeline, whatever that would be. He still is, as this guitar is still in progress as of this writing. I'm 100% trusting him and I believe he is doing his best work for me. 

I don't know about you, but this is how I roll. Yes....it has been over two years going on now. Cool. Whatever it takes. I'm sure it will be fine and a great guitar when I get it, and it's the first 12 Jon has ever made. That's awesome. 

Now, Jon likes writing little messages or song lyrics inside the guitars he makes which won't ever be seen again once everything gets assembled. He chose some Warren Zevon lyrics from "Keep Me In Your Heart For Awhile". Considering what has happened in the last year, it means a lot to me now that Jon chose those lyrics. 

I guess this guitar is a tribute to Mom and Jacob now. 

Anyway, things are progressing along, and now that the woodwork is nearly completed, I expect this will be getting completed sooner rather than later. So, what can I tell you about the rest of this guitar? 

Well, it has a quilted maple top, a mahogany back which is chambered. The top will have what Jon has dubbed as the WTF Hole. Ha! It has a bound headstock, fretboard, and Jon's signature Hollow Block inlays. The color? Well, way back when this got started Jon was talking about some burst finish in a traditional color with his special "Glamazon" treatment which is a sparkly coating along the edges of the body. But whatever he chooses I'll be good with it. I haven't seen one of his finished customs I did not like. 

Jon Sullivan and my guitar. He might be just a bit goofy!

 So, there you go. I'm excited and this will be avery special guitar for me. Not only is it a very cool, one of a kind 12 string electric, but the little details which are part of this build make it even better. 

I'll post again when it is finished, paid for, and in my hands. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.  

The Six String Side: Sully Conspiracy Series Stardust

My new Sully Conspiracy Series Stardust

 When I started this blog over ten years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In an older post, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet, so here ya go. Hopefully ya'll enjoy the change in pace. I'll post something periodically whenever it makes sense. This is #11

Three years ago now, almost to the month, I received my first Sully Conspiracy Series guitar. That was Sully's Raven model, and I have really enjoyed this guitar since then. I have also been smitten with Sully's (Jon Sullivan is the company owner) use of sparkle finishes and with his Stardust design, which is very unique. The Raven could be seen as a reverse bodied Gibson/Jackson Guitars Firebird derivative, but the Stardust is completely Jon Sullivan's design, and I really like it. 

Jon Sullivan described the Stardust as a reverse, sort of, take on his other unique design, the '71 Trella. But I think this Stardust is even less like anything out there, yet still very tasteful and it doesn't look oddly proportioned or too weird. In fact, I'd go as far to say that this design is something you could easily have seen in the heyday of electric guitar designs of the late 1950's and 1960's. It's sort of an offset, yet it still has that single-cut feeling too. I envision this as a sort of evolution of some Japanese designs I've seen from the 60's. But maybe that's just me. 

This Stardust features a bolt on, roasted maple neck

Other than that, this is a lot like the Raven I have with a few small differences. This Stardust has a bolt-on neck instead of the glued in neck of the Raven. The neck itself, while still a three-piece maple neck, has a roasted treatment. That's exactly what it sounds like- they roast the wood to drive out moisture and stabilize/age the wood. It's supposedly "better". We'll see....

Of course, the Pop Life Sparkle paint is different. I always wanted a sparkle finish guitar, and when Jon released details on the last run of the Conspiracy Series, this finish was offered on the Stardust, so between the facts that I like the design and the finish, well, I had to get it! 

And, I think it is important to remember that I ordered this guitar last February! That was a different time for me. I was working at Andy's. We were headed into what we were hoping would be a big year. I had some cash coming in from bicycle parts sales, which is how I generally fund stuff like this guitar, and I had no reason to believe that what ended up happening in November would happen. Fortunately, by November I had the vast majority of the guitar already paid for. All I had to do was wait until now to get it! If I were in the situation which I have been in since last November until now? I wouldn't have this guitar. So, a lot of things had to come together for this to happen, and somehow they did. 

This Stardust has the same pick-ups, electronics, and other hardware that my Raven does, just in black instead of chrome/white. I was a little hesitant about the black hardware, but it is fine, really. 

Oddly enough, while the Raven has a much bigger body, this guitar feels heavier. Just by a little bit. I don't mind, because neither of my Sully's are as heavy as my Les Paul, or my Gretsch. Those are beasts and I get tired of wearing them after a bit!

While I have not plugged in yet with the Stardust, (my amps all need servicing!) it plays and feels like the Raven, which is great. The fret ends are dressed impeccably well and the fit and finish is top notch. It balances perfectly on my Couch Guitar Straps Racer X strap. I am really pleased with the guitar I received. 

Since it took well over a year to get the guitars in, Jon Sullivan offered to sign them.

So, there ya have it. I am now the owner of two Sully Conspiracy Series guitars. I'm probably good on electrics for now. (I know- I say that and then another guitar pops up in my life!) I definitely count myself blessed to have these two Sully's because by the way it sounds, the Conspiracy Series may be taking a hiatus and no one knows for how long. That series was the only reason I was able to afford to get a Sully. He has a semi-custom line which sells for well North of 2G a piece and his full-customs are well above 3G. That's outta this poor mechanic's league! Especially when I have bikes to attend to.

So, I think I am set now. The next thing is to get to gettin' on those amps I have and turn them into sound reproduction machines instead of places to put things on around the house. I have- let's see..... A Marshall mini-stack from the Silver Jubilee series, an old Peavey I bought in 1984, my Blues Junior, an AC-30, and a weird old tube Univox head I need to get up and running. So, that should keep me busy if bicycles don't! 

Thanks for reading Guitar ted Productions!

The Six String Side: Sully Conspiracy Series Stardust

My new Sully Conspiracy Series Stardust

 When I started this blog over ten years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In an older post, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet, so here ya go. Hopefully ya'll enjoy the change in pace. I'll post something periodically whenever it makes sense. This is #11

Three years ago now, almost to the month, I received my first Sully Conspiracy Series guitar. That was Sully's Raven model, and I have really enjoyed this guitar since then. I have also been smitten with Sully's (Jon Sullivan is the company owner) use of sparkle finishes and with his Stardust design, which is very unique. The Raven could be seen as a reverse bodied Gibson/Jackson Guitars Firebird derivative, but the Stardust is completely Jon Sullivan's design, and I really like it. 

Jon Sullivan described the Stardust as a reverse, sort of, take on his other unique design, the '71 Trella. But I think this Stardust is even less like anything out there, yet still very tasteful and it doesn't look oddly proportioned or too weird. In fact, I'd go as far to say that this design is something you could easily have seen in the heyday of electric guitar designs of the late 1950's and 1960's. It's sort of an offset, yet it still has that single-cut feeling too. I envision this as a sort of evolution of some Japanese designs I've seen from the 60's. But maybe that's just me. 

This Stardust features a bolt on, roasted maple neck

Other than that, this is a lot like the Raven I have with a few small differences. This Stardust has a bolt-on neck instead of the glued in neck of the Raven. The neck itself, while still a three-piece maple neck, has a roasted treatment. That's exactly what it sounds like- they roast the wood to drive out moisture and stabilize/age the wood. It's supposedly "better". We'll see....

Of course, the Pop Life Sparkle paint is different. I always wanted a sparkle finish guitar, and when Jon released details on the last run of the Conspiracy Series, this finish was offered on the Stardust, so between the facts that I like the design and the finish, well, I had to get it! 

And, I think it is important to remember that I ordered this guitar last February! That was a different time for me. I was working at Andy's. We were headed into what we were hoping would be a big year. I had some cash coming in from bicycle parts sales, which is how I generally fund stuff like this guitar, and I had no reason to believe that what ended up happening in November would happen. Fortunately, by November I had the vast majority of the guitar already paid for. All I had to do was wait until now to get it! If I were in the situation which I have been in since last November until now? I wouldn't have this guitar. So, a lot of things had to come together for this to happen, and somehow they did. 

This Stardust has the same pick-ups, electronics, and other hardware that my Raven does, just in black instead of chrome/white. I was a little hesitant about the black hardware, but it is fine, really. 

Oddly enough, while the Raven has a much bigger body, this guitar feels heavier. Just by a little bit. I don't mind, because neither of my Sully's are as heavy as my Les Paul, or my Gretsch. Those are beasts and I get tired of wearing them after a bit!

While I have not plugged in yet with the Stardust, (my amps all need servicing!) it plays and feels like the Raven, which is great. The fret ends are dressed impeccably well and the fit and finish is top notch. It balances perfectly on my Couch Guitar Straps Racer X strap. I am really pleased with the guitar I received. 

Since it took well over a year to get the guitars in, Jon Sullivan offered to sign them.

So, there ya have it. I am now the owner of two Sully Conspiracy Series guitars. I'm probably good on electrics for now. (I know- I say that and then another guitar pops up in my life!) I definitely count myself blessed to have these two Sully's because by the way it sounds, the Conspiracy Series may be taking a hiatus and no one knows for how long. That series was the only reason I was able to afford to get a Sully. He has a semi-custom line which sells for well North of 2G a piece and his full-customs are well above 3G. That's outta this poor mechanic's league! Especially when I have bikes to attend to.

So, I think I am set now. The next thing is to get to gettin' on those amps I have and turn them into sound reproduction machines instead of places to put things on around the house. I have- let's see..... A Marshall mini-stack from the Silver Jubilee series, an old Peavey I bought in 1984, my Blues Junior, an AC-30, and a weird old tube Univox head I need to get up and running. So, that should keep me busy if bicycles don't! 

Thanks for reading Guitar ted Productions!

The Six String Side: 2019 Sully Guitars Conspiracy Series Raven

When I started this blog over ten years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In an Easter post, a few years ago, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet, so here ya go. Hopefully ya'll enjoy the change in pace. I'll post something periodically whenever something warrants it. Here's #10

Last year, you sharper eyed readers with good memories might remember when I posted my last "The Six String Series" post. It was when I was gifted a Fender Telecaster.  That was my last, "new-to-me" guitar, but I hadn't purchased a guitar for myself in well over a decade. (Restraint? maybe.....more like I spent all my dollars on bicycle stuff!) So, I figured it was high time that changed. But first, a little back story......

Social media is a weird space for sure, but perhaps none weirder than a page on Facebook where I was watching a man in Texas build custom guitars. He would post Facebook live videos while he was working, and since I used to be a jeweler, and I understand shaping, filing, sanding, polishing, and fine detail work, I was kind of fascinated by what this guy was doing. Anyway, it didn't hurt that the guitars he was building were his own, unique designs, and that they were well thought out, tastefully appointed, and sometimes made with sparkly paint jobs or beautiful woods. Both things I love as well. So, while I loved what the guy was doing, there was probably no way I was going to pop for a $3-$4 thousand dollar, custom, Sully Guitar.

And Jon Sullivan knew that, so he did something about this situation. That and he was one guy doing things by hand in a garage, fer cryin' out loud! A guy can only do so much. The announcement was made then, I believe in early 2018, (I could be wrong there), but anyway, an announcement was made that Sully's designs were going to be produced in limited runs by World Music of Korea for a fraction of what a Sully custom goes for. This piqued my interest. I watched as the deal unfolded each weekend on Sully's Facebook live chats and observed how the first run went. Then along about the time I was going to be gifted the Tele, I jumped on for Run 2 and ordered an Ice Blue Raven and got on the "payment plan".

My Sully Conspiracy Series Raven in Ice Blue with a Native Sons strap. 

So, that's the short and dirty version of that backstory. Sully called these mass produced specimens the "Conspiracy Series", since he "conspired" with fans of his page to bring out the models people would actually order. For instance, I told Sully I would like to see Ice Blue as a color option for Run 2, and so when he offered it, I jumped onboard with a small down payment and installments were made over the next nine months. So, it wasn't too tough to sell a few unused tidbits of bike stuff to fund this thing. Now it should be noted that this happened before the Tele, and before the Ti Muk 2. I had no idea either of those two things were going to happen. I was already invested into getting the Raven by the time I got either one of those two things.

Hipshot hardware is used throughout the Raven, including these locking tuners.

Obviously, the Raven is sort of reminiscent of a Gibson Firebird, although it isn't really close to that in reality. But the basic shape is something I've resonated with since I was a kid. I saw a 1976 Bicentennial Firebird as a kid when my parents took me to a mall in Waterloo and we walked through a music store. The thing fascinated me, and then I saw the same/similar model on the cover of "Kiss Alive!", (its the guitar Paul Stanley has on the cover), so it was certifiable "rock & roll" stuff. What's more, the Bicentennial Firebird languished in the music store until I went back again in 1979! It had been marked down, but I ddin't buy it. I always regretted not buying it, but perhaps in hindsight, it was a good thing.

See, Firebirds are notorious "neck divers", meaning that the neck wants to rotate down on you when you play it standing up. That and its mini-humbuckers are somewhat of an acquired taste. The banjo style tuners used on those weren't the most awesome things either. These problems and more are all addressed in the Raven. Plus, Sully basically jumped off from where Jackson Guitars had made their mark with a "firebired-like" design, used notably by former Ratt guitarist, Robbin Crosby, which isn't like Gibson's either, and tweaked it out even further/better. (My opinion) So, while the "rock and roll" looks are there, so is the functionality, and play-ability is really great.

Direct mount pick-ups, simple controls, and coil tapping here.

Sully basically sent scans and numbers from his customs to Korea, they stuck that stuff in their manufacturing machines, and the folks there crafted the things. Then WMI sent them back to Sully. Jon does final set up and what not, so you basically get a great deal on a guitar that hardly anyone else has. It doesn't hurt that it plays like butter and sounds great too. Even my daughter likes it above my other guitars, saying it sounds "clearer and more defined" than the others. Nice!

Having had an explorer type guitar for years, (see here) I already knew this Raven would be comfortable sitting or standing. The body is ash and the neck is three piece maple with an ebony fret board and a nice volute. The neck shape was a gamble, but I really get on with it, and the fret ends and satin finish are the best I've had in my hands so far. Really fast and comfortable. And just like Sully promised, no neck-dive when standing and playing. The pick-ups have a coil tap option which is accessed by pulling up on the tone control. The pick-ups are wound to Jon's spec and sound really great. Lots of tonal options. The frets are stainless steel and aren't really wide, but are slinky feeling and no doubt make the guitar a bit brighter and clearer, as my daughter picked up on. Another cool feature is the Luminlay side dot markers which glow in the dark. I wish my Jazz V Bass had those things!

Finally, one of the nicer features of this purchase was the great gig bag it came with. One of the best ones I've ever seen. It has lots of padding, carrying options, and a built in closet hangar! Although this guitar will not be hanging around much, if at all, since I have really enjoyed playing it so far.

Thanks for reading, as always.

The Six String Side: 2019 Sully Guitars Conspiracy Series Raven

When I started this blog over ten years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In an Easter post, a few years ago, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet, so here ya go. Hopefully ya'll enjoy the change in pace. I'll post something periodically whenever something warrants it. Here's #10

Last year, you sharper eyed readers with good memories might remember when I posted my last "The Six String Series" post. It was when I was gifted a Fender Telecaster.  That was my last, "new-to-me" guitar, but I hadn't purchased a guitar for myself in well over a decade. (Restraint? maybe.....more like I spent all my dollars on bicycle stuff!) So, I figured it was high time that changed. But first, a little back story......

Social media is a weird space for sure, but perhaps none weirder than a page on Facebook where I was watching a man in Texas build custom guitars. He would post Facebook live videos while he was working, and since I used to be a jeweler, and I understand shaping, filing, sanding, polishing, and fine detail work, I was kind of fascinated by what this guy was doing. Anyway, it didn't hurt that the guitars he was building were his own, unique designs, and that they were well thought out, tastefully appointed, and sometimes made with sparkly paint jobs or beautiful woods. Both things I love as well. So, while I loved what the guy was doing, there was probably no way I was going to pop for a $3-$4 thousand dollar, custom, Sully Guitar.

And Jon Sullivan knew that, so he did something about this situation. That and he was one guy doing things by hand in a garage, fer cryin' out loud! A guy can only do so much. The announcement was made then, I believe in early 2018, (I could be wrong there), but anyway, an announcement was made that Sully's designs were going to be produced in limited runs by World Music of Korea for a fraction of what a Sully custom goes for. This piqued my interest. I watched as the deal unfolded each weekend on Sully's Facebook live chats and observed how the first run went. Then along about the time I was going to be gifted the Tele, I jumped on for Run 2 and ordered an Ice Blue Raven and got on the "payment plan".

My Sully Conspiracy Series Raven in Ice Blue with a Native Sons strap. 

So, that's the short and dirty version of that backstory. Sully called these mass produced specimens the "Conspiracy Series", since he "conspired" with fans of his page to bring out the models people would actually order. For instance, I told Sully I would like to see Ice Blue as a color option for Run 2, and so when he offered it, I jumped onboard with a small down payment and installments were made over the next nine months. So, it wasn't too tough to sell a few unused tidbits of bike stuff to fund this thing. Now it should be noted that this happened before the Tele, and before the Ti Muk 2. I had no idea either of those two things were going to happen. I was already invested into getting the Raven by the time I got either one of those two things.

Hipshot hardware is used throughout the Raven, including these locking tuners.

Obviously, the Raven is sort of reminiscent of a Gibson Firebird, although it isn't really close to that in reality. But the basic shape is something I've resonated with since I was a kid. I saw a 1976 Bicentennial Firebird as a kid when my parents took me to a mall in Waterloo and we walked through a music store. The thing fascinated me, and then I saw the same/similar model on the cover of "Kiss Alive!", (its the guitar Paul Stanley has on the cover), so it was certifiable "rock & roll" stuff. What's more, the Bicentennial Firebird languished in the music store until I went back again in 1979! It had been marked down, but I ddin't buy it. I always regretted not buying it, but perhaps in hindsight, it was a good thing.

See, Firebirds are notorious "neck divers", meaning that the neck wants to rotate down on you when you play it standing up. That and its mini-humbuckers are somewhat of an acquired taste. The banjo style tuners used on those weren't the most awesome things either. These problems and more are all addressed in the Raven. Plus, Sully basically jumped off from where Jackson Guitars had made their mark with a "firebired-like" design, used notably by former Ratt guitarist, Robbin Crosby, which isn't like Gibson's either, and tweaked it out even further/better. (My opinion) So, while the "rock and roll" looks are there, so is the functionality, and play-ability is really great.

Direct mount pick-ups, simple controls, and coil tapping here.

Sully basically sent scans and numbers from his customs to Korea, they stuck that stuff in their manufacturing machines, and the folks there crafted the things. Then WMI sent them back to Sully. Jon does final set up and what not, so you basically get a great deal on a guitar that hardly anyone else has. It doesn't hurt that it plays like butter and sounds great too. Even my daughter likes it above my other guitars, saying it sounds "clearer and more defined" than the others. Nice!

Having had an explorer type guitar for years, (see here) I already knew this Raven would be comfortable sitting or standing. The body is ash and the neck is three piece maple with an ebony fret board and a nice volute. The neck shape was a gamble, but I really get on with it, and the fret ends and satin finish are the best I've had in my hands so far. Really fast and comfortable. And just like Sully promised, no neck-dive when standing and playing. The pick-ups have a coil tap option which is accessed by pulling up on the tone control. The pick-ups are wound to Jon's spec and sound really great. Lots of tonal options. The frets are stainless steel and aren't really wide, but are slinky feeling and no doubt make the guitar a bit brighter and clearer, as my daughter picked up on. Another cool feature is the Luminlay side dot markers which glow in the dark. I wish my Jazz V Bass had those things!

Finally, one of the nicer features of this purchase was the great gig bag it came with. One of the best ones I've ever seen. It has lots of padding, carrying options, and a built in closet hangar! Although this guitar will not be hanging around much, if at all, since I have really enjoyed playing it so far.

Thanks for reading, as always.