Porter Guitars-Blog

Porter Telecaster Pickup Sound Clip

2010-02-17T11:08:00.003-07:00

Scroll a ways down the page to hear a clip of our Porter standard tele style pickups.

#003 and #004 are nearing completion, and we may be starting on the first Porter Bass soon.

#002 Photo Shoot Pictures are in!

2010-01-03T11:06:00.003-07:00

Poto Shoot for #002 today

2009-12-30T12:20:00.001-07:00

Looking forward to getting these pics out. We just got finished shooting #002 and will post the pictures up soon. #003 and #004 are in final finishing stages as is #005.

We've begun work on #006 and Our first acoustic guitar as well.

Look for more updates in the next few weeks.

Porter Telecaster Video Clip

2009-11-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Porter Pickups Classic Humbucker-New Video

2009-11-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

New Overdrive Humbucker Sound Clips

2009-11-04T12:36:00.002-07:00

Check out some of the new Porter Overdrive Humbucker Sound clips on our website Here

Customer Design Guitar Progress Shots

2009-10-20T10:52:00.003-06:00

We've made some good progress on the customer designed guitar this week. Still a ways to go, but its taking shape. Here's a progress picture:

We'll be auctioning off this guitar on Ebay in December sometime. Make sure you stay tuned here and the website to see when the official auction date is.

Newest Porter Pickup Reviews

2009-10-08T09:48:00.003-06:00

Here's some Porter Pickup Reviews from Ryan in Memphis, TN. He's the proud owner of the first Porter Telecaster Style Pickups.

Set Type: Tele Set with Additional Middle Strat Pickup
"I have the Nashville Deluxe Tele which has a bridge and neck position tele pickups and a strat middle pickup. I always loved the way this guitar played, but was never sold on it's sound. The stock Tes-Mex Single Coil pickups gave the guitar a generic sound - There was nothing special about it. I knew this guitar's unique setup was capable of so much more. I had Brian make me a set of pickups to fit this guitar, and the difference is clearly apparent. With the stock pickups - the sound was weak and brittle and lack the twang teles are famous for. The Porter Pickups delivered a full bodied sound capable of broad tonal range. They deliver a punchy twang sound, and crystally chimey clean, a full bodied distortion. This guitar is a very useful guitar that is capable of alot of different tones. Highly recommended!!!!,,Specs:All Vintage Wiring: Neck-Tele- 5.6k, Middle-Strat-5.86k, Bridge-Tele Bridge-6.2k."

Porter Smooth Humbucker
"This pickup lives up to it's name - it delivers a very smooth sound. I use this pickup to play mellow, atmoshperic cleans layered with with delay. They deliver a eerie, hauntingly beautiful clean or a crisp cutting clean depending how you set your amp and your volume and tone knobs. I have also had a friend play jazz and blues throughout this pickup, and it sounded amazing. This pickup was made for jazz and blues!! ,,Specs: 4 conductor Wiring: Neck-Smooth-7.5k"

Porter Classic Humbucker
"This Pickup delvers amazing overdriven tone. I have a custom amp built to the specs of a 60's Vox AC-30, and these pickups really showcase the ability of this amp. When the amp is cranked, the sound is sheer glory tone - as Brian and I like to put it - Face melting tone!!! When playing chords, you can hear each individual note ring out clearly. The stock pickups were muddy in the lows and the mids. If you are looking for a pickup that delivers great vintage overdriven tones - this is the pickup for you!,,Specs:4 conductor Wiring: Bridge-Classic-8.0k"

Read More Reviews or Buy These Pickups Here

Newest Porter Pickups Review

2009-09-25T09:27:00.002-06:00

Here's a review from Ben of Novice Nation who uses Porter Pickups:

"I tossed these overdrive pickups in my Firebird. I was blown away by the clarity and attitude. It cut through well, but wasn't overly distorted. For me, honestly, distortion is sometimes the wrong word to use. I like the aggressiveness of this pickup, but it is somehow clear at the same time. I think it's simply because it just sounds RIGHT. It's mean and loud, but it's a mature sound. it gives a good amp, a proper signal. It improved the forwardness of my sound a lot too, and with out the brittle sound you usually get from cheap "distortion" pickups. Sweeeeet.Thanks!"

Newest Porter Pickup Reviews

2009-09-23T07:41:00.002-06:00

Name: D.J. (Lewisville, TX)
Pickup: Porter Classic Humbucker
Position: Bridge
Comments: "This is a GREAT bridge pickup. I ordered mine w/ a 9.2k resistance, and it can growl and still retain a vintage tone. I ordered this w/ a Smooth neck, and together they are heaven."

Name: D.J. (Lewisville, TX)
Pickup: Porter Smooth Humbucker
Position: Neck
Comments: "This is hands down the best neck humbucker I've ever used. The sound is three-dimensional- very fat and round. You'll be playing blues and jazz licks all day in this position."

Visit the Porter Pickups Website

Progress Shot on #0003

2009-09-15T08:24:00.002-06:00

Here's a quick progress shot of #0003.It will have a triple p90 pickup configuration on a Honduran mahogany body with a Brazilian ebony center stripe and a highly figures kos top with abalone pearl trim. We did the pickup holes, angled neck pocket and bridge mounting holes yesterday. Here's a progress shot:

New look for Porter Pickups Website

2009-09-09T11:10:00.001-06:00

Check it out!

Porter Pickups Single Coil Demo Video

2009-08-31T20:53:00.001-06:00

#0003 and #0004 Progress Pics

2009-08-28T09:18:00.004-06:00

Here's a progress shot of #0003 and #0004. Koa tops with Abalone pearl inlayed borders.

Newest Porter Pickup Review

2009-08-20T20:55:00.002-06:00

Nickname: downerczx (Anchorage, AK)
Pickup Model: Porter Overdrive Humbucker
Position: Bridge
Comments: I replaced the stock "d****n designed" humbucker on my Jackson bridge pickup. Previously, my tone was muddy and sweep arpeggios were very messy sounding. After installing the Porter pickup, I noticed that my notes were more clear and individually articulate. The tone was very good. The pickup seems to have a little more mids and lows than heavy and highs. I've enjoyed my playing much more with this pickup. I hope to replace the neck one someday as well with a Porter pickup!

Buy the Porter Overdrive Humbucker Online at Porterpickups.com

Pickup Reps Needed

2009-08-20T08:06:00.002-06:00

We have bee working on a plan to spread the word about Porter Pickups, and it could involve YOU! We have some ideas in place that will be both rewarding for us and the people who help us. It's somewhat of a street team concept with some good ideas for spreading the word in cities that we aren't able to get to. We won't reveal too much about the plan on here, but If you are interested, please contact us at info@porterpickups.com to learn more about this.

We'll make your efforts worth your time as a thanks for helping grow the business.

Scrambling

2009-08-19T08:25:00.002-06:00

Just found out that the lacquer company (Lawrence MCFadden) I use went out of business recently. I had to call and confirm and the lady on the phone awkwardly said "Sorry, we went out of business this week" Besides smaller builders like me, they supply some of the big guys in the business Here's a list on their website:

On top of the regular lacquer I buy from them, I also got about 80% of my finishing products including sealer and grain filler. I ended up finding another brand of lacquer yesterday, that i'll give a try, and hopefully I can find a good mix of the other things I need.

Some people seem to think that they will reorganize or sell their recipes to another company. They have been in business since 1885, but i'm wondering how much this new economy has affected them as well. Less people who buy even the big brand name guitars, creates an issue for sales of the lacquer. Even for a guy like me, to have the big companies selling a lot makes it possible for them to stay in business and for me to be able to only buy small quantities.

We're now looking for the vintage type nitro lacquer that lets the wood of the guitar breathe. No plastic finishes.

Monday Update

2009-08-17T09:47:00.002-06:00

Here's a few updates on some of the things we're working on in the shop:

Acoustics
I've been working on designing the sound hole rings for my acoustics, and i'm pretty close to the final design that i'll use. It will be a two ring rosette. It will be an inner inlaid ring with BlackWHITEBLACK pattern. The outer ring with have an abalone pearl ring surrounded by black ad white trim. I'm saving the abalone i have to use in a guitar, so i'll have pictures of that up soon.

The side bending has been giving me some issues, and i'm still troubleshooting that process. I need to have the wood at a certain temperature and my temperature reader was giving me different readings, causing the wood to burn on one occasion and not get hot enough to bend on another. I've went through 4 sides already, so i'm hoping to find a solution to my temperature issues soon, before i really get using the expensive woods.

Electrics
#0002 is in the booth with some final build coats of lacquer on it. It's very close to being done with the lacquer coats, on both the neck and the body. From there, it will need to sit for a few weeks and then it's buffing and assembly.

#0003 needs some prototype work done on the neck angle. It will have a hipshot baby grand bridge on it. Here's a shot of the bridge that's going on it:

#0004 will be a 12 string electric, so we are working on doing a prototype Porter neck to see if everything lines up.

More updates soon.

Porter Pickups Website

2009-08-14T18:19:00.003-06:00

We've just launched the Porter Pickups Website. There's a decent amount of content on there, but not everything yet. If you'd like to see how it looks and browse around a bit, head to www.porterpickups.com and check it out.

We'll have the official announcement on the site launch in the August newsletter. Sign up on either PorterGuitars.com or PorterPickups.com to get the newsletter.

Update on #0002, other updates

2009-08-12T08:12:00.004-06:00

#0002 is in the final stages of the finish work. The body is in the process of final sanding before buffing, and the neck needs a few more coats, but has the Porter Logo already on it. We're shooting for having this thing done by the end of the month.

We've also been working towards the acoustic development some more. Right now, we're planning out the rosette and i've been carving the braces on the first acoustic prototype. It's starting to sound good with the taptones, but there's still a bit more brace carving to go. We hope to have more of the acoustics taking shape very soon.

#0003 and #0004 are starting to take shape as well. #0004 is going to be a 12 string, so we are working on some mock setups to make sure our alignment is going to work.

Here's some progress shots of #0003 and #0004:

Back to Work

2009-08-09T22:18:00.003-06:00

Back to work this week after some time out of town. Some cool things have been taking place the last week or so, and here's some highlights:

-Release of #0001 (Pictures Below from photo shoot)
-Porter Pickups Sponsors Music Festival in Minnesota
-Placement of First Porter Pickups in a music Store. (More coming soon on that)

What's coming up? We're working on the release of our Single Coil Pickups. If you're not signed up for the email list on www.porterguitars.com, you might want to! We are offering a discount on the pickups and some of our guitar models, only available through the email.

#0001 Pictures

2009-08-03T08:04:00.004-06:00

Here's some shots of Porter Guitars #0001. It's one of our custom hollow models with a African Mahogany Body and a Zebrawood top. The Fretboard is Wenge with Abalone Pearl Dots and the Neck wood is Maple.

Side Bending Adventures

2009-07-29T11:48:00.000-06:00

We've been working on the first few Porter prototype acoustics and preparation for #0005, which will be our first acoustic model. We've got a fair amount of the needed tools and have been working on bending the sides with our side bender. We've had a few issues with the first couple sides, but are close to figuring out everything. The most recent side bent fine, and we have a small amount of adjustments to make it just right. We'll have a blog on the next acoustic update soon.

Busy Month, and some cool announcements

2009-07-27T07:55:00.000-06:00

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter on The Porter Guitars Website. We have some cool announcements that will come first in the newsletter. We've been working on some things I think you will really like, but newsletter subscribers hear about them first, so sign up! We'll also have discounts on all Porter Pickups as part of the official release of the single coils.

We're also planning things like the release of Porterpickups.com as it's own site as well as the release of the pictures from the first photo shoot of #0001. There's a lot for us to get done this month and a lot of new and exciting things for you.

The neck for #0002 is in the spray booth right now, and we're starting the lacquer process for it. We're shooting for a mid august completion of #0002, so stay tuned!

#0001 Getting Closer

2009-07-22T07:35:00.000-06:00

I spent this last few days buffing the neck and working on the fretting for #0001. It's getting closer, and we hope to have some completed pics up soon. We're exited to get the first Porter Guitar out the door and continue the growth of the business.

We'll have a full blog about #0001 once it's done. Keep checking back for more information.

Single Coil Video Shoot Update

2009-07-21T08:26:00.000-06:00

Last night's single coil video shoot went well. We'll be editing the video and uploading it on youtube within a few weeks. You'll be able to see the killer tone of the Porter Single Coils, and their versatility with different styles of music. We've got a great player laying down some sweet licks that we think you will like and also give you an idea of what to expect from these pickups.

Look for the big launch of the single coils sometime in mid august. We'll have the new video out, the new Porterpickups.com website and some killer deals on the single coils, as well as a deal on our humbuckers.

Stay tuned!

Single Coil Video Shoot

2009-07-20T08:57:00.000-06:00

Just a quick heads up, we are going to shoot a single coil video tonight to demo the new Porter Single Coils. We hope to have it up on youtube within a few weeks. The single coil release date is going to be within the next month or so, and probably timed with the release of the video. We'll also offer a discount for the first month on individual and set purchases through our website.

Make sure you sign up up for the email list for the specific announcement of the single coil release date. Sign up here

Hear Porter Pickups in Action

2009-07-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

A Memphis Guitar Player just got a custom amp made for him, and it demoing it with a Porter Classic Humbucker in his Gibson Sg. Check it out!

Single Coil Pickup Development

2009-07-09T09:34:00.000-06:00

I thought i'd give an update on the single coil development. Things are moving along pretty well at this point. I made the first prototype this week, and had a tone conscious friend put the single coil in his strat and play it. It sounded great! He loved it, and I got to hear it played with some different styles and nice distortion and clean. I spent some time jamming with it and it's been great so far.

The plan is to wind a few more demo sets and send them to some players to make sure we're good to go. I'm hoping to offer the single coils for sale on the website as things progress a little further. We're also planing a video shoot for youtube to feature the Porter Single coil in action. Look for that sometime late this month or a few weeks into august. I think you'll like what you hear.

In addition to that, we have to get the model names and the plan is to release one or two models initially. Early price estimates are around $55 per single coil. We'll send out an announcement about the release on our nestletter. Don't forget to sign up for it at The Website

Side Bender is Here

2009-07-07T08:38:00.000-06:00

I've slowly been collecting the jigs and tools needed to get the acoustics started. I just got the side bender in last week, and hope to start bending some wood in the next week or so. I'll probably put up a blog on the bending process as well.

This side bender is a great way to bend the sides of an acoustic guitar. Traditionally, it was by a heated pipe. I've tried this method a few times, and had ok results, but decided this method would be the best. The side bender is a jig that clamps the wood down to a form that is half the shape of your guitar. It has a waist clamp, and other clamps held by springs to help the bending. The heat for the bend is provided by a very thin silicone blanket which heats the sides, while two metal slats are surrounding the blanket and the sides to hold in the heat. Once we get the sides ready, i'll have a blog about bending the wood.

Thoughts on Rosewood

2009-07-03T09:34:00.000-06:00

Many Builders use indian rosewood for retboards and sometimes necks on guitars. All of the Porter Guitars have an option of an Indian Rosewood fretboard on any of our models. There are several types of Rosewoods out there with the most popular being Brazilian and Indian. Brazilian Rosewood is getting incresingly hard to get due to bans on tree harvests in Brazil. Many Brazilian rosewood acoustic sets are going for $1,000+ and are cut from stumps of old trees. Trees can only be harvested is the "Fall Down" as a result of weather. Who knows how many weather actually takes down. Brazilian is known as the "Holy Grail" of tonewoods.

Another type of rosewood is Bolivian Rosewood. It's also known as Pao Ferro. It's been used quite a bit on guitars for both fretboards and the back and sides of acoustics. Tonally it's said to be somewhere in between Indian Rosewood and Maple, and it's actually heavier than Indian Rosewood.

Here's a shot of the color comparisons between Bolivian Rosewood and Indian Rosewood. Bolivian Rosewood is on the Left.

New Porter Pickups Logo

2009-07-02T08:56:00.000-06:00

Not much change from the old one, just a bit better resolution and the website added. We'll have a few other alternate logos as well, that we'll put up soon.

Newest Porter Pickup Reviews

2009-07-02T08:40:00.000-06:00

We've had quite a few Porter Pickup reviews come in over the last few weeks. We're excited to hear the feedback from our hand wound pickups, and people have been very happy with our custom windings. Here's a few of the latest reviews along with the model name. More reviews can be read Here

Nickname: CC (Millington, TN)

Pickup Model: Porter Classic Humbucker

Position: Neck

Comments: "I installed the pickup in a customized Telecaster matched with a Seymour Duncan Little '59 and WHOO... The tone was AMAZING! It cuts through the mix perfectly and with the simple turn of the Tone knob you can get any sound you want out of it. I love my new Porter Pickup and can't wait to get another! If you don't have one i recommend getting one!"

Nickname: ACI (Memphis, TN)

Pickup Model: Porter Classic Humbucker

Position: Neck

Comments: Just installed this pickup and have fallen in love! This pickup has managed as to catch the warm vintage but with add modern accents. I can't wait to get a second pickup for the bridge! I put it in my Gibson SG running through a Fender Bassman blackface. GREAT TONE!!!

#0001 Nearing Completion

2009-06-30T08:08:00.000-06:00

#0001 is getting closer to being done. Yesterday the body was buffed and the neck is in the spray booth with the newly applied Porter logo. Here's some shots of the body before the hardware is installed:

Some thoughts on hand wound pickups

2009-06-24T08:34:00.000-06:00

Machine Wound VS. Hand or Scatter Wound Pickups

Many of the larger guitar pickup makers as well as builders are winding pickups with machine guided wire. The end result is consistent windings and a repeatable process without as much labor. What they get is a good sounding pickup and some savings on labor costs. It seems to be a win win for those larger companies, but why are lot of these modern pickups not as popular as the older ones?

Back when many of the companies were getting started, all pickups were wound by hand. This does not mean they were wrapped by hand, but the wire was guided by hand as the pickup bobbin was spun on some type of device (Usually similar to a sewing machine motor) with a counter attached to keep track of the turns. Some people think there is not much difference from using a vintage of modern type winder vs a machine guided one. I happen to think there is.

Most vintage pickups are highly sought after not just because of their age, but because of their tone. People are always looking for the right recipe for that vintage tone and some have gotten really close. The materials used in the pickup do make a difference in the tone. you can't go wrong using the same types of wire, magnets and bobbin material as the old pickups were made with. That's a great start! I think the winding technique is very crucial to the tone of the old pickups that are so popular.

In the case of hand wound pickups (often called Scatter-Wound) the layers of the coil are shaped by the hand of the winder. Each maker may have one go to winding pattern, or several different ones that could be based on models they sell. Since it's guided by hand, the turns of the coil might be the same from pickup to pickup, but there will most likely be differences in the winding patterns. The hand winding pickup maker can use this to his/her advantage. After the winding pattern is determined, the pickup can be tested to see what kind of tones it gets. Changing the winding pattern might result in some newer definition more clarity or more bass. This is probably why you see so many different models of pickups out there. It's also why smaller pickup makers can offer such specific pickups to meet picky players demands.

At Porter Pickups, we've been developing our own winding patterns and have been seeing some good results. Our customers are noticing too. The goal with winding our own pickups is to make sure the guitars sound as good as possible, and at the same time making the Pickups available for individual sale for use in guitars other than Porter's. We'll continue to refine and develop new models and our winding process to make sure the tones our pickups produce are just what the player wants.

We'll be winding the first few sets of single coils this month, and sending them to some people to demo before we release them for sale. We're looking forward to adding the Porter single coil pickups to our lineup of hand wound Humbuckers and P90's.

More details on the specific release of Single Coils soon. We're also hoping to launch Porterpickups.com as it's own seperate site sometime in July. Right now, it's located within the main Porterguitars.com site.

In the Shop this week.

2009-06-21T20:54:00.000-06:00

Lots of blogs have been rolling out lately. I'm trying to keep everyone updated on the progress and maybe give away a few hints about things to come.

I'm still recovering from a sprained ankle. I'm entering my third week of it being sprained and it;s slowly getting better. Mowed the lawn yesterday and finally got some shop time in friday. I was able to initial some inlays into a the rosewood fretboard for #0002, and spray a few coats of laquer on #0002 and the neck for #001. Pictures coming soon! Were' going to shoot for more this week, but we'll see how the pain is holing up. We had a person come by and check out the shop friday, and it was great to have them come out. I enjoy meeting players and interested customers in our process and also just the chance to talk shop.

This week ahead will hopefully involve more shop time and a lot of new tool purchases. We're about to begin on the tooling and jigs for #0005, which will be an acoustic guitar. We'll also have more about this soon. Over the next few weeks, a lot of tools and jigs will be coming in, as well as some more parts and woods for #0003 and #0004.

Stay tuned for more pictures this week.

New P90 Pickup Review

2009-06-17T21:04:00.001-06:00

We're excited for the newest Porter Pickups that were released last month. We've just got the first review in from a local band member who's really enjoyed the tone! Here's what he had to say:

"I believe this was Brian's first P-90 wind and I must say he nailed it. This pickup has the standard wind(about 9k).I threw this into the bridge position of a Gibson Les Paul Special faded to replace the stock p'up. This pickup is very well balanced and clear, not cleaner, clear. Excellent note definition. About the same amount of gain as the stock p'up. The stock p'up had a problem of getting rather boomy and muddy in the low end. Brian's P-90 fixed this plus gave me even more clarity and definition through out the tonal range. Plus excellent mids. If you have a guitar with a P-90 in it, I highly recommend one of Brian's pickups."

Read more Reviews here.

Want your own Porter Pickups for your Axe? Mention you saw this blog and email us at info@porterguitars.com and get free shipping on your next pickup order.

#0003 Curly Koa Guitar With Abalone Inlay

2009-06-16T09:25:00.000-06:00

Here's some details on Porter Guitars #0003. #0003 and #0004 will be twin guitars for some friends in Memphis, with the exception of #0004 being a 12 string. These guitars will feature highly figured Koa tops on Honduran Mahogany with a Brazilian Ebony center stripe up the body and neck.

These guitars each feature a custom body shape we designed. Here's the beginnings of the progress of the guitars.

Body With Ebony Center Stripe:

Abalone Pearl Trim on Curly Koa Top

Close Up of Pearl Inlay Border

12th Fret Practice Inlay (Hibiscus Flower)

More to come on these guitars! www.porterguitars.com

Porter Pickups Latest Reveiw

2009-06-12T07:26:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest review of one of our Porter Classic Humbuckers. It was custom wound for the neck position of the customers Telecaster:

"I installed the pickup in a customized Telecaster matched with a Seymour Duncan Little '59 and WHOO... The tone was AMAZING! It cuts through the mix perfectly and with the simple turn of the Tone knob you can get any sound you want out of it. I love my new Porter Pickup and can't wait to get another! If you don't have one i recommend getting one!"

Want to read more reviews? Check out the reviews page for more!

We're also hoping to spread the word on Porter Pickups through some pretty exciting ways. We'll keep you updated on that, but can't give it away yet!

Injured, and more updates!

2009-06-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

Building has come to a stand still for a while after a sprained ankle. It happened last friday during a basketball game, and I still can't walk almost a week later. I'm starting to wonder if there is something else wrong but hopefully not.

Meanwhile, the shop sits and collects dust.

I've been able to work on some marketing and networking type things, while trying to chase after my 11 month old. He thinks daddy is playing with him when I hop after him.

The last update was about acoustic guitars. We are going to begin working on acoustic guitars very soon, and the first order just came in this week. We'll try and continually update the process of getting the first Porter Acoustic made. I'm looking forward to diving into the process and for the new build challenge. We'll probably release an acoustic model later this year, if all goes well in the initial development of it.

We've also begun the launch of some more marketing for Porter Pickups. We're looking for people to demo the pickups and for artists to play them who will help spread the word.

BP

Acoustics Coming soon

2009-06-09T10:50:00.001-06:00

We've been wanting to get some acoustic rolling, but haven't had the cash to put into their development. I've tinkered with a few acoustic jigs like a bending form, bent some sides on a pipe and worked on a binding jig. I have an acoustic in the rough stages right now, but there has been some increasing interest in them from various customers. We should be starting on the development of the first Porter acoustic model very soon. Keep checking back or updates. We'll probably do a build blog of the process.

Death of the Local Music Shop

2009-06-05T11:44:00.000-06:00

Chances are you've driven around your city and may have noticed some changes in the music store scene. The local Guitar Mart is having the "Sale" of the year, while the mom and pop stores are having their own sales as well. The problem is that the mom and pop stores are having "Going Out of Business" sales instead of a weekly "sale of the century."

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence as larger instrument retailers continue to grow and expand. They have better buying power, and offer the lowest prices. Driving around town yesterday, I noticed a local music store with their "Going Out of Business" sale. It was sad and frustrating. They were a store with higher quality instruments and had people who knew what they were talking about and treated you right. Just recently another Local Store was announcing that they might have to close their doors. They have since been above water, but it's hard to tell how far.

When rumors of local stores possible closings came out, there was a wave of support. People organized benefit concerts, tried to stop in more, and told their friends to go support. All these things to try and save something that many took for granted, or ignored so they could save a few $$. The support was great, but you had to wonder "Where was the support before?"

As more big box stores go in and even a popular electronic company starts selling gear, the smaller stores seem to get run out of town. The stores with knowledgeable sales people, gear that hasn't had "Stairway" played on it 5,697 times, and better customer relations are now being threatened by a larger store with 300 black guitars and minimum wage employees.

Apparently, i'm not the only one who's seen the effect of larger stores on the local music shops.

Chances are you can find killer deals at your local stores. They don't ave the buying power that the larger stores have, but they will be able to work with you and might even know you by name the next time you come in. The only way to keep them in business is to give them your business.

It's sad to see the cool local music stores go under. These are the type of stores that I will hope to have as dealers in the near future for my guitars. I hope they continue to come up with new and innovative methods for staying competitive, and that customers realize their value in the communities they live in.

3 Tone Hand Stained Sunburst

2009-06-03T10:15:00.001-06:00

Here's the finish going on #0002. It's patterned after the old vintage mandolin finishes. It's got a quilted maple top with grain enhancement and three different stains blended by hand to get a good color transition. It's in the booth right now with a few coats of sealer on it. Watch for a future blog about how we did the sunburst.

This is an example of one of our Elite Models. Prices start at $2,300 for elite models and they are available with a wide range of finish options, woods, and hardware colors.

www.porterguitars.com

Porter Pickups, and Guitar Update

2009-06-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

Just a quick announcement about our Hand Wound pickups. We put these pickups in all out models, but they are now available for sale on the website. We currently have Humbuckers and P90's for sale, and plan on releasing single coils soon. Check it out!
www.porterpickups.com

It's been a while since i've used this specific blog, but we're starting it back up again. Look for things like:

1. Customer Guitars in Progress
2. How we build Porter Guitars
3. Other featured items.

Just found us on this blog? Porter Guitars is a custom builder of electric guitars and hand wound pickups. We believe in making things by hand, and that with careful attention to detail and a wide range of customer options, we can provide a truly custom guitar for our customers.

Look for more blogs coming soon.

Brian

Main Blog

2007-08-17T17:09:00.000-06:00

This is a blog used to reach people in the blogger community. I will be introducing a new blog on www.porterguitars.com

Welcome to Porter Guitars Blog

2007-02-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Porter Guitars Blog. This blog will feature updates on the business and information about upcoming guitars, customers, and more. In the mean time, please visit our website.

We are taking names to be on the list to be one of the first Porter Guitars owners. Please use the link to the right to email us for questions about the guitars.

More info to come soon.