TAMMO Guitars Croydon Hills Victoria Australia

Custom Built Guitars

How it started.

Years ago, I played in a band and was obsessed with guitars and music, I barely parted with my Goldtop, let alone the Maton Maxim. Then along came cars, girls, marriage, kids etc. (you know the drill). Gone were the guitars for may years. When my eldest son decided he wanted to play guitar I was inspired to again take it up again. His first was a classical, then a dreadnaught, then an electric. His first was a cheap “Strat” knock off. (crappy). So I thought I would get something better.

I was looking for a “Les Paul”, but couldn't afford one, so I decided to try to make a guitar. The first was the white winged semi hollow bodied item with a neck borrowed from a old LP Jr. It worked well. and from this I worked out what I didn't like, and went about building something that suited my style and hands. (chunkier and more comfortable).

I made a EVH style for my son and it was good, but not good enough! I decided I didn’t like “flat” solid bodied guitars so the “Rose” was born (Top Left). It was a semi hollow carved solid topped, deep tenon necked guitar with a 25.5” scale. This was getting better. Comfort, tone and style were getting there.

There was an enquiry for a long scale neck through SG style, which became my first saleable guitar. It played well and had a great feel to it. I think it lives in Hong Kong now.

(damn, it was a flat top)

I still work as a design engineer for special purpose machinery, but build guitars as spare time projects. I sell them privately, and usually build them to suit the player. I would aspire to working in the guitar manufacturing industry, but there is little need for this in Australia, so I have to keep it as a sideline at this stage.

My instruments are suited to players that like the following attributes only because these are what I like..

Semi Hollow Electric.

Built for medium or heavy strings

A zero fret

Laminated neck with “C” profile and volute.

Deep tenon neck joint

Solid carved top and back for comfort

Custom guitars built to be different.

I prefer to use Australian timbers where suitable materials are available, and they certainly are, even though they may not be considered as traditional.

Whilst solid paint colours are popular and hide defects, I prefer to enhance the natural beauty of outstanding timbers. Therefore all of my guitars are either oil finished or if a glassy appearance is preferred nitrocellulose lacquer is used.

Deep tenon joints are used to connect the neck to the body. This provides greater sustain and consistent tone as compared with the modern bolt on styles.

Necks are usually built up with multiple laminates for dimension stability, and use a traditional truss rod which acts on the centre of the neck.

I do not build flat tops, as there is such a good selection of these on the market already.

My timbers of choice are Myrtle, Blackwood and Queensland Maple, Queensland Beech and Ash, but I am always experimenting with other species. It’s amazing how the tonal quality can be changed with different timbers, thicknesses, “F” holes and a myriad or other adjustments, such as sustain blocks.

Neck profiles are very much a matter of taste, but I lean toward the “C” profile and use a much tapered design (maybe I just like things too solid, being an engineer). The fretboard radius I prefer is a compound 10/12” as I am usually catering for “tune o matic” bridges.

This combination caters for the medium to heavy gauges very comfortably.

At this time I am only building about 3 or 4 guitars a year, but hope to increase this in quantity in the future, but for the meanwhile I would like to keep it as a cottage industry. I have a few prototype in production a the moment, and you never know production might not be a long into the future.

 

As of July 2006 I am rebuilding and equipping the workshop, and will recommence building new machines in December with greater capabilities

 

Paul Tammo

Enquiries: tammoaxe@bigpond.net.au

 

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