Tim Scheerhorn and Rob Ickes have announced a new resonator guitar, designed by Tim to Rob’s specs, and manufactured in the US by National Reso-Phonic Guitars.
It is made using Scheerhorn’s L-body design, built larger than the guitar dreadnaught profile for greater volume and projection. The Ickes model has a bound spruce top with bound Indian rosewood back and sides, and a square mahogany neck. Its ebony, 25” scale fingerboard has mother-of-pearl dots and the Scheerhorn logo in the top fret.
The resonator uses a hand spun Scheerhorn cone, a cast spider bridge with a capped maple bridge, and a fan cover. A tortoise-look pick guard has Rob’s name etched in the material.
Rob has long favored a Scheerhorn guitar made of spruce and mahogany, and this new National built model makes one available in a picker’s price range, without months of waiting.
This guitar is offered for $3900 with a hard shell case and free US shipping directly from Rob. Full details are available on his web site.
You can also find information there about two other squareneck, L-body Scheerhorn/National models. These feature the same resonator as the Ickes, one made of figured maple for $3,000, and the other of Honduras mahogany for $2600. Both include a hard shell case.
All three of these new models are available from Rob’s web site, and from selected dealers.
This past weekend saw the 3rd annual gathering of resonator guitarists in Nashville known as ResoSummit. The event is co-produced by Rob Ickes and Betty Wheeler for ResoRevolution.
Instruction was provided by a team of resophonicians including Ickes, Curtis Burch, Cindy Cashdollar, Dave Giegerich, Jimmy Heffernan, Orville Johnson, Randy Kohrs, Megan Lovell, Sally Van Meter, Lou Wamp, and Michael Witcher. Noted builders Paul Beard and Tim Scheerhorn were also on hand.
Rob explained what went down…
“ResoSummit 2009 brought together more than 100 resonator guitar enthusiasts in Nashville last week — participants, faculty, and luthiers — for three days full of workshops and four nights of performances and after-hours jams. It was definitely ‘Total Dobro Overload’ by design, with the goal of sending participants home with enough materials, ideas and especially inspiration to make the next year a highly creative and productive time in their musical lives. We had participants this year from all over the United States as well as Germany, Israel, Ireland, and the U.K., and at every level from beginner to very advanced. Every year, this event sells out quickly, because as one past participant said, it truly is ‘like fantasy baseball for reso-players.’
This was our third year, and we’ve tentatively scheduled the fourth ResoSummit for the last weekend in October in 2010.”
ResoSummit photographer Lee Hiers sent along a number of photos to showcase the spirit of the weekend
Randy Kohrs’ record label, Left of Center Records, is soon to release a new resophonic guitar CD entitled, Hornography.
Hornography serves as a tribute to resophonic guitar luthier, Tim Scheerhorn. Kohrs is joined on the CD by an all star line up of Scheerhorn players.
The CD was recorded at Kohrs’ award winning studio, Slack Key Studio. Each track was produced by the featured musician, each of whom brought their own band to project. Spanning multiple genres, including classical, blues, jazz, and bluegrass, the CD is primarly instrumental (Kohrs contributes the only two vocal cuts) and revolves around instruments build the luthier whose name the project adopts.
Track 1 on the CD is Rob Ickes performing the Monroe classic, Wheel Hoss. Musicians on this cut include: Dave Pomeroy, Ron Block, Andy Leftwich, Adam Steffey, and Aaron McDaris.
Randy tells us the CD will be released before Christmas, and that he will have 200 advance copies available at the upcoming ResoSummit in mid-November.
Players featured on the CD are:
Randy Kohrs
Rob Ickes
Andy Hall
Justin Moses
Todd Livingston
Bruce Bouton
Billy Cardine
Scott Vestal – playing the only Scheerhorn banjo
Mike Witcher
Shannon Hayes – playing a rare Scheerhorn acoustic dreadnought guitar
Jimmy Ross tells us that the Scheerhorn guitar showcase CD he tipped us to last year is nearly ready to go.
It will include 16 tracks which feature top resonator guitarists performing on instruments built by Tim Scheerhorn. A June release is anticipated on Randy Kohrs’ Left Of Center label.
We just received an update from Randy Kohrs about the Scheerhorn Guitars CD we had posted about back in December.
The CD is being recorded in Randy’s Slack Key Studio to showcase Tim Scheerhorn’s celebrated instruments, featuring many of the pro players who use Scheerhorn resophonic guitars.
Mike Witcher, Jimmy Ross, Andy Hall, Tim Scheerhorn, Bruce Bouton, Justin Moses, Lou Wamp have finished their recordings. The Scheerhorn Banjo is featured on Jimmy Ross’ cut (played by Scott Vestal) with the Scheerhorn acoustic guitar featured on Tim’s cut, played by his band mate Kevin Gaugier. We also have a Sally Van Meter/Randy Kohrs duet (we recorded a number of years ago in a loft in Telluride).
I went electric on you all and used the Scheerhorn Lap on an old blues cover. Richard Smith is slated to come in and use the Scheerhorn acoustic guitar for a solo track and Billy Cardine is scheduled to do the same with a classical tune for Reso. We have let each player produce their own track and it is coming out very personably. Every player is using the same stereo mic and preamp combination of a pair of Peluso P-28’s and vintage Telefunken V-72 mic pres with the exception of the Sally Van Meter cut which was cut on a single Earthworks QTC-1 in 1999 atTelluride, and the Scheerhorn Lap which is electrified through an old Fender Deluxe, a Royer 121 Ribbon into a Universal Audio LA-610.
Several more players are slated to come in soon and I will try to keep you updated. I am really enjoying making this CD and look forward to having it out this summer. With so many fantastic players in the world, there is even talk of a volume 2 already.
We’ll be sure to share any news we get about this project.
We just got a note from Jimmy Ross, resophonic guitarist with Frances Mooney & Fontanna Sunset about a new recording project sure to perk up the ears of sliders everywhere.
There is a CD in the works designed to showcase the fine resophonic guitars made by Tim Scheerhorn, and featuring many of the pro players who use his guitars.
“I’m working with Tim and Randy Kohrs at Randy’s studio. The proposed players are Tim Scheerhorn, Randy Kohrs, Rob Ickes, Andy Hall, Lou Wamp, Justin Moses, Sally Van Meter, Billy Cardine, Mike Witcher, Bruce Boughton, Jimmy Stewart and myself.
Also on the recording will be a lap steel, 5-string banjo and a dreadnought guitar all built by Tim. There are about six tunes being worked on now and the rest after the hoildays. It should be released in early spring.”
The new model is a replica of Rob’s unique custom Scheerhorn, with the bodies and necks made in China, and then assembled with Scheerhorn components at the Wechter shop in Michigan. Unlike the heralded Scheerhorns, however, these new Ickes guitars sell for only $1500, and can be had without the wait of up to several years typical of their big brothers.
Rob has been playing one at most Blue Highway shows since he received the prototype in March, and reports that it sounds great and handles beautifully.
More details are available on Rob’s web site, where you can also place an order for one of the guitars.
Tim Scheerhorn’s name is among the most reverentially uttered in the world of resonator guitars. The instruments he builds are used by many of the most highly regarded players in bluegrass and acoustic music, and the reputation and limited availability of these finely crafted guitars fuels their status as a “must have” acquisition for serious reso-pickers.
Of course, the high cost and long wait times for new Scheerhorns (as much as several years) makes such a purchase difficult for most folks, and may be a big part of the reason for the Scheerhorn-licensed guitars being built by Wechter Guitars of Paw Paw, MI. The guitars were designed by Scheerhorn, and manufactured in Asia, with final assembly and set up done in the Wechter shop before shipping.
The newest addition to the Wechter-Scheerhorn 6500 series is the Rob Ickes signature model, which will be available by early May. The Ickes Model will be made as a replica of Rob’s custom Scheerhorn, with a spruce top, and rosewood back and sides, ivoroid binding, herringbone trim and a (faux) tortoise shell pickguard. Rob’s name is inlaid in the fingerboard, and the top features screenless rings at Rob’s request.
Like the other instruments in the Wechter/Scheerhorn series, the bodies and necks are manufactured and finished (sprayed/buffed) in China, and then delivered by the container-load to the Wechter shop. Here, the bodies are routed for the cones and rings, which are installed by Wechter’s luthiers. The baffles and soundposts are also installed by Wechter, as is the nut, before the guitars are strung up and readied for delivery.
Wechter also installs parabolic reflectors beneath the rings, a curved plastic arch of Scheerhorn design, that is screwed to the braces and placed to direct air towards the sound holes.
Rob is understandably excited about the new guitar.
“I have the prototype here at my house and it looks and sounds incredible – and I’m not just saying that ’cause it has my name on it!
Tim Scheerhorn and Abe Wechter are really into quality, and that’s the reason I wanted to work with them. I’ll be bringing one of the Rob Ickes Models to most Blue Highway concerts. If anyone would like to try one out, just bring your picks and bar up to the record table and ‘have at it!’ “
Abe Wechter said that the prototype Rob has is from the factory where the production models are being made, and is identical to what they will be delivering later this spring. The Ickes Model will be shipped in an upgraded, deluxe case and carries a suggested retail price of $1499.95.
