Lion
Dedicated to producing a top-tier instrument built with world-class craftsmanship.
“Like the original, made for you!”
Overview
The Lion model is built from Mexican cocobolo and is a set-neck configuration. Each piece is selected for color and figure to capture as much as possible the essence of the original models. The top is adorned with an original, signature MOP lion inlaid on an ebony oval that is accented with brass. The neck is constructed using curly maple and accented by a vermilion center stripe and accented with thin layers of vermilion and maple.
The neck on any instrument ordered is custom-made to the customer’s specifications – any profile, any thickness. The Lion model comes standard with a 16 inch radius. The standard fret wire is .103″ x .045″ . Other fret wire can be requested; stainless steel does cost extra. The Gabon ebony fretboard is inlaid with an elegant Lion motif . On the rear of the guitar is a brass outlined, quilted maple and cocobolo oval. The maple oval has a 1/16th inch red, yellow and blue marquetry strip around its circumference. The cocobolo oval is inlaid with an art deco style flower of two types of abalone, MOP, and brass. The electronics cover is cut out of the same piece of cocobolo as the back and is outlined with brass.
All the pots are NOS military surplus. The volume pot is a 25k value with a logarithmic taper and the neck and bridge tone are controlled by a custom manufactured, 250k/500k value Allen Bradley style, dual Mod pot just like the original. The other tone pot is a 500k value linear taper. The guitar has an onboard effects loop (OBEL) that allows the output signal from the pickups to be sent to an effects chain and return to the instrument before the volume pot. This was a personal invention of Jerry’s that allowed his signal to remain consistent when using the master volume and it allowed certain FX, like the Mutron III to always see a full input signal no matter what the master vol. on the guitar was set on. I also install a unity gain buffer circuit made by wald-electronics.com. The Tiger comes standard with a DiMarzio single-coil pick-up in the neck and two DiMarzio superdistortion humbuckers for the middle and bridge. I cut a one-piece cocobolo surround to mount the single coil, neck pickup in to the humbucker sized hole on the triple ring.
I only use Kluson reproduction harmonica bridges, for reasons of availability and quality of construction. The Tiger comes standard with gold Schaller M6 tuners, but I can use Schaller’s M6 locking tuners upon request.
MIDI and Piezo pickups are also available, with special consideration for available space on the instrument, and use of integrated bridge.
Due to demand and availability of materials (principally cocobolo and Gabon ebony), please call for current pricing.
I require 1/3 of the price down to start, another $1000 when hardware and electronics are ready for installation, and the rest upon completion. The electronics cost will be greater if MIDI is added.