Speaking of acoustics, Fender seems to be really ramping up their acoustic guitar production with the introduction of a new Acoustic Custom Shop:

(Press Release)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  (January 22, 2013) – Fender is thrilled to announce its all-new Fender Acoustic Custom Shop, located in New Hartford, Conn. Operated by Fender’s most experienced guitar luthiers, the Fender Acoustic Custom Shop is committed to delivering the highest levels of acoustic guitar craftsmanship.

New from the Acoustic Custom Shop are the Pro Custom Series and Master designed models, which include the TPD-1 Dreadnought,TPDCE-1 Dreadnought, Traditional Triple-”O” Custom Shop Designed, and Newporter™ Custom Shop Designed.

The Pro Custom Series includes the TPD-1 Dreadnought and TPDCE-1 Dreadnought, which feature a solid Engelmann spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides, a convenient cutaway on the TPDCE-1, scalloped “X” bracing shifted forward for more traditional tone, a mahogany neck with soft “V”-shaped profile and dual-action truss rod, 20-fret ebony fingerboard with bone nut and mother-of-pearl inlays, bone bridge saddle and pins, a nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and Fishman® electronics on the TPDCE-1.

Part of the Master Designed Series, the Traditional Triple-”O” Custom Shop Designed and Newporter™ Custom Shop Designed feature a striking solid Carpathian spruce top, forward-shifted scalloped “X” bracing and solid figured walnut matched back and sides. The models’ two-piece neck in figured curly maple has a soft “V” profile with comfortably rolled edges, 10″ radius ebony fretboard, bone nut and a traditional three-on-a-side headstock (Stratocaster® headstock on the Newporter Custom Shop Designed).

Another nice new guitar from Martin: Martin 000-17SM:

Resurrecting the look of our early Style 17 guitars, the 17 Series features a shaded gloss Sitka Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and tortoise brown binding. The 000-17SM features a tight, 12-fret body and vintage slotted headstock for a truly one-of-a-kind instrument.

I’m a big fan of 000-sized guitars, especially ones that feature mahogany. Add in a slotted headstock, and I’m really interested. I think this model looks really nice.

Martin is introducing a new John Mayer signature model: the John Mayer 00-42sc Custom Signature Edition:

John Mayer and C.F. Martin & Co. were happy to join forces once again to create a new version of the “cowboy guitar” – the 00-42SC John Mayer Custom Signature Edition. Conceived as a direct follow-up to the successful 00-45SC John Mayer Stagecoach Edition that was produced in extremely limited quantity in 2012, this new model was created to be a more affordable option to collectors and Mayer fans alike.

“More affordable” is relative, as the MAP on the new model is still in the $8,000 range. However, it is nice to see them bringing the model to more people.

Filmmaker Tim Edwards takes an inside look at Collings Guitars with his new documentary “Instrumental” (2010). The 12 minute film takes us into the heart of Collings’ culture, touching on everything from Bill’s inspiration to build his first guitars to his success as an internationally recognized luthier. Exclusive interviews with shop employees and Collings loyalists give insight into Bill’s determination to build the world’s finest guitars and mandolins.

I can’t help it. I love videos like this.

The Tennessean is reporting that legendary vintage guitar shop Gruhn Guitars is moving to a new location a few miles away from their current location on Broadway in downtown Nashville. Gruhn has spent 42 years in downtown Nashville, but apparently the growth in the “honkey tonk” scene in that area is partly to blame:

“It can be so loud that it’s beyond belief,” Gruhn said. “Also, parking is a miserable mess in this neighborhood.”

It’s been that way for the entire 13 years I’ve lived in Nashville, so I don’t know what has really happened over the past few years to prompt the desire to move.

According to a special warranty deed processed Friday, Ruble and Brenda Sanderson purchased the property at 400 Broadway for $4.8 million.

Oh. Perhaps the $4.8 million may have something to do with it. Here’s another reason:

“This is an ideal location for beer, barbecue and Western wear,” he said. “Having several hundred people a day to tour the shop … is an impediment to business. They’re not bad people, but they’re not going to buy what I have.”

In my experience, this attitude permeated through the entire sales force. I’ve visited the shop multiple times, and each time has been a bad-to-mediocre experience. Even though I’m a local who was looking to make a purchase, I was treated as a “impediment to business.” I haven’t been back in several years.

This is a fantastic video with Mark Knopfler talking about six of the guitars that have meant the most to him over the years. It’s nice to see Mark talk about the guitars and play some of the licks that made the guitars noteworthy.

GUITAR STORIES : MARK KNOPFLER from eld76 on Vimeo.

(Many thanks to Guitar Lifestyle reader Chad S. for letting me know about this video.)

This is an interesting video by Mike Collins about Frank Ford and Richard Johnston, founders of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, CA. I’ve heard good things about Gryphon, although I haven’t yet purchased anything from them. The passion that Ford and Johnston have for guitars is evident in the video.

Gryphon Strings from Mike Collins on Vimeo.

It’s that time of year again to celebrate friends and family and all the blessing that we have. I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Jon over at Guitar Noize recently linked to this video of a tour of the Wampler Pedals factory. It’s interesting to see the combination of machinery and hand wiring that goes into their pedals.

The truss rod is there to do one thing—to keep the neck of your guitar straight and stable, keeping your instrument in tune all the way up its well-aligned neck. It does this job well with ingenious simplicity and efficiency, constantly counteracting the tremendous physical forces that continually conspire to bend, warp and bow the neck, preventing proper intonation.

If you’ve ever wondered about truss rods, Fender has posted some details about the history and functionality of truss rods.