Here is a video tour of the building process on the new korina Explorer that was custom made for Jerry by luthier William Raynaud of WR Guitars in Pasadena, CA.
This new guitar is made from solid korina (African Limba) and features a black ebony fingerboard, gold hardware, and hand-made pickups by Arcane-Inc. WIlliam Raynaud is a master builder and his skill as a craftsman is evident in every aspect of this wonderful instrument.
The guitar was originally slated to be tuned to Open E, but rumor has it that Jerry was so impressed by the feel, the playability, and the sound of this guitar that he opted to retune between Open E and Open A. Currently, this guitar is being used as the sole instrument on all Blues Contraption gigs.
The soundtrack to the video contains excerpt from two original compositions by Jerry. The tracks were recorded by Chad Helmond and Joe Kreuzer at McNally Smith College of Music in Saint Paul, MN. Mixing, effects, and additional recording was done by Alex Kosak.
Thanks to the musicians who helped on this recording: Terry Burns (acoustic bass), Drew Stinson (electric bass), Dave Hanzel (drums).
The WR Guitars Explorer was recorded through a Savage Audio Macht 6 amp for rhythm and the solos were recorded through a ’62 Fender tweed Champ and a Savage Audio Schatten 19 (the Schatten was running into a 1 X 12 cab with a single Celestion Alnico Gold speaker.
No pedals were used in the recording of this guitar, just the amps turned up!
