Nation-music followers aware of the historical past of Bakersfield, California, know of Trout’s nightclub. The final of the venues that gave delivery to the “Bakersfield sound” epitomized by the twang of a Telecaster within the palms of Merle Haggard or Crimson Simpson, many stars strode its stage. Different legendary nightspots included the Blackboard, Fortunate Spot, the Pumpkin Heart Barn Dance, and others – now all gone. Trout’s closed a number of years in the past and was destroyed by hearth in April of 2022.

Bakersfield luthier Tony Brown and associate, Theresa Spanke, run T&T Customs, which focuses on constructing devices utilizing wooden from historic landmarks just like the Pismo Seaside Pier, Cain’s Ballroom, and different areas. Shortly after the Trout’s conflagration, they constructed guitars utilizing wooden salvaged there. Spanke is a Bakersfield singer/songwriter who was a member of the Trout’s home band for greater than 20 years. She did all the design work and set up of the headstock logos, and designed the Trout’s signal inlay for the neck.

“We have been fortunate,” Brown stated. “We virtually waited too lengthy. A number of weeks after the fireplace, we spoke with our pal David Simpson, who’s the son of Crimson Simpson, and his spouse, Dawna, about constructing a guitar if there was any usable wooden. David went to the positioning, the place he met the demolition foreman and was led to the one spot the place there was a partial wall nonetheless standing. He received a number of planks of the unique redwood – sufficient to construct 14 guitars, because it turned out. The next day, the remaining particles was eliminated, leaving solely the concrete slab.”

The 14 devices have been 11 Trout’scasters, one Precision-style bass, a dreadnought, and a Tele-style Crimson Simpson tribute.

“We caught with basic Tele specs – 25.5″ scale and two single-coil pickups,” Brown detailed. “We went with Zhangbucker Paul Bunyans on some, and Hoagland 50/51s on some. High-mounted Quantity and Tone knobs with a three-way swap – basic Tele, dripping with twang and mojo.”

Most Trout’scasters have a Texas Customs high-mass bridge, which Brown says improves maintain and is extra comfy.

“Happily, there was little or no hearth or smoke harm to the wooden,” he stated. “And what little there was added to the mystique.”

Given the restricted provide, solely the tops are Trout’s wooden. For seven of the 11 our bodies, they used regionally sourced old-growth Western purple cedar. The opposite 4 are pine from a barn that stood for greater than a century, swamp ash, Italian cypress, and figured claro walnut. Likewise, the fretboards are completely different woods.

“All the necks are roasted flame-maple,” Brown stated. “4 are one-piece and 7 are two-piece. On the two-piece variations, 4 of the fretboards are roasted flame-maple, three are Gabon ebony, and one is Brazilian tulipwood.”

Clients who ordered Trout’scasters are “…primarily native skilled musicians, music historians, collectors, on a regular basis pickers who love the historic significance and have heartfelt reminiscences of a spot and a time passed by.”

Brown enjoys working with non-profit organizations and charities.

“We’re artists,” the luthier stated. “It’s not simply what we do, it’s who we’re. We make a contribution of our time, expertise, and treasure as we’re in a position, to assist not solely those that want our assist, however to protect the historical past of this music we love. We have now contributed guitars used as fundraising instruments for charities in Texas and California, and musicians in want. We have been commissioned by Residents Preserving Historical past, an area non-profit, to construct a guitar utilizing wooden supplied from Merle Haggard’s childhood boxcar house, and donated the labor for the undertaking. We have now donated customized builds to be auctioned to help with the medical/burial bills of musicians, and their households. We’d love to have the ability to do extra of this.”

This text initially appeared in VG’s September 2023 difficulty. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.