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Terra Guitars Penta Nylon 7 String #871
We worked with our dealer Terra Guitars on this wonderful instrument. Essentially a nylon version of our Terz guitar with a modified body shape, tuned up a step to B-B with an added low F# string, creating an amazing sounding instrument full of depth and character.

Noam Dworman Mandolin 8/Standard 6 Flyer Doubleneck #973
Noam had been playing one of our electric mandolins for a while when he ordered this doubleneck. The mandolin neck is a familiar size like a Gibson A2 and the standard 6 string neck had a shorter, more Gibson like scale as well. The body is a little deeper than our standard Flyer and sports the same "F-holes" we use on our Flyer Jazz model and a nice Tobacco Burst finish. Dual jacks as wired as Mono for both necks together and Stereo to run each neck separately.

Nick Dickerson's Blue and Macassar Ebony Merlin 12 string #933
One of the more striking instruments we have made, this Merlin starts with beautifully figured Macassar Ebony back and sides and tops it with spectacular Bear Claw Sitka Spruce with a rich, transparent blue finish. An arm and back bevel in contrasting natural flame maple flows into the same flame maple binding. Macassar Ebony bridge, fingerboard, and headpiece veneer complete the look.

Andrew Gray's Lefty Bari 12 #801
Every now and then, a client will ask us to "pull out all the stops" and build in every possible custom option. This incredible Baritone 12-string is a perfect example of this.

To start, it is a left-handed guitar.we make one every couple of years, and we.re always proud to say that there is NO extra charge for lefties — it's only fair!

Even beyond that, the custom features abound: a traditional slotted-style headpiece, stunning flame maple back and sides, bearclaw Sitka Spruce top, and arm bevel. A side soundport is the icing on the cake.

Any one of these features would have made this guitar a custom — but all together, they really add up to a very special instrument. Our customer was thrilled.

Bruce Lukoskie's Doubleneck Acoustic #731
We're no strangers to "odd" instruments, and special custom instruments have been one of our niches for quite a while. Even with that background, building and designing this instrument was both a challenge and a delight — the perfect combination.

The longer neck is a standard-tuned 6-string with a 25.5" scale, intended for DADGAD and other D-based modal tunings. The shorter 12-string neck is our classic "Gryphon" 18.5" scale, with unison-tuned double courses, tuned up to D. The central soundhole spans under both sets of strings, unifying them visually and sonically.

Both necks have piezo sensors under the saddles, which flow together into a Wavelength pickup/preamp. A side "soundport" gives the player a little extra direct response, which is especially useful with an instrument like this. We all had to really pay attention when playing this guitar — it has a lot to say.

Designed from the ground up, inside and out, this instrument truly embodies the custom-shop flexibility and adventurous spirit we try to maintain here at Veillette Guitars. Challenges like this invariably lead us in new and stimulating directions, and the results are always worth the effort.

When Bruce Lukoskie came up to the shop to pick up his new guitar, he was kind enough to record this little video while he was getting to know it — the huge range of textures, tones, and possibilities make this piece incredibly intruguing.

Tim Pierce's Merlin Ukulele 6-string #860
This incredibly cute little custom nylon-string was built for our good friend, major-leauge session guitarist Tim Pierce. Tim wanted, in his words, a "ukulele killer" for the studio, that would record beautifully and give him the range of the whole ukulele family, from Baritone to Soprano, all in one adorable little package.

Based on our Merlin body size, this little charmer has a 16.3" scale and is tuned A-A, a fourth higher than a standard guitar tuning. The onboard pickup/preamp and Volume/Tone controls are the same ones that we use in our full-size guitars. This little beast just sounds happy, no matter how you play it! It's a very specialized tool for a true pro who knows what he needs — one of our favorite ways to build.

Russell Bloom's Terz 12 #711
This is a fine example of a custom piece that has steered our line of production guitars in a new direction. Ordered by Russel Bloom, this is the first "Terz" we made, to suit his need for an "A"-tuned unison 12-string.

Custom features on this guitar include two beveled edges, for the arm and "belly", which flow beautifully into the black binding. The Pommele Sapele back and sides are luminous and 3D, and sound just as good as they look! Finally, a built-in TriColor tuner keeps all twelve strings singing sweetly.

This was the original "Terzilla", and the result was undeniably cool. A few slight tweaks later, our Terz 12-string is one of our best-selling acoustic models.

Keller Williams' "Grypholin" #807
One of the more customized instruments we've ever made, this unique piece was commissioned by multi-instrumental monster Keller Williams. After playing our Gryphon acoustic for a few years, Keller approached us looking for something that came even closer to the look and feel of a traditional mandolin, but with the scale and tuning of the Gryphon. This instrument is tuned DGCF, just like the low 4 courses of our classic Gryphon. The shallower teardrop body and oval soundhole, combined with the pin bridge, give this a uniquely "hybrid" sound that perfectly suits Keller's progressive bluegrass and jam band music.

Ciro Ettorre Merlin 12/Standard 6 Doubleneck with RMC Pickup #905
When Ciro ordered an acoustic doubleneck with a standard tuned 6 string neck and a full octave above Merlin 12 string neck, he also wanted an RMC pickup and MIDI controls as well as a separate audio output from our Wavelength undersaddle pickups and DTAR Preamp. All of this adds up to a powerful performance and recording instrument.

Bill Ruppert's Gryphonette #657
Here's another example of a guitar that inspired a future model. This was the first custom Gryphon ordered with an extra-short neck for true "octave-up" tuning, E-to-E. With 11 frets clear of the non-cutaway body, this is certainly a compact little guitar — but it had such a charming personality, we all immediately fell in love. The Cuban Mahogany back and sides were an extra treat.

This guitar was so much fun, we decided it had to be a full-time model. We redesigned the body to match the short scale, and it became our Merlin E-tuned high 12-string.

Terra Guitars' Gryphon 12 #556
As much as we like beautiful figured woods and natural finishes, we also have a real soft spot for the purity and cleanliness of a solid-color guitar. Here's a gorgeous example: this gloss-black Gryphon with ebony fingerboard and bridge exudes the class of a grand piano, beautifully framed with ivoroid binding to define the shape and give a touch of contrast.

This Gryphon's fingerboard also features a stunning inlay, commissioned by the client and beautifully executed by legendary inlay artist Larry Robinson. An abstract leaf/vine/flower motif climbs up the bound neck, and the blue flowers subtly mark the 3rd, 7th, and 12th positions. Inlay on a Veillette is a rare feature indeed — but for us, "custom" means that anything is possible!