Wow, it has been a while since our last newsletter. There have been Joe's recent blog posts and Shop News, but it is time to get caught up on all the things that have been keeping us so busy. We have a new model and some great examples of instruments we have been making for a while including more double necks! There are some new artists that have joined the Veillette family, and we have some information to share on events and other news.
Instruments
The New Aero
We have always loved the idea of a hybrid acoustic-electric guitars for stage and studio, and our Journeyman line has been one of our longest running. Our need to experiment has produced the new Aero model. We really amped up the acoustic vibe with a thinline, heavily chambered body and a spruce top. This is an instrument that looks like an acoustic and sounds like one with our proven combination of Wavelength Piezo and DTAR preamp but has the comfortable size and ruggedness of an electric guitar.
Colin Hay was our first customer and has been playing his Aero on stage for a while.
Though the mahogany body and neck and spruce top really add to the acoustic style of the instrument, we can customize this with different woods and finishes, and of course different scale lengths and tunings. We have a 12 string, bass, and double neck Aero in the works! For more information check out the Aero page on our website.
Here is Colin Hay performing with his Aero
More Double Necks!
In a recent blog post from Joe he talked about our history with double necks some recent instruments including:
Mandolin/Standard 6 string acoustics
Cuban Tres/Jazz 6 string electrics
Acoustic Baritone/Standard tuned guitars . a 6/6 and a 12/12
We since then we have more we are building:
Electric 12/6 string
Parlor sized 12/6 Acoustic
Electric Fretted 6/Fretless 6 string
Acoustic Baritone 12/6 string
Here is one fresh off Jimmy's bench and ready to go to our dealer in Japan, Sleek Elite. Both necks are standard tuned with additional piezo pickups to cover just about anything in a comfortable, easy playing package.
Another Minotar Bass
We have been making the short scale Minotar since 2008 and always love building them. The most recent one is a great example of this model - a magnetic pickup to go along with the piezo, simple beautiful wood, and our new acoustic style bridge.
And speaking of Basses
How about this beautiful acoustic bass? The incredible Bear Claw Spruce top, and the stunning Macassar Ebony body. The flamed maple arm bevel and the tummy cut make it comfortable to play, and the fretless Macassar ebony fingerboard really adds to the refined symphony of wood.
Surprise, it is standard tuned!
It happens, we do build standard tuned instruments with one neck. This Studio Model 12 string acoustic has a 15" lower bout and a wonderful resonance and very sweet sound. Even with a simple video done in the shop the charm comes through.
New Avante Gryphon 6 string
Announcing another addition to our Avante Line — the Gryphon 6 string!
The same size and scale length as its 12 string sibling, it hits the same sweet spot but with the different voice and feel and the ability to really dig in on the single strings. A great songwriting and performance tool that like the Gryphon 12 string is easy to take with you and keep around when inspiration hits.
NEW VEILLETTE ARTISTS
We are always happy to see more players joining the Veillette family, whether they rock the sofa, the studio, or the stage, our goal is to provide exciting tools of expression. Here are some players who recently added Veillettes to their arsenal.
Nashville legend, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Buddy Miller and his new Avante Gryphon
A veteran of over 3000 sessions and 30 of his own albums, "Captain Fingers" (Lee Ritenour) picked up an Avante Gryphon to add to his musical palette.
Steve Miller added a Terz and Gryphon and has been performing with them from club dates to Lincoln Center.
Vince Gill hanging out with his beautiful custom shop Pommelle Mahogany Terz 12 String to go along with his Avante Gryphon.
Other notables include:
Chris Martin from Coldplay
Carlos Varela "The Poet of Havana"
Jorma Kaukonen from Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane, added an Avante Gryphon to his Journeyman Baritone.
Roger Fisher from Heart, Alias, Human Tribe
Jimmy Vivino - Conan O'Brien's musical director since 1993, member of the Fab Faux
Events and News
Joe Speaks at the Association of Stringed Instruments Artisans (ASIA)
Joe was invited to speak at the 2017 ASIA Symposium in June along with Linda Manzer and John Monteleone. Joe shared his extensive experience making instruments with scale lengths outside the norm such as our Merlin, Gryphon, Terz, and Baritone instruments in a talk entitled "Going to Great Lengths".
2017 Woodstock Luthiers Invitational
Another great show from Baker Rorick and team in 2017. We saw some old friends and made some new ones that took home Veillette instruments.
As always, the show is an opportunity to see great players with great instruments and it is nice to see what they do with ours. Below is a picture of Steve Miller playing a Veillette Flyer Duet double neck. Joe has happy and honored to join Steve onstage for a few songs.
We look forward to hearing from you. Got a question? Want to find out how we can help put a great guitar in your hands? Need strings? Call the shop at 845-679-6154 or email us joe@veilletteguitars.com
Do you want you and your Veillettes to be more famous? For our Summer Newsletter in June and beyond, we are looking for high quality images of our customers with their instruments (or without if you are shy). Tell us a little about you and your Veillettes and include your website or your band's. We will select one for each newsletter that has a great look and story. Whether your Veillette is studio perfect or shows the rigors of the road we would love to hear from you.
Until next time,
The Veillette team —
Ande, Joe, Jimmy