Fresh Cup of Joe

Blandini Black Ice Mk1

doug@charliemikeguitars.com (Doug Cook) — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 01:27:38 GMT

A Surreal Experience

When I was in my early 20's, one of the bands I liked was Slaughter. They got tons of play on MTV, when they actually played music videos. As I drove home from Ohio Bike Week, it started to set in finally, I just spent the day with the band. From first introductions, to sound checks, to watching their show from just off to the side of the stage and finally post show relaxing and chilling out. I thought to myself, when I wake up in the morning this will all have had to have been a dream, but such a great dream. If someone would have told me 3 months ago that I would have had this chance, I would have told them to lay off what ever drug they were on. Yet here were were, my wife Tammy and I, driving home after a long and exciting day.

Currently, as of this writing, his guitar is sitting in my shop. Awaiting some final minor modifications to make it 100% for Jeff to take full possession of. Sitting on the bench with it, blue prints and templates of Jeff's Charlie Mike Guitars Blandini Black Ice Signature Model. This will be built to his vision, by us at Charlie Mike Guitars and reMarkable Finishes.

I hope you follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, you will get first notice of everything.

Thanks everyone,

Doug, Tammy and Paul

Big Things Coming

doug@charliemikeguitars.com (Doug Cook) — Mon, 30 May 2022 03:41:29 GMT

About to take flight !!!

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How and Why

doug@charliemikeguitars.com (Doug Cook) — Sun, 01 May 2022 15:49:12 GMT

So, you wanna know how and why?

Two of the most common questions I get when people find out I build guitars. How did I get into building them, and how did I learn how to build them. In this blog, I will answer these the best I can.

How did I get into building guitars? I have been playing guitars since the late 80's. Not playing very well I may add, but I can play. A few years ago I had the idea to build my own from a kit. After spending months watching videos and researching different kits makers. I thought to myself, I have the wood working skills, why not just make my own from raw lumber. So, I shifted gears to watching videos on building guitars. I spent month watching and researching details on building them. So, I got into building because I felt I could build a guitar for much cheaper than buying a brand named one.

As mentioned above, I watch lots of video on building, hundreds hours. Much of what I learned I learnt from videos. From builders like Brad Angove, Dan at Guns and Guitars, Ben at Crimson Guitars. Each of them have influenced some to my skills. However, the biggest contribution to my technique of building are Matt and Chris at Texas Toast Guitars in Colorado. Much of their approach to building fits into my skills and vision. I have spent four weeks with them over a three year period, and continue to plan trips to there shop. The first time I went out, I spent most of the week helping them build their new paint booth. Two weeks were spent working with them as somewhat an apprentice. The fourth week I spent was at a class they offer. They offer classes on average once a month, and if someone is interested in just building themselves a guitar or learning how to build them to pursue their own shop. I would highly recommend taking one of their classes.

So, there you have it. The why and how of my guitar building. Will this stop people from asking, I am sure it won't. Have a great day, thanks for reading.

Doug

Who Are My Suppliers?

doug@charliemikeguitars.com (Doug Cook) — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 01:41:53 GMT

So you want to know who my suppliers are?

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Shop Update 1

doug@charliemikeguitars.com (Doug Cook) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 01:09:25 GMT

Shop Update 1

Well, lots going on with the shop right now. Just finished a beautiful Foxtrot Victor for a customer. I was even more impressed with it when he put his loaded pickguard on it. Check out an image of it on out social media pages if you want to see it. Have two more guitars in process for customers, one if another Foxtrot Victor (lefty) and a fabric top Tango Charlie (dubbed The Creamsicle). Both can also be found on our social media pages. Working on a collaboration build with another builder for a popular 80s hair band guitarist. Stay tuned for more information on this.

Builder tip: When sanding anything, don’t skip grits. When you think you have sanded enough, go back over it one more time. Don’t use your sandpaper too long, don’t be afraid to use too much sandpaper. Sanding is not the most enjoyable aspect of build, and usually rushed. Slow down and take your time or you will not get a good finish. Meaning you will either have to deliver a sub-par product, or you will have to redo all of it.

In The Beginning...

doug@charliemikeguitars.com (Doug Cook) — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:45:48 GMT

Thus far

Greetings, I want to welcome you to something special. We are Charlie Mike Guitars. A small guitar building company. The venture started in 2019, when I was looking at buying a guitar. Looking at the prices and such, I looked at them and thought, “those wouldn’t be that hard to build”. I started with looking at just building a single guitar for myself. I looked at kit guitars to start. I spent countless hours looking at various manufacturers. So, I thought, they wouldn’t be hard to make these myself and skip buying the kit, after all I was going to be discarding the electronics and using my own upgrades. I then shifted gears to researching building them.

Through this, I met two guys that have inspired much of how and what I do. Matt and Chris at Texas Toast Guitars have been such a huge help in getting me going. In early 2020 as Covid was just about to hit, I visited them for the first time. I spent a week there, helping them build their new paint booth, seeing how they themselves had just made the move from a shop in a garage, to a full-time location. In the coming couple years, I would spend several more weeks with them. Even taking one of their classes they offer.

When Covid took the country down, I took advantage of it and started with the plans of what would become Charlie Mike Guitars. I built my first scratch build guitar for the 2020 Great Guitar Build Off – Unofficial. I gained many followers on my social channels through this. In the coming couple years, I purchased many machines for building my guitars, including a Jet Pin Router! My prized machine procurement.

My wonderful wife Tammy continues to support this project, through buying me machines or letting me buy them. I am about done with machine I need, and about to start with upgrading the needs, and even buying the wants. The wants are machines that will make certain processes faster and easier

I look forward to sharing the goings on in the company through this blog. I also plan on sharing helpful information that people will find valuable, not only builders, but players as well.

Thank you and have a great day!!!

-Doug

And away we go!

wogg@wogg.biz (Paul Sullivan) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:22:53 GMT

An adventure begins...

You have these days. You’re bored and looking at that bare spot on the wall and thinking “I need a new guitar and it would go nicely right there!”

Work was dull and al l those guitar shopping sites were just a click and tab away. But after perusing them for a while, I realized that there wasn’t anything there that really had that break-out-the-credit-card feeling. Everything was either boring or more than a year at private school. Sigh.

I went two tabs over to check the FB notifications and voila! Something interesting. A few people had commented on a post that I did as well, later. Then I saw that my cousin, Doug Cook had a new post. He had just sold one of his custom guitars.

Epiphany warning.

I realized that I should have Doug build a guitar for me. So, that started a FB Messenger conversation and a few images that went back and forth and lots of my mind changing, we committed on the Creamsicle. Tango Charlie body, semi-hollow, fabric top (from a rarely worn shirt of mine), orange side and back, maple neck and fretboard, dual P90s (cream), and a single coil placed nice and cozily between them (tone for days!), 5-way switch to capture all the moods and a push-pull as the proverbial cherry.

I was so excited about pulling the trigger that I started to ask Doug what his plan was for his now hobby. The dreams are big and this got me excited. So, here we are. At the starting blocks of a grand dream of Doug’s….making YOUR signature guitar.

Fresh Cup of Joe

Blandini Black Ice Mk1

A Surreal Experience

Big Things Coming

About to take flight !!!

How and Why

So, you wanna know how and why?

Who Are My Suppliers?

So you want to know who my suppliers are?

Shop Update 1

Shop Update 1

In The Beginning...

Thus far ﻿

And away we go!

An adventure begins...

Thus far