Ellen Loo is hands down one of the most adventurous artists out there. Her creativity in music can only be matched by her creativity in painting. The custom work we've done for her is not only unique, but also pieces of art.
Gretsch 6120 Doubleneck
This is one of Ellen's most recognizable guitars. This guitar came in with a faulty selector switch and needed a setup. Unfortunately a replacement switch was not available at the time so we had to build our own switch from various Switchcraft toggles in order to make a suitable replacement. After a setup, this big guy was ready to go serve one of the best musical talents of our time once agian.
Nash Custom Telecaster
This Nash tele was custom built for Ellen. Unlike most telecasters, it features a reverse headstock giving the guitar a unique tone, as well as a custom white/red finish. The tele originally had a white pickguard, but Ellen preferred the raw look without a pickguard. So, we ended up installing a clear acrylic pickguard.
Patti Smith Telecaster
This beautiful telecaster built by Rick Kelly has a long and touching backstory to it (read more about it here). When Ellen brought the guitar to us, the pickguard was a little on the thick side and interfered with Ellen's playing. So the pickguard was sanded down to an acceptable height, and the guitar was setup and good to go!
Vox Teardrop
This Vox Teardrop guitar was one of the most interesting collaborations we've ever done with an artist. Ellen picked up a run-of-the-mill Vox Teardrop Reissue off the shelf at a local guitar shop having the idea to totally transform it into something personal and artistic. After discussing with Gavin about what she wanted to achieve, we go to work by scrapping all the existing electronics and making a new pickguard. All the neccesary body routing took place and the new pickguard was routed for pickups and the bridge. While all the body work was taking place, the headstock was finished in white. After the finish had dried, and everything had been dry fitted, the pickguard and the neck along with the tuning pegs were sent to Ellen so she could hand paint them all. After the parts got back to us, we shot a couple coats of clear lacquer to help protect the unique paintings, and strung up the guitar. The result is what you see here.
Pedalboards
The first picture is Ellen's older pedalboard. After touring with this large board for a while, she decided she wanted to simplify her rig. The result is the smaller pedalboard that was once again an amazing collaboration experience. We cut a plywood board to the size and one again had it sent to Ellen to have her hand paint it. While that was going on, we carried our some repairs on some of her favourite pedals. The core of the new pedalboard is the Vanamps Solemate (started with a Reverbmate but eventually replaced it with a Solemate) that was heavily modified to allow for the 'Output Level' and 'Dwell' controls to be controllable via an expression pedal when needed. This allowed Ellen to have full real-time control over the reverb 'wetness' while she would be performing. Another feature is the small dark purple sparkle pedal on the bottom left of the new board. This is a clean boost made by us to replace the EP booster she had before. After the painted board got back to us, we shot a couple coats of lacquer and start to assemble the pedalboard with some custom cut cables.