©2010 Micah Atwell
Guitars·Other Gear...
"Project Orange"
This is my primary electric guitar, and my first custom-built Warmoth. It's based loosely on George Lynch's ESP Strat (from the REH/SGR instructional video). This one has garnered some notoriety due to its design and the construction tutorial I wrote up for it. You can read all about Project Orange here
Autumncaster
My 2nd Warmoth custom electric. Saw this very unique padauk body in their Showcase and had to get it. I hand-finished it with satin poly, which darkened its original terra cotta hue but protects from UV and body oils. I found a beautiful indian rosewood neck w/ebony fingerboard (also Warmoth) and chose gold hardware to complete the autumn color scheme. Autumncaster's specs are nearly identical to Project Orange, the only real differences being the bridge, tortoise-shell knobs, and a Graphtec nut. Sonically, however, it's brighter and punchier but still has an articulate, complex, and warm tone. This is my first guitar to have a neck wood other than maple, and I love how dark it looks. It's also a raw neck (no finish) and is incredibly smooth and fast.
Jackson Dinky Reverse
This was the first new guitar I ever purchased (1994). The body is poplar and the neck is 24-fret quarter-sawn maple. I remember I'd had my eye on this one for quite some time because of the stone finish. I replaced the bridge humbucker with a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon and it has been the subject of many electronics experiments. Currently, I have it strung with 13-56s, tuned down to B, and rigged with a pickup blend pot, a momentary output killswitch (for tremolo effects), and a 3-way switch toggling between "off" (no output), a test-circuit, and full volume.
Dean Vendetta XM
Picked up this guitar in 2007 as a cheapo fixed-bridge and something I could tote around if need-be. It's actually a good value for the price, sounds and looks pretty good and will make for a nice little project guitar. I could have done far worse for the money!
Unmanitone Fretless
Aka: "Poor Purple Bastard". This one, originally a Series 10 and black, came to me from my brother in 1995. I tried to repaint it but it didn't come out very well. I also stripped the neck of paint and bindings and refinished it with tung oil. It sat for several years until 2004, when I pulled the frets to resurface the board. I got the idea then to just leave it fretless. In 2006 I finished the whole thing up enough to get it playable again.
Harmony Strat-clone
My very first guitar, purchased with two large pizzas from a friend who built it out of spare parts in his basement. It was all I had for the first 2 years, and it taught me a lot about guitar repair and maintenance. I literally had a screwdriver and soldering iron present at all times. The body was originally almond/creme but almost immediately I stripped it and spraypainted it black and airbrushed a corner peel on the forearm contour. Over time, I made various odd pickguards for it and stickered it all up. But after several years, the paint became matte and gunky, so I stripped it again. It's currently awaiting restoration to the black/stickered scheme.
Ventura Classical
My father bought this guitar back in the mid 80's. We borrowed it from each other a few times but he later relinquished it to me. I finally tracked down some information on the brand and it was a cheap Japanese import, but many players have found their quality to be exceptional. Some say you can still find these around and it's a steal if you can get one. I know this much, this Ventura has always been my favorite acoustic to play. It has mahogany back, sides, and neck, spruce top, and rosewood fretboard and bridge. In 2006, I outfitted it with a Fishman SBT-E soundboard transducer pickup.
"Pappy"
This was my dad's first guitar. He bought it in 1962 from the naval PX at Pt. Mugu (California) for $13. He said it hung up on the wall behind the counter and he did yard work for a couple weeks to get the money. Originally, the guitar was very plain looking and had no labels or markings except for a "333" stamped somewhere on the soundboard. The design it bears now was created by my dad either in the late 1960s or in the mid-80s using markers, paint, and Elmers glue (for the 3D teardrops). As a kid, I was enamoured by this guitar. Its design is quintessential Bill Atwell and, like he, greatly influenced me.
Rogue Bass
This was my first bass guitar, purchased in 1997. It's entry-level but I really wanted a bass and couldn't afford pro-quality at the time. I also liked the charcoal metallic finish it came in, and the maple/rosewood neck is surprisingly nice. Stock, it's not the best sounding bass (plywood body and cheap pickups) but it has worked well with the PODxt Live.