View Single Post
  #31  
Old 01-14-2019, 09:18 AM
Joel Teel's Avatar
Joel Teel Joel Teel is offline
AGF Sponsor
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Fairhope, Alabama
Posts: 684
Default

I've decided that it's time to come up for air, and step away from the flying sawdust and sticky glue-globs for a moment.....and "step up to the mic."

I can be a rather introverted character...and although I've learned, during my half-a-century on this spinning orb, how to be a little more comfortable in my own skin, the spotlight shining on me is still somewhat awkward...especially with all of the nice things that you folks are posting.

Don't get me wrong...I'm truly humbled and greatly appreciative that my work is being well-received, and that you folks are taking the time out of your busy days to comment...and I'm equally appreciative that Jeff has taken a chance on this unknown guitar builder. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Jeff mentioned earlier that he'd like for me to talk a little bit about the theme of this build. In doing so, I should begin with the fact that Jeff is a Pastor in Washington, and that he will be leading his congregation in worship with this guitar when it is completed. the two specific requirements were that it have Maple back & sides, and that it have a "Chi Rho" symbol inlayed at the 12th fret. He then instructed me to incorporate any other symbolic elements into the guitar that I felt would properly carry the theme.

Before I go further, I realize that all persons on this forum don't follow the same spiritual beliefs...some even being agnostic. This is neither an indictment nor a sermon...but simply an explanation of the theme behind the build. I'm always willing to have further discussion about my personal faith (and my faith-based business...Two Hands Guitar Co.) with anyone who might be interested...though out of respect for this community, it would be more appropriate via PM, email, or phone.

From the early days of the Christian church, the Greek letters Chi & Rho were used in reference to Jesus Christ...which is the theme of this build...and after much thought, I decided that it would be most appropriate to use "color" to carry out our theme.

Jesus is referred to as "light" many times in the Bible, and the more that I looked at the Maple & Sitka, the more it began to represent "light" to me. Jesus is said to be the "light of the world" and He illuminates within the darkness...this idea prompted me to use black Ebony for the bindings to represent the darkness.

Ultimately, the Christian Faith is based upon the salvation of mankind, through the blood of Jesus...and this concept is represented through the use of red-dyed veneer lines in the purflings for this build.

The idea behind the rosette, was to mimic a stained-glass window, such as you'd find in many churches. Jeff liked the idea...so I went from: "Hey, Jeff, I think this would be a cool idea"...to: "How in the world am I going to pull off this stained-glass thing." To say the least, I was quite pleased (and relieved) with the results...and am overjoyed that it has gotten such a great response from you folks. Thank you all for the comments.

Jeff later requested that we inlay three small crosses on the heel cap, which will represent the crucifixion...and finally, I will be slightly modifying my headstock logo for this particular build. There will be a very small red dot inlayed into the palm of the hand to represent the wounds that Jesus received by the nails that were driven through His own two hands...and into the wooden cross.

I realize that today, in our society, people are very polarized, and easily offended. If you were offended by this post...it was not my intention to offend you. If you were intrigued by this post...I invite a conversation.

Thank you all for your time...and for your comments,
Joel
__________________
‘17 Two Hands Guitar Co.
000/Concert, Sitka/Brazilian Imbuia

‘17 Two Hands Guitar Co.
0000/Auditorium, Sitka/Indonesian RW

‘93 Taylor 712 (I spent 20 years trying to convince the owner to sell me this guitar)

‘95 Taylor Limited Edition GAWS (I traded my Gibson J-200 for this guitar in ‘95)

TWO HANDS GUITARS

Last edited by Joel Teel; 01-14-2019 at 09:56 AM.
Reply With Quote