Body Construction, Wood, Electronics
You've Got Options
Hand-built custom musical instruments allow the customer to put all the options on the table. All design aspects of an instrument can be explored, in order to create a unique instrument to cherish for years to come. Options include: fingerboard radius, fret size, neck profile, body shape, pickup configuration, woods, finishes, scale length, and more.
Body Construction
Semi-Hollow Body
Chambering the body allows for weight reduction as well as resonant air spaces inside a musical instrument. This alters the tonal characteristics of a stringed instrument, including giving us the option to port the top in a variety of decorative ways (“f holes”), making the instrument semi-acoustic and further shaping the tone of the instrument.
Lighter instruments typically have more sparkle/chime than heavier ones.
Solid Body
Just as the electric guitar is to the acoustic guitar, many traditional instruments have found their way into a modern morphed form. Our hybrid designs can offer some interesting tonal variations on traditional stringed instruments like the oud or bouzouki. Even with nylon strings, a solid body electric oud is a rich and deep sound with long sustain unlike its older acoustic/traditional cousin.
Heavier instruments typically exhibit more sustain and a warmer/darker tone.
Neck
Set-Neck vs Bolt-On
The key to good construction is a tight-fitting neck pocket and proper acoustic coupling between the neck and the body. Glue is not necessarily required to achieve this, and a bolt-on neck offers several advantages over a set neck, including travel/shipping, repair, and adjustment/replacement.
A bolt-on neck is an option that some traditional instruments cannot provide given the construction techniques required for a fully acoustic instrument (oud, bouzouki).
One notable advantage to set-neck construction is that it generally allows for a smaller heel where the neck meets the body, allowing increased accessibility to the highest frets on the neck.
Musicians all over the world have appreciated and preferred aspects of both designs for well over 75 years and counting. Therefore, Possum Hall offers both set necks and bolt-on necks.
Top Woods
From subtle to scene-stealer, we can make your instrument truly unique.
Possum Hall Instruments offers anything and everything available, from exotic figured rarities to locally sourced hardwoods and reclaimed lumber.
Electronics and Pickups
Dial in Your Sound
Although woods and construction make a tonal difference, the single biggest factor in an electric instrument’s tone will be the pickups. The search for tone goes much deeper than single coil vs humbucker, and if you are new to the world of pickups, you will have guidance through this vast and amazing world of magnets. Your instrument can and will be fitted with the pickups of your choosing.
Custom options are available from my production partners at Nordstrand Audio, with whom I have worked on a number of custom sizes and configurations.
Custom Shape Design
Dreams can come true. Whatchoogot?
Everyone knows that the shape of a guitar is the first thing a young budding 14 year old musician sees when they walk into the music store. Most especially in the guitar and bass world, an instrument’s shape IS the instrument’s character, or at least a majority of the “personality” as perceived by the player and the audience.
Possum Hall offers a number of brand designs, including The Paladin, Shaman, Druid, ‘Scu, Illusionist, Piccossum, and more. But it’s doesn’t stop there – we can design something entirely new together, or mimic another design that appeals to you and make unique adjustments. Traditional or radical, it’s all on the table.
