Jim Morris Signature Tribute Guitar 2023
In 2008 I made a guitar for an extremely talented singer - songwriter; Jim Morris. Over the years I have followed that guitar and Jim from "Meeting of the Minds" in Florida to "Laid Back Attack" in Washington. Jim sadly passed away a few years ago, way too young and sorely missed by his fans and friends. Jim was a great person and a musical genius. His music will live on.
The guitar actually spent most of it's life in Jim's studio : Galactic headquarters of Fish Head music in Punta Gorda, Florida. Jim told me that he had written all the original songs on his CD "The Man Who Promised the Moon" on his Giltzow Guitar. The guitar also appeared on the cover of his "Cover Your Tracks" CD. I remember seeing it on stage next to an empty beach chair, at the first Jim Morris Tribute event in Punta Gorda. It brings back a lot of memories of good times and good friends at Jim's performances.
Last year (2022) in April, me, my wife and a few friends traveled to Venice, Florida for a Jim Morris Tribute show. I had heard a rumor that Jim's guitar had gone missing sometime after the untimely death of Jim's wife, Sharon. So, I was surprised and happy to see the guitar up on stage at the first night of the Tribute.
Connie Morrell, Sharon Morris' sister, now had the guitar. I talked with Connie and told her I would be interested in purchasing the guitar if she ever wanted to sell it. The last night of the Tribute, the guitar was still up on stage. Connie came to me and told me to take the guitar with me when I left. She was giving it to me.
Thanks so much Connie, for your awesome generosity. To honor Connie and Jim Morris I am building the fourth Jim Morris Signature guitar. I will donate this guitar, in Connie's name, to the Punta Gorda 'Shoes for Kidz" charity. Jim's favorite charity.
The first Jim Morris Signature guitar was auctioned at the "October Fish" event in 2008, with proceeds going to "Shoes for Kidz". Now we are going to do it again at SunCoast Serenade on Nov. 2-4, 2023 in Osprey, Florida.
Jim Morris tribute guitar specifications
I am using the Best of the Best materials on this guitar. The back and sides will be Brazilian Rosewood and the top will be Adirondack Spruce. Neck is South American Mahogany and the fret board and bridge will be ebony. Tuners are Gotoh 510 mini and pick up is my favorite, L R Baggs LB-6. Jim's original guitar was made to fit an expensive case that Jim liked to use when traveling. My model GL-00 is a little smaller and is my best sounding guitar.
Guitars sound better as they are played in over a period of time. There are some builders and guitar gurus, who believe that guitars can start that break-in period during building, by being exposed to musical vibrations. So, I am playing Jim Morris songs, in my shop, for the duration of this build.
I am using a beautiful set of Brazilian Rosewood that I purchased 7 or 8 years ago. The wood has some very nice figure that will show up after it has finish applied. In the picture below, I have bent the first side and placed it in the building form.
Both sides have been bent, heel & tail blocks installed and the kerfed lining is being glued to the sides. The sides of the guitar are about .085" thick and the lining will give more area for the top and back to be glued to the sides.
Below, I have cut through the sides to the tail block for the end graft. The end graph is a piece of Maple that will bring the 2 sides together along with purfling and bindings. The hole is for the jack that allows the guitar to be plugged into an amplifier.
One of the rarest, most sought after rosewoods in the World, Brazilian Rosewood is renowned for its acoustic properties and elegant, colorfully patterned grain. You can see the grain that will look three dimensional under a buffed finish. You can also see some evidence of another life form in the wood. Beetle larvae have bored through the wood in several places, making this piece of B. Rosewood unique and in my opinion, highly desirable. I will stabilize the holes and fill with a CA glue. After finish the holes will appear as small dark spots in the wood that tell another story of the history of this Brazilian Rosewood set.
Two pieces of B. Rosewood have been cut from the same board and folded out like opening a book. They are called a "book-matched' set. Below they have been paired with a center piece of colorful purfling and glued together to form the back. Both sides have been hand planed at the gluing surface to fit perfectly together. The wood is only .085" thick at this critical joint and the surface must be truly straight to insure a good glue joint.
Gluing the back brace strip
Four back braces
Back braces carved
Mating the back with the sides
Joining the book matched Adirondack Spruce top pieces
Cutting the walnut sound hole binding
Walnut binding installed and braces marked for sound board
Sound board braced and signed
Top installed with Maple bindings and abalone inlays
Sanding 16" radius into fret board
Gluing fret board to neck
Cutting Mother-of-Pearl head stock and dots inlays
Head stock inlay
Jim Morris logo and signature inlays
Rough cut bridge
Leveling and polishing frets
Installing the bridge
Finished guitar pictures by my niece; Jeanne Giltzow
