Sonny's Custom Guitars in Port Douglas | Musical instrument store

Sonny's Custom Guitars

Locality: Port Douglas

Phone: +61 407 985 323

Address: Mowbray Valley 4877 Port Douglas, QLD, Australia

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25.01.2022 I finally finished this little beauty. Im really happy with the feel and fit in my hands. Still wrestling to make a case to carry onboard any aircraft but Ill keep you posted. All Blackwood neck , top back and sides. Flamed Maple bindings with Paua purflings. Pacific Ebony board and bridge , Gotoh tuners and JJB pickups.

25.01.2022 Hi Guys, here is the latest project. A Maple/ Cypress lap slide with Ebony bindings, Gidgee fingerboard and Paua markings. Im thinking of a humbucker with a split coil for some bad ass bite... will spray it black apart from top and board.

24.01.2022 Hi guys, if you are following the progress of this travel guitar here are the latest photos. As you can see it is designed to be taken apart for travel. To say it has been a tricky build is an understatement but Im really happy with the result. It has a very strong tap tone and Im sure it will be big on stage. Same shape as my electric guitar but acoustic body. 25.4 scale length minus the first two frets gives a decent string tension but small powerful attack. Difficult to bind and add the solid Paua purflings but well worth the effort. Check out the headstock

24.01.2022 Anyhoo. Never been crazy about making Ukuleles but I dont own one. So .... I took the shape of my Electric Guitars and my Mandolins and Morphed the shape to create a Tenor Ukulele.... nice Blackwood top, Back, sides and neck. It will have Paua purflings and inlays. Been busy with Trike tours so this is a side project but it is Starting to excite me

22.01.2022 Body done, bindings and purflings done and the mortise routed. Now on to the neck

21.01.2022 Andy Redhead plays a small piece to give you the idea... thanks Andy

21.01.2022 Hi All, just a reminder that if you have an ABN you can get up to $20000 tax deductible purchases up to 30th June... Its time to upgrade your guitar to a custom guitar.... give me a call to see what I have in stock to put a tax write off smile on your face

21.01.2022 Hi guys, great to be home in Queensland. My travel guitar survived many flights and went in cabin luggage every time. 10 weeks on the road

20.01.2022 The story of Garrington T Joness guitar. Geckos running everywhere on this little beauty. An iconic look for North Queensland. Hopefully inspiration for the the next " Gazza " album down under.

19.01.2022 I finally finished this little beauty. I'm really happy with the feel and fit in my hands. Still wrestling to make a case to carry onboard any aircraft but I'll keep you posted. All Blackwood neck , top back and sides. Flamed Maple bindings with Paua purflings. Pacific Ebony board and bridge , Gotoh tuners and JJB pickups.

18.01.2022 Well I finally finished this parlour sized classical crossover guitar.... all Blackwood with Maple bindings and Paua/ gold mother of pearl inlays....as expected it is subdued acoustically because of the Blackwood soundboard but plugged in it has a great string balance...

18.01.2022 Weather gods on my side today... sanding sealer and 4 coats of satin on the electric Im working on

17.01.2022 A Danger message to all my customers present and future and to all guitar owners.... the humidity on my deck with this dry wind is 21% at the moment and Dropping !!!! This lack of moisture in the air is Very dangerous for guitars and can cause serious cracks and distortion of the timber on your instruments.... keep the instruments in their cases and try to monitor the room ...

17.01.2022 While the humidity is high and spray work out of the question.... I'm working on the question of transportation.... Fortunately I have a secret weapon in the mind of Jim Murdoch from Murdoch Custom Guitars.... the plan is in motion and involves hard Foam and acrylic sheets. More to follow

15.01.2022 Hi Guys, some progress shots of my new build with the template showing the 3D design. The shape came about as an expansion of my F Style mando design. And thanks to Billy and Trent at Tarrant guitars the template and wiring are great. All the cavities are routed , body shaped and F Holes cut the piece of timber between the top and back in one of the photos will be the the headplate overlay. A perfect match for the pairing of Flamed Canadian Maple and Qld Maple. Im happy as the timbers will be left natural.

11.01.2022 While the humidity is high and spray work out of the question.... Im working on the question of transportation.... Fortunately I have a secret weapon in the mind of Jim Murdoch from Murdoch Custom Guitars.... the plan is in motion and involves hard Foam and acrylic sheets. More to follow

11.01.2022 Ive been asked where the idea for the electric guitar shape came from... now you can see when you look at this Mandolin I made a while back. I intend to make more instruments using various changes to this basic shape as it is easy on the eye and can be morphed to suit.

11.01.2022 Well try new electric is put together, intonated and ready for action. JB/59 Seymour Duncan pickup Combo with a split on the bridge for more tone variations..... a big thanks go to Mr Billy and Mr Trent at Tarrant guitars for their help and advice.... love you guys. Now Im going to pick some electric players for testing and input on this new " Sonnys Custom Guitar "

10.01.2022 I love this photo Dale Priem took at a photo shoot ... so many possibilities for custom guitars. I still keep to my principal of never making two the same.... if you buy one its the only one of a kind in the world.

10.01.2022 Hi Guys, sanding done and bridge made and now ready for spray....Everything looks dull till the lacquer hits it then

09.01.2022 Gazza giving his new 12 String its first public airing Love your work.

08.01.2022 Slip Sliding away Hey guys I finally finished the lap slide guitar Ive been working on. Maple/silky oak with a Cypress top. Gotoh tuners and a Tonerider humbucker splitcoil... its got a bite like a Taipan

08.01.2022 Getting there. Headstock finished and yin yang inlayed.... now to do the fingerboard inlays... probably about 3hours.... Ill be cross eyed by the time its done... just waiting for bindings to finish the body.... the quality of Ebony these days is crap.. after shattering about $60 worth Im biting the bullet and using ABS. More to follow tomorrow

08.01.2022 This new electric guitar has thrown a few curve balls to me but now its coming together nicely. As you can see the neck is finished, hardware aligned, so its time for some finishing work before spray.... mind you Im not holding my breath for a break in the rain just yet.

07.01.2022 Yep. Started a new project. Myrtle/ Spruce 8 String guitar. 24.9 scale length with some nice Paua appointments.

07.01.2022 The pleasure and satisfaction in making a hand made guitar is huge...... but the feeling is doubled when you hand the instrument to its new owner and you hear it in their hands. Congratulations Gazza !! I hope it brings a lifetime of pleasure and inspiration to you.

07.01.2022 Update... now close to 41 degrees and no humidity

07.01.2022 I spent the day fretting this guitar and roughly made the bridge. Now to finally sand my sweaty fingerprints from everywhere!!!!! And get ready for spray. Thanks to Jim from Murdoch Custom Guitars for his comments and positive input. Once its sprayed all will be revealed

06.01.2022 Well guys after a really late night I finally finished my latest project.... Myrtle/Spruce 8 String guitar. Pacific Ebony fingerboard , Tassie Floodwood bridge, Paua inlays, Myrtle bindings with BWB purflings to contrast. K&K pickup and Gotoh machines. Its a lovely balanced sounding instrument without being to bright.... and a dream to play.

06.01.2022 For all my guitarist friends and folks with delicate musical instruments..... be warned.... this photo shows readings on my deck.... very dry and 39.2 Celsius- 102 Fahrenheit absolute danger for guitars. Keep them in the case and if possible humidify them.

06.01.2022 Happy Birthday Billy Tarrant. Several years ago I had the honour and privilege to mentor and work with Billy here in Port Douglas. His natural talent shone in everything he tried and he has gone on to become a world class Luthier. If you look at some of my recent instruments you will see his input.... the mentor becomes the pupil... my deepest respect to you mate. Love ya . Stu

04.01.2022 Some update photos of my new project.... now fretted and all inlays done. Im loving the symmetry of the fretboard and rosette inlays....Art meets woodwork meets design.... now it just has to fill the function and be a great sounding guitar.

04.01.2022 Hey guys, well this Custom Ukulele is ready for final sanding and spray.as you know I took the shape of my mandolins then tweaked the shape and depth to make a unique tenor Ukulele. A lot of time and effort went into this project but it will probably go travelling with me before too long. All solid Blackwood with Flamed Maple bindings and pacific Ebony board and bridge. I decided to use Paua purflings to give it sparkle. Hope you like it.

04.01.2022 Hi guys, getting close now. I thought I would put on the hardware to see the finished look.... Im Mr Happy with how it turned out

04.01.2022 Hi guys, next project started.... chambered body electric guitar This guy has a Qld Maple body with a Flamed Canadian Maple cap, Ebony fretboard, Seymour Duncan JB&55 pickups and hard tail layout.... keep watching as it evolves

03.01.2022 Hi guys, here's a sneak peak at my latest project. I decided to make an acoustic travel version of my electric guitar/ mandolin/Ukulele. All Blackwood with Flame Maple bindings and Paua purflings. Complete bolt on neck so it can be transported easily.... looks simple but it has been a wee bastard to make. Cheeky little sound port for listening pleasure

02.01.2022 Well I just managed to finish the spray work on this Ukulele Ive been building. Beautiful honey amber coloured Blackwood and Gazza has headed off with his new 12 string so...... Ive now got some time on my hands to start a new project. If youve been thinking of a new guitar, something unique, then get in contact.... still got some beautiful Blackwood that would make a great OM or L00 sized guitar...

01.01.2022 What do these two photos in common ??? Yep... Garrington T Jones has just purchased a custom Bocote/ spruce small body 12 string guitar from Sonnys Custom Guitars. Check out his album Abyssinia...!12 string magic.

01.01.2022 Hi guys, heres a sneak peak at my latest project. I decided to make an acoustic travel version of my electric guitar/ mandolin/Ukulele. All Blackwood with Flame Maple bindings and Paua purflings. Complete bolt on neck so it can be transported easily.... looks simple but it has been a wee bastard to make. Cheeky little sound port for listening pleasure

01.01.2022 Warning....!!!! For all my musician friends..... the present extreme lack of humidity could kill your guitars... keep them in their cases and humidify them if possible. Dander signs are... very low action, rattles,bends or cracks appearing on the soundboard or back ..... the golden rule is.... if your skin and eyes feel dry.... the guitar is going to suffer too. Good luck

01.01.2022 I couldnt wait any longer ...... so I set this little guy up. Great instrument and very different from any Ukulele Ive made or come across.... now to start playing it.