electric guitars by krill
creating tools for sonic expression
I've been playing guitar for twenty-four years and I have some specific ideas about the features I want in an electric instrument. Unable to find an off-the-shelf guitar to suit my specific needs (and desires), I decided to utilize my woodworking and design skills to create some unique instruments.
I had played Gibson and Fender guitars for many years and I loved certain things about each instrument. Yet the most attractive combination of features for my hands and ears would incorporate Fender's 25.5" scale length (for high-tension, snappy, chiming strings) with Gibson's maple-topped mahogany body. Add to this some coil-splitting humbucking pickups and a wraparound tune-o-matic style bridge for a guitar that will cover about any musical situation called for. These ideas led me to designing and hand-crafting the Big Orange Solidbody in 1996.
Since then I've created three other guitars—The Big Red Semi-Hollow, The Custom Tele, and an archtop semi-hollow Tele which was co-designed and built with my stepson Ethan.
I get other ideas for new guitar design all the time—not all of which are electric. When time and money permits I would like to one day craft a steel-string acoustic guitar and a mandolin.
I've also created a couple of custom amplifier cabinets for old tube amps I've refurbished. I love the sound of old tube amps. My advice to anyone interested in getting a good tone is to spend as much money as possible on a good handcrafted tube amplifier and skimp on the guitar.
big orange
tele
semi-solid