Wyn Guitars

The Class of 2013! A Peek at Twenty Seven Basses in Progress

Randy — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:26:06 +0000

For whatever reason, I have arrived at a group of twenty seven basses that I’m currently working on. I think I started out with twelve and I just kept adding as the orders came in. According to my calculations, just a couple shy of a nervous breakdown, I somehow stopped adding at twenty seven.

This first photo shows how the bass components have taken over my work bench. Seriously, I’m working on a couple of sawhorses wondering how my work bench turned into a giant storage unit!!

Below there are twenty seven “mug shots”. At this point the necks are put together as a laminated block. The body wings the same. It’s the first time I can set the major component pieces together and we can all see it’s going to be a bass guitar one day!! (the tops haven’t been sanded and there’s no finish on them. Just dry wood but you can already see how incredible the grain will be once they have a final finish.) I have listed the guitar top wood with each photo.

Looking Forward to Seeing Everyone at NAMM 2014!!

Randy — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:48:57 +0000

No, guys that’s not a typo! Wyn Guitars has reluctantly decided to skip the winter NAMM show this year. This morning, I snapped this photo of my current “work in progress” batch of orders – twenty eight basses in progress with more orders after that! I figured it made more sense this year to stay in my shop and keep the sawdust flying!!

I will miss the conversations and the fun and listening to the best bass players on the planet, but I promise I’ll return next year and we can just pick up where we all left off last year!!!

Happy Holidays and a Great 2013 to Everyone!!

Randall Wyn Fullmer

Randall Wyn Fullmer – Restrung Preview

Randy — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:59:11 +0000

What are the rewards and what is the price to leave your established career and start again at the bottom? How many nine-to-fivers contemplate the same “great escape”? How many times a day while sanding guitar bodies can I ask myself what in the heck was I thinking?

The film makers are two Canadian cinematographers named Mike Enns and Ralph De Groot. They are a couple of great and super creative guys and the principals at their company – Drive Films. Somehow they find my story compelling. There is no explaining Canadians!! But it’s an adventure and I completely trust these guys to make me appear more interesting than I am!!

Pennal’s New Band!!

Randy — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:27:15 +0000

Pennal Johnson for Aguilar

Randy — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:06:02 +0000

Happy Pennal and his Toys… Pennal Johnson in an ad for Aguilar Amps, bringing his Wyn along for posterity. Right on Pennal! Photo by Chris Monaghan for Mo/Pho Photography.

The great Jermaine Jackson “J” Bass – Part 3

Randy — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:22:00 +0000

Jermaine Jackson’s custom Wyn bass has been completed! For parts 1 and 2 of this post, see The great Jermaine Jackson “J” Bass and The great Jermaine Jackson “J” Bass – Part 2

I have worked with Jermaine off and on over the course of more than a year to brainstorm, make crude drawings, cut out cardboard mock-ups, make the basic guitar block and hang a strap on it to see if the ergonomics were right, and of course, (of course) went shopping for the exact right Swarovski Crystals. Yes………….

Through this entire process, Jermaine has been like a little kid. So in awe of the concept that his idea could actually become a tangible playable bass. Okay, I’m a bit in awe of that myself!! I spent a lot of time explaining the “prototype” thing to Jermaine. There were just a lot of things that I did on this bass that I haven’t really done before, it’s a work in progress, there are no guarantees this will be anything you’ll want to play, etc………. handle in the middle of the top, working with Jermaine’s logo “J” as the basic body shape and coming out with something you could put on your knee and actually play, inlaying the entire fretboard with pearl, and the Crystals………

Did I have my moments?? You bet I did!! But some how (as usual, luck played a role) the “prototype” turned into a very playable, very funky sounding growly bass! Our wild and crazy scheme actually came together as a real bass!! I now know how Geppetto felt when all of a sudden Pinocchio started talking!!

The magic day arrived when Jermaine was ready to drop by the shop and I had the guitar tuned up and ready to go. Glee I tell you, one of those super fun days you do not forget!! Here, Jermaine poses in my crowded little lunch room/ guitar storage area/ office space, surrounded by my other in progress basses. Obviously the other basses are a bit miffed that they didn’t get the jewel treatment. I tell ya, they won’t shut up about it!!

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We had to pose in my shop space/ space port wood shop! All of the dust tubes make you question whether this really could be ready for outer space travel. (The truth of the matter is that when I put on my special helmet, it is ready!!)

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Here Jermaine in front of a giant Waterfall Heart and Sap Bubinga board. I look at this board every day and wonder if I’ll ever have the guts to cut into it, it’s so beautiful just like it is. Well, it’s not only the guts, it’s kinda heavy too!! Like 280 pounds heavy!!! It will crush my saw horses I fear!! Speaking of dangerous things, at this point we discussed the need under stage lighting for the entire audience to be fitted with very dense sun glasses!!

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Outside to check out how the guitar worked in sunlight. It worked!!! Jermaine stood in the middle of the parking lot and I moved the guitar from side to side. Shards of wild colorful light emerged. In the mid day sun, you could actually see the colored light across the cars. This is more than a guitar. On the right sunny day, it could rob a 7-11!!!

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And finally, the “walk on stage carrying the guitar by the handle moment!!” Life doesn’t get any funner than this!! We discussed the stunning fact that someone (some guy named Leo Fender?) seems to have already invented the “J” bass. What!!!!!????? We were only 50 years late with ours!!!?? I think Jermaine will come up with another name and who knows where this will all lead!! a

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Franklin Peredo discusses the ramp on his Wyn bass

Randy — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:36:39 +0000

Abraham Laboriel and Friends at NAMM 2012… & More

Randy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:42:16 +0000

Abraham Laboriel stopped by the Wyn Guitars booth once again this year at NAMM 2012 and jammed with Jose Valentino on flute and Johnathan Hulett on congas. Slammin!

Part 2:

A couple of somewhat-Wyn-related bonus videos from NAMM 2012:

Jerry “JBlakk” Henderson and his Wyn as part of ProSonus All-Stars:

Pennal Johnson and his Wyn demonstrating the finer points of speaker response to various bass-playing techniques:

Wyn Guitars Promo with Donald J. Alford

Randy — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:42:59 +0000

Donald Alford came to me about a year ago with a request for his own signature 6-string Wyn Bass. Our collaboration produced a bass built with a 5A Quilt Maple top, Padauk tone layers, African Mahogany body core and Quilt Maple back. The neck is a 7 lamination taper core design of Wenge with Padauk striping. Don’s fretboard consists of Maccassar Ebony with “DON J” inlaid in Birds Eye Maple. (Don’s musical production company – “Don J Productions”) Nordstrand Fatstack pickups, Aguilar OBP-3 preamp, with Hipshot bridge and tuners.

Bill Dickens on a Wyn 7-string

Randy — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:34:51 +0000

Bill Dickens cooks on a Wyn 7-string Amboyna Burl Bass at the 2011 NAMM Show. (Just before he played, he told all of us that he wasn’t really warmed up……Yea, right!!!!)