About Tom Durrant
Building guitars combines my two loves: pretending I know woodworking and pretending I know music. I’ve been breaking and losing my dad’s tools for as long as I can remember and I’ve been messing around on instruments for nearly as long. There’s nothing quite like the rush you get from performing, messing up, and pretending you did it on purpose. Except maybe almost losing a finger in the table saw.
My introduction into the world of luthiery happened when I was 11. My grandma lent me her beautiful 1971 Guild Starfire II bass to learn on. One day I tripped, knocked it off the stand, and snapped the neck off. When it came back from the shop, the repair was completely invisible to grandma’s dwindling eyesight. It was pure magic.
I studied guitar at Utah State University. There, my suspicion that so many people in the world are way better players than me was confirmed. But none of these virtuosos were as handy or DIY savvy as me. So I started modding. I would find craigslist guitars and upgrade them until they rivaled any name brand. I started repairing, setting up, and modding all of my buddies’ guitars too. Modding evolved into assembling kits, which eventually turned into full builds.
Failure is never an option for me. Except for junior year when I failed AP Bio. But then I took woodshop and sawdust smelled way better than a dead frog. Or the time my college band lost Battle of the Bands. But the next year I rigged the voting and we won in a landslide. Or the time my band fell apart and we were dropped from our record label. But that just gave me more space to focus my energy on my guitars. Then once my fiance left me and I was fired from my corporate job, there was nothing holding me back.
Why Should I Give a Shit About Durrant Guitars?
Short answer: because I’ll give a shit about you. As long as you pay me.
What’s that saying? Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people? The electric guitar has been around for almost 100 years and, believe it or not, things have changed since then. Don’t get me wrong, I love a vintage guitar as much as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean I want to do a 3 hour gig with one. I’m not a very good player, and you’re probably not either. We need all the help we can get.
Even my lowest tier guitars are made with the highest quality materials and parts. Call me crazy, but locking tuners and glow in the dark fret markers shouldn’t be a premium upgrade, they should be standard.
Stop trying to make “tonewood” happen. It’s not going to happen. Anyone who tells you that wood species or grain patterns affect the tone of an electric guitar is just trying to sell you something. Mr. Smith, come fight me. Full transparency, I’m trying to sell you something too. But I’m trying to be honest. Let’s call it “vibewood” instead. What’s your vibe? What looks cool to you? What feels cool to you? I promise that asking yourself those questions makes a way bigger difference. Your guitar will sound its absolute best if it matches your vibe.
Bottom line, what’s more rock & roll: a tired reissue from a massive company that hasn’t had a new idea in 70 years, or a one of a kind piece of art handcrafted by a college dropout? Don’t get some cookie cutter instrument off an assembly line of exploited labor. Exploit my labor. Make me work, daddy.
