Photography by Randall Cordero
Great Gear: Precious Metals
October 1, 2003
New to the handbuilt guitar scene are the jewellike instruments of James Trussart, a native of Paris now living in Los Angeles. Trussart, who has built custom guitars for Eric Clapton, members of ZZ Top, the Grateful Dead, the Eagles, and Guns N’ Roses has created a new family of instruments as unusual as they are musical.
Electric guitars made from solid metal, or with metal tops on wooden bodies, have been around since the 1970s. Some of the best known are guitars made by Veleno, fabricated from solid aluminum and featuring a ruby in the headstock, and by Tony Zemaitis, whose guitars have been played by Ron Wood and Greg Lake. They are highly collectible today. And after seeing, hearing—and especially playing—the James Trussart guitars, it is readily apparent that his new instruments carry on the fine tradition of their metal predecessors.
Because they are custom fabricated, options abound. Metal can be rusted—that is, oxidized—prior to finishing, or it can be brushed or chromed. Of particular note is Trussart’s “gator engraved” finish, which replicates the reptile’s diamondlike patterned skin, and is absolutely stunning on the rusted and chromed guitars. While most of his guitars are hollow, Trussart offers a solid mahogany model, with metal topping the guitar.
With stunning looks, the sound and feel are also true delights. One tactile treat on these instruments is the solid koa neck, with its minklike grain, caramel coloring, and rosewood fingerboard. Unlike the ever- present glossy finish on the neck of most guitars—which gives such instruments a plastic, rather than a woody, feel—the Trussart uses a satin finish, allowing your hand to feel the natural smoothness of the wood and making these guitars as comfortable to play as they are gorgeous to behold.
The sound of these instruments is spellbinding. Crisp, sweet, full, and sustaining, these guitars ring, chime, and bloom before they are plugged into an amplifier. Although new, Trussart’s masterpieces in metal have the elegance of a beautifully maintained Art Deco antique. If Louis Comfort Tiffany had made instruments, they might very well have been just like these.
James Trussart Custom Guitars, 323.665.4405
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