At the foot of Black Mountain, under the watchful gaze of a once remarkable Australian attraction, is a small workshop producing some of the finest handmade electric guitars available today.
Australia's Capital Territory,
the city of Canberra,
is the home of
Dirty Elvis Guitars.
What makes this guitar unique?
The way the chambered body is constructed is quite different from the way other guitars are built. The top (known as a drop top) is not installed over the entire top of the guitar, the drop top of a Dirty Elvis handmade electric is installed 'into' the actual body of the guitar. This means it needs to be precisely cut to fit into the top of the guitar. It is also a lot thinner, about the thickness of an acoustic guitar top.
The body is perfectly chambered for sound, strength and playability (weight/balance). The flat top is complimented by a subtly radiused (curved) back, with a hand carved neck that provides each guitar its own individual character. Finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, the intricately defined colour is painstakingly complex to apply, but worth the hard work, producing a deep gloss, great feel and unique look that ages with you and the guitar.
A Dirty Elvis - Handmade Electric is available in a range of colour schemes, woods and pickups.
It takes approximately 90 days to build from start to finish. Please message for waiting times and further details.
STANDARD BUILD SPECS
BODY
Body thickness: 38-44mm (with 15’ radiused back)
Body length: 45cm
Body width at lower bout: 33cm
NECK
Nut width: 42-43mm
Nut: Tusq
Thickness @ 1st fret: 21mm
Thickness @ 10th fret: 23mm
Scale length: 24 3/4”
Fingerboard radius: 12”
Neck Joint: Fret 15
Fretwire: Sintoms 2.5mm nickel/silver
Truss Rod: 2 way adjustable
Wiring: CTS pots/Switchcraft 3 way switch/Sprague Orange Drop Cap
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Strings: Stringjoy 10-48
Case: Mono, SKB or Hiscox hard case.
Dirty Elvis Guitars is Matt Gandy. He is a musician and a luthier.
Born and raised in Newcastle (NSW) Matt moved to Melbourne at twenty-six and founded Dirty Elvis Guitars ten years later in 2017.
He now lives with his wife and kids in Canberra, Australia.