More Bunyips On The Loose (Part 2 of a sort of series).

The Bunyip Guitars Story continued.

Bunyip guitars were displayed at Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2020, and we plan to return in 2023.  Covid having made horrible inroads in the in between years.  The return has been in planning for some time including discussions with the Oxley Bowling Club and a group of associates.  Anyone who is going to Tamworth please be in touch as there are possibilities being given to me for paying gigs down there at the time.

Bunyip also had a stall at Kenmore Park Music muster, however the untimely demise of Glen Albrecht, who was a Bunyip Tee 3 player and the owner of the property where the festival was held will most likely see that festival close.

Bunyip guitars technical specifications currently have two production models and a ‘custom shop’ where we will build pretty much anything.  The two models are Telecaster based and hence called Tee 1 and Tee 3.

A Tee 1 has a maple on maple neck, 22 frets, and necks are one of two choices, the standard Bunyip neck

• 37.5 mm width nut
• thickness at first fret 20mm
  

  Bunyip Tee 1 guitar

• thickness at 12^th fret 24mm and a SRV shape

or the Bunyip ‘phat’ neck

• 37.5 mm width nut
• thickness at first fret 23mm
• thickness at 12^th fret  25mm and traditional baseball bat shape.

with single coil vintage pickups, Foxglove tonewood, a four way pickup switch with positions (1) bridge, (2) both pickups in series, (3) both pickups in parallel (4) neck, a treble bleed circuit.

The ‘reverse’ headstock has been designed along the lines of a grand piano where the lower register strings have more room to resonate and hence increase the sustain and roundness of the instrument.

Tee 1’s are played by people of note:

• Josiah McAllen (USA)
• Tom Watanabe ‘The Cowpunchers’ (Japan)
• Hayley Anderson.
• ‘Gypsy’ Mike Chandler
• David ‘The Australian Eagles Experience’

A Tee 3  was developed later.  It came about from my experience with Seth Lover and his wide range humbucking pickup at Fender.

A Tee 3 also has a maple on maple neck, 22 frets and necks are one of two choices, the standard Bunyip neck

• 37.5 mm width nut
• thickness at first fret 20mm
• thickness at 12^th fret 24mm and a SRV shape

or the Bunyip ‘phat’ neck

• 37.5 mm width nut
• thickness at first fret 23mm
• thickness at 12^th fret  25mm and traditional baseball bat shape.

The same ‘reverse’ headstock. A Tee 3 has a Tasmanian Ash body, somewhat heavier than the Foxglove, however it gives a huge tone and with the ‘lead boost’ on the pickups, achieved by lifting the appropriate volume knob, and the blending sounds makes it a very usable and hard working guitar.  Everything from old style serious country to thrash metal and all points in between are built into this guitar.

Players of note:

• Jessey Jackson (Ireland)
• Kelly Holcomb (USA)
• Andrew Stewart Brumby
• Peter Bigg
• Glen Albrecht (R.I.P.)

Coming Up

The next release from Bunyip will be a Tee 1 variation with a semi acoustic body. The rest of the specifications will remain as a Tee 1. This was the original experimental one with a rail humbucker in the bridge position and it also has the cantilevered stetsbar tremolo. I expect these to be available before Christmas with a standard bridge pickup and without the tremolo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Future.

Having my son tell me he wants to be Bunyip’s second employee was a huge joy to me. It also means that by teaching him everything I know about guitars and basses will mean that the Bunyip brand will continue into the future.

We have just scored our USA base with Kelly Holcombe, who has assembled Bunyips with me. His returning to Texas will mean our setting up the Bunyip USA base there. Niken Gaijin has established a base in Japan.

New models.

Under development at present are the Redhead, (a strat inspired model) with two examples shown here next to the original 1961 Fender. One of these sold literally the same hour I had finished it. The buyer, from Phillip Island, was waiting for a redhead as he had heard about them over Christmas.

The second redhead in the picture is about to be available for sale once the photo shoot is complete.

Left Handed Guitars: Two for the price of one.

This is Anthony Baxter on main stage at Tamworth Country Music Festival 2022 playing a brand new Bunyip model the Trooper. This is the first left handed model I have made. Right handed ones are of course on the way.

Anthony is a major supporter of Bunyip guitars and has since changed the fender strap, LOL. Watch out for his new single in the coming months.

And For something different: BASSES.

Both right handed and left handed basses are in the pipeline.

So why would you buy a Bunyip?

Someone recently said a Bunyip will never be a Fender or a Gibson. This is absolutely true in the same way a Maton or a Cole Clark will never be a Fender or a Gibson. With Bunyip I am not attempting to be the best in the world. I do not have the mega dollars to sink into the required equipment to do that. What I am building is a hard working guitar of a good quality that will last for years and be a joy to play at the best price that I can do that for, and still survive.

You are welcome to come and try a Bunyip at most times, when I’m asleep, on holidays, or gigging excepted
Scoey