Builder Questionnaire: Dickert Guitars
Please introduce yourself.
Harold Dickert, Dickert Guitars
What do you make?
Flat top steel string acoustic guitars: 6-string, 7-string, 12-string, as well as tiny 18.5" scale length 4-string steel string (so not a ukulele).
Solid body and Chambered body electric guitars: with the same combinations of string as the list above.
Solid and chambered bass guitars: 4 and 5 string.
All these instruments use clear finishes showing off the natural qualities of the woods. I build instruments using both native woods of my local area, and exotics from all over the world. Almost all my guitars include shell and wood inlays, with a graphic design inspired by the person I am building the instrument for.
Why do you make what you do?
I'm a guy who has always been building stuff of some kind all my life. I'm a tree hugger and know the tree species in the forest as I walk around. I have played guitar all my life. Put it all together and it's not a big stretch towards building guitars. Further, I build the types of guitars I play, since I have ideas and opinions of what design elements should be included in these instruments. Conversely; since I am not a classical guitars player, I do not build those.
What was the first piece of guitar gear that excited or inspired you?
A big chunk of wood inspired me. I saw the guitar body inside. I attempted to build a 7-string guitar way back in high school (1976).
What’s your current favourite piece of guitar gear?
My chain saw is an inspiring piece of guitar gear - believe it or not! One of the sources of woods, is that I salvage local fallen trees, but will Rip a trunk length wise, instead of cross cutting the way most people would waste perfectly good lumber to produce fire wood. When I open a log for the first time, and see the grain and colors, I can already visualize the guitars hidden in there. Grain that is straight and tangent to the surface (quartered) become back and side sets for acoustic guitars. Smaller logs can produce necks or fret boards. Wood with squirrely grain or spalted can make amazing looking drop tops for solid body electrics. And I am always looking for flame or birds eye.
A perfectly razor sharp chisel is also confidence inspiring. With such a tool, you can achive a perfect fit, while a dull tool brings a builder down to the level of a hacker.
What have you been listening to lately?
Porcupine Tree and related Steve Wilson solo projects.
Do you play or release music, either on your own or as part of a band?
My recording are few and far between. I posted a few mp3's on my guitar web site - but they are all old with nothing in the last decade. www.dickert.ca
And there are a few videos of solo playing on my Youtube channel. www.youtube.com
Ideally, where do you see yourself/company/brand in 5 years?
My guitar building is a retirement hobby. It's not supposed to be a job (been there, done that). I like to have a few commissions on the go at any one time, and also the ability to build a few "spec" instruments - because the wood speaks to me. Ideally, there would be a line up of people wanting these one of a kind instruments. As a guitar builder, it also allows me to rub shoulders with actual musicians almost as a type of peer, and where we can learn from each other. In the end, this makes every instrument a little better than the previous.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Each individual guitar I've built has it's own "Archive" page on the web site giving details and photos of that instrument.
Learn more about Dickert Guitars