[ Joe ] Most of the same specs , like neck profile , pickup configuration , finish and hardware on the Standard is also available on both single and double-cutaway “ Juniors ” and 2-Pickup “ Special ” Models .
[ WM ] What I like about you building these , too , is you ’ ve played several ‘ 50s and ‘ 60s Gibson Guitars and you know what the real ones are like .
[ Joe ] Yes , as you know I ’ m a long-time vintage guitar enthusiast ( Understatement of the Year !) and I obsess over many of those details that I bring to the Riggio ’ s .
[ WM ] Mm-hmm . They look like the vintage ones . Another value I see is that you use all nitrocellulose lacquer and you actually paint these guitars yourself .
[ Joe ] What I ’ d really like people to understand is that particularly in the way the Riggio Guitars are finished , I employ the same painstaking techniques and research that I use in the many vintage finish restorations that I do . Using pure Nitrocellulose Lacquer and applying it in a certain way is a key difference that makes them feel and look the way they do . Yeah , this is an aged guitar , so all the parts are aged . Not just the finish , but every single part on the guitar is aged , from plastics to metals . But most importantly , all aspects of the build process are done to perfection , the most important of these being the perfect set-up .
[ WM ] And when you order a guitar from you - you ’ ve got three different types of aging correct ?
[ Joe ] Yeah , I just kind of play it by ear and let somebody show me an example of the ballpark they ’ re looking for instead of calling it ... The bigger companies and the production style , they ’ ve got to have a set template for two or three stages , but this is more of a one-onone experience . Most of the time the “ owner in waiting ” trusts me with creative freedom in that department .
[ WM ] That ’ s the beauty of doing a custom guitar with you , is you get to interact with the actual builder .
[ Joe ] Honestly , I really love the personal aspect of what I do . I spend a lot of time on the phone interacting with people , sorting out their dreams and guiding them into making then a reality . Its very satisfying to hand them something unique and that was once only a concept .
[ WM ] Tell us about how you do the set neck ?
[ Joe ] That ’ s a glued-in neck . I actually use fish glue . Hot hide glue is kind of the ‘ 50s way of