The Driskill Diablo®
is painstakingly handcrafted using only the finest mastergrade woods and components.
Attention to detail is evident throughout the instrument.
The neck starts as one piece which is cut into three, then laminated together. This makes
a much stronger neck with considerably more stiffness. Strength and stiffness equal more
tone. Headstock flex is greatly reduced by cutting the headstock off at 15 degrees,
flipping it over, then gluing it back on. Though very time consuming to produce, this
makes a much better neck than would result from just using one piece of mahogany and
cutting a neck out of it. Why all the trouble , time, and expense over just a neck?
Because everything in a Driskill Diablo contributes to the phenomenal tone, especially the
neck.
The Driskill Diablo body also uses a single piece of mahogany which is cut into two
pieces, then laminated together. This provides a more stable base for the guitar than if a
single piece body was used. The mahogany is Honduras Mahogany. The real
thing. It is awesome mahogany. I searched very hard to find this quality of
mahogany. It is perfectly quartersawn, so much so that it has great ribbon
striping in it. This is what makes it look so cool with the stripes running down
it. It makes it unbelievably resonant and very stable. The boards ring like a
bell when I tap them. This translates into a better sounding guitar. I also use
korina and cocabola for bodies and necks. Inside the body, there sculpting to
create the tone chambers. These are really cool because they follow the arches
of the top or back and have I beam structuring in them with radiused edges to
provide exceptional strength while reducing weight and tailoring the sound. The top is available with maple ranging from traditional plain
maple to stunning, highly figured mastergrade maple in flame or quilt. You can
also get spalted in either flame or quilt. The top is carved
to a beautiful and striking arch. The body shape is the mark of Driskill
Guitars.
Inside the neck is some kind of high tech stuff. The truss rod is a double
action one and the slots are exact pockets with the same curvature, ledges, and
even tiny cutouts for the welds on the truss rod. It is press fit into this
slot. Due to the stiffness of the neck, I had to make the truss rods. I make
them out of tool steel and they are then heat treated. This means that they are
extremely strong and powerful. It also means that they are highly resistant to
stripping out because of the materials and the heat treatment.
Then there are some carbon fiber strips that are epoxied and press fit into their slots. Again, I had to make these as there wasn't anything like it available. This makes an unbelievably stiff neck. The neck gluing surface extends about half way through the body providing excellent wood to wood contact for exceptional tone and sustain. The neck joint is a very sleek transition which fuses the neck into the body and provides unparalleled access to all 24 frets.
The fretwire
on all Driskill Diablos is custom made stainless steel. Stainless steel is an
alloy and it is incredibly hard. In fact, I had to get all diamond and
carbide tools just to cut it and diamonds to level and do the fretwork. When I
ordered this wire, the guy asked me "Why in the world do you want stainless
steel?" I said," Because I have to make the best guitar in the
world." He then asked if I knew what I was getting into with stainless. I
told him yes, I've worked with stainless and I know how hard it is. That is why
I want it. The frets will probably never wear out. It is very hard to work with,
but that doesn't matter. If it makes a better guitar, then I will do it no
matter what.
The Driskill Diablo is the only guitar that comes with world renowned Van Zandt pickups
specially hand wound for the Driskill Diablo.
The wiring options include coil splitting, parallel, and series all through a specially
designed five way lever switch- no hard to use rotary switches.
As a final touch, each Driskill Diablo is put on a neck jig where the frets are crowned,
polished, and buffed with string tension on them. This gives the Driskill Diablo the
ultimate edge on playability.
The Driskill Diablo is an exceptional guitar and can be ordered with any electronics,
inlays, and your choice of custom finishes and colors. Any way you want it-
The Driskill Diablo is your dream guitar!
