Ada Magic Hand

So, my 55th and second to last show of the year happened yesterday, and it’s funny that I consider that a “low” number because I’ve been on the road pretty much all year. This year has been a crazy mix of chaos and growth, starting right from those LA fires at the start. Honestly, after 15 years of touring, this is the first time I’ve really felt this homesick, and I guess getting older just makes that a bit harder. I’m thinking a lot about the long-term path of touring and life, and I really just want to say a special thanks to the people in my corner who’ve been patient with me and supported me through all of this. Big love to the teams with Miley Cyrus, OK Go, and Alabama Shakes for being my rocks this year, but also a quiet thank you to those loved ones who know me best. You’ve been my anchor even when I’ve been miles away, and I hope you know how much that means. I’m a bit burnt out, but I’m also hopeful. Slowing down finally feels like a gift, and I’m just so grateful I get to do what I do. Here’s to making something good out of the rest of this year. I’m moving house and shop in the next couple weeks. If I have your guitar it’s nearly completed. I just haven’t had more than a handful of days at home this year so it’s been a bit more challenging than normal. I’ll make an announcement when I’m ready for more projects (because I’ll def need them).

When I landed in Nashville last week for rehearsals with Alabama Shakes, one of my cases didn’t come out with the rest of the baggage. However, there happened to be a lot of luthiery tools coming out individually on the baggage carousel. Apparently, my case had been opened at some point and dumped onto the floor of the baggage hold under the plane. The handlers “couldn’t figure out how to put it all back in.” They also had no idea where countless items ended up. @stewmac_guitar stepped in to help me replace the tools quickly and to ease the discomfort of arriving for rehearsals on day one with missing tools. They’ve always been such solid friends to me, and I cannot recommend their products enough. Huge, huge shoutout to @stewmac_guitar for saving the day. Love y’all! 😘❤️😍🥰

This one deserves a post on main. I never thought I’d qualify as a fan of a cable company, but here I am. Thanks for this dope cable, @signalchainaudio !!!

First step to making nuts is to always mess up the first one, especially when it’s your last unbleached blank.

This guitar almost beat me today. After calling a couple of friends, I was able to perform an exorcism. According to my astrologer friend, my frustration with this guitar was literally written in the stars. There’s a phenomenon that occurs in the Fender factory and/or with some technicians, where they fan the wires out before soldering and simply smash them into the lugs. This creates a difficult environment for repairs or improvements, as it’s nearly impossible to get the wires loose. To avoid forcing a client to pay for a full rewire, sometimes you just have to do the best you can with what you have. 2025 is the my year of wonky guitar electronics. I’m definitely being tested by the guitar gods. This Tele has had a full life; it came to me with the pickguard covered in gaff tape, and underneath it, there was Sharpie. I wish I had a before photo. The best I can provide is some progress videos. When I played this guitar after it was all done, I could really feel that it had spent a lot of time in players’ laps. It sounds so nice!

This pic makes me look like a child with their first bike… but I’m really stoked. Thank you for your help with this build, @zassery ! 😇❤️

Filling nut slots in the sky (heaven). Ty @aalexandrarose

I’ve been out on the road this week with the band Ok Go. Here I am installing a passive K&K Pure Mini pickup in Damian’s acoustic. Not only does it sound miles better than the electronics this Gibson came with, it also provides me with peace of mind to know that I’m not going to have a 9v battery go down during the set. If you’re shopping for a new acoustic… do not be tempted by the bells and whistles of a pickup system. Most of the stock setups sound awful, and I’ve been putting these in guitars for years, with every audio team expressing their relief at the improved sound.

I love to rewire a guitar in the rehearsal space and discover the reason it sounded bad was because the last tech didn’t add any ground wires. I love to eat bagels. I love to wear my warm, fuzzy jacket when I am cold. I love to have frizzy hair (apparently). I love to rock and roll Hoochie Koo.

You’ll have to take my word on this one. I did some really epic stuff to this guitar but my phone died and it missed all the action. Ty @nightshopband

The weight of the world has my head spinning, but it also allows me to hunker down in this little room and twist screws on the same guitar for hours and tune out all the toxic stuff. I miss Kansas City. I miss Chicago. I miss Portland and I miss the people in these places. I miss 2023. I miss 2016. I miss 2013. I wish I could go back in time to those moments and tell myself the things I was doing are important and the things I will do feel good and that the hard stuff does get better over time even if the powers that be, whether it be ‘the man’ or coworkers or lovers or health or even myself are getting me down. It’s times like these that I hope the maladjusted f*cks see the strength and compassion and hearts of the people doing the work on themselves and the community around them. Thanks for nourishing me for better and/or worse and thanks for helping me become myself. ❤️ Thanks for sending me your jazzmaster @emilyretsas lmao. This guy got a big tune up today. General setup, nut slot fills, you name it.

Instead of finishing building shelving, and tables and hanging lights, I’ve been working on guitars. This is the first @collingsguitars electric I’ve had the pleasure of working on. I was stoked because I’ve been eyeing them for years. When I finished the setup, it was hard to put down. This baby got the basics and a tiny finish correction on the back of the neck! Thanks @cartalkmusic ! 🫡