Mule Resophonic Guitars

No algorithm required. See ya there.

You’re going to want to scroll through these.

If you’ve been trying to make one wrench fit every bolt, you’ve found the right box of tools.

“Guitar making isn’t for everyone…. In fact it’s for almost no one.”

It’s not glamorous. There’s no striking glowing pieces of steel on anvils in slow motion or shaving paper thin strips of wood with hand tools while classical music plays. Its exact work with an in exact medium. You’re trying to convince a tree or a sheet of steel to be a musical object and they will make you earn it. You need a tolerance for ambiguity - there’s a problem to solve, but you may not know what the problem is or what question to ask. There’s a deadline with 500 steps in front of it that have to managed with minute precision. Appreciation of music and guitars is great but won’t get you through when the novelty fades.

But the trade off is getting to be part of the few people in history who get to watch someone play a song on a resonator in front of 50,000 people, their one true love, or their phone that wouldn’t have been written without that guitar. It’s a beautiful thing.

If you’ve got a set of hand skills and that sounds like your type of fun send me a message. This is located in Saginaw, MI and would be for sanding, finishing, and assembling acoustic guitar rims. If you don’t have experience making instruments some substantial experience making other things is required.

A couple months ago I flew to the UK to ramble around Scotland. I met a new friend Tagore Chayne at the airport. We talked about some pretty unbelievable mule stories as examples of how we as humans are more connected than we think. A couple days later I filmed a video outside Eilean Donan castle of my friend Dave playing to send to another friend of mine who is also a really special part of the Mule story. Eilean Donan castle is his family’s ancestral home and the only Airbnb we could find in Isle of Skye was right near by. I sent it to him that day and he said, “You can’t know how much that means to me. My dad passed away this morning.”

I was picked up at the airport by a gang of Mule friends, , The Curse of K.K. Hammond , and Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin. We had a Mule meet up in the graveyard of a castle with Nam Barrie, owner of many mule tattoos. Dave and I rambled around Isle of Skye and saw the most beautiful things we’ve ever seen. We christened a lift of the Mule manhood stone in Skye, the Leth-asal Stone. Charlie Parr was playing in Newcastle the last night of the trip so we went to see him play.

It’s been a wild ride since going to the desert 22 years ago to Roberto Venn. I really love building guitars but I love the people more. To customers, fans, and friends - thanks for being part of the story.

Montana I love you dearly but unfortunately I won’t be at Under the Big Sky this year. I want to get out there next year for it so hold tight!

Everything is good! It might be over sharing but - a couple weeks ago I got to know the Drs and nurses at Covenant hospital after they found blood clots in both my lungs. Most likely caused by the amount of traveling I did last month. Dr says to lay off the travel for a bit and I’m old enough to listen to him now. Again all good now and I’ll see y’all soon.

Pre-loved Parr Mule for Ruby Walker

Words mean things.

The words we choose are picked from the stories, people, experiences and values we’ve acquired along the way. A search for connection is an inescapable part of sharing words with other people - otherwise we would just keep them to ourselves. We use words because we want to find our tribe of people to share our lives with, to help and be helped by. We have been given a life and communication with other people is how it works.

As we are all using words, and words have this monumental meaning why would we then let computers choose words for us?

Whether its public commentary or products from every market every computer generated caption sounds the same. It lacks bumps and bruises. There’s no awkwardness. There’s no vibe. That comes from lived experiences. We don’t connect to people through proficiency. We connect to them through the ugly bits that make both people laugh. That comes from things that get some people get riled up and turns some people off. If you’re a business owner use computer generated captions what you’re signaling to people is that connecting with them as a human is less of a priority to you than a blandly stylized clever caption that you think we work better at selling them stuff. It might work in the short term. But you’re taking the small carrot in front of you instead of trying for the big carrot at the end of the stick. There’s an end to that game.

I’ve absolutely loved the experience of getting to know all the beautiful people I’ve met through Mule. It’s been the richest part of my life for 14 years. Every time I see someone using a computer to choose their words for them I feel… sad. Like they are throwing away a lottery ticket for a happy meal.

A an all koa Parr Mule- Koa back, top, sides, binding and necks.

There’s no tonewood more synonymous with a single place in the world, or with resonator guitars, than koa. A matching pair of tops cut from the same tree, a pair of backs cut from stunningly different ones. The wood connects a player with a place and the instrument connects them with other people. It’s a beautiful thing.

Jason Momoa