MODERN BUILDER VAULT
DESIGN
J. BACKLUND
BY CHRIS KIES
J. Backlund Design appears to be the
brainchild of Spacely Sprockets and
George Jetson, but it all started with a
chance encounter on a Harmony Central
forum. Luthier Bruce Bennett—from
Warrior Guitars and Bruce Bennett Music
Labs—was blown away by artist/designer
John Backlund’s flying car-like guitar
drawings. “When I saw John’s drawings
they hit me like a bolt of lighting … it
was something I wanted to see in a guitar
store,” says Bennett. “They invigorated
and inspired me as a builder because of
their unique designs—I instantly wanted to
build them.”
And it turns out Bennett wasn’t the only
one excited by these retro-futuristic
guitars. “John had 15-20 pages of
comments from people asking where they
could buy these guitars, says Bennett.
“That didn’t hurt.”
For Bennett, this new, out-of-the-box
project takes him back to a simpler, but
more creative time. “I grew up in the ’60s
watching The Jetsons and Frankenstein, Jr.
and The Impossibles so I always thought
I’d see flying cars,” says Bennett. “I love
the challenge of keeping John’s state-of-
the-art designs intact, yet making them
work as comfortable, functioning guitars.”
Like any creative project, taking something
from paper to production always has its
bumps. “We’ve had to scratch guitars John
couldn’t recognize as his original design,”
declares Bennett, who builds all of the
instruments by hand. “I just really want
to celebrate John’s skills and brilliance as
an artist and designer. That’s why I put his
name on the headstock and not mine.”
And as far as Backlund running out of new,
viable guitar designs any time soon—fat
chance. “There are about 90 more of
John’s designs to see the light of day,”
laughs Bennett. “I’ve got plenty to do.”
JBD- 100
Not only does the JBD- 100 (above)
provide full access to the 24th fret, it offers
a primo carve on the treble bout giving
your hand a natural place to rest during
those high-octane shredding solos. The
bass side’s curved arm scarf provides a
comfortable spot for your picking arm and
lets you comfortably balance the guitar
while playing it. The JBD- 100 features a
mahogany body, a set mahogany neck with
rosewood fretboard, Lace Alumitones—a
bridge-position humbucker and neck
single-coil—a Hipshot Baby Grand bridge,
and all US-made electronics. Another
cool standard feature is the recessed
Electrosocket jack mount.
