Jack Briggs builds set-neck guitars of the highest caliber, one-at-a-time, in his home shop in Raleigh, NC.  While I have been acquainted with Jack for several years, it has only been during the past year-and-a-half or so that I've spent a lot of time with him getting to know his products and overall philosophy of his craft.  Of all of the Spotlight profiles that I've written to date, this one rates as perhaps my most personal because I have logged many hours in Jack's shop learning the nuances of his instruments.  More importantly, I have become so enamored with Briggs Guitars that the vast majority of my studio and live playing during the past year has been conducted with the two Briggs models that I currently own:  an Avatar and Avatar Deluxe.  I plan to add more of them to my stable of axes before all is said and done.

Like many players who have been involved with guitars for a long time, I find that my tastes tend to gravitate toward classic designs.  I have a great appreciation for vintage examples, yet I always approach each instrument on a per-unit basis.  I've never shied away from something simply because it wasn't "traditional".  After all, when Leo Fender introduced the Stratocaster in 1954, it was regarded and even disparaged as some sort of freaky and futuristic creation.  Today it is considered to be a rather mundane body shape.  This is not to imply that Jack's designs are radical and unorthodox.  In fact, a typical Briggs guitar will evoke a fairly friendly and familiar vibe to many players who see one for the first time before even picking it up.  I'm not certain that I would say Briggs Guitars are overtly innovative in terms of redefining the state-of-the art;  however, these instruments could be absolutely inspiring for an innovative guitarist as well as the steadfast traditionalist.

There is a category of guitars that I refer to as being affected by the "Pretty Top Syndrome."   Without mentioning names, the last quarter of a century has seen the advent of a number of brands which feature elaborately quilted and flamed tops.  There are so many in fact that it's hard to keep up with who is who these days!   A large segment of the guitar playing population loves the appeal of cosmetically-beautiful instruments with exquisite aesthetics.  Conversely, there are those who appreciate simpler visual values and find charm in examples that might not be initially as striking to the eye.  As a player influenced by the sounds and qualities of decades long passed, Jack Briggs integrates organic and toneful cues from those years gone by into his guitars; but he is equally adept at producing eye candy worthy of the most discriminating "Pretty Top" connoisseur.

I truly believe we are living in a golden age for guitar enthusiasts because so many wonderful products are currently being made.  The purpose of this Spotlight edition is not to bluntly say "Jack Briggs builds the best guitars in the world."  Knowing Jack, and the respect that he holds for many other esteemed luthiers, he probably wouldn't be completely comfortable with that statement, though he is fiercely engaged in the pursuit of building the best guitar that he can according to his sensibilities.  Likewise, I'm not going to say that Jack Briggs doesn't build the best guitars in the world.  For some out there, a Briggs could very well embody everything they've ever desired in an instrument.  There are many top-flight luthiers plying their trade around the globe today and it should be possible to praise one without expense to another.  To me, as a guitarist who appreciates fine quality and the introduction of a craftsman's soul into a product, a builder's vocation is not so much about competition as it is an expression of personal interpretation.  Every great luthier has something to offer and for those lucky enough to command a clientele, the rewards of building an important tool for another human being's expression must be very gratifying.

What I will say with relative certainty, however, is that during my many years of playing and extensive experience with so many wonderful guitars,  I have found few with superior attention to detail and the overall impeccable level of quality that I have noticed in a Briggs.  Taste is incredibly subjective and not every guitarist will love and bond with a Briggs instrument.  Yet I dare offer that just about any serious guitarist should be able to pick one up and immediately recognize a tremendous level of craftsmanship and passionate infusion of high standards in Jack's creations.

The following profile features an abundance of photos and multimedia presentations.  Please give them ample time to load.  I feel that one of the best ways to show what Briggs' Guitars are about is to emphasize the visual and sonic nature of the products.  You may view everything in order by simply scrolling down the page or click directly on the following links to access the audio and video portions of this profile:

Click here to listen to an audio conversation between Jack Briggs and Jason Barker from 9/13/04 discussing Briggs Guitars.

Click here to watch a variety of Steelbender.com video presentations featuring Briggs Guitars.
 

Any great guitar, aside from those made with synthetic materials, starts with good wood.  Luthiers have used a variety of Mother Nature's offerings in the perpetual quest for beauty and tone.  My exploration of Jack's shop over the past year has revealed his usage of many tried-and-true woods in his instruments.  Furthermore, he hasn't been reluctant to experiment with wood-types not commonly found on the average guitar.

One of the best anecdotes I can give about Jack's appreciation for the nuances of wood relates to the time that we went out to dinner at an area Mexican restaurant.    This place had a favorable press clipping  mounted on a wooden plaque which was hanging on a wall for the patrons to review.  After we had ordered our food, Jack excused himself to wash his hands in the restroom.  After a few minutes had passed without his return, I began to wonder if he was okay.  I got up to check on him and found him with his hands on the plaque, investigating the material of the frame!   I can't remember exactly what he said; but he was talking about the type of wood that the frame was made of!   The funny thing is that after all the time that I've spent with him in his shop, I find myself noticing wood everywhere in my daily life,  from furniture to frames and anything else you can imagine!  I can look at a piece of lumber or somebody's mantle over a fireplace and automatically see the possibilities for a guitar!
 
 

I think we all have a calling in life where our passions can converge with our professions (at least that is an ideal we hope for).  There is no question in my mind that Jack Briggs' calling is to build guitars.   To watch him hold and rub his fingers over a piece of tonewood is to see someone infatuated with the raw materials of his trade.  On a number of occasions, I've seen him bring out a slab of wood from his storage area and get an almost devilish grin on his face as he listens to the sounds his hands make on the board and proclaims "It's talkin' to me!"  Indeed, I've become more aware of the sounds made by simply holding and moving my own hands across a piece of lumber.  This kind of dedicated relationship between builder and eventual guitar can only bode well for the finished product.
 
 

For the tone-conscious luthier, cosmetics alone do not dictate a superior instrument.  A piece of wood may look stunning; but might not sound as good to the builder's sensibilities as one that is not nearly as visually dramatic.  One of the methods that Jack Briggs uses to ascertain the best samples of wood for his guitars is a process he refers to as "tap-toning."

"I think the term 'tap-tuning' is thrown around errantly and probably used often in the wrong context" says Briggs.  "Acoustic guitar or violin makers approach each piece of wood and discern how much to carve off  in order to achieve a final tuning of the acoustic instrument by engaging in 'tap-tuning'.  Tap-toning is something that solid-body guitar builders use to test a piece of wood for response---  ultimately for grading purposes.  This is not so much for tuning something by removing wood."

I've witnessed Jack tap-toning various wood samples.  There is an audible difference in how woods sound when subjected to this procedure.   I assume that the more resonant and lively sounding woods will likewise result in a more resonant and lively sounding guitar, when combined with the other similarly-analyzed variables that are a part of the detailed Briggs construction process.
 
 

To the uneducated eye, many wood specimens that have been cut into slabs for production may look like anything other than the foundation for a beautiful guitar.  A good builder develops the ability to project to a large degree what the final product will be like long before it is completed.  Like a songwriter though, while there may be a well-defined vision and a set of parameters that are intended to be met, there is always room for an amount of surprise and unexpected traits to emerge as the process unfolds.   A luthier cannot, with 100% accuracy, know exactly what the completed guitar will be like until he applies the final coat of finish, installs the electronics, strings the instrument up and gives it an initial strum.    Still, it's fun to dream about what one of those slabs can be turned into before everything is finalized.   As shown in the above photos, Jack can take a wood sample, mist it with mineral spirits such as naphtha, and bring out the highlights of the grain.  Even though I've seen him do it countless times, I continue to get a kick out of watching him bring the quilt or flame of a slab to life with this procedure.  A short time later, the mineral spirits evaporate and the wood returns to its previous visual state as if nothing had happened.
 
 
 

Have you ever listened to one of your favorite albums and wondered what kind of environment it was recorded in?  Many grand creative statements whose majesty seems larger than life through a stereo system were actually recorded in modest-sized rooms with unassuming decor.  Do you remember "The Tonight Show" when Johnny Carson hosted it?  Every weeknight, millions of Americans would tune in to be entertained by Carson and his numerous celebrity guests.  The show made a large impact on many people.  One time many years ago on a trip to California, I visited "The Tonight Show" studios and stood on the star where Carson would deliver his routine monologue every show.   I sat at his famous desk from where he would conduct his interviews.  On television, that studio and desk were big, both literally and figuratively.  In person, I was surprised at how small they were.  In fact, the whole studio seemed minuscule compared to the influence it wielded coming into the tv in my home.  Not that it was a letdown.....I was just amazed at how unimposing that environment was when I was there.  Jack Briggs' workshop reminds me of this to a degree.  My first exposure to one of his guitars was in a retail store geared for optimal display of instruments.  Of course, one of Jack's guitars would look nice in any room.  What struck me, though, is how beautiful those specimens were...I just naturally envisioned a less austere point of origin for them.   When you enter the Briggs "lab", you notice a distinct lack of distractions.   It's a modest, yet business-first, workspace.  There are no chairs to sit upon.....no shiny and modern factory trappings to be found anywhere. A fine layer of dust permeates the floors and walls of the shop.   There's hardly space for more than one person to effectively work in at a time.  Perhaps this is one of the strengths of Briggs' situation.  Everything is truly done by one man from start to finish.  All of Jack's instruments are designed and constructed by himself.  There is no farming out of labor to other parties.  Aside from certain hardware components and electronics, a Briggs guitar is truly a Briggs creation from conception to realization.
 
 

It has been an educational privilege for me to be able to witness firsthand how a piece of wood is transformed into a great creative tool.   While I would enjoy my instruments even if I had no clue of where or how they were constructed, being allowed to watch Jack at work has given me a deeper appreciation and fondness for the couple of Briggs that I use everyday.  Here are some photos taken of several Briggs guitars during various construction phases:
 
 

At the time of this writing, there are two official model designations in the Briggs Guitars' lineup, with each one having additional trim levels.  The Avatar is a one-piece non-carved top body, while the Saturn is a one-piece carved-top instrument.  The "Deluxe" designation, which is available in both Avatar and Saturn variations, adds a maple top or other tonewoods.   Recently, an Avatar Special model has been released which features binding on the body and headstock.  Body woods selected especially for light weight are also a hallmark of the Special series.  The Briggs Apollo is a new model that is still undergoing prototyping.  It will be previewed further down this page.  Jack likes to use a wide range of pickups in his guitars from noted makers such as Seymour Duncan, John Suhr and Jason Lollar.

All of the above feature 25" scale length with 22 frets.  By comparison most Gibson guitars use a 24 5/8" scale length while most Fender guitars use 25 1/2" scale length.   "The longer scale length at 25 1/2 inches tends to produce clearer bass notes" Briggs points out, "whereas the shorter scale length tends to accentuate sweeter high frequencies.  Since 25" is roughly in between the two, I feel that the player gets the best of both worlds without compromise."

Let's take a look at some more examples of the Briggs Guitars models:
 
 

A new Briggs model called the Apollo is currently in the prototyping stages.  Thanks to Jack Briggs, the Steelbender.com audience can take a sneak peak at this new guitar under development in the following photos.  The Briggs Apollo will be a semi-hollowbody single-cutaway electric guitar.  Jack is still experimenting with certain attributes of the instrument; but is very excited about the progress to date.
 
 

Back in 2002, Jack built a chambered Avatar Deluxe with a mahogany back and flamed-maple top for display at the Summer NAMM show in Nashville, TN.  The guitar was finished in teal and installed with a trio of Seymour Duncan P-90 soapbar pickups controlled by a five-way selector switch.   The fretboard is made of Cocobolo rosewood.  It is one of the examples featured in the 2002 Briggs Guitars official brochure (see photo below).  One day, I was over at Jack's place and noticed this guitar sitting in the corner of his living room.  I ended up playing it and expressing how much I liked it.  It was at that point when Jack offered to sell it to me.  He asked me how I would feel about letting him re-finish the instrument and spruce it up.  The guitar had seen a bit of cosmetic wear-and-tear from being on exhibition.  As we talked more about it, we agreed to make some changes and refurbish the Avatar Deluxe into an essentially new guitar.   It was exciting to witness the process of taking a completed instrument, stripping it and re-finishing it into a new work of art.  I made the decision to become a "guinea pig" for Jack's first attempt at applying a special premium Aquaburst finish.   Since the guitar had previously been a dark teal color, the new blue and green tones would be an ideal way to go in case of any leftover streaking after being stripped.

The other big change we made was to install three of Jason Lollar's P-90 soapbar pickups with the five-way switch.   The end result has been extraordinarily satisfying for me.  This Avatar Deluxe has become my main guitar of choice for the majority of the past year.  I have gigged onstage and used it extensively in the studio without trouble.  If I had to sum up the tonal vibe of this guitar in words, I would say that it reminds me of a beefy Strat-like instrument with a feel normally associated with a great set-neck design.  The balance of clarity and warmth is exactly what I like.  Using the three soapbars and the five-way selector allows for very articulate single-coil oriented tones with a more pronounced midrange bark often lacking in standard Strat-style guitars.  Pickup positions 2 and 4 provide perhaps my favorite "quack" sounds I've ever owned on a three-pickup guitar.   I feel I can cover a lot of bases with this Avatar Deluxe, and that is part of the reason why it has become the chief guitar I pick up to play these days at home or on the road.
 
 

Shortly after receiving my Avatar Deluxe, I acquired another Briggs guitar.....a mahogany Avatar in Harvest Gold.  Harvest Gold does not look like what the name might imply.  It is not really gold; but rather a rich and dark reddish-brown color.  Jack had originally outfitted this piece with gold hardware and a pair of Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers.  While the guitar did look nice, I am more partial to either nickel or chrome hardware.  The tone and feel had to be there first for me though, so once I played the instrument, I knew that the foundation was in place for something I could use.  We switched out the gold hardware for an all-chrome setup, including a lightweight tailpiece.  Then, the Duncans were replaced with a set of Jason Lollar's Imperial humbuckers.  This Avatar is an elegant but simple no-frills player.  As for durability, I recently flew it across country from cool and wet North Carolina weather to a show I played in the hot and dry desert of Arizona.  The guitar arrived still in perfect tune and performed flawlessly (no commentary on my playing) despite the typical handling of the airlines.   Likewise, the instrument made it back to the east coast without any problems.
 
 

One of the things I enjoy the most about playing my Briggs guitars besides their impeccable workmanship, is knowing that I'm supporting a builder of integrity who loves his profession.  I like having something that isn't as commonplace as some of the more "corporate-types" of guitars (though I'm not automatically anti-corporate).   Boutique manufacturers usually thrive by taking the time to address nuances and details of their craft,  which for fiscal and time reasons may be ignored by mass production-oriented companies.  Another good reason to go the boutique route is because a lot of smaller builders are relatively accessible for customer service and individually tailoring an instrument to a guitarist's tastes.   When a luthier puts his name on a headstock, there has to be a lot of personal pride and commitment to excellence involved.  Jack is not only one of the most talented builders that I've crossed paths with.....he's also a very good guitarist.  I believe his playing experiences have certainly shaped the vision for his products and informed his abilities as a designer.  If there is a downside to buying boutique, it usually involves an initially lower re-sale value in comparison to more established brands, even if the quality is markedly better.  However, as a company develops a reputation for quality and maintains high standards for customer service, the value of its products can increase dramatically.

All of us as players, have very personal ideas and criteria for what makes something attractive to us.  It's been said before; but the world really would be a boring place if we were all the same.  Speaking for myself, I am very excited about discovering the guitars of Jack Briggs and I have been inspired to make more music since the arrival of his instruments into my stable.   Jack has been patient with my inquiries and has attended to any detail that I've discussed with him.  He has also given me ample leeway for contributing my ideas to some forthcoming instruments.   I have a real enthusiasm for supporting people who take the time to build a soulful product with forethought and expertise.  It's even better when the service after the sale remains consistently good.  If you are in the market for a set-neck guitar of exceedingly high-quality and artistic merit, I heartily encourage you to investigate Briggs Guitars.  I am glad that I did!
 
 

Over the past several years, a lot of videos have accumulated in the Steelbender.com archives focusing on a variety of gear.  From amps to effects and guitars, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to play many types of inspiring musical equipment.  In the spirit of providing a diverse array of video examples featuring guitars built by Jack Briggs, I'm delving back into the filmed inventory and linking to footage that will hopefully give additional insight into the sounds of these instruments.  Special thanks to Jack Briggs and Eddie Berman for their contributions to this section.  Click on the desired links to view MPEG and WMV movies of Briggs Guitars that we've filmed during the past couple of years.
 
 
 

For more information on Briggs Guitars visit the official website at: www.briggsguitars.com

or contact them at:

e-mail:  info@briggsguitars.com

phone:  919.847.6562