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1946 Taylorcraft Making Sweet Music, Again

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilot and woodworker Dee Welch crafted a unique guitar using an old Super Cub wing spar for its soundboard.
  • The vintage Sitka Spruce from the 1930s wing spar was chosen for its exceptional quality, making it ideal for the guitar's sound.
  • The custom-built instrument is being raffled off to benefit the Seaplane Pilots Association (SPA).
  • SPA and Flying Musicians Association (FMA) members can enter the raffle by renewing their memberships, with the drawing scheduled for EAA AirVenture 2014.
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Dee Welch is a Super Cub pilot, a skilled woodworker and a member of both the Seaplane Pilots Association (SPA) and the Flying Musicians Association (FMA). Somehow he connected all those dots and figured an old wing spar would make an exceptional soundboard for a guitar. And now the resulting instrument is being raffled off to benefit SPA.

Welch knew what he was doing. The wood used for the soundboard of a guitar can make all the difference in how it sounds, and old growth Sitka Spruce is one of the best. The tree felled to make this wing spar must have been cut in the 1930s, and the grain required to make up a wing spar ensures only the highest quality cuts will qualify.

Mark Phelps

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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