Joe Bochar Guitars Supertone – Boutique Guitar Manufacturer

As regular readers would know, not only do we talk about the Fender’s and Gibson’s of this world, but here at GuitarSite.com we like to track down independent’s of the guitar scene to get a fresh look on things.

Recently I came across one such small guitar business – Joe Bochar Guitars (aka JBG), who have just released their new JBG Supertone solidbody guitar. I was intrigued, so I went behind the scenes to find out a little more from Joe himself.

Although Joe is relatively “new” on the guitar builder scene, he has been building, repairing, and modifying guitars since the late 80s/early 90s.

He has also spent 15 years recording and doing music for television, product demos, games, and all the other things that dedicated musicians do to pay the bills.

Over the last 3 years Joe has focussed on building guitars, and in the process has been awarded at patent for his interlocking neck joint which is featured in his latest JBG Supertone series.

Jason: Being a boutique guitar maker offers you a lot of freedom when approaching design – what would you say are the main things that make JBG instruments stand out?

Joe Bochar:
I would say it’s a combination of aesthetics (body shape) and the neck joint/build quality. I didn’t want to build Strat, Tele, or Les Paul clones/copies. I wanted to build something that was somewhat unique looking, but nothing too far out. Something that a country and a fusion guy would feel comfortable playing, as well as Rock and R&B players. Most importantly, I had to build something I would play, and it had to be able to take a beating. For years I recorded & gigged with Ibanez, Fender, and other bolt-on parts guitars (I used to cut the lower horn away for easier upper fret access). One of the things that I disliked was that the neck would always shift in the pocket, no matter how much I wrenched on those screws. One day I was just sketching some ideas, and I came up with a design that would allow me to remove a ridiculous amount of the lower horn/pocket wall from the guitar & keep the neck perfectly aligned & secured to the body. It’s called the Sliplock Neck Joint, and it’s a uniquely shaped mortise & tenon that is milled into the neck & body that allows the neck to be press-fit into the body. While it is technically a “bolt-on” neck, the hardware can be removed & the neck will stay attached to the body, even when it’s strung to pitch… but I don’t recommend it.

Jason:
I was impressed with your simple yet very effective idea of tapping the tone knob to switch settings – how is this idea reflected generally in your approach to guitar design?

Joe Bochar:
I build for myself first, and I am my own worst critic. I like simple layouts, but I’m also a tweaker and love to have options. The coil-tap tone control seemed like the best pickup wiring option to give people without having to install additional switches. (I have also made this push/pull switch to put the bridge pickup out of phase with itself…one of my favorite sounds).

Jason:
With the level of dedication that goes into hand building each guitar you’re never going to be making these for guitarists on a tight budget – how would you describe the typical owner of one of your guitars?

Joe Bochar:
All kinds of people & players. Some of them are studio guys, others are weekend warriors, and I know of at least one that just keeps it hanging on the wall becaue he likes the way it looks.

Jason: You already have several dealers selling JBG – do your sales typically come from the web, word of mouth, or from bricks and mortar stores?

Joe Bochar:
Up to now it’s been word of mouth, and some web traffic. I’d like to have a group of dealers that have guitars available for people to check out in person. Guitars are very tactile, and one person’s “feel” can be quite different than the next. With that, most of the JBG instruments are very consistent with regards to sound & playability. A minor exception is the Supertone XT (exotic wood model) in that it can be a bit different as sometimes certain wood species sound quite different than others. I’m a sucker for experimenting with “out of the box” species (Bloodwood, Osage Orange, Padauk, Chechen, etc), but for the most part the XT’s will be Limba. I’ve become absolutely in love with that stuff. It’s like mahogany with “snap” and presence.

Anyway, so… dealer network: yes. Going to be doing some e-commerce as well for some b-stock items & special edition guitars.

Jason:
After looking through your website and watching the video I wasn’t sure if the Supertone is your only model at present, do you have other models, and is the Y400XT part of your Supertone range?

Joe Bochar:
The Supertone was first called the “Series Y” line of guitars during the prototyping and R&D phase. I had kept the naming convention while acquiring dealers & getting people interested in it. I’m an old muscle car guy, and my plan was to do vin-style, engine displacement, and “special edition” suffix numbering… like a Y400XT would have been a Series Y shape, the “400” meant it was a solidbody with forearm contour (400/6.6L is a Pontiac engine displacement), and “XT” stood for an exotic wood treatment. Anyway it just got too complicated, so “Supertone” it is!

Jason:
I saw on your facebook page that you are working on a prototype “Supersport” – do you know when this will be available, and what are the main points of difference between it and your Supertone?

Joe Bochar:
The Supersport model should be available early next year. It’s in the late prototype stage right now. The main difference is that the Supersport has a pickguard & top rout; the Supertone is a standard 2 humbucker with rear control cavity. The other main difference is that the lower horn cutaway is quite deeper so you can really get your hand up under the 22nd fret. This one will feature a standard 3 single coil pickup configuration.

JBG Supertone Solidbody

Joe has big plans for the future, and the next step along that path is the brand new JBG Supertone Solidbody.

With a body that is shaved to 1-5/8 inches thick, shaped arm & belly contours, and an average weight of approximately 7 pounds, Joe says the Supertone is balanced and comfortable to play either standing on stage or sitting in the studio.

The Supertone range comes in three speeds: a standard model featuring an Alder body and Rock Maple neck with Indian Rosewood fingerboard; the Supertone SD featuring an Alder body with Maple top; or the Supertone XT featuring a Limba body, neck and other exotic hardwood options.

Each Supertone also features:

• Solidbody construction (with optional chambering for XT & SD models)
• 25.5” scale length neck, 1-11/16” bone nut, 22 jumbo nickel silver frets
• Dual action truss rod
• A pair of DiMarzio 36th Anniversary pickups, 1 volume, and 1 tone control with coil tap push/pull switch (other pickup & electronic options available)
• Premium Gotoh hardware & tuners

The Supertone, Supertone SD, and Supertone XT carry a suggested list price (US) of $2395, $2795, and $3195 respectively.

For more information visit www.jbguitars.com – also be sure to take a look at their Anatomy Of A Goldtop page showing how a JBG is built.