Diddley Doo-Wop

Abstract Diddley Doo-Wop Guitars


Also Known as the Diddley Bopper

 Sometime back in the 60's or early 70's,  I don't have an exact date or even a point of reference.  Elias McDaniel  AKA Bo Diddley who was a real innovator, decided to design himself some cool, distinctive looking, futuristic guitars. He felt that playing the same guitar that everyone else played was counterproductive to his career.  As a former band manager & concert promoter I concur whole heartedly with what Bo was thinking.

Bo approached a guitar builder in White Plains, New York, known only as Giulliano  (Pronounced Juliano) . Bo knew him from when he was the production manager of Gretsch Guitars 60 Broadway NYC   NY.

Giulliano constructed the three now famous guitars & Bo named them after automobiles that he liked. These were never Gretsch guitars, These were custom made creations that employed the use of Gretsch necks.  Bo was seen using the Jupiter Thunderbird, quite a bit however the Cadillac he used more in the studio

Bo's Girlfriend "The Duchess" used the Cadillac quite often and it became synonymous with her. 

All Abstract guitars are available with almost any custom modification you could think of. You can choose the wood you want, We carry 44 different types of wood on the premises. You can choose whatever pickups you like, We carry all the major brand names and many boutique brands like Tom Holmes. You can order most models with any headstock on our list or design something yourself. You can choose the hardware and you can design the electronics.  Most models are available in Basses, Doublenecks, Neck Through Body, Bolt On, Headless like a Steinberger, Baritones, Left Handed or whatever your heart desires. 

All Abstract guitars are built in the USA and carefully & lovingly set up just before we sell them. All Abstract guitars come with a super stable very fast neck & neck heel. 

Ed Roman

 


Abstract Guitars Come In over 150 Shapes
Custom Shapes

Abstract Guitars are the most custom radical guitars available from Ed Roman. They are built entirely in the USA by the very talented builders who were formerly with Jackson & BC Rich. The feel and quality of these fine guitars is on par with anything ever built in Jackson's custom shop or BC Rich's El Monte or Hesperia facility.

The talented woodworkers formerly with both of these organizations were with these companies since their inceptions there are even 2 people from the Jackson/Charvel San Dimas facility. Because of the relatively close proximity of the two companies many employees over the years worked at both factories.

Among the talented workforce are the original people who hand carved and built all the USA neck through guitars for Bernie Rico. The entire original paint department is also involved in the hand making of the Abstract Guitar.

 Centurion Model

Available In A "Deep Set Neck Tenon" Or "Neck Through Body"

Exclusively at Ed Roman Guitars
Currently the "Centurion" has spun off to it's own line


 

Rockingbird

All Abstract Guitars are custom made. You can order any headstock shape, any Inlay, any type of bridge, or fingerboard. You can even order custom shapes.

All Abstract Models are built in the original classic neck through body tradition. They are built only from the finest materials and great attention is paid to details like balance and weight. All pickups are directly mounted into the wood to facilitate a direct coupling & enhance tone & sustain.

These guitars are currently available in over 150 body shapes or styles, not all of them are pictured on the site, You may even submit your own body design. If we decide to offer your body design you may qualify for an up to $500.00 discount on your guitar.

These guitars are currently available with almost 60 different headstock designs. You can mix & match body shapes & headstocks.

I have been building these guitars since 1991, I started building them when I acquired several hundred original BC Rich Body Cores  when BC Rich went out of business the first time in the early 90's. I have produced a total of 400 of these instruments over a period of 15 years. Many of the originals were built up original BC Rich Bodyblanks. More Coming Stay Tuned...

I also have many Abstract Body Cores for sale.  Sometimes I get some cosmetic blems that don't meet our criteria. You can save a lot of money on those models. There are occasions when a customer will order something special and not have the money to pay it off. The savings are really good on those deals.  All bodycores can be modified after the fact to meet any special needs you may have.

 Available in Guitar or Bass
All Models Available Left Handed


Construction Techniques

Construction Technique on most Abstract guitars are usually neck through with solid wings, There are literally hundreds of wood combinations (see my wood selection).  The Abstract guitars are built using the same tried & true techniques that Jackson & BC Rich have employed for more than 25 years. The tooling & machinery is actually the same machinery that BC Rich utilized during their USA  years.

Abstract guitars also uses the Gibson, PRS methods of building where the maple top is affixed to a mahogany back. The primary differences being the ability of Abstract guitars to offer Neck through bodies on all models and Deep set neck tenon on all models.

Below you will see the steps that are required to build a Neck Through Body

1.) Neck Blank & 2 Mahogany Wings

Using nothing but the absolute best materials the bodyblanks are single craftsman built from beginning to end. excepting in cases of massive inlays.

2.) Bookmatched Quilted Maple Top

It is harder to build a guitar like this when the top has been precut to size but for aesthetic and cosmetic purposes each top is hand cut and glued up later. Normally the guitar is built with wood that has been pre laminated.

3.) Final Glue Up

This guitar is ready for truss rod installation, Fingerboard and any custom routing that the customer may require. There is no charge for such amenities as custom knob placement,  Custom shaped headstocks, special pickup routes or placement.

4.) Ready for Paint

Up until this point the entire guitar is built by one person The next step is to stain and clear the guitar. Abstract guitars uses an extremely thin but very durable gloss finish. The paint shop has developed a new hybrid type of finish that we are using on all of our guitars built after March of 2002. Currently there are no restrictions on colors, you may order anything you like.

 he paint shop will accommodate you, as long as you send some type of sample to duplicate. Incidentally besides painting all the Abstract guitars the paint shop is painting all of the Quicksilver, Pearlcaster, LSR & J Frog guitars at this time.


Whiskey Pete Model
Pick Your Poison
We will graphically enhance this guitar to look like any bottle of whiskey you would like
Or come up with your own brand


Maximus Singlecut Model
Available in Guitar or Bass
All Models Available Left Handed