Fender Woody Pro Project, contd.

Jan 20, 2023

The saga continues on the Fender Woody Pro project. I’ve made no less than THREE sets of these metal strips. The first set I tried to bend myself—big mistake. The tolerance/clearance is so tight, I screwed it all up. The second set I measured the distance myself and took them to Brady Sheet Metal in Burbank. They bent them to my measurements exactly—but I measured wrong by about 1/32″. They were oversize by just enough to make it not workable. I took the amp cabinet and speaker baffle by there today and the old guy (man, if you want some advice, ALWAYS go to the oldest guy at the shop, because THAT guy doesn’t f*** around) personally measured each strip and bent them for me on the spot. Third time’s the charm, these are perfect. Off to the chrome shop. If you want a sheet metal project done right, go to Brady Sheet Metal in Burbank (thanks to Garrett Immel for the recommendation). It’s one of those classic places that looks like it’s been there seventy or eighty years. This amp is going to be a beauty when it’s done, but jeez, these little details are a pain.

Merle Travis onstage at the Riverside Rancho in Los Angeles, 1947. Someone else’s Fender Woody Pro in the background, with the three chrome strips plainly visible: