The Currahee Dreadnought

[Danl8]

A couple of years ago at the annual Reading Airport WWII event, I got the notion to make a commemorative guitar that focused on the regiment of which my father was a member. When I was in elementary school he let me and my brothers wear his jump boots and practice landing rolls. He rarely talked about the war. When his regiment gained notoriety due the movie series, Band of Brothers, our interest was piqued by the 506th PIR soldiers' experience.

At my Blues Creek class last year, John and I talked of our interest in doing something like this and so this is the result of my project. I used a rejected Martin body and neck, otherwise bound for the mulch factory, reconditioned them into a playable canvas. The idea was to use the 506th PIR cap patches and uniform insignias, stencil the unit ID and several of the locations that the 506th visited during the war (a partial list from my father's stories and the 506th end-of-war yearbook), and inlay parachutes reminiscent of the combat drops made during the war.

As you look at the pictures below, please note that I have never painted anything beyond a garage or a house and this wasn't intended to have Martin-quality graphics and design. But that said, I am happy with the result and the guitar strung with Martin Retro Monel strings is awesome in sound quality. And the dovetail looks gooood! (Oh, yeah baby! Learned that from JH/BCG!!)

The overall color is army olive drab, three round patches are for the uniform & overseas cap (including the paraglide patch and ‘Para Dice’ pocket insignia), the silver jump wings are the earned badge, the Currahee Distinctive Unit Insignia, the rosette -- a facsimile of the Belgian Fourragère regimental award, the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagle Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and lastly, I plan to paint my father's Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals on the back at a later date. The guitar is in storage now. I think I will bring it out every year during the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in December and play it. Maybe my son will continue that after I depart this life. --dan.

[Danl8]

A few more pictures. BTW, Currahee is Cherokee for 'Stands Alone'.

[johnnparchem]

Nicely done! That is a special guitar. The start of a family heirloom and tradition.

[Ben-Had]

Simply awesome. I'm going to be doing a patriot guitar soon, just gathering all the inlay, flags and stuff. I love these types of projects.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Dan that is just flat out cool! Awesome job!

[tippie53]

beautiful work and thanks for showing respect to the veterans.

[ruby@magpage.com]

What kind of paint is the olive green? Looks great in the flat finish. nice job.

Ed

[Danl8]

Thanks, John, Tim, Kevin, John and Ed for the comments. Very much appreciated.

Ed, the paint is Testor's enamel olive drab fs34087. I sealed the wood with shellac and filled with AquaCoat figuring someday someone might want to strip the paint back to the the rather nice mahogany. The olive drab sprayed nicely and actually is pretty tough. Most of the colored paint is acrylic. The neck is flat/satin lacquer -- I didn't want a green hand from playing.

-d.

[ruby@magpage.com]

Thanks DAn

I used Testors in the 60's and I am used to little bottles - I guess they must make it in bigger containers.

Ed

[Danl8]

Thanks DAn

I used Testors in the 60's and I am used to little bottles - I guess they must make it in bigger containers.

Ed

Yes, it is a 3 ounce spray can. Everything else was in those tiny jars, just like we used to use making models in the 1960's. It was like déjà vu all over again. ;-)

-d.