About Bob DeKorne & Pyramid Point Custom Guitars

DeKorne came to his craft after playing with a variety of factory-built guitars and basses. He was always modifying them somehow, trying to get the right sound and that special look.

His interest in transforming them into one-of-a-kind pieces was really piqued when a friend gave him a Mosrite bass that had been severely damaged in a flood. “It was kind of fun,” he says of the process of completely refurbishing the instrument, from replacing the peeling wood and paint to installing new electronics. “I fixed it and played it for years.”

Enter DeKorne the luthier. When he took down a large ash tree just outside his garage that had been damaged by the emerald ash borer, he built guitars from it, highlighting the trails in the wood made by the invasive insect.

That’s when he fell in love with the idea of making one-of-a-kind pieces. DeKorne uses felled trees and sustainably harvested Michigan hardwoods. Some have live edges. Others feature burled wood or wood that’s survived a fire.

Some boast custom paintings or inlays of wood, stone, or other material. Petoskey stones on and in the body? Yes, please. Knobs, control cover, and neck markers made from Centuryite, leftover layers of boat paint from the Century Boat plant in Manistee? Absolutely.

One particularly striking guitar shows the view across Glen Lake, the wood’s grain suggesting waves. Another color of wood represents the skyline of nearby Alligator Hill, with inlays depicting the rays of the setting sun.

Some choose to bring their own materials to him. “A friend had a walnut cut down. The wood was sitting in his barn. I made him a five-string bass. It’s beautiful and has meaning to him. And it’s special to me,” says DeKorne.

Most notably, he took the ammo box his father had used to carry camera equipment in World War II and fashioned it into a guitar, which was auctioned off to raise funds for Honor Flight. He also fashioned one with purple heart wood, military pins, and beach stones, which he donated to Reining Liberty Ranch. It fetched $13,000 as an auction fundraiser.

DeKorne estimates he’s made 40 to 50 guitars and basses since diving headfirst over the last ten years. With their unique materials and custom look, DeKorne’s guitars are as much works of art as they are instruments.

Now, you can have your own work of art and a guitar or bass that plays and sounds exactly how you like. Contact Bob at Pyramid Point Custom Guitars to discuss how you can work together to create that one-of-a-kind instrument just for you. Or look over those he’s already created for inspiration or purchase.