James Trussart Steelcaster

James Trussart is one of the few builders who has broken the mold of traditional guitar making. Working with steel as the primary material, he produces guitars that are as unique in appearance as they are in tone. He is a musician-turned-luthier. The French native began his career as a fiddler, accompanying Cajun singer-songwriter Zachary Richard in the late '70s, before turning his attention to crafting violins and later guitars (in the 1980s).

From his Los Angeles home and workshop, Trussart crafts custom steel-bodied guitars, basses, and violins in a dazzling array of finishes, reminiscent of shiny chrome resonator instruments and rusty, weathered, fossilized discarded machinery.

The tone is so distinctive that Trussart guitars have become 'must-have' instruments in the arsenals of influential artists including Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Jack White, Charlie Sexton, Daniel Lanois, Marc Ribot, Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow), Rich Robinson (Black Crowes), Sonny Landreth, Joe Perry, Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, The Roots, many, many more and ME!!

“I've always liked the look and feel of old guitars, believing them to have a life beyond that of their creator, and I wanted to somehow emulate that effect of age and history on my own guitars. I wanted to make a guitar that came with a history and a slight element of neglect, of decay, so it had a personality of its own.”

His creations are designed to have the look and feel of a vintage instrument with the added appeal of metal construction. His "Rust-O-Matic" technique (a term coined by Billy Gibbons regarding Trussart's unique finishes) involves leaving the guitar body exposed to the elements for several weeks, allowing it to corrode before treating it to stop the corrosion. He then sands it to replicate years of distress, and then finishes it with a clear satin coat.

Mine is what he called a Rusty Holey Steelcaster, is actually the one reviewed in May 2006 issue of Guitarist, is made of steel that has numerous perforations in it. It is surprisingly light at 8lbs and great to play. A friend of mine had ordered the guitar at the end of 2005 and Guitarist asked him if they could review it. They really seemed to like it and 3 years later, in Feb 2009, included it in their ’50 Guitars to Play before you Die’ article. Apart from their mistake of saying that a chap from the Kooks had bought the same guitar after reading the review, it was very complimentary. BTW the Trussart the Kooks chap bought has f-holes and a humbucker at the neck, so nothing like mine!! 

Incidentally I bought it off my friend in Jan 2009, one month before the 50 guitars article. He has been trying to get it back ever since

It doesn't sound like your traditional Tele, it's closer to a hollowbody sound. The sustain was very good. Being hollow and metal, it can be a tad microphonic, so perhaps isn't suited to high gain stuff.

It is also a bit prone to feedback like most semis, however, James Trussart believes the holes actually help a little. The pups are Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II and frets are Dunlop 6105.

Not sure what neck size is, but it feels very much like other Teles I have played.

It’s a great guitar.

This is me playing it in 2018. Only playing the riff before I go onto mouth organ, but you can get the sense of what it sounds like plugged straight into an amp.  No pedals