Guitar raffle for Rural Aid

 

Above: Fire & Rain OM14X Guitar (left), and Fire & Rain DSD Guitar. Each guitar is valued at $5,000 and both come with Hiscox Hardshell Case.

Gift of Music is an initiative of Rural Aid, a not-for-profit organisation helping disadvantaged children in rural and remote Australia gain access to the life-changing educational and social opportunities that music brings.

Fire & Rain is a project developed by students at The Brisbane Guitar Making School to support life-changing outcomes for young people whose lives are affected by drought in rural Queensland.

The guitars were made by students at the BGMS. One is a drop-shoulder dreadnought (modeled on the iconic Gibson J45) and the other is a medium-sized OM with cut-away. Both are made from local Queensland timbers sourced from Maleny-based Australian Guitar Timbers. Owner David Linton donated some very special wood for this project including Qld river oak (back and sides, fretboard, bridge, and headstock veneers) and silver quandong (soundboard, neck).

The makers incorporated design elements into the decorative rosette based on traditional indigenous art elements and colours that reflect the country and the cause. Design ideas were supplied by Maurice Woodley of Picqui Arts. The design symbolises a gathering or coming together of people, the brown earth and some tentative shoots of green.

The individual mosaic inlays and birds-foot purflings were handmade in the traditional way by BGMS students. Past guitar-making student and graphic artist Kevin McAulay, designed the logo that reflects both the flames of fire and the cool of the rain. These are inlaid in the headstocks of both guitars in white Mother of Pearl. Inlays were cut by former BGMS student Michael Lau.

The guitars are fitted with high-quality Gotoh 510 tuning machines, Elixir strings, and K&K Mini-Pure soundboard transducer pick-ups. High-quality Hiscox cases were supplied by Promusic Australia.

The raffle will be drawn at noon on September 23 at 3/8 Colebard Street, Acacia Ridge. You can buy a  ticket at this link