Dismal Ax Muleskinner

Mules were the backbone of overland transportation in America before the advent of the steam engine and remained a vital part of logging and agriculture long into the era of the iron horse. They are, however, much smarter and less cooperative by nature than their mechanical counterparts (though nearly as tough) and they typically require something other than sheer brute force to convince them to perform the tasks put to them. This was the domain of the muleskinner; to outsmart, or skin, these ornery beasts and keep freight moving across the expanding frontier at two miles per hour.

The muleskinner guitars and basses are, for the most part, plain and simple utilitarian instruments. The body can be either of plain slab construction with a distressed finish or it can feature a top made from salvaged wood. Chambering, f-holes and other options are available as well.

General Muleskinner Specifications:
- Body woods: yellow poplar, red maple, sassafras, cucumbertree, buckeye, butternut
- Top woods: oak or beech barnwood, others available
- Fretboard woods: black locust, osage orange, persimmon, mesquite, honeylocust
- Neck woods: maple, walnut, cherry
- Pickups: Lindy Fralin, Jason Lollar, Rio Grande, TV Jones, others

Muleskinner SC models:
- 25.5” scale, bolt on neck with 22 frets and inline headstock
- 2 single coil pickups
- Callaham or similar 3-saddle bridge, thru-body stringing
- Tone pros/Kluson or Gotoh HAP vintage tuners

Muleskinner DC models:
- 25” scale, set neck with 22 frets and angled headstock
- 2 single coil, P90 or humbucking pickups
- Pigtail wraparound bridge with Tonepros locking studs
- Tone pros/Kluson or Gotoh HAP vintage tuners

Muleskinner Bass:
- 34” scale bolt on neck with 21 frets and inline headstock
- 1 single coil or split pickup
- Wilkinson/Gotoh vintage style bridge, thru-body stringing
- Schaller BML or hipshot HB1 tuners

Pricing:
Muleskinner SC Model Base Price: $1800
Muleskinner DC Model Base price: $1950 (Strap hinge tailpiece and tuneomatic bridge: add $50)
Muleskinner Bass Base Price: $1850

Prices shown are for plain slab body construction
Solid body with barnwood top: add $250
Chambered body with barnwood top: add $400