Custom and cool instruments from alternative artists
Folk Art Gallery
© Frank Ford, 1999; Photos by FF


Two Dog Fiddle

Check out this peghead:

Two dogs chained to a post and tuning pegs in the shape of little barrels with bung handles -- what more could you ask for?

The entire instrument was homemade around 80 years ago from the same wood -- neck, back, top, sides. It looks like oak, hickory, chestnut or ash.

Sometimes we encounter a piece of "folk art" from generations past, and we're impressed by the spontaneity and style. How about some current art:

The young creator of this masterpiece was stunned when I asked if I could take a picture of it! He'd brought it in for some action work and just assumed we'd be pretty hard on him for "violating" his guitar. You gotta love it!

If there's one classic 20th Century musical instrument folk art canvas it has to be the banjo uke. They were monumentally popular in the 1920s and were subjected to all kinds of cool defacement.

This one was signed by a whole lot of friends around that time:


There's a pipe smokin' truckin' fellow:



We all want to meet Flathead Stoddard!