A Gibson headstock camper table for blues guitarist Toby Lee
Some jobs stick with you. In December 2019 we made a table for Toby Lee's family camper, a 1972 VW called Winnie, and we made it in the shape of the headstock of a Gibson guitar.
If you haven't come across Toby, he's a British blues guitarist and an official Gibson artist since he was ten years old. He's played with Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall, starred in School of Rock in London's West End, and been named Young Blues Musician of the Year three times. You can find out more on Toby's website.
How we made it
We started by drawing the headstock up in our CNC software, working out the outline, the six cup holder positions where the tuners would be, and the Gibson and Les Paul Special lettering.
The top was then cut out on the CNC, cup holder holes and all.
Next the lettering was CNC engraved, and then it was all hand painted on the bench: the Gibson logo, the Les Paul Special script and the bell shaped cover, picked out in cream against the red, just like the real thing.
Last came the edging. We tried a few trims against it before settling on black, which finishes it off like the binding on a real guitar, and then the six stainless steel cup holders went in.
And here it is finished, on its leg and ready for Winnie.
Jam in a Campervan
In May 2020 Toby started a video series called Jam in a Campervan, filmed inside Winnie. In the first episode, on 31 May 2020, he played one of his all time favourites, Canned Heat's On the Road Again, on a Gibson 335, sitting at our table. When he posted it, he gave us a lovely thank you for "the amazing camper table based on a Gibson headstock".
We shared it on our page at the time with the words "awesome on the strings, and the table ain't bad either", and we still stand by that.
If you can draw it, we can usually make it
A table shaped like a guitar headstock is a long way from a standard rectangle, but it's a good example of what we mean when we say we'll make almost any shape. Unusual outlines, engraving, cut-outs for cup holders, radiused corners and one-off designs are all part of the job.
If you've got an idea or a challenge for your own van, start with our custom table top page and tell us what you're after in the notes, or get in touch and we'll see if we can help.
Many thanks,
Keith (aka Chippy)
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