Willpower Guitars, powerful instruments

by Elysia Conner
Monday, February 1, 2010 3:42 PM MST

Will Whitlock couldn’t find that perfect guitar, so he made it himself. Anyone looking for a unique, quality guitar built for specific needs and tastes won’t find it on a music store wall. Whitlock understands and that’s why he’s here.

He can’t remember a time when he didn’t want a guitar, and his passion for music kindled during his early teens when he began playing seriously. The musician has played in various bands in Casper.

Eventually, he needed a guitar upgrade, but gave up looking when he realized what he wanted did not exist n yet.

Overwhelmed by the heavily involved process, the materials and vision of his ideal axe rested for years. Then one day three years ago, he put his considerable building skills to use on teaching himself the guitar-building trade.

He immersed himself in research and inspiration. It takes precision and artistry, he said.

Like any skilled trade, “There’s a lot more to it than what you see.”

The guitars have to sound great, look great and fit the player perfectly.

He’d just wanted to make a guitar for himself, but since he’d invested so much, it seemed natural to break into the custom solid-body electric guitar business. Whitlock now also creates custom basses.

The artist’s work includes the recent “mud-flap girl” seven-string chrome model, which local musician Nasty Nate sports n to the admiration of fans and guitar-lovers.

To spot a Willpower guitar, look for his signature headstock at the instrument’s very top, carved into the suggestion of a “W.”

“The people who really want something unique or have an idea, they’ll call me and say, “this is my idea, can you do that?’ and of course, I have to tell them ‘sure.’”

Nasty Nate’s idea took some thinking, and nothing was easy about it.

“I thought, ‘Man, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,’ when he first proposed it, Whitlock said. But it’s not just one of his favorite builds to date; Nate also told him it’s the best guitar he’s ever played.

Teaming with Ramirez

Whitlock recently teamed with custom painter Chris Ramirez who “did a phenomenal job” on a US colonial flag-theme guitar Whitlock is now finishing.

The new axe also shows an example of Whitlock’s wood inlay on the fret board.

When he’s not making guitars, he works as a builder, spends time with his family, makes music and plays golf as a hobby.

Occasionally he shows up with his display booth at rock and roll shows, and will be at the Feb. 6 Youth For Christ Benefit at Gigz, 4741 W. Yellowstone Highway in Mills. The event begins at 7 p.m.

Galleries and information are posted at Whitlock’s Web site, www.willpowerguitars.com.

Wyoming Music at 330 S. Walsh Drive, #204, carries some of his models, seen also at www.wyomingmusic.biz. Typically, Whitlock creates a guitar in six to eight weeks.

He decided to build a series of them in various body styles, using fine hardwoods.

“There is no such thing,” Whitlock maintains, “as too many guitars.”

Print this story   |   Email this story