PRODUCT REVIEW: THE "TOMI-OMIGOD" CUSTOM DOUBLE NECK CIGAR BOX GUITAR BY TOMI-O HARTWELL
Written by Shane Speal
Well, I've just received another perfect "lover" in my cigar box harem. It's the double-necked TOMI-OMIGOD created by Tomi-O Hartwell of Hinton, West Virginia.

For the past week, I've had the picture of the TOMI-OMIGOD custom double neck cbg on the Forum's frontpage...but I never did let you guys know what I thought of it. I really wanted to play it a while and get to know it better before I got you guys salivating for one. Well, get ready. This one is a mindblower.

The first thing I noticed about the TOMI-OMIGOD is the solid construction. It just feels absolutely tight and precise. It's the same feeling you get when handling a Paul Reed Smith. You just KNOW that this thing can smoke...even before you plug it in.
Tomi-O pulled out all the stops on this one-of-a-kind cigar box guitar. The back of the neck is a very defined and very beautiful zebra wood. (The wood cost him $40 alone!) The fretboard is capped in a subtle maple with fretlines painted on. Several details harken back to my old Catfish design (the simple 3-string model from http://www.cigarboxguitar.com) such as a bolt for the nut, stick- thru construction and fretlines instead of real frets. The neck is longer than my Catfish design, sporting a standard Fender 25.5" scale.
One thing that's not apparant in the picture is the fact that this is a SOLIDBODY guitar! Tomi-O actually filled the box with a perfectly fitted piece of wood and then routed it out for the pickups. Again I repeat, the construction is solid as a Paul Reed Smith! The pickups are phenomenal Telecaster neck pickups that are set in opposing angles. The top neck pickup slants inward at the treble side; the bottom toward the bass. The different slants give different tonal charactaristics to each neck. Both necks are wired into a single Tele switchplate, except in this instrument, the switch gives the options of top neck/both necks/bottom neck. It's the perfect switch in the perfect location. I had no trouble creating riffs with both necks, switching back and forth midstream. The wiring is great. I heard no clicks or buzzes except for the expected quiet hum of the single coils when I stood under certain flourescent lights.
So how does it sound? Like a million dollars! I'm blown away by the amount of different tones to this machine. First of all, it has the typical Tele grown when put thru distortion. My rock-style slide cbg techniques are home on these necks. They're just so fluid and fast. Undistorted tones can harken to twangy slide playing, ala Nashville pickin' or David Lindley.

But there's also a few other personalities to the TOMI-OMIGOD. I've been experimenting with different tunings on each neck. Right now, the upper neck is tuned to an open A (A,E,A) and the lower is a grrrrowly drone E (ultra low E, octave higher E and G#). This combination gives me several options such as letting the lower neck drone and moan away as I do leads on the upper neck at the 7th fret. I've also started working on psychedelic Middle East licks on both necks simultaneously. It's the MidEast stuff that really has me excited. It falls somewhere between the implied-grunge of Morphine and the soundtrack to the Passion of the Christ. It's a totally new sound for me and I can't wait to share it with you. Also, when I fingerpick in this style, the strings have a natural "bloom" to their sound, increasing in volume after I let go. It almost sounds like Jaco Pastorius' bass guitar!
The possibilities just don't end with this ax. Because I've been playing 3-string slide cbg for 9 years, I've developed strange and signature techniques using different tunings and a weird slide style. With this guitar, I'm able to combine those styles into a new sound.

Like Kurt Schoen's TurboDiddley, this new TOMI-OMIGOD cbg is changing my life. Expect Jug Fusion to morph and mutate on the next album. I'm finally getting the right tools for the job.

Is there no limit to what you guys can build? Lowebows, TurboDiddleys, CigTars, Deltacasters, CigFiddles, TOMI-OMIGODS and more... You continue to amaze me! I'm truly humbled by your inventive and building genius.