It's been awhile since I've made a 12-string guitar or a guitar with serious inlay; a customer requested both for this set of guitars! Each of these Model R cutaways have inlay crafted by Larry Robinson http://robinsoninlays.com/, German Spruce tops and some killer Brazilian Rosewood back and sides.
No matter how you feel about season 12’s contestants, themes, song choices or judges, most viewers -- and certainly those of us in the press corps -- can agree on one thing: that American Idol guitarist is something else.
Taking the leads for Ray Chew’s band is Brady Cohan, a seasoned player who first picked up the guitar at age 12. Now 27, the native of Los Altos, Calif., up north in Silicon Valley, studied music at USC and graduated in 2007 with the aim of “becoming a better musician,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. Being in a band wasn’t a top priority for the dashing musician. Rather, he saw himself more behind the scenes.
“My ultimate goal is to score films,” he says. “As much as I love touring and playing all around the world, it's nice to stay in one place.”
Among the artists who Brady has traveled with: Natalie Cole, Cee-Lo Green, Keyshia Cole and Queen Latifah, until a friend told him about an opportunity to audition for American Idol.
What’s it like to try out for the singing competition as a member of the band? Not unlike the tens of thousands of hopefuls, Cohan says it felt like a “very unnatural kind of situation -- all you can really do is play and be yourself, but it is a little nerve-wracking.”
He was handed the great American songbook, which included the song “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, nailed it, and in season 11, became a regular player. This year, he’s gotten even more airtime, no doubt because of a growing mostly female fanbase. Not that he has much time to enjoy it. The band’s Idol schedule is nearly as grueling as the finalists and includes not only rehearsals, but studio sessions that can sometimes feel like “recording an album a night,” basically,” adds Cohan. “It’s crazy … and a sprint to the finish, that’s for sure.”
Since Cohan has performed with his share of seasoned artists, how do the Idol hopefuls compare? “They don't sound like amateurs anymore,” he defends. “Angie [Miller] sang a great rendition of ‘Cry Me A River,’ Candice [Glover] and Amber [Holcomb] have that soul thing, but the stuff that rocks a little bit harder, that’s fun.”
Indeed, accompanying a bluesy singer like Kree Harrison is certainly in his wheelhouse, and in a way, both performers seem to boost each other.
Still, Cohan admits, even he gets nervous. “My guitar could go out of tune, I could forget a part … it’s a lot of pressure playing in front however many millions of people,” he says. “And it’s live so you can't redo or mess it up.”
You can also end up making semi-embarrassing expressions which, Cohan admits, he’s struggling with. And he’s not alone: John Mayer, another stellar player, has the same problem with “constipation face” (our description, not his).
Cohan’s own personal idols: Paul Jackson, Jr., who had the lead guitar gig before heading over to The Tonight Show with ex-Idol music director Rickey Minor. “And the people who got me excited about music in the first place -- Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King.”
The fact that Cohan, by virtue of his talent (and, let’s face it, his looks) has built his own fanbase is “a pleasantly nice surprise,” he says. “This show is not about us and coming into it, you're well aware of that, so people taking notice is really nice. Of course, I miss playing my own music but I’m having a blast.”
Check out some of Brady Cohan's original music on his official site and follow him on Twitter at @bradysgstring.
Twitter: @shirleyhalperin
Brady Cohan, guitarist with American Idol's House Band performs Pink's "Perfect" with Kree Harrison on May 8th http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b7BgkJDcLB8#!
Guitar #200!! Model OO- German Spruce Top, Abalone Rosette and Top Border, Brazilian Rosewood sides
Australian fingerstyle virtuoso Adam Miller was just in the GP studios shooting some video performances and a short lesson using his Traugott Model OO
http://www.guitarplayer.com/video.aspx?bctid=1756110643001§ion=Artists
My friend Raul Midón opening his new Traugott Model BK! It was an honor to build this guitar for such an amazing player.
THANK YOU Raul!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B85ZH-uUy4k&feature=player_embedded
Model BK cutaway "Tembererana" Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, German Spruce top, gold inlay by Larry Robinson http://robinsoninlays.com/
So excited to finish my new BK for Raul Midón!! If you want to know more about Raul see http://www.raulmidon.com/ and for info on the Tembererana inlay (by Larry Robinson, http://robinsoninlays.com/)
see his Ted talk :http://www.ted.com/talks/raul_midon_plays_all_the_answers_and_tembererana.html
Really STOKED my nephew Brady Cohan is the guitar player for American Idol this season!! He's been really killing it and they even let him do some acoustic tunes on his Traugott now and then. Here's a shot of him with his Model R, I guess having me as his uncle gives him a few fringe benefits. As one of his guitar-playing buddies said to me, "DAMN! my uncle is a plumber!"
Crazy things happen when Raul Midón is on stage alone. With his soaring, Stevie Wonderish voice and percussive, flamenco-inspired guitar style, he's a one-man orchestra who has created a strikingly beautiful body of original songs influenced by jazz, soul and Latin styles. - Andrew Gilbert / San Jose Mercury News 3/29/12
Our first player from Down Under, Adam Miller plays his new tune 'Parker' at the Slide Bar in LA on his Traugott Model OO, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md8yjGdMi3c
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For more on Adam Miller: www.adammiller.com.au
I just finished a new semi-hollow electric guitar for great guitarist Charlie Hunter! (www.charliehunter.com). This is my Model R shape, it has a solid spruce block in the center with a German spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides.
For those who aren't familiar with TED Talks, the goal of the TED foundation is to foster the spread of great ideas. It aims to provide a platform so that millions of people can gain a better understanding of the biggest issues faced by the world, and a desire to help create a better future. Core to this goal is a belief that there is no greater force for changing the world than a powerful idea. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share the TED experience. I was honored to give a talk for TEDx Santa Cruz and found it to be a really inspiring experience. So many great ideas! Some truly amazing people and stories, some, like one on solar power made me realize how I could and should make my own contribution. My talk is about how I see guitar making as a journey, one from the forest to the music. Please give a listen if you are interested, William Coulter plays my Model R guitar.
TEDxSanta Cruz: Jeff Traugott (w/ William Coulter) - Living to Live
Summer 2011 Fretboard Journal #22
"Guitarist Charlie Hunter and Luthier Jeff Traugott go under the hood of their ongoing Guitar Collaborations"
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Charlie Hunter Fans!! Now at a store near you! ( not available on line )
Check out the summer 2011 FRETBOARD JOURNAL #22, there is a big article about my collaboration with Charlie Hunter.
Get ready for the New West Guitar Group's newest CD, "Round-Trip Ticket" out this fall!www.newwestguitar.com
Here's a new fan fret Model R. It has a German Spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood on the back and sides. It is a 27" bass, 26.625" treble, with the 5th fret perpendicular. 
Model BK with German Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood, 27" scale length, 15 frets to the body, for BIG SOUND!!
