Building for Soup

I recently had the opportunity to build a guitar for a genuine rockstar, and a musician that I have looked up to since Jr. High school.

I reached out to Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup on Instagram, and offered to build him a guitar. To my surprise, he responded and followed me. About a month later, we started talking about the details of the build he wanted. He was super cool about it, giving me a box to work in, but a big enough box that I could still make something that was distinctly Ravencroft.

Jaret wanted something inspired by a semi-hollow PRS 22, a guitar that he borrowed from Butch Walker in the early 2000s to record albums, including the GRAMMY Nominated Drunk Enough to Dance and the landmark A Hangover You Don’t Deserve. We decided on a set of PRS 85/15s for pickups to emulate the sound he fell in love with. Everything beyond that was up to me.

Jaret was super supportive throughout the process, interacting with progress posts online, chatting with me privately, and arranging how I could deliver it to him personally and get to meet the man who was so influential to me.

I should touch on that.

Bowling For Soup has been one of my favourite bands since around 2008, when I discovered the track Girl All the Bad Guys Want. I got really into them when a girl in my class that I had a crush on told me to check out Smoothie King, and this opened me up to their entire catalogue of deep cuts. I went through difficult times in high school with my mental health, and Bowling For Soup was this positive, fun source of music that worked hard to remind me that even though there were tough parts of life, some things could be solved with just “some ice cream and a hug.” Later in life, Jaret came out about his own mental health issues and battles with anxiety and depression, with many similarities to my own experiences with mental illness. He broke some of the internalized stigma I had around my own mind: if this hilarious, successful musician could be depressed, maybe it was okay that I was too. I followed the band consistently from then on. My wife and I bonded over their music. I danced to Somebody Get My Mom with my own mother at my wedding. They have been a constant presence in my life, and it meant the world to me to be able to interact with Jaret and do this for him.

On October 16, 2024, I was able to go back stage at Union Hall in Edmonton, and present the guitar to Jaret and the rest of the band (minus Chris Burney, who missed out on the tour for medical reasons). Jaret seemed to really like it, and told me that it was going straight to his home studio to be used as a recording guitar. We recorded the whole event, and I will be sure to share the video when the BFS team post it. Jaret promised to give me feedback when he finished the tour and had time to really sit with the guitar, which will be invaluable.

I thought that was it. But then, halfway into the concert, Jaret pulled me up on stage, had me pick a song to add to their set, gave me a hug, and let me achieve a childhood dream of standing on stage in front of a screaming crowd. Sure they weren’t there to see me, but it was still a dream come true.

This has been an incredible experience, not just a guitar builder, but as a person. I will remember this forever.

Thank you Jaret, for giving me this opportunity and a truly special moment in my life.